Surely, you’ve come across this problem before.
Chefs Vikki Krinsky and Rich Rosendale star on Recipe Rehab.
It’s dinner time, and after a long day you’re eager to stuff your face into a shame spiral. It happens to the best of us. Saturated fat, sugar and carbs are as powerful a drug as any, and nearly inescapable unless you’re making everything from scratch. Still, there’s only so much culinary abuse a body can take, even if American palettes refuse to compromise on taste. When it comes to balancing nutrition and flavor, who you gonna call?
Chef Vikki Krinsky, naturally.
Chef Krinsky’s cooked up storms for Hollywood bigwigs like Spiderman (Tobey Maguire), the girl from Knocked Up (Katherine Heigl), and currently hangs her chef’s hat in Peter Griffin’s (Seth MacFarlane) kitchen.
When she’s not serving up delicious meals for the Family Guy creator, she stars on the Emmy-nominated Recipe Rehab, streaming on Hulu. On Recipe Rehab, Krinsky and Chef Richard Rosendale adapt your family’s favorite recipe, and make it a million times healthier. You know, God’s work.
Chef Krinksy took some time to discuss healthy eating habits, her favorite ingredients and inescapable junk food she can’t help but treat herself to now and then.
On Recipe Rehab you’ve developed countless healthy renditions on food from tamales to hamburgers. Over the past two seasons, what are some of the recipe makeovers you’re most proud of?
Good question, there’s so many. I think my Mac n Cheese was a big hit. I also think my tamales were a fun unique recipe. I think last year I would say my version of carrot cake, which I made into basically a gelato.
One of the complaints many families have when it comes to cooking healthy is the perception that it takes longer. What’s a tip you offer to people who want to eat better but are always on a time crunch?
Well it seems that mentality, first and foremost needs to be thrown out the window. Eating healthier doesn’t take more time to make the food, it just takes a little more effort to educate yourself about it.
My advice would be to have a really positive attitude when you go into the kitchen and understand that you’re fueling your body, which will help underline this positive mentality.
There’s a movement brewing as of late, of foodies flocking to healthier stuff like kale and heirloom tomatoes. What’s your favorite go-to healthy ingredient and one you wish more people used?
You know, I use a lot of spinach—and I’ll tell you why. I hide it in a lot of things, because it has such a mild flavor. An ingredient I wish people used more…full fat yogurt is a good one. My favorite ingredient would have to be chia seeds.
I literally put chia seeds in everything. If I make a big salad, I sprinkle chia seeds on top of it. I just made chocolate mousse and I added chia seeds to the actual mousse. I make smoothies, throw them in that. When I make a ragu I use chia seeds to kind of give it a fluffy texture.
Is there an inescapable junk food you treat yourself to once in a while?
Always. Well, listen—I eat dark chocolate every day of my life. I wouldn’t consider that junk food because it’s 85 percent but you know, everyone needs a little sweet in their life.
I love pastries! I don’t eat them often but when I do, I really eat the shit out of it, you know? I can’t say I feel guilty about it though. Anything cheese, like a cheese scone? That’s got my name written all over it. Cream cheese danishes—that sort of thing.
Any plans to get back into the spotlight in an acting capacity?
No, no. The spotlight that I reach for now is basically just me sharing my education in front of people to live a better life. As far as spotlight meaning staring as an actor in a TV show? I don’t have any desire to do that.
What’s some advice you’d offer for anyone that aspires to kitchen greatness.
We should be grateful for everything we have, really enjoy food and try to be the best version of yourself as best as can be.
How does Seth Macfarlane take his steak?
Haha. Medium-rare, and I always crust it with cumin.
