2007.09.19: September 19, 2007: Headlines: COS - Guatemala: Nutrition: Vegatables: Cooking: Nashua Telegraph: Guatemala RPCV Meghan McCarthy is a trained nutritionist and a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe
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2007.09.19: September 19, 2007: Headlines: COS - Guatemala: Nutrition: Vegatables: Cooking: Nashua Telegraph: Guatemala RPCV Meghan McCarthy is a trained nutritionist and a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe
Guatemala RPCV Meghan McCarthy is a trained nutritionist and a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe
Meghan McCarthy, 38, is a registered nurse and nutritionist from Nashua. She is married with one son. The irony that a trained nutritionist is a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe does not escape McCarthy. “I didn’t eat my first tomato until I was 35!” she said. In fact, Meghan told us that while she served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, she was reluctant to sample any of the native fare. “You’d think being in a foreign country, I’d try something new. I have new-food phobia.”
Guatemala RPCV Meghan McCarthy is a trained nutritionist and a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe
The Doorbell Gourmet: Dropping the veg-o-phobia
Published: Wednesday, Sep. 19, 2007
Caption: Beet Salad
GUEST: Meghan McCarthy, 38, is a registered nurse and nutritionist from Nashua. She is married with one son. The irony that a trained nutritionist is a self-proclaimed veg-o-phobe does not escape McCarthy. “I didn’t eat my first tomato until I was 35!” she said. In fact, Meghan told us that while she served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, she was reluctant to sample any of the native fare. “You’d think being in a foreign country, I’d try something new. I have new-food phobia.”
She wrote to us that she was “a decent cook,” but lacked creativity. “Chicken, chicken and more chicken. My husband and almost 2-year-old son are going to grow beaks and feathers pretty soon. . . . I wing it, no pun intended.” She said she doesn’t want her son, D.J., to inherit her nutritional issues.
WHAT’S IN THE KITCHEN? Chicken, of course, skinless, boneless breast. A wide
variety of cheeses and spices and a homemade chicken rub.
DOORBELL GOURMET’S SECRET INGREDIENT: Sesame oil.
THE DISHES: Meghan’s Veg-O-Phobic Beet Salad and Cabbage Soup.
THE RECIPES
MEGHAN’S BEET SALAD
4 whole beets, greens removed
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon spice rub (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6-8 leaves Romaine lettuce
Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon feta cheese, crumbled
2 teaspoon cashews, chopped
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Wash beets, but do not peel. Roast them whole in the oven for about an hour, until the skins are shriveled. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Coat chicken breasts with spice rub. Heat oil in 10-inch saute pan until almost smoking. Add chicken and sear each side about 4 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool.
Arrange lettuce on 2 plates. Peel beets. Slice beets and chicken breast and arrange on top of lettuce. Sprinkle with vinaigrette, feta and cashews.
Serves 2.
SPICE RUB
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
Mix seasonings in a bowl, and store in an airtight container.
NOTE: This is a good spice mixture for any type of grilling or barbecuing.
VINAIGRETTE
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cooked corn kernels
Whisk together all ingredients except corn. After whisking, add corn.
MEGHAN’S CHICKEN AND CABBAGE SOUP
2 cups Spanish or yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon ginger paste, or 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups white, all-purpose potatoes, skin on and cubed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
8 cups stock (see note)
4 cups raw cabbage, diced
12-14 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast diced to spoon-sized portions
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Chives, minced
Place a large, thick-bottomed soup pot on medium-high heat. Saute the onions in the oil until they are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the ginger paste and garlic, and saute an additional minute, until they are fragrant.
Add the potatoes, squash and stock, cover the pot and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, until potatoes are slightly tender. Add the cabbage and chicken, and cook about 5-7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and cabbage is just barely tender. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce and a pinch of chives.
NOTE: Use any variety of commercially made or homemade chicken, vegetable or beef stock, or just plain water.
Serve cold beer.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: September, 2007; Peace Corps Guatemala; Directory of Guatemala RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Guatemala RPCVs; Cooking
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Story Source: Nashua Telegraph
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Guatemala; Nutrition; Vegatables; Cooking
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