Many people fear that they will gain weight on a cruise, due to all of the food served on board cruise ships.
I find it easy to eat healthy on cruise ships, since there is always a variety of fruit, vegetables and lean protein available that I do not have to prep or cook. Cruises are also the perfect place to try new foods that you might not have at home.
Last December, while sailing the 14-Day Premiere Voyage on Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam, I was delighted to find the new ‘Light Selections” on the breakfast menu in the Main Dining Room.
These “Light Selections” are the creation of Chef Elizabeth Falkner, a member of Holland America’s Culinary Council, and a frequent judge and competitor on the Food Network.
Chef Falkner also won first place in the World Pizza Championships in Naples, one of Italy’s most prestigious competitions.
I love a breakfast burrito, so I was excited to try the Collard Greens and Scrambled Egg Wrap. It comes with yogurt and Romesco sauce. While Mr. Jones made fun of my order (he believes breakfast should be bacon and eggs), I enjoyed this breakfast item several different days on the cruise. My only note: some days the “green” wrapper was easier to cut and eat; collard greens can be tough if not steamed enough.
Another day I tried the Carrot-Turmeric Oats with Cardamom-Orange Lassi pictured above. This dish is basically oatmeal cooked with carrot and turmeric — which give the oats a nice orange color. The Lassi was a milk-like sauce to pour over the oats, which I skipped. The oats were okay, but not my favorite item on this special menu.
My favorite “Light Selection” was the Quinoa Parfait with Coconut Milk Yogurt. It was to be served with raspberries, banana, avocado, maple syrup and Brazil nuts, but I found it to be a little different each time I ordered it, likely due to the chef’s using whatever fruits were ripe at the moment.
This version, picture above, had more nuts, which looked more like Pine Nuts that Brazil nuts. Regardless, I enjoyed both versions.
Would you try any of Elizabeth Falkner’s “Light Selections”?
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Chef Elizabeth Falkner has published two cook books:
Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts: Recipes from Citizen Cake
Cooking Off the Clock: Recipes from My Downtime