Welcome to The Professional Palate - my little taste of life as a working mom and registered dietitian. This blog is now "retired", but feel free to browse around if you'd like to see what I've been cooking up for the last few years.
For all of my new posts and recipes, please visit my new home on The Healthy Aperture Blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 7:10AM 
My mom makes the best potato salad. It's truly one of those dishes that regardless of its indulgent calorie profile, I would never tamper with. Some dishes are meant to be enjoyed in their original form. This, however, is not her potato salad....[READ MORE]
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 10:00AM It's been a year.
Seriously... an entire year since we first launched The Recipe ReDux. What started out as a fun little idea to get some like-minded bloggers together has grown into one of the projects I'm most proud to ever have launched. Nearly every week we add new members to the blogroll, and I continue to be amazed at the talent of the bloggers I meet through ReDux. To each and every one of you who is blogging along each month, I sincerely thank you and am so glad we met!
Now... onto the food!
This month's topic, fitting of a 1 year anniversary, is Small Bites for Big Celebrations. The ReDux has and always will be about celebrating good food - good food not only in terms of nutrition, but taste as well. So when the idea surfaced to celebrate with dessert, my partners and I had to pause to consider "what" type of desserts did we want to celebrate with?
The choices are plentiful... we could have opted to limit to the obligatory cake or cupcakes. But ReDux is about exploring new/tasty ways to enjoy food, in a healthier way. So we decided to let people choose whatever festive dessert they liked, just pairing down the serving size.
The message: not every dish has to be naturally low in calories to be worthy of a healthy indulgence. Sometimes, you just opt for a smaller serving size.
And so I offer you a Blueberry Tartlet.
Inspired by our family's annual blueberry harvest (one of my FAVORITE times of year)...
...and my recent induction into the school of "I Can Make Puff Pastry" (thanks to my new friends at King Arthur Flour), these little tartlets are simple to make, but look impressive to guests.
Just say the words "Homemade Puff Pastry" and even the most skilled of bakers will swoon at your accomplishment. The secret? I learned from King Arthur Flour that you could replicate the roll, butter, layer process (a time-consuming process at best) of a traditional puff pastry by cutting in your butter in large, flat pieces. Then you simply knead together, roll out and fold twice.
Seriously... that's the trick. And it works! The flat, large layers of butter in a dough that's not overworked help replicate those pockets of fat and moisture that give puff pastry it's puff and rise.
And while we're talking puff pastry.... let's don't be afraid of the judicious use of a little puff pastry (especially homemade) in a dish like this. Yes, it's mostly butter and a little flour. But you're not using it in large amounts and the flavor, look & mouth feel it gives to a dish isn't easily replicated. These tartlets are small, so don't get caught up in the ratio of butter, etc. Just enjoy. I know I did!
Again, thank you to everyone who has participated in The ReDux and to all of you who have followed along this year! Happy Anniversiary!
Blueberry Tartlets
Ingredients (10 tartlets)
Puff Pastry
Instructions
For Puff Pastry
Blend flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in chilled butter, leaving large pieces intact and flattened. Mix in sour cream (dough will not be formed at this point).
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and pull it together with a few quick kneads. Pat dough into a square and roll into a 8- x 10-inch rectangle, using plenty of flour to keep from sticking.
Dust excess flour off surface of dough, and fold in three (like a business letter).
Flip dough over, turn 90 degrees and repeat rolling and folding process. Chill dough 30 minutes before using.
For tartlets
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Divide puff pastry dough in half (reserve remaining dough for another use). Roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using tartlets pans, press out dough and fit into pans. (I re-roll scraps, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake).
Brush crusts evenly with cream. Spoon about 1 tablespoon fresh blueberries into each tartlet and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!
(Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux posts only. Any links added to this collection for non-ReDux posts will be deleted.)
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Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 9:28PM 
The facts are these:
I'm mostly a wine drinker. And I don't have a green thumb.
I don't regularly drink cocktails. And I have managed to kill two rosemary plants.
When I do drink a mixed drink, I like gin. And fresh mint is apparently immune to my brown thumb.
