Tasty Winter Eats

food & libations | recipes | delicious events

January is a time for new beginnings, fresh starts and an opportunity to reset with healthful eating after weeks of holiday revelry. We make resolutions, undertake new diets and exercise programs and plan to lose the holiday pounds. Balance is the key to helping reset and regroup during meal preparation. Taking a break from sugary foods and carb-heavy meals will support the systems of the body and ultimately make you feel lighter.

There are some relatively easy ways to reset. Consider a winter post-holiday cleanse. It takes some discipline. The simplest way to get back on track and clean up a diet is to omit alcohol, sugar, flour, all processed foods and caffeine for a minimum of five days and up to 21 days. It’s not always easy, but if you are suffering from overindulging, this can help. Coffee is one of the hardest things to omit. If you can’t bear to skip coffee, simply eliminate everything else.

The key is to be gentle to yourself. If omitting things from a diet is too challenging, consider preparing healthy

meals without processed ingredients. Eating healthy does not mean sacrificing flavor.

Tahoe can be a harsh winter environment. Eating to support the body in this environment is essential. Raw vegetables and salads can be challenging for the digestive system. Raw foods are generally best to eat in warmer weather. I tend to eat more cooked vegetables in the cold weather months. Most people living and visiting Tahoe are incredibly active: skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing — burning a lot of energy. It’s vital to eat accordingly.

Winter is a good time to lean into hot soups, stews and one-pot meals when it comes to making nutritious meals. They are healthy and easy to prepare for one person or for a crowd. Clean proteins and veggies, along with whole grains, are wholesome and satisfying.

Chili is a delicious one-pot meal. There are numerous ways to make chili. It can make your head swirl. Traditional beef chili, wild game chili, white chicken chili or vegetarian bean chili, the combinations and flavors are endless. Stews also make a onepot meal. Instant Pots and slow cookers make these types of meals ridiculously easy to prepare. The most laborious thing is prepping the ingredients.

Want to impress? Turn beef stew into beef bourguignon or prepare a chicken

BY PRIYA HUTNER

cacciatore, a delicious Italian stew. A Chicken Paprikash is a fabulous coldweather meal and lentil stew is excellent for vegans and vegetarians and can appease carnivore types, as well. Add vegetables of choice to any of these stews and serve over rice or quinoa.

Hearty soups can serve as a main meal. My go-to winter soups include chicken vegetable soup, minestrone, Aztec soup, miso vegetable soup with tofu, Italian wedding soup and split pea soup. These are some of my favorite cold-weather soups. They are delicious and nourishing. Most of these soups are gluten-free and dairy-free.

Some of my other favorite soups include roasted root vegetable soup. Parsnips add a nice dimension to this soup. Butternut, acorn squash, carrots and sweet potato are excellent to create a thick and hearty soup. For many of these soups, I add ginger, garlic and black pepper for an extra immunity boost. Spiraled zucchini or baked spaghetti squash are great ways to substitute pasta in a meal. Cauliflower rice is delicious with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley and can replace rice or pasta, as well.

Keeping meals simple and healthy can be beneficial for overall wellness and allows for more time to play in the snow and enjoy the Tahoe lifestyle. n

Priya Hutner is a food writer, personal chef and owner of The Seasoned Sage, a local meal delivery and catering company. Priya has been creating and preparing meals from an early age. She has worked in the restaurant industry in New York City, attended catering school, and was the head chef and executive director of a nonprofit spiritual community in Florida. Visit her website at TheSeasonedSage.com. Send your comments, story ideas and food tidbits to priya@tahoethisweek.com.

From the kitchen of Priya Hunter

3 T olive oil 2 lbs. beef chuck or eye round, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 large onion, rough chopped 5 cloves garlic, sliced 3 carrots peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks 2 large potatoes, quartered 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 large can diced tomatoes 2 C beef broth 1 C dry red wine 1 bay leaf 3 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme 1½ t kosher salt 1 t black pepper

Heat oil on sauté function of the Instant pot, slow cooker or Dutch oven. Add beef and sear on each side. Remove from pot.

Add onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add all of the ingredients and seared beef to the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Use the slow cook function for 8 to 12 hours or the stew function.

If using a Dutch oven or large pot, simmer on low heat for 3 to 4 hours or until beef is tender.