Page 4C East Oregonian EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE Saturday, January 14, 2017 Vietnam-inspired healthy chicken salad By THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA Associated Press AP Photo/Peter Morgan In this Jan. 6 photo, Arthur Frommer, 87, background, poses with his daughter, Pauline, in New York. It’s been 60 years since the publication of Frommer’s legendary travel guidebook, “Europe on $5 a Day.” Travel guidebook celebrates 60 years since publication By BETH J. HARPAZ AP Travel Editor NEW YORK — This year the legendary travel guidebook writer Arthur Frommer celebrates 60 years since the publication of his 1957 book, “Europe on $5 a Day.” Frommer began writing about travel while serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s. When his book of travel advice for American soldiers sold out, he launched what became one of the travel industry’s best-known brands. Frommer’s philosophy — stay in inns and budget hotels, sightsee on your own, eat in small cafes instead of fancy restaurants — had a huge impact on the way Americans traveled in the mid- to late 20th century. His message of authentic bargain travel encouraged average people — not just the wealthy — to vacation abroad. There was a time when you couldn’t go to a tourist attraction in Europe without encountering Amer- icans clutching Frommer’s books. It didn’t hurt that his books hit the market as the rise of jet travel made getting to Europe easier. But as the cost of travel increased over the decades, the titles changed too. The “$5 a Day” edition became $10 a day, $20 a day and so on. The series ended in 2007 with “$95 a Day” guides. By then, Arthur’s daughter Pauline had joined the family business, and the brand continued. There are now 101 Frommer’s guides available to destinations around the world. Today, though, Frommer’s is one of many sources of travel information in a crowded field, competing not just with free online advice but also with other best-selling travel guidebooks like Rick Steves and Lonely Planet. Still, Frommer’s brand has survived in the digital world, with ebooks, a Frommers. com website and podcasts of a weekly radio show that Arthur and Pauline do live from New York. Arthur Frommer, 87, recently shared his story with The Associated Press. Q. How did the From- mer’s brand begin? A: I was drafted into the Army at the time of the Korean War. But luckily enough and to my great surprise, instead of being sent to fight in Korea, I was sent to Europe because I had certain linguistic abilities. ... And while in the army overseas, I was always struck by the fact that my fellow GIs did not travel. They were scared to travel. They were worried about how you would pay for various items. What currency would you use, where would you live at night, and I decided to do a guidebook. And in my last three weeks in the Army, I wrote a little book called ‘The GI’s Guide to Traveling in Europe,’ which was circulated to the various PXs in Europe on the day that I left Germany and returned home. ... And immediately I got a cable from Europe that the book had sold out overnight. Q. You returned to New York to practice law but decided to write another guidebook for civilians. How did you do it? A. During a one-month vacation, I returned to Europe and I went running to 15 different European cities, getting up at 5 a.m. in the morning, hitting the streets, going from one guesthouse to another, from one low-cost restaurant to another, and I then wrote a book called “Europe on $5 a Day.” I printed 5,000 copies of the book, the book went on sale and again it sold out. Q. What was the impact of your books? A. In the 1950s most Americans had been taught that foreign travel was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially travel to Europe. They were taught that they were going to a war-torn country where it was risky to stay in any hotel other than a five-star hotel. It was risky to go into anything but a top-notch restaurant. ... And I knew that all these warnings were a lot of nonsense. ... I told them that every five-star hotel was identical to every other five-star hotel. ... I taught them to sightsee on their own two feet. I told them to use public transportation. ... I think we were pioneers in also suggesting that a different type of American should travel, that you didn’t have to be well-heeled, you could be a person who just graduated from college. Q. Do you ever fly first-class? A. I fly economy class and I try to experience the same form of travel, the same experience that the average American and the average citizen of the world encounters. Q. What’s your favorite destination? A. The one spot I could return to over and over again for the rest of my life is the city of Paris. It’s Paris, France, that to my mind excels in virtually every