Set a romantic heart-friendly dinner

by Renee Kiriluk-Hill

Hunterdon Observer, February 12, 2005

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But foreget about poisoning Cupid's arrow with artery-clogging, weight-enhancing dinners this Valentine's (or any other) Day. The best gift you can give your significant other is a diet to help you grow old together, and that includes women, who are more likely to die of heart disease than anything else.

Jewels Quelly has operated AngelFood Personal Chef Service in the area for 10 years, and she has many Hunterdon customers. She's turned her family on to healthy eating and likes to do the same for the people she serves, particularly since a number of them are on special diets, such as low-carb.

"Since romantic cooking a lot of times is associated with rich flavors, one think I recommend is to substitute some ingredients" with low- or no-fat versions, she said. She finds, for instance, that the fat-free half-and-half has good texture and most brands have good flavor. It's not the same as the real thing, she admits, but "neither is the calorie count."

Quelly also advocates fresh lemons saying the juice and zest "really opens up your taste buds as well as the dish. If a dish calls for salt, put lemon juice in first and you may find that you don't need the salt," she said.

Fresh herbs, from parsley to cilantro or basil, have the same taste-bud opening effect and unlike fruits and vegetables, they're always available full of peak flavor. "Freeze the leftovers" after removing the stems, she said, to keep a good thing going. For a healthy boost, she said, mushrooms are "full of moisture and great flavor, without the fat ."

There's also something about the aroma of fresh garlic-with it's "warming energy property"- and onions. "If you both eat it, you don't notice each other's breath," she pointed out.

Ask her to recommend a heart-healthy, yet romantic dinner and the first thing she'll ask is what you do and don't like. Then she could whip together fresh cod fillets with chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic, served atop a bed of fresh spinach, with some brown rice on the side. Her personal chef's meals come oven-ready, so there's no such thing as dried out reheated fish.

"You pop it in the oven and it's ready in 15 minutes," said Quelly

While dinner's cooking she recommends several appetizers: bruscetta, made with canned tomatoes at this time of year unless "vine ripe" are available, or a fresh hummus dip- an "exotic dish"- with fresh vegetables. For that "wow" factor she'd go with phyllo cups filled with chopped mushrooms.

So, what about dessert? "I wouldn't hesitate to dip a couple of strawberries in chocolate, maybe with angel food cake," she said, making the chocolate "dark" to up the anti-oxidant factor.

She already has her Valentine's Day dinner planned: around the family table with her husband of 15 years and their two children, enjoying the food and each other's company. "Too many humans don't get to sit down and enjoy their food," she said, having made family meal times together a "personal crusade".