Chef Jennifer Iserloh, the Skinny Chef, teamed up with Dr Drew Ramsey to create 50 healthy, fun and delicious recipes using kale. Kale is a superfood, meaning it provides significant health and wellness benefits, and Jennifer has crafted 50 kale recipes that span breakfast through cocktails, including kale fudge pops, linguine with sausage and kale, kale-onnaise and many more. Check out our interview with Jennifer below, and be sure to grab a copy of her book. You will be sure to fall in love with kale too!
Head to Toe: You were not always a chef. What did you do first? What prompted the decision / what was the motivation or inspiration to become a chef?
Jennifer: It was always my dream to become a chef, but I think following your dreams can be pretty daunting- especially when you're making a drastic career change Iike I did. I was doing a lot of yoga and meditation at the time (and still do)- so that gave me the courage to quit my job and go to culinary school in 2003.
Head to Toe: What was the journey to becoming a chef like?
Jennifer: I call it my "path of fire" since it was pretty high pressure – but I was also lucky since wonderful opportunities came my way, including working for Tyler Florence from the Food Network and private cheffing for celebs like Annie Leibovitz and the Seinfelds.
Head to Toe: What are your inspirations for healthful cooking?
Jennifer: I grew up in a family where many of the members died from obesity related diseases. I also struggled with weight in my late teens and early 20's. So after my 30 pound weight loss, I've been cooking healthy ever since!
Head to Toe: Describe your love affair with kale to us.
Jennifer: I'm a superfoods expert and kale is the king of all superfoods- it has a glittering array of nutrients and it's really easy to make it taste delicious. Basically kale is a healthy chef's "dream come true".
Head to Toe: Why do you preach to your fans to fall in love with kale?
Jennifer: Superfoods like kale have 300% more nutrition across the board compared to other veggies. In studies, kale kicks butt when it comes to many diseases that American's struggle with like obesity and cancer just to name a few. But when it comes to cooking, I adore kale because it's cheap, lasts for a week or more in your fridge, and is incredibly versatile as "50 Shades of Kale" shows
Head to Toe: How did you come up with such a fabulous name for a cookbook?
Jennifer: My brilliant co-author said it to me as a joke over coffee one day. Dr. Drew Ramsey is a leading expert on mood foods, and foods for brain health, but he has an amazing sense of humor and a really positive outlook on life!
Head to Toe: Besides kale what other healthy foods do you fill your own pantry with?
Jennifer: Other superfoods of course! Spinach (a must, kale's little sister in terms of health), broccoli, blueberries, cherries, nuts seeds and many more
Head to Toe: What makes a food a superfood?
Jennifer: It's nutritional profile – that included high levels of vitamins we need every day. 1 cup of kale has nearly 100% of you vitamin C and well over 100% of your needs for vitamin A and K, while other veggies like broccoli rabe or Swiss chard has a quarter of that per cup. That said, combing superfood veggies like kale with the less super veg is a great idea for taste and variety, but nutritionally speaking they don't compare.
Head to Toe: Whats your favorite dish to cook from the cookbook?
Jennifer: The pesto, it's a hit no matter where I serve it!
Head to Toe: What is your favorite thing to cook and eat?
Jennifer: I never get tire of cooking, even though I do it for a living. I'm restaurant trained so I do like cooking when some high-end ingredients, fancy mushrooms like oyster that I just made for amy hubby birthday dinner with filet mignon, roasted kale and roquefort potatoes
Head to Toe: What are your kitchen staples?
Jennifer: I always have open bottle of my healthy sauce line (http://naturalfoods.skinnychef.com/) in the fridge. I'm in the process of working on another book using them, and it's fun to get creative and see what whacking yet tasty combos I can dream up. The goji espresso sauce is on my radar this week.
Head to Toe: You were not always a chef. What did you do first? What prompted the decision / what was the motivation or inspiration to become a chef?
Jennifer: It was always my dream to become a chef, but I think following your dreams can be pretty daunting- especially when you're making a drastic career change Iike I did. I was doing a lot of yoga and meditation at the time (and still do)- so that gave me the courage to quit my job and go to culinary school in 2003.
Head to Toe: What was the journey to becoming a chef like?
Jennifer: I call it my "path of fire" since it was pretty high pressure – but I was also lucky since wonderful opportunities came my way, including working for Tyler Florence from the Food Network and private cheffing for celebs like Annie Leibovitz and the Seinfelds.
Head to Toe: What are your inspirations for healthful cooking?
