Camelback Inn Cooks Healthy with the Chia Pet
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| Jonathan McNamara |
Last week, Sprouts Wellness Restaurant and Juice Bar at Camelback Inn introduced a new "Cooking Nutritionally Smart" workshop series hosted by executive sous chef Brian Archambault and featuring beverage director Trudy Thomas' organic cocktails. "Healthy? Organic? Oh, no," lamented cameraman Jonathan McNamara upon hearing of the restaurant's lower-calorie cuisine.
Two hours later, he was singing a different tune. Sprouts managed to pull off the impossible: a three-course meal (plus wine and cocktails) of delicious dishes that each clocked in at 310 calories or less. Far from the cardboard-like microwave entrees that boast similar health claims, Archambault's cuisine was flavorful and filling. And creative, as evidenced by the inclusion of milk-soaked chia seeds in the dessert course.
Yes, chia seeds as in the famous Chia Pet.
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| Jonathan McNamara |
| Black quinoa salad with Marconi almonds and cranberries. |
The tartness of the cranberries and the subtle sweetness of Meyer lemon olive oil used as dressing mitigated the slight bitterness of the Seacat Gardens kale. "I always refer to myself as a grower, not a farmer. Farmers are those people that you see riding around in air-conditioned tractors," owner Carl Seacat joked. His single-acre plot at Blue Sky Farms in Gilbert is Phoenix's oldest certified organic farm.
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| Jonathan McNamara |
| The only thing fishy here is the lack of calories. |
For the main course, Archambault taught guests how to steam true cod over seasoned water to infuse it with flavor. The flaky white fish was placed in a savory ginseng and soy broth with soft udon noodles. At 310 calories and a whopping 84 grams of protein per bowl, it was clearly a winner in terns of health benefits.
By itself, the fish was near flavorless, but the mushroom-infused broth made up for any inadequacies in taste. Sprinklings of togarashi (spicy japanese red pepper) were a bit intense, but you could always lighten up or leave the ingredient out when cooking at home.
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