Take all of that into consideration, and my new favorite cocktail makes sense - the English Mojito.
Mojitos have to be one of my favorite ways to use fresh mint (a good Tabbouleh, not withstanding.) But I prefer gin to rum and recently found myself in posession of some very nice garden-fresh cucumbers. And so the drink above was born (its origin, I'm not sure. Google presented me with the idea).
If you're not a gin fan or haven't found yourself with a plentiful supply of cucumbers and mint, then check out these other Healthy Cocktail Recipes from Cooking Light for summer sipping inspiration.
Curious.... what's your favorite summer cocktail?
Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 11:50AM I just returned from one of the most amazing workshops I've ever attended. "Blog and Bake" was hosted by King Arthur Flour at their headquarters in Norwich, VT. I was fortunate enough to be invited as a result of my working relationship with Cabot Creamery. Vermont is ripe with amazing food companies, and these are two of the best!
I hope to share lots of what I learned in future posts. For now, I think this sums it up in many ways
...or more specifically, the brand and type of flour matters. We attended an eye-opening workshop that dealt with the differences in protein content, look, smell, feel and functionality of various flours. I honestly couldn't believe that side by side, all purpose flour could be so different. Not to mention the absolute quality of what I baked while there was shocking. I consider myself a decent baker, but I left VT a much better baker than when I arrived... and I credit much of that to the fact that I was using exclusively KAF products.
More pics from the event:
Everyone says how Southerners are known for their friendliness... well hats off to our neighbors to the North because I couldn't have felt any more welcome. If you're planning a trip to New England any time soon, try to snag a spot in one of King Arthur's classes at their Baking Education Center. You'll be welcomed equally as warmly!
In case you've ever wondered if bloggers actually work at these events... don't they look so intense?
You know you're in for some good stuff when you see big bins of rolling pins greeting you.
This picture does not even begin to do their on-site store justice. I was overwhelmed at the variety of baking tools & products. If you're not able to make it for a visit any time soon, worry not. King Arthur has a robust online shopping section. Click around til your little baker's heart is content.
A gnocchi board. Maybe you've used one before? Not me. Or at least not until I got to tape a cooking segment with Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia fame (shown below.) Yes. That's right. I said tape a segment. I wouldn't say it was a starring role, but I got a "yes" and "thank you" or two in there! I'll keep you posted on when it should air.
Too bad I couldn't just pick up one of these from the on-site store and stick it in my suitcase :)
Key learning here: bloggers take LOTS of pictures. Even of other bloggers.
This is shaggy mass, not to be confused with a shaggy mess (which is what my hair looked like in the rainy VT weather, if I'm being honest). Shaggy mass is the loosely formed bread dough before kneading. I had been missing this stage completely with my home baking, putting in way too much water.
Another big eye opener. You know that "smell" that whole wheat flour has. Well, it shouldn't. If it does, it's no good. I thought I knew rancid, but I see now it comes a lot quicker with whole wheat than I realized. Word to the whole grain baking fans out there... much more to come on this later, but let's just say the best place to start is by checking your flour. If it's bad, toss it out. Get some fresh and store it in your freezer ASAP.
Do your bread braids come out uneven? You're probably not starting from the center, are you? Consider yourself informed.
And this one's just to show that you don't have to be a nerdy RD like me to enjoy charts and graphs!
I wish I had time to debrief on everything I learned. But I promise to weave in tips for the future.
[Disclosure: I attended this event free of charge courtsey of King Arthur Flour and Cabot Creamery Cooperative. I was not compensated to write this blog post. Opinions expressed are my own.]
Friday, June 1, 2012 at 10:52AM It's not very often that this blog takes a step away from the overall fun and ease of good food and dives into the more serious ins and outs of nutrition. I laugh with friends sometimes about how I'm really not much of a "nutrition blogger." I consider myself a food blogger, regardless of the fact that I'm an RD. I just prefer to blog *mostly* about good-for-you food.
So if you're not much on heavy handed topic discussions, and you've come here for the pretty pictures and recipes, let me go ahead and direct you to the bottom of the post where you'll find a tasty little batch of peanut butter-banana muffins, made with peanut flour (a first for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hope you will as well).
