Gimmicks Don't

February 1st 2010

Recipe of the Week

Poblano & Skirt Steak Fajitas

This variation on fajitas pairs fresh poblanos with steak and scallions. Skirt steak has fabulous flavor but tends to be chewy, so slice it thinly across the grain.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided, plus lime wedges for garnish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 bunches scallions, trimmed
• 3 poblano peppers, (see Note)
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ancho chili, (see Note)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, trimmed
• Hot sauce, for serving
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Mash avocados in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Brush scallions and poblanos with 2 teaspoons oil. Combine ancho chili, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub both sides of steak with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the spice mixture.
4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the poblanos, turning often, until softened and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap to trap the heat. Grill the scallions, turning frequently, until softened and lightly charred, 2 to 4 minutes. Grill the steak 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest.
5. Meanwhile, slice the scallions into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a serving dish. Peel as much skin as possible from the peppers, discard the stems and seeds, and slice into 1/2-inch-wide strips; transfer to the serving dish. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Slice the steak very thinly, and then chop into small pieces. Serve the steak and vegetables with the guacamole, lime wedges, hot sauce and tortillas.

Tips & Notes

• Note: Poblano peppers can be fiery or relatively mild; there's no way to tell until you taste them.
• Ancho chili peppers, one of the most popular dried chilies used in Mexico, are dried poblano peppers. They have a mild, sweet, spicy flavor. Ground ancho chili pepper can be found in the specialty-spice section of large supermarkets, or substitute ground chili powder plus a pinch of cayenne.
• Tips: To heat tortillas: Wrap in foil and bake at 300°F until steaming, about 10 minutes or wrap tortillas in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.
• To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray before placing it on the grill.

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Don't Let A Friend Fly Solo

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Simply click here or log on to www.ftpassport.com to enter your friends and family members to receive a complimentary introductory session and free gift when they com in for their session. Passports are also available in the studio, for you convenience.

Reduce Asthma Symptoms with Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids seem to be good for everything, and a new study of their effect on exercise-induced asthma is yet another example of the benefits of this healthy type of fat. A study at Indiana University found that adults with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma who took an omega-3-rich fish oil supplement daily for three weeks improved their post-exercise lung function by 64 percent, allowing a 31 percent decrease in their use of emergency inhalers.

People with exercise-induced asthma usually experience inflammation of the airway, called bronchoconstriction, immediately following exercise. The standard American diet is rich in pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids and low in Omega-3 fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, researchers found that while taking supplemental fish oil—3.2 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 2 grams of docohexaenoic acid (DHA) daily—samples of mucus taken from participants showed reduced amounts of pro-inflammatory cells and markers.

It's important to note that the supplement used in this study was pharmaceutical grade, which means it was standardized for quality and also filtered at a molecular level to eliminate contaminants like mercury. Store-bought supplements do not have any guarantees about quality or potency since they are not regulated by the FDA.

Besides benefiting asthma sufferers, omega-3s are beneficial to health in lots of other ways too, helping to prevent cardiovascular disease, boost brain function, and even fight depression. Eating fatty fish, such as salmon, is a good way to boost your omega-3 consumption. In addition to certain fish, these healthy fats can be found in tofu and other forms of soybeans, canola oil, walnuts, walnut oil, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil. If you suffer from exercise-induced asthma, talk to your doctor to see if a fish oil supplement would be right for you.

-- By Liza Barnes, Health Educator

Add Steps to Subtract Pounds

Pedometers Motivate & Encourage

Researchers from the University of Tennessee asked overweight women to clip on pedometers to track their steps. They divided these women into two groups. One group was told to aim for 10,000 steps a day (the common recommendation considered to be "active"), while the second group was told simply to walk briskly for 30 minutes, most days of the week (a common—but minimum—fitness recommendation). The study found that the step counters averaged over 10,000 steps daily, while the minute counters averaged between 8,270 to 9,505 steps on the days the DID meet their 30-minute goals, and merely 5,597 steps on the days they didn’t exercise for 30 minutes. The researchers conclude that setting your goals in steps (rather than minutes) may be the best way to increase your overall activity.

Action Sparked
If you’re having a hard time getting into a regular fitness routine, using a pedometer may help motivate you. It’s a simple way to track your progress, and you can easily continue to beat your past records (even if only by 5, 10, or 100 steps). Tracking your steps is another way to gauge your activity level—especially for the average deskbound worker. (People with active jobs, such as servers, may exceed 10,000 steps at work alone, but should still plan structured fitness activities.)

Walking less than 5,000 steps daily is considered sedentary, 5,000 to 9,999 is considered low to somewhat active, and 10,000 steps or more is active.

-- By Nicole Nichols

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