Foodprint - Flavor Transfering Lesson One

I want to talk to you about flavor transferring.

Flavor transferring, well what I call "flavor transferring", is taking a combination of food and spices and either adapting it to a method or translating it into a dish.

It's one of the many ideas that helps me maintain my weight. I identify what I like about a food and then try to either make my own version at home, which is lower in fat because I'm controlling the ingredients, or I make a new dish out of a favorite by incorporating new flavors. (Like when I cheat on my PB&J sandwich.)

When I think about what I eat, I kind of categorize it into meals. These are the categories:

casseroles
salad
starch & meat
cereal/grains
sandwich
soups
quick breads and cakes
veggies & fruit sides

There's no hard rule to this list. You could add tons more categories, but I feel like this encompasses pretty much all the food I eat. Thinking about the food in categories allows me to think what flavors I'd like to transfer from one dish to another.

Here's how this works: take the one category of food, such as a sandwich, and insert it into another, like a salad.

Example: Pizza. Okay, so pizza isn't technically a sandwich, but it has the basic idea of a sandwich, just stay with me..

Pizza is basically bread, cheese, tomato sauce and toppings. To "flavor transfer" pizza into a salad, take the cheese, toppings, spices and "remove" the sauce. Make yourself some whole wheat pasta, toss it with cheese and toppings. Add a good quality oil for flavor and heart healthy fat, then top it off with a pinch of Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Real Parmesan. Not the can, I love the can, it's cute and small, but it's not the real thing!


Not only have you used the flavors of a pizza to make a "new" dish for yourself, you were hopefully smart enough to add in veggies with your favorite toppings. This flavor transfer also doubles as a pasta salad (see, it's a salad, but a pasta salad) when served cold.

Now, go forth and transfer!

Foodprint - You probably think this meal is all about you, don't you?

I am really superficial with my food. What does that mean exactly?

It means that I am in love with my food, and go great lengths to eat the best food available to me.

Breaking it down even further, if I don't like the taste of it, I don't eat it. I only get so many calories a day, why should I waste it on something that's rubbery, over salted, and just plain so-so? If I'm getting fast food -- it's made to order. If it's fresh fruit and vegetables, it's peak season and rightly priced. You get the idea; you don't have to be as "selective" as I am, but don't just eat anything because it's in front of you.

My food it also really pretty. It's probably the most inane detail, but it's very important. When you watch TV ads, do you ever see an ad for mushy, overcooked food? You eat with all your senses, even your ears, why not appeal to each one? I find the easiest way to achieve this is to add color to your food. How? For starters, eat an array of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Chees-y tag line: Nature's rainbow is your natural vitamin! (Or cocktail, depending on how you roll, I guess.)

Warning: music is terrible, but overall point is good.

You can also choose to eat off of great stuff. You don't have to hire a violinist or have dinner by candlelight. Functional & cool items can also make your food pretty. This is my lunch bag:



People at work love my lunch bag. It's a, *ahem*, conversational piece. Haha. Honestly, it's so weird looking, so they often ask what it is and I end up blabbing about it. (I had this one before hand, but I destroyed it :/) My point, it's okay to be a little vain about your food. In the long run, it can be worthwhile. You'll eat better, feel better, move better, etc. You'll be better.

However, I wouldn't recommend vanity for other aspects of your life.

Series: The Foodprint - Food Attitude 101

Instead of just sputtering random tidbits, I'm going to try and organize some of my thoughts & tips. When, I'm not doing that, see previous sentence.

This first (and perhaps only) series is centered towards revamping your food attitude. I really believe that if you tackle this head on, all the other elements of good health and nutrition fall into place. It's analogous to having that relaxing breath in yoga -- a good food attitude will center you no matter what you do.

I don't know if you heard this, but stop me if you haven't: you have to eat.

Shocking, right? And, food tastes really good. So, why not enjoy eating good things? And bad things, too? You just have to learn how to weave it into life.

So, if this interests you at all, search for "foodprint" or "food attitude." And, that's that.

In the meantime, here's an article from the Washington Post about all those new calorie counts you've seen, and how you may or not be ignoring them. It's time to check your food attitude, people.