Month: July 2014

Boltwood: a new restaurant with some interesting offerings

My wife and I recently tried a new restaurant in our suburb of Evanston that has been getting a lot of positive buzz because its owner is a well-known local restaurateur. My top-line review is Boltwood is good, with touches of great but with some work to be done. I, as always, would like to see more low-salt and low-fat options, plus more creative flavoring in what is available.

But I did have some wonderful surprises there, especially when I allowed myself to splurge on a side dish I knew would be salty by its very nature (it includes anchovies).

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We started with a beet and grapefruit salad that sounded like an interesting combination but basically tasted like beet salad with the grapefruit pickled as well. It also has nuts in it, which is a turn-off for me but not for most people so ignore my personal taste on that. Continue reading “Boltwood: a new restaurant with some interesting offerings” →

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Naf Naf Grill: finally some fast food that isn’t loaded with salt, fat

I’ve ranted here before about fast food and other restaurants these days that tout selling “healthy” food when in fact their offerings are still loaded with salt, fat and sugar. Some, like the Protein Bar, in Chicago are growing rapidly with these false health claims, basically pushing salt on unsuspecting patrons.

So it’s nice to be able to write about one new chain in our area, the Naf Naf Grill, that actually has new, tasty variations on familiar foods using low-salt and low-fat recipes. A Naf Naf lunch once a week has become a special treat for me. The menu has Midwestern-inspired offerings, but Naf Naf makes its own low-salt pita bread and uses extremely lean beef and chicken for its pita sandwiches while keeping them tasty and filling!

The menu board from a Naf Naf Grill location in Niles, Ill. Other outlets have slightly different offerings.
The menu board from a Naf Naf Grill location in Niles, Ill. Other outlets have slightly different offerings.

This past weekend I visited one of the chain’s original three locations in Niles, Ill., and tried something it doesn’t offer at its outlet on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue near my office, a chicken kabob sandwich in a pita. Continue reading “Naf Naf Grill: finally some fast food that isn’t loaded with salt, fat” →

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Tilapia, zucchini and corn, a wonderful summer meal

I normally do most of the cooking in our house but recently my wife surprised me with a wonderful cookout meal one Saturday.

She made zucchini and corn on one of our Weber grills, basting the zucchini with a truffle olive oil we bought in Italy last summer.

Our tilapia, zucchini and corn dinner.
Our tilapia, zucchini and corn dinner.

I whipped up a main course of tilapia loins, purchased frozen at Costco, done with salt-free spices from the Spice House, which has outlets here in Evanston, Il. and in Chicago. Continue reading “Tilapia, zucchini and corn, a wonderful summer meal” →

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Swordfish: a great, meaty fish option

I’ve been eating a lot more fish since my angioplasty in 2012. Salmon is my favorite and, so far, still considered healthy, although some disparage farm-raised salmon, which most salmon sold in the U.S. is.

Another meaty, fleshy fish that can remind me of my steak-eating days is swordfish. Trader Joe’s sells it frozen for $8.99 a pound, so about $4.50 a portion if you eat half a pound at a sitting as I do.

Trader Joe's sells swordfish in its frozen fish section for $8.99 a pound.
Trader Joe’s sells swordfish in its frozen fish section for $8.99 a pound.

Cook it through, unlike salmon which can be enjoyed relatively rare, swordfish needs to cook. Continue reading “Swordfish: a great, meaty fish option” →

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Outer Spice: a tasty low-salt approach to spicing up your food

A food blogger friend recently told me about Outer Spice, a brand of spices that offers no-salt and low-salt varieties. I’m always searching for low- to no-salt ways to give some taste to my post-angioplasty diet these days, so I got in touch with the Texas-based company and asked for samples to review.

Two varieties of Outer Spice, which offers no-salt and low-salt blends.
Two varieties of Outer Spice, which offers no-salt and low-salt blends.
The Outer Spice nutrition label for the salt-free spicy mix.
The Outer Spice nutrition label for the salt-free spicy mix.

I received the no-salt Outer Spice Spicy blend and Outer Spice original with sea salt — 95 mgs per half teaspoon. Tasting them straight out of the jars, the spicy variety tasted perhaps more spicy than I normally eat while the other tasted fine, if a bit salty to my palate which is largely devoid of salt these days. Continue reading “Outer Spice: a tasty low-salt approach to spicing up your food” →

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Healthy eating at Taste of Chicago? Think again

I was amused to see recently that insurance company Humana put out a list of so-called healthy food choices at Taste of Chicago, an annual mega-food fest here in the Windy City that ended last Sunday.

Taste of Chicago has gotten smaller in recent years, but the food offerings are still more than I can eat on a restricted diet.
Taste of Chicago has gotten smaller in recent years, but the food offering are still more than I can eat on a restricted diet.

The last time I went to Taste was 1994, long before my heart surgery. The event is smaller and doesn’t last as long these days as it did then, but it’s still all about eating. Area restaurants set up tents and sell their specialties, so you can go wild trying everything in sight. I don’t even go near it now because I know it would throw me off my restricted diet. Continue reading “Healthy eating at Taste of Chicago? Think again” →

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