For those of you who've stuck around for the rest of today's post, here it is:
Today's departure from our normally scheduled food-talk is all about Disclosure. It's not pretty. It's not tasty. It's just good old fashioned ethics.
I've been around the media world since I had my first "real" job. I started out in magazines, later worked as a spokesperson (and still do), and now mostly focus my efforts on the management of nutrition communications programs for clients, as well as managing my own portfolio of brands (Healthy Aperture, this blog and Recipe ReDux, to be exact.)
What this latest chapter of my career has meant is A LOT of reading blogs written by RDs and reviewing TV segments that include RDs as spokespeople.
And this is what I've learned:
On the whole, "we" as registered dietitians, (not saying everybody, so no hate mail please) have been doing a pretty poor job of disclosing both real and perceived conflicts of interest.
Now before you click away and call me an RD hater, please know that's not where I'm coming from. I don't believe that the majority of RDs who are operating at what I consider "sub par" disclosure standards are doing so for any reason other than the fact they simply don't know what's required and more importantly, don't know where to begin. I know I didn't.
RDs are trained to do things like interpret peer-reviewed science and translate that science into medical nutrition therapy. Some of us are fortunate enough to have all that training, plus dabble in the fun world of knowing how to bake a tender muffin using whole grain flour or roast Brussels sprouts to make them drool worthy.
But what we haven't been taught how to do - or at least haven't been taught adequately - is how to disclose.
It sounds crazy even as I type it, doesn't it? "How to disclose"... really, what's so hard about it? You have a conflict of interest. You disclose it. It's that simple, right?
I wish it were that simple. Or at least I wish everyone saw it as that simple. But I've seen discussion after discussion break out over when it should happen and where it should happen. Should it be in the form of a hashtag? Or no, should it be in the form of a policy? Or wait, no what if there's not enough space? Is there enough time? Should it be in the form of a page? Should it be said at the start of a TV segment? Should it be listed on the screen? Can I disclose it on air and then not disclose on my website? And this discussion goes on and on and on....
Are you familiar with the phrase "Rearranging the deck furniture while the Titanic is sinking?"
That's what it all feels like to me sometimes. We're so bogged down in the tactical how/why that we forget the real intent behind disclosure:
To give consumers the information they need and deserve to make a determination about whether or not they want to follow your recommendations.
To me, it's that simple.
Let's look at it this way. Cabot Creamery Cooperative is one of my main clients. I've said that here before, and I proudly list it on my Disclosure page. When I make a recommendation about using their reduced fat cheddar, I whole heartedly believe Cabot tastes the best. I believed that before I ever started doing business with them.
But if you didn't know that I worked with Cabot, and I told you you should buy some... and you did, believing that I'm an un-biased RD who must know best because she's an authority on reduced fat cheeses, how would your opinion change when you found out I worked for them?
It makes a difference.
My recommendation is still valid. I still believe Cabot's the best. But you deserve to know I'm affliated with them.
And that's where the RD-Disclosure connection has broken down. Again, I'm not saying it's absent everywhere, it's just not very prominent. And it's going to be the ruin of our profession, in my opinion. Consumers are increasingly skeptical of healthcare recommendations and the member-organization that most registered dietitians are affliated with has been under increasing scrutiny and criticism in recent years for their affliations and partnerships.
Keep all that in mind and consider what those same consumers would think if they found out their favorite RD was recommending products to them, getting paid for that recommendation and not disclosing that?
Am I saying RDs should not get paid to recommend products?
Absolutely not.
On the contrary, I am a huge advocate of RDs partnering with brands whose products/food choices match with their nutritional philosophy. How can we change people's eating habits if we're not actively promoting good food choices? And why shouldn't RDs be employed in that capacity?
Does it make an RD a sell-out to work with a brand?
Not in my opinion. Again, we all have different interests and aptitudes. I happen to be one of those RDs who loves working in communications. It's my thing. I'm not a lab coat and clinic kinda person. And not all of us can be researchers at universities, right?
