I came across a new show that debuted on Discovery Health last night. I was on the treadmill (I do watch TV when I am working out; as long as I stay in my target heart rate and maintain my breathing, then it works for me 😉 ) and found “A Lyon in the Kitchen”.

What caught my attention immediately was the fact that the host, Nathan Lyon, was talking about roasting spices on the stove in preparation for making a spiced, rubbed, turkey breast. He was using coriander, fennel, and cumin (three of the many that I have in my cupboard). I use cumin often, and wanted to see what he was up to.

If I had not viewed that segment, I may not have watched the show because I do not seek out “food shows”. Usually they highlight dishes that I would not eat because they include sugar, refined flour, and are high in fat, and I do not wish to torment myself or stir up cravings from viewing the images.

While the spices were roasting on the stove top, Nathan Lyon proceeded to prepare a fresh, maple, root vegetable dish made with carrots, sweet potatoes, and parsnips, to which he added high quality maple syrup, salt, pumpkin pie spice (also in my cupboard, although I use apple pie spice more often), lemon juice, orange juice, and olive oil. I would make a few modifications to this recipe to avoid triggering my sugar addiction. I have posted the recipe here, along with my alterations.

Later in the half hour segment, he prepared the spiced, roast turkey breast. He left the spices on the stove over low heat until their aroma was in the air, after which he removed them to allow them to cool. This is a pretty simple recipe, and I would definitely eat this, omitting the salt and the olive oil.

The last recipe that Nathan prepared was an apple napoleon with lemon crème fraiche. I would eat only the apple filling, leaving out the cream, walnuts, and puff pastry. You can view his recipe here. I am not posting this one on my site today because it moves a bit further into a zone that could send an overeater, emotional eater, or sugar addict “over the edge”. It conjures up thoughts (for me, at least) of the other desserts that I used to eat (and overeat!). I do have an idea to take his apple filling and make a “dessert” centered on that, and if I do, I will share that with you in the future.

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The main reason that I was so enthused to see this show is the fact that he uses fresh, whole foods, which is what I mainly (I do used canned items if the only ingredient is the food, i.e.: tomatoes for sauces) cook with. Additionally, he advocates shopping locally, not only to obtain the freshest of ingredients, but also to support your community.

In a previous post I wrote about how I often feel that I am the odd one out because of how I eat since it goes against “normal” society; however, there are others who are also taking the healthy path. I do have online friends who share this way of eating, although for much of my adult life, I have been surrounded by people (especially in the work place) who eat mainly processed foods, full of sugar and additives.

Now, I would think that we would begin to see and hear more about people who are eating whole, fresh foods, since it has been predicted that if nothing changes in today’s society, then the current generation of children born (since the year 2000) will be the first generation to die before their parents as a result of childhood obesity. There is too much processed and fast food being eaten as part of a “normal” diet and it is causing grave health dangers.

Even though I would make modifications in the recipes (the maple syrup would trigger sugar cravings and a sugar binge for me), I was very impressed by “A Lyon in the Kitchen”. Are there other shows out there like this one? Maybe there are and I don’t know about them because I stay away from the “food channels”.

I do recommend checking out “A Lyon in the Kitchen“. If you are not sugar sensitive or addicted to sugar, his recipes would be a hundred times healthier than the processed food found in the mainstream grocery stores, not to mention fast food. Additionally, if you are addicted to sugar, you can always modify his recipes like I do, and still have a great tasting dish.