ArcaMax

Editor's Note: We hope you enjoy this previously published Zola classic.

These Fats Won’t Make You Fat

“Eat less fat” has been the mantra of the U.S. government for the past 30 years. But while Americans have dutifully reduced the percentage of daily calories from saturated fat since the ‘70s, the obesity rate has more than doubled, diabetes has tripled, and heart disease is still the country’s biggest killer.

I got sucked into the “low fat” craze along with everyone else. The tide was huge. I used to read packages looking for low fat everything, so why was I getting fatter? I was eating the WRONG stuff.

Today I want to put emphasis on things you can happily eat with satisfaction and they are all fats.

I’m not going to go all science on you. When I start getting into unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and trans-fats I can just see the eyes glaze over. So I’m going to skip all that and just give you a straightforward list of good fats to eat. Carry this to the grocery store.

Here's the list with a few comments:

-- Extra virgin olive oil

I use this to do most of my cooking now. No canola oil in my cupboard or vegetable oil or corn oil.

-- Butter

Toss the margarine

-- Extra virgin coconut oil

Another big YUM. I use this in my cooking too.

-- Flaxseed oil

I put this stuff in my protein smoothies in the morning. Hair stays shiner and nails grow strong. It doesn’t taste great out of the bottle but you can hide it in just about anything; even your soup.

-- Avocado and avocados

Think homemade salad dressing and eat the guacamole!

-- Almonds and walnuts

I roast my own and put spices on them to zip them up. Then I snack on them.

-- Pumpkin seeds as well as most raw nuts and seeds Ditto on these

-- Olives

-- Cod liver oil

Your grandmother knew. Okay, so I’m still not taking this on off a spoon but it is a good oil.

-- Wild, cold water fish

I spend the extra money every time to get wild caught salmon. You don't want to see a fish farm. Ugly experience. You don't want to buy farm raised fish either.

-- Coconut milk

So Good Unsweetened is a great brand. I put this in my smoothies instead of cow milk.

-- Flax meal

-- Organic goat cheese

-- Organic free range egg yolks

We eat eggs almost every day at our house. If not, we eat unsweetened peanut butter spread on apple slices.

-- Almond butter

This works great on those apple slices too.

-- Pine nuts

Any Italian meal goes better with toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top.

-- Macadamia nut oil and sunflower oil

Two other great salad dressing options as a change from olive oil.

Your body needs healthy fats to run smoothly. Your brain is made up of 60 percent fat. Feed your brain these fats and you’re less likely to have memory loss, dementia and, depression. And enjoy eating them. They used to be on my list of BAD foods. Now they are a staple of my diet. How about you? Oh, and by the way...my total cholesterol is way below 200; just in case anyone was asking that.

For the recipe today, I am offering up my version of chicken satay. This is another great way to get your peanut butter. A healthy fat. (buy unsweetened peanut butter, of course). This travels well too! You can eat this meal warm or cold.

Chicken Satay (Chicken skewers with peanut sauce) SUPER EASY

Serves 3 to 4

You can serve these as an appetizer, a party buffet food, a lunch or even as a dinner option. This is Indian fun food. If you have never had Indian food and want an easy way to try it, this is a perfect dish. It’s even good cold.

For the chicken in marinade

2 packages of chicken tender strips (approximately 1-1.5 pounds total)
1/2 cup of coconut milk (in a carton. Not the stuff in a can)
1 clove of garlic, minced (jar garlic will work)
1 tsp of curry powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 Tbl of curry powder
1/2 cup of peanut butter (try to find unsweetened peanut butter that is emulsified. That means you don’t have to stir it. You want smooth or crunchy but stirred. Traditionally this made with smooth peanut butter)
2 Tbl of lemon or lime juice
3 tsp of Bragg’s aminos (if you can’t find it, soy sauce will work)
Grated sea salt to taste

In a medium bowl put in the ingredients for the marinade. Then add the chicken tenders and toss them. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. If you are going to marinate them longer just put the bowl in the refrigerator.

Get out your grill pan. Spray lightly with olive oil spray. Grill the chicken tenders on medium high until no pink remains. This won’t take long. Usually 7 to 10 minutes maximum. Turn when half done so you get grill marks on both sides. Be careful when you turning them. They might stick a bit. While the chicken is grilling make your sauce.

Put the coconut milk, curry powder, peanut butter in a pan and heat it on medium high. Don’t need to boil it. Just simmer it for a few minutes until it’s fully heated. Take it off the heat and add the juice and the Braggs aminos. Add a bit of salt and taste. If you want more salt you can add a bit but many peanut butter brands have enough salt in them already.

To transport, carry the sauce and chicken in separate containers so you can dip.

Serving: I served this as a light entrée. Grilled green onions that I made before I grilled the chicken were cold. The celery makes a nice crunch accompaniment. And we spoiled ourselves with one poppadum. Poppadums are an Indian flatbread/cracker. They are very easy to make and pretty low carb. Just follow the cooking directions on the box.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola