|
Compare Maya Angelou's two cookbooks, "Hallelujah! The Welcome Table," published in 2004, and "Great Food, All Day Long: Cooking Splendidly, Eating Smart," in December, 2010, and you'll notice a transformation in Angelou's cover photographs. She looks much slimmer in the recent picture.
"I lost 40 pounds," said the distinguished writer and poet, who is scheduled to receive the 2010 Medal of Freedom award from President Barack Obama in a February ceremony.
According to Angelou, the pounds came off without a diet. "I didn't deprive myself of anything," she said in a recent telephone conversation. "I sampled all of the delicious recipes in my cookbook."
How can this be with a recipe list composed of crown roast of pork, pork tacos, cheese pie and creme caramel?
"I didn't skimp on butter or other ingredients typically eliminated in weight-loss diets," Angelou said. "I've learned that good recipes made with best-quality ingredients turn out to be so flavorful that I can feel satisfied with less."
Portion control
Experts agree that portion control and more frequent smaller meals may be a healthful answer for those looking to lose a few pounds. "Dr. Angelou's eating plan is right on target," said Melinda Hemmelgarn, a registered dietician and nutritional consultant who moderates the Food Sleuth weekly radio program devoted to nutrition and food safety issues.
"As a society, we're often rushing so fast we don't allow ourselves to sense fullness. Instead we keep eating the food in front of us. At the end of the day what counts is the amount of calories consumed. Portion control gives us time to notice when we've had enough," Hemmelgarn said.
When Angelou entertains with Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day holiday menus, she says she includes several vegetarian recipes she has come to appreciate based on her close friendship with songwriters Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
"He's a vegetarian and she eats a little bit of meat ... Until I met Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford I had never thought it could be exciting to be creative and cook vegetarian food," she says. Angelou named a chapter in her first book for the salad she created for them and said she prepares it for them each time they visit. It was a part of this New Year's Day menu along with black-eyed peas and rice.
The holiday table
"Black-eyed and rice ... that's just what I call it ... not Hoppin' John, which I think is a regional term. I make the black-eyed peas and rice separately and serve the peas over rice. According to tradition, this dish ensures a healthy new year. We serve kale, mustard and other greens such as cabbage as a guarantee for wealth."
Angelou said her guests are the most important New Year's Day ingredients for her holiday celebrations.
"My holiday table always includes international people from different ethnic groups celebrating the fact that we are hanging in there together ... going the distance."
Advice for holiday cooks?
"Relax and enjoy your guests. Do the best you can and forgive yourself for any cooking mistakes should they happen. After you set the table with your best efforts, let your real pleasure come from looking around the table before breaking bread together and appreciating the similarities in your guests rather than the differences," Angelou said.
"This new year, more than ever, we need to stop and appreciate the fact that we are more alike than our differences. We need to appreciate that we are all one people."
Ashford Salad
Adapted from "Hallelujah! The Welcome Table." Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 avocado, peeled, diced
1 large tomato, cut into small wedges
1 large English cucumber, sliced
2 heads Romaine lettuce, tough outer leaves removed
Directions
- Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and garlic in a large salad bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Mash avocado with potato masher, and mix with ingredients in salad bowl.
- Mix in tomato and cucumber.
- Break lettuce into large pieces and toss into salad bowl.
- Mix vigorously with salad tongs until each lettuce leaf has been flavored with dressing.
Donna Pierce is a Chicago-based food writer specializing in Southern, soul and Creole foodways. A contributing editor with Upscale magazine and a former assistant food editor and test kitchen director with the Chicago Tribune, Donna is the founder of BlackAmericaCooks.com and will soon launch SkilletDiaries.com for community cooks of all cultures and nationalities.
Images, from top:
Book cover of "Great Food All Day Long: Cooking Splendidly, Eating Smart" by Maya Angelou.
Book cover of "Hallelujah! The Welcome Table" by Maya Angelou.
 |