The Chew, Ozzified, Recipe Redo for October 6, 2011

Easy tweaks for all three of the recipes on today’s The Chew.  I’m not making a video for any of my Ozzifications today because they’re all extremely easy to do. A link to the product is a lot more helpful than a how-to video when swapping out an ingredient or two is only change.  FYI: I don’t get any money, etc. from anyone or anything for any of the products I'm mentioning here.  The only financial relationship I have with the products is that I pay for them as a consumer.  To find the link, click on the product name.

Mario Batali's Spaghetti alla Carbonara –

It’s still going to have a high fat, high sodium content with the amount of parmesan cheese involved, but hard cheeses like Parmesan have more health benefits than their softer counterparts. Hard cheese is one of Dr. Oz's three cancer-fighting secrets and Dr. Andrew Weil recommends hard cheeses over soft as safer during pregnancy because they are less likely to harbor a bacteria called listeria.

I’ve made my own Ozzified version of Carbonara before & it differs from Mario’s recipe in the expected ways: 

• Guanciale has a high fat to lean ratio, so I swap it out for a lower-fat meat like prosciutto or skip the protein altogether & pump up the seasoning it with my favorite low sodium condiment, JD’s Bacon Salt.  
• Of course, I also change out the pasta as well. Dr. Oz recommends the whole wheat pasta, but I can’t stand that stuff. I prefer Barilla Plus because it has a similar mouth feel and taste as the traditional refined white flour packaged pasta. 

There is no need to swap out the eggs for egg substitute – in fact it's probably healthier if you do not. Egg substitute is high in sodium & doesn’t provide the nutrients that an egg yolk does. Real eggs have:

• Choline, which has been shown to enhance brain, nerve and heart health
• Lutein, which is vital for eye health
• Vitamin D - Real eggs are one of the few natural food sources of Vitamin D. 

Studies have also shown that 1-2 eggs a day do not raise one’s lipid levels so the one egg per serving in this recipe shouldn’t be a problem.

Mario Batali’s son Leo’s Sloppy Joes:   

  

This recipe is already full of heart-healthy ingredients that would make Dr. Oz smile. Tomatoes, especially cooked tomatoes, are chock full of lycopene – an antioxidant shown to help prevent heart disease many cancers like prostate & breast cancer. Red onions are also rich with anti-cancer compounds, and spicy ingredients like jalapeños and cilantro are good for weight loss as they boost your metabolism. 

The only Ozzifications I might be tempted to make are: 

1. 86 the sugar 
2. Swap out the meat. Like Mario said on the broadcast, there really isn't a lot of fat in ground round, but if I were serving it to someone who doesn't eat red meat, then I'd replace the ground round with a ground white meat like turkey or chicken that I would grind myself. Most store-bought ground poultry has a higher fat content than ground round, so make it a point to read the label if you’re tempted to make that substitution. 

Michael Symon’s Beer Brats & Bacon-Onion Chutney

Bratwurst is very high in fat, albeit very tasty fat. As a once in a blue moon treat, such as celebrating last night’s big win over Milwaukee by my Diamondbacks,  I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe.  If it was going to be something I served on a regular basis or served to someone who doesn’t eat pork, then all I would do is swap the brats for a low fat chicken sausage.  

Keep in mind that some chicken sausages (like Aidell’s) come fully cooked, so skip one of the two cooking steps. Depending on your preference, either heat them in some beer or drink the beer cold & heat them on the grill. Don’t do both or you’ll have a rubbery mess. 

I’d Ozzify the chutney by 

• using 1 tbsp of agave in place of the 2 TBSP of brown sugar & 
• sauté the onions in olive oil instead of bacon fat, then sprinkle in some low sodium bacon salt to add some bacon flavor.  

Of course, my final Ozzification would be to serve it on a whole grain bun. Be sure to toast it like Michael Symon did so it will hold together all the delicious goodness.