So I say all of that to say this... I am in NO way an expert on Disclosure. I'm just someone who started a blog a few years ago, had never really heard much about the need for disclosure and fumbled my way through figuring out that I need to do a better job. I'm also someone who has seen a lot of RDs forgo it as a necessity, and I think that needs to change. Not only because we risk being in violation of the FTC guidelines, but more importantly, risk breaching the code of ethics we are bound by as a registered dietitian.
And being one never to shy away from a new endeavor, I launched this
RDs4Disclosure is a non-profit site devoted to helping other RDs navigate through this basically unknown part of communications. It's not the final word on Disclosure and it's not the authority. But it is a resource to get RDs started, if they need a little help. I won't take up any more space today explaining the site. If you're interested, you can make the jump and read all about it. I'd just ask that if you are a fellow RD, you take stock of your own Disclosure efforts and let me know what you think about this topic.
Oh... and visit the recipe below ;-)
[Disclosure: I received free samples of the peanut flour I used to test these muffins from the National Peanut Board. I was not compensated for my time. I am not employed by the National Peanut Board and they are not a client of mine]
***See how easy that was****
Now back to our reguarly scheduled food. Peanut butter-banana muffins, made all the more peanut-y & protein-rich using peanut flour. These are not to be missed!
Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins
Ingredients (6 muffins)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray or line with liners.
Combine flours, salt, baking powder and sugar a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, peanut butter, banana, egg and milk until well blended. Pour wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and stir just until blended. Divide evenly between muffin cups.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan at least 5 minutes.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 5:53PM
When I reconnected with Gretchen from Kumquat years ago following a fortuitous discovery on Facebook that we'd both made it to Texas through recent moves, I never imagined all that I would learn from her. She's taught me more about food photography and styling than any one person should have to. I am forever and eternally grateful. And she continues to teach me with every new post, what an amazingly talented recipe developer she is - especially in gluten-free cooking. [Keep reading....]
Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux members participating in a Sponsored Recipe Contest. Any links added to this collection from non-ReDux members will be deleted.)
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Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10:22AM I really wanted to call these what they are - Sardine Cakes.
But let's face it. Sardines are suffering from a bit of an image problem, and I thought I might lose you before this post ever got started.
I recently spoke to a group of my peers at the Alabama Dietetic Association Annual Meeting. The presentation focused on online food trends, and in the course of that session I briefly mentioned the growing popularity of sardines as both a sustainable, nutritious and economical fish option.
The grimaces in the audience were visible. It wasn't a reaction I was terribly surprised over, but it does give cause for concern when you consider that “we” (RDs) are supposed to be the professionals teaching people how to eat better.
I'm convinced that people's aversion to sardines has less to do with the actual food itself (I mean, what's so weird and gross about a "little fish"), and more to do with the fact most of us simply weren't raised knowing how to eat them or cook with them.
Don't tell that to my Dad. He likes 'em straight out of the tin with hot sauce and crackers. Buddy - my grandad and his dad - liked 'em the same way.
I've never taken up the cracker-hot sauce approach. Call me fussy, I guess. I've always wanted to do something a little more to my normal kitchen routine. Being an eternal fan of crab cakes, I went that route. And I kid you not, I was AMAZED at how well these turned out.
I've tried sardines as a "salad" before (think tuna salad), but didn't find that to be the best approach for my tastes. Sardines are admittedly a stronger tasting fish, and while the salad was good, it didn't beg me to make it again.
These cakes do. If you've been afraid of sardines before, you must give these a try.
My initial thought was to serve them as shown above...with just tartar sauce. Good choice. But then I thought of Dad and Buddy and decided hot sauce deserved a shot.
Winner.
The Recipe ReDux has always been about inspiring the healthy eater in all of us - even those of us who grimace at the word “sardine.” Sardines are a nutritional no-brainer, easy on the grocery bill and not at risk for the same sort of overfishing many larger species of fish are (check out this article from Cooking Light to learn more about advocacy for sustainable seafood.) I hope that you will now be inspired to try them, too.
For more great recipes on small fish and vegetables from the sea, please visit the other Recipe ReDux posts below.
