My cooking revolves around the “healthy trinity” of lean proteins, friendly fats, and good carbohydrates. It may be hard to imagine how these abstractions translate into real food, but I assure you that my refrigerator is full (too full, according to my husband) of tasty incarnations.

Proteins

I use 2 classes of proteins in my cooking: those that are inherently lean or high in omega-3 fats and those that can be made leaner. The first category includes soy protein (e.g. tofu), egg whites, low-fat dairy products, all seafood, the skinless white meat of poultry, the leanest cuts of pork, beef, lamb, and veal (e.g. tenderloin), as well as bison (a.k.a. buffalo), and venison. (I do not include beans in this group because the cellulose matrix that dominates their structure raises questions about how much of their protein is actually absorbed.) The second category includes meats and poultry that can be nutritionally improved through skinning (e.g. duck breasts and chicken thighs) and meticulous trimming, or whose fat-contribution to a recipe can be reduced effectively through secondary techniques such as Degreasing Liquids. (Even a flat-cut brisket can sneak into this category.) Certain proteins, such as pork and beef tenderloins, straddle both categories because they’re the leanest cuts of a particular type of meat and they can be trimmed (see Pork Surgery) to make them even leaner. Occasionally, I use small quantities of high fat meat products such as bacon, but I view them as flavorings that add fat, rather than sources of protein.