Kerrs navigate the smallest of spaces
Graham and Treena Kerr know what it’s like to cook in a small space. “I spent 30 years as a sailor,” said the former Galloping Gourmet and best-selling cookbook author.
For two years in the early ‘70s, the Kerrs and their three children lived aboard their 71-foot ocean-going ketch. They navigated more than 24,000 miles, exploring the waters of the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard of the United States. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s, they did another 6,000 miles in a 36-foot sailboat.
“I am used to cooking in a small galley with a tiny 3.5 cubic-foot refrigerator, three-burner propane stove, a little toaster with no microwave or no generator,” said Kerr. “I have over 300 recipes in this book that are suitable for making in an RV or sailboat.”
Not long ago the Kerrs sold their sailboat and are setting out to travel the backroads of America in their 38-foot 2001 Fleetwood Discovery motor home. They plan to stop along the way to talk to small groups about healthy living.
Grilled Fish on a Bed of Bitter Greens
From “Charting a Course to Wellness: Creative Ways of Living with Heart Disease and Diabetes.”
4 cups arugula, radicchio, endive, escarole, romaine or a mixture of these
4 teaspoons low-fat vinaigrette dressing
4 (4-ounce) halibut fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Wash the greens and spin dry. Tear into bite size pieces and toss with the vinaigrette. Divide among 4 dinner plates.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Grill, skin side up, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. (You can gauge the time by measuring the thickness of the fish and cooking 10 minutes per inch.)
Remove the skin as you take the halibut off the pan. Set the fillets on the greens and sprinkle with lemon juice. Tiny, new red potatoes go wonderfully with this.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: 147 calories, 2 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat, 12.5 percent fat calories), 30 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 0 gram dietary fiber, 238 milligrams sodium.
Cuban Black Beans
From “Charting a Course to Wellness: Creative Ways of Living with Heart Disease and Diabetes.”
1 teaspoon non-aromatic olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, bashed and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1/2 -inch dice
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet and cook the onions until they start to will and turn translucent, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper and cook 1 minute more.
Pour in the black beans with their liquid, add the bay leaf and simmer 20 minutes. Combine the rice with 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to the lowest possible temperature and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Discard the bay leaf, divide the rice among 4 bowls and spoon the beans over the top. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: 332 calories, 2 grams fat (no saturated fat, 5 percent fat calories ), 63 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams dietary fiber, 595 milligrams sodium.
Roasted Green Beans
From “Charting a Course to Wellness: Creative Ways of Living with Heart Disease and Diabetes.”
1-pound green beans (or asparagus, sliced sweet onions, sliced eggplant)
Olive oil pan spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lay the vegetables in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray the vegetables lightly with the pan spray and dust with salt and pepper.
Roast 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar (if you are using it) and serve.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: 38 calories, no fat (no saturated fat), 9 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, 146 milligrams sodium.
Broiled Apricots with Almonds
From “Charting a Course to Wellness: Creative Ways of Living with Heart Disease and Diabetes.”
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
8 plump fresh apricots, pitted and halved
4 teaspoons sliced almonds
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
Preheat your broiler. Combine the brown sugar with the cardamom. Lay the apricot halves on a broiler pan and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Scatter the almonds over the top.
Broil about 6 inches away from the heat source until the sugar bubbles and the almonds turn brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Watch carefully because the almonds turn black in the wink of an eye.
Serve 4 halves on each of 4 plates with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: 89 calories, 2 grams fat, (no saturated fat, 20 percent fat calories), 17 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, 23 milligrams sodium.