Healthy Eating

A Challenge! My girlfriend wants me to cook her healthy meals all through the coming week while she works on her final paper for the year. I'm looking for suggestions of interesting dishes, with lots of healthy ingredients, that are tasty and good for you so get thinking and let me know what you come up with soon.

[ChefRon]

After two decades in the kitchen I was having a problem with weight gain (can you imagine?). Then I discovered Lebanese cuisine. I lost 60 pounds in about 4 months time and never looked or felt so good! I heartily reccomend you buy a cookbook or two on Lebanese cooking. Southern Italian seems to be very healthy as well. As for individual recipes, I don't have a clue what your girlfriend's tastes are, but I applaud your efforts! Every man should know that the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach!

[Pete]

Have fun Brian! There are lots of things you can do for her, but like ChefRon I dont know your girlfriend's tastes so here are a few guidelines. 1. Take a hint from many ethnic cuisines where grains, pasta, or rice is the main focus of a dish and the meat is more of an accompaniment. 2. Fat and salt are flavor!! If you elimate these you must replace them. Use lots of herbs, spices, citrus juices and other flavorful ingredients. 3. Its summertime, and that means lots of great produce at the markets. Foods in season need to have less done to them. Example: I would never eat a whole raw tomato in winter but now I crave fresh vine-ripe tomatoes with nothing more than olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. 4. If you have access to a grill use it! Grilling can be a low fat way of preparing fish and chicken.

Mmmm, all sounds good so far. As the girlfriend in question, I thought I'd try and narrow down the search. I don't have any major dislikes and enjoy trying new foods where possible. However, as students living on campus it's difficult to find more unusual ingredients due to our limited local supermarket and lack of transport, and we have only basic facilities in the kitchen.
It's quite warm here at the minute (well, for Yorkshire) so nice summery ideas would be welcome. thanks!

SOFT SHELL CRABS

Hi food people,
Ask the girlfriend what she likes and then post her response here. Sounds like this group is very helpful and responsive, however her term papers are probably done by now. I'm about to start writing a dissertation which will take a year or longer. I wonder what kind of fast brain foods are recommended for the long term when I will be researching instead of cooking. What an interesting subject, eating for high grade points. I love Italian and can eat a lot of olives, summer tomatoes, and pasta with steamed fresh veggies (especially asparagus) and fresh herbs.

Also, I would like to invite y'all to www.wholefoods.com (click on "TALK") where there is a forum area about natural foods, chefs, recipes, and even a "Food Haiku" forum which has some crazy little food poems in it.
Virtually yours, honoria