Lifestyle Medicine 2017—this year’s annual meeting of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM)—was truly a fantastic representation of what a medical conference should look like. Unlike other medical conferences that I’ve attended, ACLM’s included delicious plant-based food, no Pharma advertising and plenty of opportunities for exercise and wellness.
As part of the conference programming, I was fortunate enough to be joined by my very accomplished culinary medicine friend, Chef/MD Linda Shiue (see bio, below), to co-teach the hands-on workshop, “The Doctor is In (the Kitchen): Cooking Delicious Food for Disease Prevention & Treatment.” With the help of numerous ACLM conference organizers and hotel staff at the Westin La Paloma Spa & Resort in Tucson, Arizona, we transformed a large conference room into a space that would allow 26 physicians to learn about culinary medicine, evidence-based diets, and (most importantly!) cook delicious, plant-based dishes along with us. We had a great time with the enthusiastic participants who (along with a LONG waitlist) requested that we share the recipes online so that everyone could use them. So…here they are!
Vietnamese Vegetable Fresh Rolls with Tofu & Peanut Sauce
Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Additionally, we covered eight (yes, EIGHT!) other dressing recipes in the class, highlighting both vinaigrettes (aka. oil and vinegar-based dressings) as well as no-oil and less-oil dressings. If you’ve ever wondered how to make quick, delicious, affordable, healthy meals, then mastering several flavorful dressings is the key. These can be added to any combination of prepared whole grains, beans and veggies (all of which could be made ahead) at a moment’s notice. In the mood for a Middle Eastern-inspired meal? Try the Lemon Tahini Dressing. Decide you want Asian instead? Quickly blend some Carrot Ginger Dressing. Indonesian? Peanut sauce it is!
In addition to the recipes linked above, here are the eight other dressing “recipes” with quick instructions for each category:
Vinaigrettes:
Please see the Basic Techniques: Vinaigrette Salad Dressing post for a detailed description of how to make a classic vinaigrette. Basically, you can either whisk in a bowl, or shake in a jar (with a lid!), the ingredients in each of the following vinaigrette recipes.
French Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, minced
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup red or white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Soy Lemon Vinaigrette
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, minced
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Citrus Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, minced
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper, to taste
No-Oil & Less-Oil Dressings:
For those who prefer to limit added oils in their diet, try some of the following no-oil or reduced-oil dressings. A party favorite is the Cashew Ranch Dressing, which many people have told me that they like better than standard ranch!
Berry Balsamic Dressing
¼ cup fresh or frozen raspberries (can sub other berries or cherries)
2 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey, maple syrup or agave syrup (can sub 2 pitted dates), or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp salt, or more to taste
Creamy Italian Dressing
¾ cup raw cashews
½-¾ cup warm water (start with ½ cup, use remaining water to adjust consistency to taste)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tsp honey, maple syrup or agave syrup (can sub 1 small pitted date), or to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp paprika
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Note: When thoroughly blended, rub a bit of dressing between two fingers; if gritty, continue blending until no grit remains. This recipe is best if allowed to sit at least 1 hour before serving.
Cashew Ranch Dressing
1 ¼ cups raw cashews
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (can use water, but it won’t be as flavorful or as convincing a substitute)
3 tablespoons agave syrup
2 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Note: When thoroughly blended, rub a bit of dressing between two fingers; if gritty, continue blending until no grit remains. This recipe is best if allowed to sit at least 1 hour before serving.
Carrot Ginger Dressing
5 medium carrots, peeled and diced
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup water
4 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Chef/MD Bios, Websites & Social Media:
Chef Michelle Hauser, MD, MS, MPA, FACLM is board certified in internal medicine and completed medical school, internal medicine residency, and a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree at Harvard, as well as a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Stanford. She is also a certified chef via Le Cordon Bleu and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine where she is also a Fellow. At Stanford University School of Medicine, she is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and teaches nutrition and culinary medicine to medical students. She practices primary care for the County of San Mateo at Fair Oaks Health Center, a safety-net clinic in Redwood City, where she is also a teaching attending for Stanford Internal Medicine residents. Her research blends her training in medicine, public policy, nutrition, epidemiology, and culinary arts to focus on improving education and access to delicious, healthy food for medical professionals and the general public. She has been interviewed about all things cooking and health by media organizations such as the New York Times, Bloomberg News, CNN, NPR, Stanford Medicine, and Harvard Health Publications. For more information and great nutrition, cooking and health tips check out her website, Chef in Medicine, or follow along on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Chef Linda Shiue, MD is a primary care doctor and professionally trained chef who believes that the best medicine is prevention, based upon a healthy lifestyle. As the first Director of Culinary Medicine at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, she directs a teaching kitchen, the Thrive Kitchen, to empower patients and physicians with a new set of skills and knowledge to improve health and wellness—nutrition applied through cooking skills. In her cooking demonstrations and hands-on workshops, Dr. Shiue teaches the fundamentals of delicious, healthy cooking with an emphasis on preparing seasonal produce lavishly flavored with spices and fresh herbs. Her food writing has appeared in publications including Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and in several cookbooks, in addition to her blog, Spicebox Travels. Dr. Shiue completed her undergraduate and medical training at Brown University and Internal Medicine residency at the University of California, San Francisco. She also graduated from the professional culinary program at San Francisco Cooking School and completed a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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