(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare)
By Lisa Messinger
Food and Cooking at Creators Syndicate
It took more than 120 years for the classic salad of the famed Waldorf-Astoria luxury hotel in New York City to make its way to the buzzing gourmet cafe On the Thirty in Los Angeles. "The Waldorphian" on the menu at On the Thirty transformed during its journey and shows that tweaking the Waldorf may be a tasty and economical strategy as an Easter selection for brunch, lunch or dinner.
The original, usually served on a bed of lettuce, was first created in 1890 at the hotel and at that time, although it tasted ritzy and was served at the exclusive hotel, included only apples, celery and mayonnaise. Over the years, chopped walnuts were included. As time passed, imitators usually didn't go further than adding golden raisins or substituting yogurt or plain sour cream instead of the mayonnaise.
Mimic the aforementioned original versions, with ingredients to taste, and you'll have a lovely Easter addition. Recently, too, interesting takes have cropped up; and many of those are perfect ideas for the Easter meal. Use these as inspirations, with ingredients to taste:
"The Waldorphian" at On the Thirty includes grilled chicken (though grilled lamb could be substituted), celery, herbed goat cheese, apples and dried cranberries. It's tossed with honey-Dijon vinaigrette. You can just whisk some honey and Dijon mustard into a store-bought vinaigrette to enjoy the flavors.
AllRecipes.com features a wonderful tuna Waldorf. Mix your drained water- or oil-packed canned tuna with chopped shallots, diced Granny Smith apples, chopped celery, chopped walnuts, sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper, curry powder and mayonnaise.
When accomplished chefs jump into the mix, seasonal ingredients often become part of the package and are easy steps to make the original version even more appealing as part of Easter festivities.
For instance, to mimic TV chef Rachael Ray's interesting take, just add some fresh dill. For results like those of award-winning chef and cookbook author Gale Gand, make your choice fresh mint.
Dishes like these prove innovative food preparation can be easy, nutritious, economical, entertaining - and fast. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare. The combinations are delicious evidence that everyone has time for tasty home cooking and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!
Another benefit: You - and your kidlet helpers - effortlessly become better cooks, since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong mixtures, so whatever you choose to use can't help but draw "wows."
QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: Sometimes when enjoying a buffet at a restaurant or at a party kids, and often adults, too, overload their plate with just a grouping of indulgent favorites, like French toast, muffins, potatoes or cakes. For a nutritious and fun change of pace, challenge your kids (or maybe even yourself!) to bring back a helping that includes a balanced meal, representing all the vital food groups. It's a contest that can be fun and reinforces nutritional knowledge.
Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet (Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
