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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.