Chef cooks up new recipes for restaurant
'Dietician in the Kitchen' adds healthymenu items to Blitzburgers Grill
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Diane Henderiks, a registered dietician and culinary educator, explains the virtues of olive oil during a demonstration at Blitzburgers Grill & Cafe on Renaissance Boulevard in North Brunswick on Jan. 23.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - The chef mixed together olive oil, spices, water and rice wine vinegar in a pan to make a warm marinade. She pounded chicken breast in a zipper bag to flatten it so it could absorb the dressing. After letting the chicken soak, she grilled it for a few minutes, cut it into slices and served it.

She then whisked together olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, oregano, fresh basil, Dijon mustard and paprika. She washed a head of romaine lettuce, shaking out the excess water and chopping off the ends of the knobs and the very tips. She cut each romaine heart in half, vertically, and sprinkled just a tiny bit of kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil on them. She put them face down on the grill for three or four minutes to give them a charcoal flavor. She added dried cranberries, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese to the salad and drizzled the dressing on top.

Diane M. Henderiks, a nutritionist, registered dietician, culinary educator, fitness expert and television personality, has revamped the menu at Blitzburgers Grill & Café on Renaissance Boulevard on Route 130 south: she has added her own personal recipes to the menu, allowing residents to choose between the restaurant's regular choice of 30 stuffed burgers or her more healthful options, such as vegetarian chili, fiery chicken bites, mango shrimp, poached salmon salad, grilled romaine salad, shrimp and crab burger, baked salmon, marinated steak tips, roasted bananas, baked fruit and créme de menthe brownies.

On Jan. 23, the "Dietician in the Kitchen" demonstrated several of her recipes, which she has compiled over the course of her career. She said she uses herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and dried fruits to enhance the flavor instead of unhealthful additives.

"Trying to cook without salt or fat is not easy," she said. "I want people to realize healthy eating is not only good for you, but it can taste great as well."

Henderiks said she has always been interested in nutrition, since she has always been athletic. She has a nutrition counseling company inMonmouth County and specializes in various medical conditions. She serves at Monmouth Medical Center as a nutrition consultant for the Bariatric Surgery Center and has owned The Fitness Factory fitness and nutrition counseling center in Long Branch for five years.

She offers cooking classes, market tours, workshops and multimedia events, as well as one-on-one consulting, personalized meal plans, kitchen ambushes, private party cooking shows and healthful gourmet catering.

She also offers two cookbooks titled "Dietician in the Kitchen: Volume 1: The Essential Recipes" and "Shaken & Stirred: Healthy Cooking Using Your Favorite Spirits" and has created a line of salt- and sugar-free spices including fiery spice, seafood dust and all-purpose seasoning.

"I grew up Italian-Irish.My father was always in the kitchen with my mother. The whole family was always in the kitchen," she said.

Henderiks was invited to offer her expertise to Blitzburgers and said her first step was to cut out salt and fat "so you can learn to appreciate the natural flavors of foods." She said whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins are essential, and that we should eat "as close to nature as possible."

She said that "doing anything self-enhancing is never too late to do." She said eating right in the right portions creates success without counting calories or weighing and measuring foods.

"My goal is to change what people want," she said. "My philosophy is, we shouldn't be afraid of foods. Diets don't work.

"We should all be eating as if we have diabetes, we should all be eating as if we have high blood pressure, we should all be eating as if we have high cholesterol and are overweight," she added.

When eating out, Henderiks suggested anticipating extra salt and fat in food and avoiding that by asking questions about menu items. For example, an egg white omelet without oil on the skillet is a healthy option, but most people don't realize steaks are rubbed in butter before being cooked. She said to keep salad dressings, sauces or gravies on the side and to dip a fork in them instead of spreading them over the entire plate. She said too much alcohol adds calories and lowers inhibitions, so intake should be limited. Broth-based soups or shrimp cocktails are good starters, although a person should plan their menu ahead of time and not go to the restaurant starving or else they will consume extra calories.

"The first bite tastes as good as the last bite, so stop when you're full," she said, adding that there is a 20-minute neurological lapse between the stomach and the brain.

She also said a fitness regimen is "imperative" because the "lifelong key to weight management is exercise." She said that by combining strength training, cardio movements and proper eating habits, people can lead healthier lifestyles.

As far as Henderiks' Blitzburgers menu is concerned, all of her recipes are featured in her cookbooks. For more information, visit www.DITKonline.com.

A portion of the proceeds from her demonstration was donated to the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Services (MCFOODS), which collects and distributes about 115 tons of food each year to food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the country.

Blitzburgers' next event is a Super Bowl party on Sunday featuring a buffet, an 8-foot projection television, a cigar roller, a massage chair and face painting, starting at 5:30 p.m., for $29.95. Alcohol is bring-your-own. Space is limited.Aportion of the proceeds will be donated to the East Brunswick Pop Warner association.

The normal hours of operation for the restaurant areMonday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m; Saturday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information, visit www.Blitzburgers.com or call the restaurant at (732) 422 - 0700.