Nourish the soul without damaging the heart
We struggle to eat more healthfully, but two culprits stand in our way: fat and sugar. If, like me, you have sweet teeth, not just a sweet tooth, preparing satisfying desserts may be the difference between adhering to your food plan or not.
Nechama Cohen, founder and CEO of the Jewish Diabetes Association, slashes her way through the schmaltz with “Enlitened Kosher Cooking” (Feldheim Publishers, $39.95), a lusciously photographed cookbook with over 250 good-carb, healthy-fat, sugar-free recipes that nourish the soul without damaging the heart.
“I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1985 and was presented with a real kitchen challenge,” recalled Cohen, who spoke to me by phone from her home in Israel, “so I started ‘enlitening’ recipes. After 20 years it was time to put them in writing.”
You don’t have to be diabetic to appreciate these healthful and elegant recipes that are short on deprivation and long on flavor. “Traditional Jewish cooking is known to be heavy,” Cohen noted, “but lightening up these dishes is really doable. No matter what your ethnicity, you can live an enlightened lifestyle and be healthy and happy. We need to look at fat and carbs.”
While many of the dessert recipes in the book call for sugar substitutes, non-diabetics can use sugar or even go fifty-fifty, advised Cohen. And you don’t have to give up your favorite foods either. Take cheese, for example. How do you work cheese into an “enlitened” food plan? Low carb and low fat, Cohen’s Baked Cheesecake makes an elegant and easy dessert for company or for family meals.
As a diabetic, Cohen had to cut down on sugar fast! “I’ve learned to use other ingredients, so we don’t need to load up on sugar or even sugar substitutes,” she said. “Moderation is key. I don’t believe in the word ‘diet.’ A diet is temporary. Long-term lifestyle changes need to be coupled with moderation so it can last. These recipes contain normal amounts of sugar, not two and three cups of sugar. Same thing with fat. In standard cookbooks the amount of sugar and fat in the recipes is scary.”
A recent Harris poll suggested that when Americans think about aging, fear of memory loss is a primary concern. As Mark Twain said, “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss memory the most.” So begins “The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory” (Whitecap Books, $50), by famed kosher cookbook author Norene Gilletz and food research scientist Edward Wein, PhD., which provides health and nutritional advice for people with memory loss as well as teaching how to avoid or slow down potential cognitive decline.
“Memory is about who you are,” writes Gilletz. “It’s about your very identity…so it’s understandable that people fear losing memory the most as they age.” While there are plenty of books out there that offer various techniques for slowing down memory loss, such as brain exercises and physical exercises, “The Brain Boosting Diet” focuses solely on nutrition and brain health, a relatively new field, explains Gilletz. Each of the over 200 recipes is accompanied by commentary from Dr. Wein, who identifies the foods that prevent cognitive decline and explains their action in your body. Interesting tidbits of information appear in frequent “Did you know?” boxes scattered throughout the book. You also learn which foods and patterns accelerate brain decline, the so-called “three deadly dietary sins”: too much food, too much sugar and carbs, and too much processed foods.
Gilletz and Wein compare and contrast the generally accepted current diet plans for brain health and then offer their own Brain Boosting Diet, which is easy to follow and offers the greatest brain benefits. For example, this approach emphasizes “the impact of sugars and digestible carbohydrates on brain and heart health. We concluded,” the pair write, “based on updated research, that sugars and carbohydrates are a greater threat for cognitive decline than fats, and that Alzheimer’s disease/dementia could be considered the type 3 diabetes of the brain.”
Gilletz’s mantra is “Food that’s good for you should taste good. Cook smarter, eat smarter.” No austere regimen here; you will learn how to create meals that are “fast, fabulous, flavorful and fun. Taste always rules.” Enjoy Bran-ana Chocolate Chip Loaf, Blueberry Cinnamon Pancakes, Spinach and Cheese Frittata or Apricot Almond Muffins for breakfast. Savor “Marvelous Mains” like Low and Slow Brisket, Quick Chicken Cacciatore, and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, plus meatless mains like Individual Eggplant Lasagnas, Confetti Vegetable Strudel and Cauliflower-Crusted Pizza. For dessert indulge in Peanut Butter Cookies, Mini Cheesecakes, Chocolate Bark, Rugelach Rollups, and Secret Ingredient Brownies. (Spoiler alert: Would you believe black beans?) Even traditional Jewish dishes get the Gilletz makeover: Miniature “Notsa” Balls (Chicken Kneidlach), Vegetarian Cholent, Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls, Shawarma-Style Chicken, Kasha and Bowties, and Biscotti Thins (Skinny Mandelbroit).
Source: “The Brain Boosting Diet” by Norene Gilletz and Dr. Edward Wein
Baked Cheesecake
Yield: 12 servings
Non-stick cooking spray
4 eggs, separated, + 2 egg whites
Sugar substitute equal to 3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups 3% soft white cheese, or light cream cheese or ricotta cheese, drained
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons vanilla flavored, low-carb soy protein powder
Topping:
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
Sugar substitute equal to 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with baking paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Separate eggs. Beat whites the enlightened way (recipe follows) with salt, half of sugar substitute and half of lemon juice until stiff. Beat yolks with remaining sugar substitute until thick. With mixer on low-medium setting, beat in vanilla, cheese, lemon juice and rind, and protein powder until incorporated. Gently fold into beaten whites.
3. Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, reduce heat to 300°F and bake another 40 minutes. When top of cake is set, turn off oven and keep door closed. Allow to cool for another hour in oven. Remove and continue to cool on wire rack.
4. Combine topping ingredients. Spread on top of cheesecake and bake five minutes at 450°F.
Nut variation; Add 1/4 cup roasted slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional) to cake. Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds on the topping.
80 calories per slice, 7 g protein, 3.2 g carbs, 4.1 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 72 mg sodium, 53 mg calcium
Enlitened Egg Whites
4 egg whites
Salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Beat egg whites on high speed with a pinch of salt. When whites begin to froth up, slowly add lemon juice or vinegar. Beat until eggs are shiny and stiff but not dry. Do not allow beaten egg whites to stand around at room temperature.
Source: “Enlitened Kosher Cooking” by Nechama Cohen
Secret Ingredient Brownies
These brownies are gluten- and egg-free, and if made with maple syrup, vegan friendly too.
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed (preferably no salt added)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup gluten-free quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (sugar-free or semisweet)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
12 walnut or pecan halves (optional, garnish)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In food processor fitted with steel blade, combine beans, cocoa, oats, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Process until smooth and well blended, scraping down sides of bowl several times with rubber spatula.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped nuts, if using. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Tap with walnut or pecan halves, if using, pressing them slightly into batter.
4. Bake 18-20 minutes until set. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. If they look undercooked, don’t worry. Refrigerate them overnight and they will firm up. Cut into squares and store in refrigerator. 162 calories per brownie, 20 g carbohydrates, 6 g sugar, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein, 8 g fat (3 g saturated), 5 g sodium 147 mg potassium.
Source: “The Brain Boosting Diet” by Norene Gilletz and Edward Wein, Phd
Jlife Food Editor Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” (Workman) and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook” (an e-book short from Workman), a columnist and feature writer for the Orange County Register and other publications and can be found on the web at www.cookingjewish.com.