Upcoming Featured Chef: Alison Lewis

  

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Alison Lewis is a nationally-known Recipe Developer, Television and Media Spokesperson, Food Educator, Nutritionist and President and Owner of Ingredients, Inc., a Food Consulting company in Birmingham, Alabama. She is known for creating healthy family-friendly recipes that are easy to prepare, and she offers great entertaining ideas on her blog http://ingredientsinc.net.  In advance of her appearance as the U.S. Wellness Meats featured chef, Alison has offered up some of her best advice for the home chef, those cooking for families and for the gourmet on a budget.

Alison’s advice for the home chef…

Here are some of my favorite tips:

-Use the freshest ingredients possible.
-Use fresh herbs instead of dried.
-Season to taste.
-Have a good set of knives that you feel comfortable with.
-Try to maximize ingredients in multiple dishes to save money.
-Plan ahead and be organized.
-Get the kids to pitch in and help.
-Search for recipes on the internet.
-Relax and have fun in the kitchen. Cooking can be very therapeutic.

For families…

As a working mom with 3 children, here are some of my tips:

-Buy extra chicken or steak to grill to use in a main-dish salad or tacos the next day.
-Cook together as a family and get children involved in the kitchen.
-Sit down as a family, if at all possible. With 3 kids and busy activities, this is a challenge for us.
-Try to cook extra on the weekend for the week.
-Make a grocery list and plan menus ahead of time for the week.
-Give everyone a task and trade off who cooks dinner each night.
-Prep for mealtime in advance if possible.
-Use ready-made pizza crusts.
-Purchase beef, fish or chicken and cook extra to freeze or for other meals during the week.
-Purchase thinner cuts for busy weeknights. They take less time to cook.

For the gourmet on a budget…

-Purchasing the freshest ingredients possible.
-Grown your own herb garden and use fresh herbs in cooking.
-Purchase convenience products at Wal-Mart or discount stores or buy in bulk.
-Purchase frozen shrimp. It’s cheaper and it is almost as good as fresh.
-Shop at local farmer’s markets.
-Freeze leftover bread or buns.
-Grill more.
-Plan ahead and only purchase ingredients on your shopping list.

Thanks to Alison for her tips and a great recipe for Balsamic Marinated Kabobs.