Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/750495
1 0 | PULSE Fa l l 2 0 1 6 H E A LT H L I N KS T here was a time, not too long ago, when the words "gourmet chef " and "hospital food" would never be caught next to each other. Now hospitals, including Torrance Memorial Medical Center, employ executive chefs like Culinary Arts Institute grad Samuel U. Sellona, CDM, CFPP to create menus for their patients and café goers alike. Aer a tour as personal chef to his captain in the Navy, and a few restaurants and hotels, Chef Sam began his career as executive chef (EC) for hospitals and landed at Torrance Memorial about a year ago. Born in Honolulu, he grew up on the island of Molokai and still paddles outrigger canoes out of Newport Beach for fun. When he started as an EC in the health care system 16 years ago, hospitals were not known for their good food, "so it was a challenging transition to make hospital food appealing in the taste, quality and freshness of the food," Chef Sam says. "en we had to train the food handlers to use fresh herbs, produce and meat— instead of frozen. e cooks now accept that the bar has been raised." e holiday menus are being cooked up now, and with an eye toward anksgiving, we asked Chef to give us some simple, nourishing recipes. Basic Gourmet Turkey Broth calls on a trend that many Vietnamese and Japanese soup makers use: bone broth, which is slow cooked using already-roasted bones from a carcass. e result is rich not only in flavor, but also in minerals (like calcium) and healing compounds such as glutamine, proline and collagen. Experts say the collagen may heal your intestinal lining. California Style Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffing is a modern twist using nutty, nutritious quinoa along with butternut squash and avocado. "I love the holidays, and I do all the cooking ," Chef Sam says. "One of my favorite things is deboning a turkey, and I like to do my own desserts—classic pumpkin and custard pies. For the hospital we have a cobbler." Maybe you can squeeze that recipe out of him yourself. THANKSGIVING WITH A TWIST CALIFORNIA STYLE VEGETARIAN QUINOA STUFFING Yield: 8 servings Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth 1 bay leaf Method: Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium-size pot. Add quinoa and bay leaf. Reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. When the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Hold for next step. Ingredients: 12 ounces butternut squash (1/2 inch dice) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 red onion (1/2 inch dice) 2 stalks celery (1/2 inch dice) 6 ounces red bell pepper (1/2 inch dice) 4 ounces kale (shredded) 2 garlic cloves (minced) 1 cup cilantro (chopped) 1 avocado (1/4 inch dice) ½ cup dried cranberries 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon Jalapeno, small dice (optional) Salt to taste (optional) Method: 1. In a large bowl add diced squash, honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to evenly coat. Place in 350º oven for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven. 2. In a large pot add 1 tablespoon olive oil; heat to smoke. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, kale and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until vegetables are tender and aromatic. Remove from heat. 3. Add cooked quinoa, cooked butternut squash, cilantro and cranberries. Gently toss. 4. Add diced avocado, black pepper, ( jalapeno optional) and salt to taste. Gently toss.