Foraging for Flavor Greek Herbs/Bean Cuisine / Spa ... - Kerasma

“Spa cuisine,” says Roula Tsakalou,
head nutritionist at the Hotel
Grande Bretagne's GB Spa, “is not
about dieting, fads, or weightreduction
programs that strain the
emotional and physical balance of
the body.” The emphasis, she says,
is a “mindful approach toward food
that encourages healthy dietary
habits.” That means high-quality
whole foods, minimally processed
and simply prepared to maximize
natural beauty, flavor, and health
benefits.”
“For us,” says Tsakalou, who spent
months developing a spa cuisine
menu with Grande Bretagne's head
chef, “spa cuisine has less to do
with calories or grams of carbohydrates
and fats, and more with a
wholesome, healthy meal that
complements the relaxing experience
offered at the spa.”
Take the GB's savory tuna carpaccio,
as an example. Drizzled with
sesame ginger dressing and often
followed with green asparagus
splashed with fresh Greek yogurt
dressing and toasted pine kernels,
the dish is just one of the scrumptious
healthy choices offered at the
hotel's sprawling Atrium.
Other popular menu items include
a (very Greek) fricassee of seasoned,
pan-seared chicken breast
with artichoke hearts. Sprinkled
with chopped thyme, the dish
rivals any gourmet meal offered at
the five-star Grande Bretagne. “We
went to great lengths not to
28 GREEKGOURMETRAVELER
deprive our meals of taste and
enjoyment,” says Tsakalou.
Low calorie food dominated the
1980s, switching, a decade later, to
low-fat products. Then, came the
“carb-craze” era. Today, a wiser nutritional
approach to eating is taking
root, one in which vegetables—one
of the mainstays of the Greek diet—
play center plate. Good taste, of
course, is crucial, and in the Greek
kitchen flavors are always robust.
In recent years, food researchers in
the United States have started
working on spa-inspired entrees
with lighter flavors, different ingredients,
and larger vegetable portions.
Such was the interest, that
spa cuisine and its panoply of easyto-prepare
dishes took home-cook-