Jennifer: I grew up in a family where many of the members died from obesity related diseases. I also struggled with weight in my late teens and early 20's. So after my 30 pound weight loss, I've been cooking healthy ever since!
Head to Toe: Describe your love affair with kale to us.
Jennifer: I'm a superfoods expert and kale is the king of all superfoods- it has a glittering array of nutrients and it's really easy to make it taste delicious. Basically kale is a healthy chef's "dream come true".
Head to Toe: Why do you preach to your fans to fall in love with kale?
Jennifer: Superfoods like kale have 300% more nutrition across the board compared to other veggies. In studies, kale kicks butt when it comes to many diseases that American's struggle with like obesity and cancer just to name a few. But when it comes to cooking, I adore kale because it's cheap, lasts for a week or more in your fridge, and is incredibly versatile as "50 Shades of Kale" shows
Head to Toe: How did you come up with such a fabulous name for a cookbook?
Jennifer: My brilliant co-author said it to me as a joke over coffee one day. Dr. Drew Ramsey is a leading expert on mood foods, and foods for brain health, but he has an amazing sense of humor and a really positive outlook on life!
Head to Toe: Besides kale what other healthy foods do you fill your own pantry with?
Jennifer: Other superfoods of course! Spinach (a must, kale's little sister in terms of health), broccoli, blueberries, cherries, nuts seeds and many more
Head to Toe: What makes a food a superfood?
Jennifer: It's nutritional profile – that included high levels of vitamins we need every day. 1 cup of kale has nearly 100% of you vitamin C and well over 100% of your needs for vitamin A and K, while other veggies like broccoli rabe or Swiss chard has a quarter of that per cup. That said, combing superfood veggies like kale with the less super veg is a great idea for taste and variety, but nutritionally speaking they don't compare.
Head to Toe: Whats your favorite dish to cook from the cookbook?
Jennifer: The pesto, it's a hit no matter where I serve it!
Head to Toe: What is your favorite thing to cook and eat?
Jennifer: I never get tire of cooking, even though I do it for a living. I'm restaurant trained so I do like cooking when some high-end ingredients, fancy mushrooms like oyster that I just made for amy hubby birthday dinner with filet mignon, roasted kale and roquefort potatoes
Head to Toe: What are your kitchen staples?
Jennifer: I always have open bottle of my healthy sauce line (http://naturalfoods.skinnychef.com/) in the fridge. I'm in the process of working on another book using them, and it's fun to get creative and see what whacking yet tasty combos I can dream up. The goji espresso sauce is on my radar this week.
Head to Toe: What do you find to be the biggest obstacle in maintaining a healthy diet?
Jennifer: Having an incredibly busy life. I don't have kids, but I work, 10+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week. And as the "Skinny Chef" I have to walk and look the part!
Head to Toe: Maintaining a healthy diet requires a lot of planning and prepping. How do you manage to stay on track while balancing a busy day to day life?
Jennifer: I keep my meals simple (under 10 or 20 minutes max) when I'm pressed for time, that why I created my sauce line, to make fast, healthy meals. I take a protein and superfood veg- cook them off and add a sauce, so simple. I still eat out on the weekends, but eating at home and healthy cooking keeps the weight off, no two ways about it.
Head to Toe: If you could eat absolutely anything without having to worry about health / calories / nutrients etc., what would it be?
Jennifer: Champagne and fois gras, all the WAY. I also love boar ragu with wild greens, and Grimaldi's pizza!!
50 Shades of Kale: 50 Fresh & Satisfying Recipes that are Bound to Please is available through amazon.
Follow Jennifer at http://skinnychef.com/
Jennifer: Having an incredibly busy life. I don't have kids, but I work, 10+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week. And as the "Skinny Chef" I have to walk and look the part!
Head to Toe: Maintaining a healthy diet requires a lot of planning and prepping. How do you manage to stay on track while balancing a busy day to day life?
Jennifer: I keep my meals simple (under 10 or 20 minutes max) when I'm pressed for time, that why I created my sauce line, to make fast, healthy meals. I take a protein and superfood veg- cook them off and add a sauce, so simple. I still eat out on the weekends, but eating at home and healthy cooking keeps the weight off, no two ways about it.
Head to Toe: If you could eat absolutely anything without having to worry about health / calories / nutrients etc., what would it be?
Jennifer: Champagne and fois gras, all the WAY. I also love boar ragu with wild greens, and Grimaldi's pizza!!
50 Shades of Kale: 50 Fresh & Satisfying Recipes that are Bound to Please is available through amazon.
Follow Jennifer at http://skinnychef.com/