Spa cuisine has evolved
Spa food of yesteryear got a bad rap primarily because it frequently subtracted the flavorful aspects of a dish, often fat, and tried to pass it off as a healthier, just as delicious rendition. There is nothing more disappointing to a hungry, health-conscious woman than biting into a meal, expecting it to be just as wonderful as its classic counterpart, and having it fall flat on her palate. Not only is that gastronomically unsatisfying, it easily affirms that dieting involves bland food and torturous deprivation.
However, spa food today has delectably evolved. “Spa cuisine is so much more than the minimalist images it conjures up,” says Chef Uehlein. Instead of trying to reinvent the classics by cutting the fat, carbs, calories, and flavor out, Chef Uehlein prefers to start from the ground up and create new dishes with exciting, original flavors.
“For the most part, I try to not reinvent. When we begin to build a menu item, we build it from the ground up, so our dining guests do not have any preconceived notions as to what the dish will taste like,” he explains. Of course there are occasional exceptions to every rule, but Chef Uehlein refuses to serve a reinvented dish unless it tastes really REALLY good.
Superb spa cuisine includes the key elements of taste
As Chef Uehlein creates a new dish, he innovatively pulls together the five elements of taste. “Those elements are sweet, sour, bitter and salty…and now we also pay homage to the "fifth sense" of umami (umami plays an important role in expanding and rounding out flavors and making food taste balanced and delicious),” he explains.
Sweet: Adding sweetness to a savory dish can make a dish more delicious and satisfying. Chef Uehlein says sweetness can be captured as a taste element through caramelization, the addition of a fruit element, or even a natural sweetener like honey, maple syrup or evaporated cane juice. However, he cautions that sweet is also easy to overdo.
Sour: Chef Uehlein uses sweet in savory dishes as balance to sour. Sour is incorporated through the introduction of an acid, generally citrus or vinegar. He suggests using citrus, like Florida orange juice, as a way to get both sweet and sour tastes from one ingredient.
Bitter: “Bitter is kind of dicey because many people do not care for this taste, but bitter elements are actually easier to incorporate than you might think,” says Chef Uehlein. “Bitter may be very subtle, like in the form of the slight bitter taste you get from marking a piece of fish on the grill, or it might be more bold in the form of a bitter green vegetable. Either way, without bitter the balance of the dish will be off.”
Salty: Don’t be mislead in thinking salty means salty as in potato chips. For Chef Uehlein, salty simply means properly seasoning a dish.
Umami: Hard to describe, umami is usually defined as a meaty, savory, satisfying taste. It is created when there is a full-flavored balance of taste elements in a dish.
Chef Uehlein explains, “All of these elements need to be present for the dish to be properly balanced. Throw too much of one element in to the mix, and you will have a dish that is out of balance. Forget to incorporate everything, and you end up with a dish that is ‘missing something.’”
He continues, “Because we are creating dishes that are lower in fat, we must make sure we are satiating the palate - we don't have the luxury of first coating your palate with butter so your sense of taste is muted.”
Five ways for women to cook healthier
In addition to using his innovative techniques to meld and balance the five elements of taste to create satisfying spa meals at home, Chef Uehlein recommends the following tips to eat healthier.
1. Eat smaller portions. Portion control is essential in ensuring that you don’t overeat, consume more calories than your body needs, and ultimately gain weight. In addition, Chef Uehlein says, “Eat only until you are satisfied!” Either fill your plate with less food to begin with or simply forget the “clean your plate” rule.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. This is a cornerstone for a healthy diet. Chef Uehlein is a big fan of citrus. In addition to including more fruits and vegetables into every meal, he suggests, “Start with a glass of 100 percent Florida orange juice in the morning and enjoy that as a full serving of fruit! And remember - a serving of vegetables and fruit is only a cup.”
Getting your daily five to seven servings is not as difficult as you think! And keep in mind, fruits and vegetables are typically low in calories, big on flavor, and very filling when combined with healthy fats and lean protein.
3. Don't diet, make a lifestyle change. Restrictive dieting and the mere concept of “diet” smacks of deprivation. Instead of extreme changes in your eating habits, incorporate small changes. Chef Uehlein says, “Allow yourself to indulge now and then, and don't make your change to a healthier lifestyle an ‘all or nothing’ thing. [If you do], you set yourself up for failure.” Simple small changes like gradually reducing your portion-sizes, eating one more fruit or vegetable a day, or cooking with olive oil instead of butter are manageable strategies that won’t make you feel deprived.
4. Cook and eat at home more often. Unless you have easy access to Canyon Ranch or another spa food establishment, it is challenging to eat flavorfully and nutritiously while dining out. However, you do know what you put in your own food.
Chef Uehlein says, “When you are cooking, you can control how much fat and the type of fat you are using. You can incorporate more whole grains, fruits and vegetables at home more easily than when you are out.”
He adds, “However, if you do go out, ask your server lots of questions about how something is made, ask about the ingredients and ‘cherry pick’ the menu for the healthiest items.”
5. Find a farmer's market in your area and shop till you drop. Supporting your local growers is essential to your local economy and can be advantageous to your health, too. You will better appreciate the food you cook if you know it tastes divine because of the efforts of your local farmers. Chef Uehlein concludes, “Not only does freshly picked produce taste better, it has not traveled as far, and, therefore, will probably be more nutritious.”
You don’t have to take a spa vacation to eat healthier and enjoy spa-worthy cuisine. You can purchase the Canyon Ranch Cookbooks, get a headstart with these signature recipes by Chef Uehlein, or you can use your own culinary creativity to combine the five elements of taste to develop full-flavored dishes that satisfy your hunger for healthy, great tasting food.
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