Eat Fit Dine Out 2017: Prove to yourself healthy food can be tasty, too

It should be easy to eat delicious food and eat healthfully in New Orleans. That's what Carl Schaubhut, chef and owner of DTB restaurant on Oak Street, believes.

Schaubhut, the 2017 chef ambassador of Ochsner's Eat Fit program, wants New Orleanians to prove this to themselves by eating out on Wednesday (Aug. 30), during "Eat Fit Dine Out," a fundraising event for the restaurant initiative.

More than 25 participating restaurants that feature Eat Fit dishes on menus will donate a portion of profits to support the nonprofit Eat Fit NOLA program, which was started in 2013 by registered dietitian Molly Kimball and is part of the Ochsner Health System.

For Schaubhut, a cancer survivor who runs the modern Cajun restaurant, making healthful choices is extremely personal.

Carl Schaubhut, chef and owner of DTB, which stands for Down the Bayou, restaurant on Oak Street, is the 2017 ambassador for the Ochsner Eat Fit NOLA program. (Photo by Max Cusimano)

"The cool part of this is that it happened very organically: I worked with Molly through Ochsner's Eat Fit NOLA, and shortly after that, I was diagnosed with cancer," Schaubhut said in a press release. "I reached out to Molly to help with nutrition – who else better to reach out as a resource for the fight of our life?"

For the chef, it has been an overall, more healthful lifestyle change.

"I like what Ochsner's Eat Fit promotes, especially for or city like New Orleans," he said. "Because, let's be honest, it's easy to make food taste good with a ton of sugar and salt and butter. But centering it on these wholesome, pure ingredients and making it taste incredible and layered in flavors – it's so rewarding."

To prove the concept, the chef shared his recipe for Redfish on a Half Shell. (See recipe below.)

"I love it when the guest doesn't even know that it's good for them, that it's been modified to be healthful – and they enjoy it as just as fantastic-tasting dish," he said, adding that at DTB, which stands for Down the Bayou, "some of our Eat Fit dishes have been among the best-selling dishes on the menu."

All Eat Fit menu dishes are fewer than 600 calories, with no white carbs and are all low in sugar, sodium and saturated fats. (Read more about other criteria at the website.)

"The beauty of Eat Fit is that it takes the burden off of the guest who wants to order healthfully – they don't feel like they're imposing, like they're being that diner who's special-ordering everything," he said.

The chef, who has spent two days a week over the past three years at Ochsner Medical Center receiving treatment, describes the medical personal there as a second family. He sees Eat Fit as bringing that medical treatment beyond the hospital and into the community.

Eat Fit now has more than 125 partners, with more than 230 locations, said Kimball, who writes a weekly nutrition column for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

The program is a free service offered to restaurant owners and food service providers. Nutritionists analyze and adapt existing or work with cooks and chefs to create new menu items that fit its criteria for healthful eating.

Along with participating restaurants, look for Eat Fit dining options at the Audubon Zoo, Mercedes-Benz Superdome as well as the Louis Armstrong International Airport.

The money raised on Wednesday will go to the Eat Fit | Live Fit fund, which also supports nutrition workshops, cooking demos, wellness screenings and high school culinary teaching programs. The program offers Eat Fit certification for instructors statewide.

Not all Eat Fit restaurant are participating in the Dine Out event. For a list of participating restaurants, visit EatFitNOLA.com, as well as EatFitBR.com,EatFitBayou.com, and EatFitNorthshore.com. And, for the first time, Eat Fit NOLA is partnering with Uber Eats NOLA, so folks can order food for delivery.

Or, as Schaubhut suggested, download the Eat Fit NOLA smartphone app to Eat Fit restaurants at your fingertips.

"... You can check out the menu ahead of time on the Eat Fit smartphone app to see the dishes, see the full nutrition stats, before you even go out," he said.

This recipe from Schaubhut is served at DTB, which opened in March at 8201 Oak St. It has several steps, but each is straightforward and simple to prepare.

Redfish on the Half Shell
Makes 4 servings

Chermoula
2 cups cilantro

1 cup parsley

8 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2/3 cup lemon juice

1-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon saffron

1 pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup olive oil

Corn Puree

1 pound corn kernels

1 cup cream

2 ounces cane vinegar

1 pinch salt

Redfish
1/2 pound squash, cubed

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

4 redfish fillets with skin and scales on

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Sausage
1 teaspoon butter

2 ounces andouille sausage

Swiss chard
1/2 pound Swiss chard

2 garlic cloves

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon cane vinegar

For chermoula: Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in blender. Puree gradually up to high and slowly drizzle in olive oil until incorporated. Set aside.

Corn puree: Combine all ingredients in sauce pan over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes until corn is soft. Add to blender and puree on high for 45 seconds, until mixture has the texture of corn grits. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash into bite sized pieces and spread on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove; set aside.

Preheat cast iron skillet or grill to high and rub with olive oil. Place fillets with skin and scales side down and slowly cook for 4 minutes. Season top of fillets with dash of salt, pepper, and teaspoon of butter.

Place in oven for 5 minutes.

Finely dice andouille sausage and cook in teaspoon of olive oil on low until fat is rendered out and sausage is crispy. Scoop sausage into paper towel to drain. Set aside. Reserve some oil in pan.

Remove stems and julienne Swiss chard. Add garlic and minced shallot to hot pan of andouille oil, cooking for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add Swiss chard and season with dash of salt and pepper. Add cane vinegar and continue to cook until wilted. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

To plate: Place one fillet, two heaping tablespoons of corn puree, small pile of Swiss chard, and one-quarter of squash onto plate.

Sprinkle each fillet with one teaspoon of andouille sausage. Top fish with chermoula dressing.

Per serving: 480 calories, 29 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 600 mg sodium, 18 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 9 grams sugar, 42 grams protein.

Let's block ads! (Why?)