Fresh herbs, natural meats add enthusiasm to cooking

What Gloria Ludwig has lost - unhealthy foods, unwanted pounds - she has piled on in energy, good health and newfound enthusiasm for cooking.

Throughout 2008, the Des Plaines woman has been avoiding white flour, sugar, corn syrup and processed foods and embracing whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and natural beef and poultry.

She dropped 25 pounds and slashed her cholesterol 39 points.

"My energy level is much higher and I'm happier," says Gloria. "I'm not dragged out by sugar."

In the process, cooking and eating became more fun and rewarding, so she spends a lot more time planning, shopping and chopping.

"It's not a chore to spend time cutting and mixing; it's a pleasure knowing that it's healthier for my husband and me," she says. "I don't just grab things off the shelf and mix them. It gives me a lot of satisfaction."

The results from using all-natural ingredients are so delicious the food bowled her over. Gloria calls it "the flavor of fresh."

"It is so much better, more intense," she says. "You can really taste it."

She can feel it too.

"My body responds by giving me more energy," says Gloria.

A volunteer for 36 years, she puts that energy to good use on the Des Plaines Youth Commission, at the Des Plaines Senior Center and, with her husband, taking pledges for the "Good Neighbor Radiothon" sponsored by the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation and WBBM News Radio 780.

She also is "Jewels the Clown," a role she plays for various organizations in town.

Apart from that she is the sole owner and stylist of "Glamour On the Go!," a mobile hair salon serving a mostly elderly, housebound clientele.

Gloria only started cooking 12 years ago when she and her husband, Rich, got married.

She built a collection of 150 cookbooks, but kicked most of them to the curb during the past year because they call for processed foods.

Typical meals used to include lasagna made with sauce from a jar, chicken smothered with canned soup and frozen vegetables.

Now Gloria loves the sparkle of fresh ginger, rosemary and basil, the pure tastes of Miller Amish chicken and beef from Kansas-based Tallgrass Beef Company, raised on grass without hormones or antibiotics.

She experiments with ostrich and elk meat and she bakes tilapia in parchment paper with fresh herbs and vegetables.

Just ahead of our traditional January diet resolutions Gloria shares several recipes to rev up your motivation early.

The Middle Eastern Chili with its unusual spice profile won her first place in a small chili cook-off at her condominium development. The recipe comes from an old friend who adds garam masala, curry powder and cumin to the usual chili powder.

Rustic Chicken Soup is an adaptation of a recipe from Dr. Janet Horton, a Des Plaines chiropractor who developed the "Live Well Metabolic Makeover" program that Gloria follows.

Different from most chicken soups, this one is jam-packed with vegetables like parsnips, turnips and cabbage. Gloria adds sliced fresh ginger because "it really sparks the flavor for me," she says.

Though her pork roast recipe looks simple, the results are fabulous, even without salt, she promises.

"The meat is moist and flavorful and the onions caramelize," she says.

Partly because of her healthy diet and exercise, Gloria is medication-free and resolves to stay that way.

"I can see myself cooking this way the rest of my life."

Middle Eastern Chili

1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped

Cooking oil

1 pound lean ground beef

4-5 sprigs parsley, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cans (about 15 ounces each) red kidney beans, drained

2 cans (about 15 ounces each) stewed tomatoes

Heat oil in pan and saute onions several minutes. Add ground beef and parsley, cook until meat is browned. Add salt, garlic powder, curry powder, chili powder, garam masala, cumin and lemon juice. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Add kidney beans and stewed tomatoes; simmer uncovered about 30 minutes.

Serves six to eight.

Cook's note: If you prefer, eliminate stewed tomatoes and saute some celery and green pepper with onions, add fresh chopped tomatoes with the kidney beans.

Bill's Greek Pork Roast

1 onion, cut in large chunks

1 lean, pork loin roast, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, organic if possible

2 lemons

Fresh oregano and rosemary to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place onion in baking pan and lay roast on top. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over roast; place fresh herbs on top.

Slice second lemon; arrange slices on roast. Bake about 25 minutes per pound.

Serves nine to 12.

Rustic Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, cut up

1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped

1 cup parsnip, coarsely chopped

1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup turnips, coarsely chopped

11/2 cups white or green cabbage, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Fresh, sliced ginger to taste

Green onions, chopped, for garnish

Place chicken in soup pot with 8 cups water; bring to a boil and simmer uncovered 1 hour. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool slightly.

Strain stock and return to pot.

Discard chicken bones and skin, cut up chicken and return to stock. Add carrots, parsnip, onion, turnip, cabbage, garlic, parsley and about 2 cups water. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Garnish with green onions.

Serves eight to 10.

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