A Recipe for Change
By Caroline Dipping Friday, February 13, 2009, 03:29 PM EST
But last July, Deborah Scott could no longer ignore what the scale was telling her. She was carrying 192 pounds on her 5-food-9 frame, and it was time to do something about it.
"My clothes didn't fit," said the 55-year-old executive chef of three popular Southern California restaurants. "I didn't feel good. I was tired. I didn't have clarity."
That was seven months and 26 pounds ago. In that time, Scott has logged countless hours at the gym and overhauled her eating habits, which now include no "picking" off the line in her kitchens, and "no fast food anymore!"
Bye-bye, In-N-Out Double-Doubles and KFC coleslaw. Hello, Saffron Thai chicken with peanut sauce, seared ahi and homemade salads.
Along the way, Scott starred in a healthy dining segment for a Core Rhythms infomercial and created a bevy of "spa" recipes. Her favorites will debut this month on the menu of C Level in San Diego.
"It is so funny how you think about things you want to do, and then you kind of deliberate on it for so long that once you finally do it, you wonder what took you so long," Scott said.
"The fear of doing it or thinking it's going to be hard is much worse than actually physically getting out there and doing it. It's just not that hard."
Breakfast these days starts with a tall glass of filtered water with a couple inches of grape juice. "I don't want plain water in the morning," said Scott, who practices the art of compromise by no longer drinking her juice straight.
A bowl of shredded wheat or another whole-grain cereal with blackberries and a banana rounds out the morning.
Lunch, more often than not, is a salad loaded with arugula, spinach, edamame, bell pepper, cucumbers, marinated skirt steak, blue cheese and olives lightly dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. This vibrant bowl has become such a favorite of Scott's that it is one of the dishes she is putting on the C Level menu.
Dinner can be another bowl of cereal, if she's so inclined, or a center-cut ahi loin coated with sesame seeds and seared rare, with a small scoop of black rice and grilled asparagus.
Her favorite drink is Diet Lipton Green Tea Citrus. "I love that stuff," Scott said. "I can drink it by the case."
Over the holidays, working out a little less and indulging in sweets she wouldn't normally eat, Scott gained back 3 pounds. Rather than beat herself up, she resumed her thrice-weekly, two-plus hour gym visits when the new year dawned, and the extra pounds melted within a couple weeks.
Her workout buddy from the start has been friend Synica Sameh. The 23-year-old, a fitness buff who is entering the training program for Navy SEALs next month, started Scott off with circuit training — what he calls "body-shock treatment" — to get her muscles into the habit of working out.
From there, Sameh has had Scott concentrating on specifics. Mondays have become "chest and triceps," Wednesdays are "back" days, and Saturdays are core-strengthening days. Scott also does 30 minutes of cardio on her own.
Does she balk?
"I am proud of my friend," Sameh said. "She likes to complain, but she will do it no matter what."
When Scott first began exercising, she couldn't bench press the 80 pounds she can now. Gaining the strength to push herself and get to the next fitness level constantly — but pleasantly — surprises her.
"When I first started working out, I have got to be honest, I kind of dreaded it, and I was frustrated," Scott said. "But that's because I had no strength, and it was hard.
"Now I really, honestly look forward to working out. It's a good hurt. It's the distinction from before when I hurt because I was weak."
Before Sameh leaves for military service, he plans to give Scott written instructions so she can continue working out with confidence. Still, she worries it won't be the same.
"I know I won't push myself like he pushes me," she said.
Besides gaining definition and shedding pounds, Scott sees an additional benefit of her new healthy regimen. It makes her less likely to snack mindlessly or grab an injudicious late-night meal.
"I am so much more empowered and so much more disciplined, and it really carries through," Scott said. "I constantly ask myself, 'What am I doing? How am I feeding my body? How am I taking care of it?'
"It does convey to other parts of my life. It does have an impact on me in every way."