Little Fish Cakes ("Sardine Cakes")
Ingredients (9 cakes)
Instructions
Boil potato 10 to 12 minutes or until tender; drain well and mash with a fork.
Combine potato and next 7 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 9 cakes (about 2 tablespoons each). Dredge each cake in pistachios or panko.
Pour enough oil into a nonstick skillet to cover bottom of pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add cakes to skillet (in batches if needed so as not to crowd pan) for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with tartar sauce and/or hot sauce.
As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!
(Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux posts only. Any links added to this collection for non-ReDux posts will be deleted.)
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Friday, May 18, 2012 at 10:08AM 
Strawberry pickin'
My philosophy about it - go early, go often.
Our first run this season was during spring break to a small farm in Dadeville, AL, not terribly far from my my mom's home. Just this last weekend, we made it to a nearby South Carolina farm. We've been to this most recent one before, and it's an impressive spread. Unfortunately, big rains in recent weeks left the crop a little slim.
Not to worry, though. With two astute pickers by my side and my husband to "supervise" (his favorite role), we ended up with a nice harvest...
...more than enough for this
My husband recalls fondly eating strawberry cobbler as a child.
I do not.
Of all the cobblers I've ever enjoyed, I've never once had a strawberry cobbler (that I can remember). I'm a peach or blueberry cobbler kinda girl. I might allow a blackberry variation in every now and again. But I will not let cobbler morph into any other berry-base. So strawberry crisp will have to do.
I'll also confess that while I adore strawberies, cooked strawberries aren't always my favorite. So for this version, I opted to add in a couple of apples. And boy what a difference it makes (to me). I like the texture the apple gives... not so much "super soft" fruit in every bite, you know? I need a little bit of something to bite into in my dessert.
What about you? Any fond fruit dessert memories?
Can a cobbler be whatever's in season? Or are you a peach or blueberry devotee like me?
***
whole grain strawberry-apple crisp
Keywords: bake dessert strawberry apple oats pie
Ingredients (4 to 6 servings)
For the toppingInstructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine butter and next 4 ingredients (through zest) in a small bowl.
Place strawberries and apples into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle oat topping evenly over fruit. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling (about 30 minutes).
Sunday, May 13, 2012 at 7:18AM 
"Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
If there's one thing I learned from my mother growing up, I learned how to express love for my children in abundance. I always knew as a child that I was loved... my mother made certain of that. And now as a mom, I realize that's not as easy as it seems. Days grow long, patience fades and sometimes, life is rocking your boat when all you want are calm seas.
Some days being a mom means following behind, picking up what's spilling out of the basket and pressing ahead on what seems like a long road. But the journey shared with those you love and treasure the most makes it completely worth it.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom.
~Regan
Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 11:10AM 
Clock's ticking.
Are you thinking yet about what you'll do for those special women in your life who deserve to be celebrated on Mother's Day?
Maybe it's a trip to the spa (hello, hint to the father of my children if you're reading).
Or maybe diamonds are your style (seriously... is fine jewelry ever a bad idea? I think not.)
Or maybe just a day "off" and breakfast in bed (classic, if you ask me, and also always a welcome idea.)
Then let's get that menu started.
How about Blueberry-Oat Muffins?
Adapted from a similar recipe in Cooking Light - Way to Bake, these are a great option for easing into a whole grain muffin. They're made with oat flour (easily made with a quick whirl of oats in the food processor), and equal parts all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour (my secret weapon in whole grain baking.) I can't imagine a mom who wouldn't appreciate waking up to fresh baked muffins on Mother's Day.
What are you planning for Mother's Day? Or what are you hoping is planned for you on Mother's Day?
Blueberry-Oat Muffins
Keywords: bake breakfast bread whole wheat
Ingredients (15 muffins)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place oats in food processor and pulse until resembles a coarse meal.
Combine oats, flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make well in center of mixture.
Combine buttermilk, oil and eggs; add to oat mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in blueberries.
Divide batter evenly among muffin tins lined with baking cups. Sprinkle tops with Turbinado sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
