Each month, we ask people from across the Brigham to answer a question for our “Look Who’s Talking” feature in CRN. In honor of Nutrition Month, this month we are asking: What is one of your favorite healthy recipes?

Samia Mora

Samia Mora

“Hummus is very healthy, especially when prepared from dried chickpeas. It includes a lot of tahini (made from ground sesame), which is an essential staple in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. It’s also very flavorful, especially if the tahini is high quality. Chickpeas are legumes — another key element of Mediterranean cuisine — and a great source of protein. I make and garnish the hummus with lots of extra virgin olive oil, and enjoy dipping into it with carrots, celery or toasted whole wheat pita.”  — Samia Mora, MD, Cardiovascular Medicine Specialist, Divisions of Cardiovascular and Preventive Medicine

 

Ali Tavakkoli headshot

Ali Tavakkoli

“Salmon marinated in the following: two squeezed limes, one squeezed orange or clementine, salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic powder, saffron (if available) and dried dill. Then bake with marinade at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve over brown rice with dill. Alternatively, you can simultaneously roast a vegetable of your choice in the oven for 10 minutes. I love this meal, as it’s my wife’s special recipe; it’s healthy and quick to make, and our kids love it! Always a hit at dinner parties, too!”  — Ali Tavakkoli, MD, Co-Director, Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery; Program Director, Advanced Minimally Invasive Fellowship Associate Director, AMIGO (Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating) Suite

 

Kelley Bradshaw headshot

Kelley Bradshaw

“One of my favorite meals to make is sheet-pan-roasted chicken and vegetables. I love it because there are so many different combinations of vegetables that can be used. My favorite part about these recipes is how easy they are! Chop and season the vegetables, place them on a pan with chicken and that’s it! These recipes are great for batch cooking and you can use multiple baking sheets to help with meal prepping. Plus, these recipes involve ‘inactive’ cooking, meaning the oven is doing all the cooking, as opposed to using the stove top. While the meal is cooking, you can start cleaning up the kitchen or prep other parts of the meal. Here are a few great recipes to try: pan roasted chicken and vegetables; sumac chicken cauliflower carrots; and maple mustard roasted chicken squash brussels sprouts.” — Kelley Bradshaw, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, Outpatient Clinical Manager, Senior Dietitian, Nutrition and Wellness Services

TraceyMartin

Tracey Martin

“I thought I would share this special recipe from my late and beloved sister. We both lost 25 to 35 pounds when incorporating this meal in our diets. It’s delish!!” — Tracey Martin, Program Coordinator, Emergency Radiology, Department of Radiology

 

 

 

Susan Hellerstein headshot

Susan Hellerstein

“I’m the third generation of doctors in my family to promote healthy cooking. As a practicing obstetrician gynecologist, I see pregnancy as a pivotal time where women are motivated to improve eating habits for their health and growing pregnancy. Our team’s hands-on “Cooking and Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy” course leverages the expertise of an obstetrician, chef and nutritionist team to teach women how to put guidelines into practice. All the dishes we prepare can be enjoyed by anyone, including non-pregnant individuals. One of my favorite recipes from the class is called Three Sisters Stew. I like this recipe because it is easy to make and delicious.” — Susan Hellerstein, MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

 

 

CharlesDimitroff

Charles Dimitroff

“In appreciation of Nutrition Month, I would like to recommend one of the healthiest and most delicious meals for you and your guests (four to six people). It is baked salmon and bok choy in a hoisin, ginger and sesame sauce. Just place a whole half of salmon (3–4 lbs.) on an extra-large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and lightly drizzle a concoction of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, crushed pickled ginger, crushed hot pepper/garlic paste, sesame seeds and sesame oil over the fish. Then, cover the fish with one whole bok choy bulb (with tops) chopped into one-inch pieces, and drizzle the rest of the hoisin sauce over the bok choy. Wrap the foil tightly over the entire salmon, and place directly on the grates of a gas grill and cook over a high heat. After 20 minutes (during which you cook some jasmine rice), place the wrapped salmon on a large tray, open the foil at the dinner table and, with a spatula, portion out the salmon/bok choy over Jasmine rice, and ladle some of cooked hoisin sauce over the entire dish. Even if salmon is not one of your favorite fishes, you will love this dish!” — Charles Dimitroff, PhD, Department of Dermatology

Pam Cormier headshot

Pam Cormier

“One of my favorite dishes, once the weather gets warmer, is cilantro-lime chicken with avocado salsa. It’s quick and easy to prepare after work or easily expands to feed a crowd. The dish has great fresh flavor and is heathy for you. Add a garden salad or some brown rice and you are ready to eat.”  — Pam Cormier, RN, MSN, Professional Development Manager for Primary Care

 

 

Florencia Halperin headshot

Florencia Halperin

“At my house, we like meals with a lot of flavor. As a multi-cultural family with roots in Argentina, Nicaragua and Peru, we always incorporate things we grew up eating, but we also love to try new things from other places, and to use herbs and spices to boost flavor in a healthy way. Lentils, which are quick to make and very nutritious (full of protein, fiber and iron), can also be absolutely delicious. This recipe is a great example of a healthy recipe that’s still full of fabulous flavors. Try this — and don’t be put off by ingredients that you may not have on hand. I found everything online, and now that they’re in my pantry, this comes together quickly. Enjoy!”  — Florencia Halperin, MD, Co-Director, Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery; Chief of Endocrinology, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital; Medical Director, Program for Weight Management

Yilu Ma (right) with Sigfredo Salguero, manager of Interpreter Services, enjoying sashimi at a restaurant in Providence, RI.

Yilu Ma (right) with Sigfredo Salguero

“My favorite healthy food is definitely Japanese sashimi. Out of the great varieties, I particularly enjoy tuna. When dipping it in soy sauce and wasabi paste, I cannot resist the rushing sensation, especially during a winter snowy evening, chatting with friends over a cup of warm sake; top of the world!” — Yilu Ma, MS, MA, CMI, director of Interpreter Services