major area of human thought in terms of art, in music, in cuisine, in political discourse. I love going to Paris and I am horrified over the fact that tourism by Americans to Paris has fallen by as much as 30 percent in the year that has just passed because of a fear of terrorism. I am continuing to travel. I will not permit some deranged terrorist from deciding where I should or should not go. Call it a resolution or just a last-minute attempt to button your pants, but come January, many of us strive to put the cookies behind us and make thoughtful food choices. But one sure-fire way to find yourself off track on a healthier eating plan is to fill your refrigerator with bland and boring foods after a month of decadent party snacks. Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats and proteins are important foundations for a well-balanced diet, but, on their own, they’re not always a thrilling culinary experience. If you need some inspiration to take your healthy post-holiday dinners from fine to fabulous, look no further than our neighbors on the other side of the globe. Vietnamese cuisine is regarded as one of the healthiest in the world, for its lean meats and proteins, fresh vegetables and limited use of dairy. Vinegars, spicy chilies, and fragrant and flavorful herbs are characteristic of familiar Vietnamese dishes, like the banh mi sandwich and cold rice noodle bowls. Layered together, they elevate minimal ingredients like boiled chicken and raw carrots to create exciting recipes that can help you out of that boring salad slump. This recipe for Hue Chicken Salad is the perfect dish to ease you into your meal-plan reboot. Though it starts with a base of plain boiled or steamed chicken (don’t stop reading), it’s packed with bright and fresh flavors, and every bite is a new experience. There may be some ingredients in this recipe you haven’t used before, so take this opportunity to get to know them. Or, you can always replace them with more familiar ingredients. Rau ram is a Vietnamese herb that can easily be substituted with cilantro, and sambal is a spicy chili sauce that can be replaced by Sriracha or omitted entirely if spicy isn’t your thing (in that case, don’t add those Thai bird chilies either). If you aren’t familiar with fish sauce, allow us to make this exciting introduction. Fish sauce is a very common Phil Mansfield/The Culinary Institute of America via AP Hue chicken salad. HUE CHICKEN SALAD Start to finish: 20 minutes Servings: 4 You can use either poached or roasted chicken to make this salad. If you can’t find rau ram, substitute an equal quantity of additional cilantro and mint. Vietnamese sambal is a fiery hot chili paste. You can substitute a good hot sauce if it cannot be found. • ½ medium onion, sliced thin • 1 ½ pounds shredded cooked chicken meat • ¼ cup rau ram leaves, torn • ¼ cup mint leaves, torn • ¼ cup minced cilantro leaves and stems • 1 Thai bird chili, thinly sliced • 2 tablespoons lime juice • 1 tablespoon peanut oil • 1 tablespoon fish sauce • 1 tablespoon Vietnamese sambal • 2 teaspoons sugar, or as needed • Salt, as needed • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed • 4 Boston lettuce leaves • 2 cups steamed jasmine rice • 1 red Fresno chili, sliced paper thin • ½ cup Crispy Shallots, (optional), recipe follows Combine the onion slices with enough cold water to cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Combine the chicken, rau ram, mint, ingredient in southeast Asian cuisines made by extracting the liquid from salted fermented fish. Despite its strong aroma, the flavor of fish sauce almost disappears in a dish, becoming more of a seasoning than a distinct flavor. CIA Chef Michael Pardus calls it “the duct tape of the kitchen” for its cilantro, and Thai bird chili slices in a large bowl. Drain the onion slices and add them to the chicken. Add the lime juice, peanut oil, fish sauce, and sambal to the salad and toss gently until combined. Season to taste with sugar, salt, and pepper. Arrange the Boston lettuce on chilled plates. Top with the salad and serve with steamed rice and the Fresno chili. Garnish with crispy shallots if desired. Crispy Shallots Select a large, firm shallot with smooth skin. Use a sharp paring knife to trim away the ends and pull off the skin. Cut the shallot into thin slices and separate them into rings. Plan on about ½ cup of sliced shallots to make enough garnish for 4 servings. That works out to about 1 large shallot. Pour an inch of oil (canola, peanut, or olive oils are all suitable) into a small, heavy-gauge saucepan. When it reaches 350 degrees F, add the shallots and fry, stirring them occasionally, until they have a rich, sweet aroma and a good brown color, usually about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the fried shallots from the oil. Transfer