My longtime colleague Caroline Cummins is confused — indeed, a little frustrated — about the health aspects of fats, specifically animal fats: In a recent blog post, she asks whether we should be eating fats at all, and if so which ones? Reports on this topic in the media are all over the place, and there’s a lot of contradictory information being published. What’s an eater to do?
When balance and moderation seem like the only way to go, don’t fret; your menu doesn’t have to turn dull — full of umami one day and lacking it the next. Kim O’Donnel, who for years managed our Table Talk chats, has, in the last few years, turned her attention toward creating satisfying meatless dishes. Her latest book, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations, is full of luscious-sounding recipes. Kim, a trained chef, found that when she began cooking fewer meat-based dishes, she discovered a host of plant-based but umami-rich ingredients, such as molasses, mushrooms, mustard, roasted vegetables, smoked paprika, and soy sauce — and these days, she makes ample use of those.
This week on Culinate, Marygrace Taylor, an Austin, Texas-based writer, developed a brunch menu for us that’s just a little lighter than standard brunch fare (no bacon, for instance). Oh, you’ll still find lots to smack your lips over — you just might be a little less heavy-feeling, afterwards.