Gone are the 36-waist jeans she wore last summer. Now Scott wears 32-inch waist jeans — belted.
With incentive like that, she said, "I don't even think about picking up a sweet potato fry when I walk the line."
DEBORAH'S SKIRTS ON FIRE SALAD
2 tablespoons edamame
2 tablespoons diced cucumber
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives
2 tablespoons diced pepperoncinis
1/2 avocado, diced
6 teardrop tomatoes
1 cup arugula and baby spinach mix
2 tablespoons prepared balsamic vinaigrette
3 ounces marinated skirt steak, grilled, diced (see accompanying recipe for marinade)
Yields 1 serving.
In a bowl, combine edamame, cucumber, bell pepper, pepitas, blue cheese, olives, pepperoncinis, avocado, tomato, and greens. Toss with vinaigrette and place skirt steak on top of salad.
Nutritional analysis per serving (not including nutrients absorbed from marinade): 575 calories, 41 g fat, 31 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 55 mg cholesterol, 768 mg sodium, 11 g dietary fiber.
SKIRT STEAK MARINADE
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon mint
2 cups chile garlic sauce
Yields about 3 1/2 cups marinade.
In a blender jar, blend together all ingredients except chile garlic sauce until smooth. Add chile garlic sauce and blend to incorporate. Can be kept in refrigerator, covered, up to 10 days.
To use: Marinate skirt steak 24 to 36 hours in the refrigerator. Grill meat to desired doneness. Discard used marinade.
BLACK RICE WITH LEMON GRASS
1 cup black rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons finely diced lemon grass
4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
Chicken stock, if needed
Lemon and lime zest
Yields 4 (1/2-cup) servings.
Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, then add rice. Reduce heat, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
In a saute pan, heat olive oil, then add lemon grass, ginger and cooked black rice. Saute for a few minutes, adding chicken stock as needed for moisture. Garnish with lemon and lime zest.
Nutritionals analysis per serving: 242 calories, 9 g fat, 5 g protein, 39 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 295 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber.
BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS WITH BLUE CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE AND PINEAPPLE SLAW
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon finely diced scallions
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon basil, cut in thin strips
Slaw:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in thin strips
2 scallions, finely diced
1 carrot, shredded
Yields 4 servings.
Marinate chicken tenders in hot sauce for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn on broiler briefly at end of cooking to crisp the chicken.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon diced scallions, yogurt, blue cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire and basil and mix well. This is the dipping sauce.
To make slaw: Combine rice wine vinegar and pineapple. In a bowl, mix together cabbage, bell pepper, scallions and carrot, and toss with vinegar mixture.
Serve chicken with dipping sauce and slaw on the side.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 244 calories, 6 g fat, 36 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 112 mg cholesterol, 1,030 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber.
SESAME SALMON WITH YOGURT-DILL SAUCE AND QUINOA SALAD
1 pound salmon, pin bones removed, salmon cut into 4-ounce portions
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh mint, cut in strips
1 cucumber, diced
1 scallion, finely diced
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup edamame
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, cut in strips
2 tablespoon finely diced red onion
1 avocado, diced
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Yields 4 servings.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Pat salmon filets dry and coat with sesame seeds. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in oven-proof skillet and sear salmon, then place in oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until cooked through.
Mix together yogurt, dill, limejuice and mint. Toss with cucumber and scallions.
Cook quinoa in 2 cups boiling water, covered, till water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Cool quinoa, then toss with fork, and add edamame, sun-dried tomato, red onion, avocado, and salt, to taste. Sprinkle extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice over quinoa and toss.
To assemble: Place quinoa salad on a plate, top with a salmon filet, and drizzle with yogurt sauce.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 659 calories, 35 g fat, 43 g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 81 mg cholesterol, 443 mg sodium, 10 g dietary fiber.
— Adapted from chef Deborah Scott.
Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Contact her at caroline.dipping@uniontrib.com.