them to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels. You can hold them at room temperature for up to one hour. Nutrition information per serving: 321 calories; 52 calories from fat; 6 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 55 mg cholesterol; 528 mg sodium; 41 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 24 g protein. ability to repair any bland recipe. This recipe recommends serving the chicken salad with rice for dinner, but it’s also great used as a topper for salad greens, served with riced cauliflower, or scooped over toasted whole-grain bread. It is also the perfect make-ahead recipe, since its flavors will deepen in the refrigerator, and leftovers will make for a lunch you can really look forward to. Just be prepared for the longing looks from your co-workers with their boring salads. ——— This article was provided to The Associated Press by The Culinary Institute of America in New York. Reducing the sugar in your morning smoothie By MELISSA D’ARABIAN Associated Press The smoothie has become ubiquitous because it makes healthy eating sound easy and attainable. I’ll admit to you right here: I love smoothies — throwing a bunch of things into a blender and then sipping on my breakfast. The more nutrients I can cram into that cool and creamy treat, the better. Healthy mornings are smart because mornings are when we have the most discipline since the day hasn’t tired us out, and our willpower isn’t exhausted. And smoothies are quick to throw together, and they’re portable, which makes them a busy- person’s best friend at breakfast. (You can even pre-prep smoothie ingredients in resealable bags to keep in the fridge or freezer for dump-and-blend convenience). Not all smoothies are equal, however. Just because something is a “green smoothie” doesn’t mean that it isn’t loaded with sugar. (Just read the labels of some commercially available smoothies). Making your own smoothies at home gives you a lot more control, of course. But even so, if you load up a smoothie with an apple, a banana, some honey and berries, you could easily be looking at the same amount of sugar as a can of cola, which we would never gulp down at breakfast. Yes, fruit is natural sugar, but it still needs to be consumed mindfully. Here are some tips for reducing the sugar in your morning smoothie. First, get some creamy texture going from something other than the banana. Now, I love bananas, especially frozen ones in smoothies. But if you add some other creamy items to your smoothies — like some tofu, cooked white beans (yes!), or avocado — you can reduce the banana to a small slice or two for some body and a hint of sweetness without going overboard. Second tip: freeze up some greens like spinach, sliced cabbage, or kale. Freezing greens mellow their flavor a PURPLE POWER SMOOTHIE Melissa d’Arabian via AP Purple power smoothie. bit so you can add them into smoothies for extra nutrition. Next, use frozen mixed berries to satisfy your sweet tooth — they do have some sugar, but also bring fiber and nutrients to the table, so they are a great ingredient overall. Finally, boost your smoothie with some secret ingredients that fool your palate into thinking your food is sweeter than it actually is. Orange zest, cinnamon, almond extract, unsweetened cocoa, pumpkin puree and coconut oil are all great ways to pump up the flavor of your smoothie without adding extra sweeteners like honey or sugar. Which means that tiny bit of banana or mango or peach will go much further in making your smoothie super tasty. ——— Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Supermarket Healthy.” Start to finish: 5 minutes Servings: 3 • 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond/coconut milk • 4 ounces soft silken tofu or about ⅓ of a package (Instead of tofu, you can use protein powder, or a few tablespoons of rinsed cooked white beans.) • 1 cup frozen mixed berries • ¼ medium banana, frozen • ¾ cup shredded red cabbage (fresh or frozen) • ½ teaspoon orange zest • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract • ⅔ cup ice cubes Place 1 ½ cups of the milk and the tofu in the blender and blend until smooth and no tofu lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Add the frozen berries, banana, cabbage, orange zest, extracts, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth, about one minute. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, then you may need to stop, stir and continue blending about halfway through. Once the mixture is well blended, add the remaining ½ cup of milk and blend just until all smooth. Pour into 3 glasses and serve. Nutrition information per serving: 86 calories; 28 calories from fat; 3 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 139 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 4 g protein.