A weekly column by Chef Daniel Orr

Daniel Orr is Executive Chef at Kitchen Stadium, Santorini Restaurant, Famiglia and the Tapas Lounge and Rum bar at CuisinArt Resort and Spa and is working on A Chef’s Diet Cookbook and Cooking in Paradise.

Chef Daniel Orr

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Eat it up!

And in the process, launch your own program of good eating and better health. And yes, it will even be fun and rewarding.

The classic image of a chef – round, jolly, raising a spoon of rich sauce to his lips while holding a glass of wine in the other hand – started fading when all those Food Nazis and Health Authorities came up with so-called facts that eating properly gives you a longer and more productive life. It turns out that the “facts” have been scientifically proven and we can no longer ignore them.

Now chefs, along with other ambassadors of good eating, are propelling the shift toward healthy eating habits by presenting outrageously good food that also happens to be lighter and healthier.

Americans traveling in France in the late 70s and early 80s gained a new appreciation for cooking and eating in the restaurants of talents like Paul Bocuse and Roger Vergé. Their cuisine stressed quality over quantity, with an appreciation for the best seasonal ingredients available. It inspired a revolution back home, and many American chefs are cooking and eating by these new rules.

As a chef, I have been driven by personal and constant battles of the bulge to find healthy things to eat that are good. (I am not one to punish myself by staring into a bowl of plain, steamed cabbage. But add some citrus, a drop of sesame oil, Chinese chili paste and some diced tofu and I’ve got something glorious.)

After working at Guastavino’s in Manhattan for four years I had gained thirty pounds and had stopped working out. I moved to Anguilla for a change of pace and stress, and with my good friend Elizabeth set out to get things under control and have a good time doing it. The result is A Chef’s Diet Cookbook. In it we introduce new ingredients, techniques and encouragement to people who have eaten too well and now want to eat better. It is our hope that chefs who read this book will become inspired to take their talent to the next level – nutrition – to offer their guests wonderful food that is healthy. At CuisinArt Resort & Spa I have the opportunity to offer my Regime Cuisine, as I called it in my first book –simply put, lighter dishes for a healthier lifestyle. At the Spa I have even based a wildly popular seven-course dégustation menu (a fancy French name for a chef’s tasting menu) at our fine-dining Santorini restaurant using our hydroponically and organically grown produce. I am truly in a chef’s paradise.

Diet plays a primary role in determining our level of optimal health and wellness. Proper diet can prevent a wide range of diseases, especially by helping to maintain ideal body weight. With this emphasis on diet in achieving and maintaining good health comes a wide range of changes in the way we approach food.

In spite of positive trends, obesity is epidemic in both the United States and the Caribbean, especially among children. Increased portion sizes, processed foods, fast-food chains, additives, coloring agents, preservatives, extreme diets that are bound to fail, and misleading corporate marketing are all culprits.

I have always believed you should eat the real thing –the butter, the cream, the chocolate – but eat it in small celebrations and enjoy it to the fullest. Chew it, let it melt in your mouth, enjoy the experience but do it with control, and be willing to exercise.

In this column over the next twenty weeks, I will share tips on living a healthy lifestyle, and recipes to make this fun and enjoyable. You will love the recipes and what they do for your complete well-being. Learn the basics and then come up with your own versions – you will convert your family, friends and for the chefs out there, customers.

Dieting is a drag, but developing a healthy lifestyle is fun and rewarding.

The Diet in a nutshell:

By sticking to preparing fresh, organic food simply, reducing portions, increasing the proportion of plant foods and fiber, reducing consumption of meat and saturated fat, and exercising regularly, we can attain and maintain a higher level of health. Here are your guidelines:

 Balancing intake of protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats
 Eating more organic and naturally produced foods
 Consuming more complex carbohydrates and fewer refined carbohydrates such as white bread, muffins, crackers and bagels
 Consuming more fruits, vegetables, fiber, legumes, and whole grains
 Reducing consumption of sweets, sugars, carbonated beverages, juices and caffeine
 Consuming more fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, lean meats, and eliminating meat processed with hormones
 Eliminating processed foods with additives and coloring agents
 Reducing/eliminating snack foods, frozen foods, and canned foods
 Reducing intake of saturated fats/Increasing intake of unsaturated fats. Eliminating consumption of trans- and hydrogenated fats
 Decreasing portion sizes
 Reducing hard alcohol intake
 Exercising daily
 Drinking 32 to 48 ounces of water per day
 Sharing food, wine and the pleasures of the table with the people you love.

I’d love to hear from you. I am collecting recipes and stories for future articles and books and would love to include your favorite family recipes and food memories from the kitchen, the garden or the sea. You can reach me at dorr@cuisinart.comor stop me on the road if you see the CuisinArt Chef Mobile.

Recipe by Executive Chef Daniel Orr, CuisinArt Resort

Sweet Pea Guacamole

This is a favorite of mine and is great for many uses. Use it instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches and pita pockets, use it as a dip, on salads, or as a sauce! You don’t even have to tell your family and friends there is tofu in it! Make a batch and use within 3 to 4 days.

Makes 3 cups

1 pound sweet green peas, cooked until skins are tender, plunged into cold water to stop cooking process, and drained

1 chile pepper (your favorite, depending on how hot you like it), roughly chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

½ pound silken tofu

½ cup olive oil

Tabasco, as needed

Purée peas, chile pepper, ginger, tofu, and olive oil together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

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