food & dining
A Nutrition Counselor
Offers Recipes, Health Tips
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
carded vegetable bits in as you cook.

When it is full, make the broth.

recently visited the Lodge at
Woodloch, a beautiful resort/spa
in the Poconos. In addition to the
myriad fitness classes, hikes and spa
services, the lodge hosts an array of
educational classes taught by its illus-
trious staff.

Talia Segal-Fidler is a board-certified
holistic health and nutrition counselor
who serves as the in-house nutritionist.

I had the good fortune to attend her
cooking class during my stay, and I
learned quite a bit. But first, a bit about
Segal-Fidler. A native of Israel, she came to New
York to study art history many years
ago. Upon arrival, she described her
adoption of what she calls the “SAD”
(Standard American Diet), aka the
“MAD” (Modern American Diet).

“I gained a lot of weight and devel-
oped a thyroid condition. I was about
to be put on medication, and I decided
to change my diet and see if I could
use the ‘food as medicine’ approach
to cure my condition,” she said. “It
worked, and I never looked back. I
switched from art history to nutrition,
and I’ve been helping people get and
stay healthy ever since.”
Segal-Fidler talks passionately about
the healing properties of food.

“The kitchen is your pharmacy; the
spice rack is your medicine cabinet.

Ginger, fennel, turmeric and cinnamon
are all anti-inflammatories. Cumin is a
digestive aid. Lemons contain polyphenol,
which are powerful anti-oxidants,” she
said. “Garlic is an anti-fungal, and sesame
seeds contain high amounts of omega-3
and calcium. The list is nearly endless of
the benefits of plant-based eating.”
Segal-Fidler shared her recipes for
hummus and roasted cauliflower with
tahini dressing. She spoke of hummus
as an ancient food, one that in Israel
is traditionally eaten early in the day
because of its heartiness.

She also emphasized the importance
of avoiding waste and how all parts of
a vegetable can provide sustenance. To
Talia’s Hummus
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APRIL 7, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Makes about 2½ cups
2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed
(reserve ¼ cup for topping the
finished hummus to add texture)
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
⅓ cup tahini
Juice of 2 lemons (about 6
tablespoons) 1½ teaspoon salt
Dash of paprika (optional)
6 dashes Tabasco or other hot
sauce (optional)
Garnish: ¼ cup reserved chickpeas,
2 tablespoons toasted pine
nuts, ¼ cup chopped parsley and
a drizzle of olive oil
Place all the ingredients except
for the garnish items in a food pro-
cessor. Mix it until blended but not
completely pureed; it should have a
coarse texture. Scrape it into a shal-
low bowl, and top it as desired with
garnishes. Talia’s Spiced Roasted
Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce
The sauce makes more than you
need to dress the cauliflower, and it
is delicious. Use it on salads, vege-
tables, fish and baked potatoes or
in place of mayo or mustard on a
sandwich. Talia Segal-Fidler
demonstrate this, Segal-Fidler sliced
the cauliflower stalk, which is often
tossed, into discs that she used as
“chips” to dip in the hummus.

When cooking, she always saves cau-
liflower leaves, broccoli stalks, celery
leaves, carrot tops, the tough stems
of greens, onion tops and any other
Photos by Keri White
“refuse” to be simmered in water to
make a healthy vegetable stock that can
be drunk or used as a base for soups,
sauces, risotto, etc.

She offered a handy tip on how to
make this a convenient, sustainable
habit — keep a large zip-seal bag in
your fridge or freezer and toss the dis-
For the cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower cut in florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
parsley



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