© Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 17, 2016

Page B2 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 17, 2016

It is nearly spring. And what could be better to remind us of the beautiful spring

days that will soon be upon us?

The recipe that follows is made with orecchiette pasta, which originated in south-ern Italy. According to the Martha Stewart website — marthastewart,com — orec-chiette is from the Italian words “orecchio” (ear) and “etto” (small). (Just in case you don’t have a box of orec-chiette pasta taking up room in your pantry, any small pasta, and even pasta noodles broken into smaller pieces, will work with this dish.)

This salad stands up well on its own for a light lunch, or it can be served as an accompaniment to most any meat or fish main dish.

The recipe is featured on the website Chelsea’s Messy Apron, chelseasmessy-

apron.com Fresh Spinach Salad5 oz fresh spinach (about half of a 10

oz. bag)¾ C chopped celery¾ C dried cranberries1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges. Sub-

stitute 1 C fresh cuties or Halos, or 1 C pomegranate seeds.

1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped 1 tsp lemon juice

1/3 C pecan halves.1 C feta cheese1 C orecchiette (little ears)

pasta cooked, per package directions

For the dressing:4 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable

oil2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar2 Tbsp white wine vinegar2 to 4 tsp sugar (to taste) –

honey may be used instead.¼ tsp paprika1/8 tsp garlic powder1 Tbsp poppy seeds or

sesame seedsCombine all salad ingredi-

ents in a large bowl and toss. Add the dressing ingredients to a pint jar or other suitable container and shake vigorously to combine. Pour over salad just before serving.

Enjoy.

Fresh spinach salad

Surveyor Columnist

RudyHemmann

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 17, 2016 Page B3

Page B4 March 17, 2016 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Berthoud’s old location for Grandpa’s Café has a new name, a new menu, a new look, and new ownership. Three months of cleaning, painting,

remodeling, redecorating, and the addition of a new roof, have transformed the business into Sidetracked Food and Spirits.

The business, by virtue of its proximity to the railroad tracks, has a definite railroad theme. The interior now sports gray walls adorned with black and white artwork relating to the topic of railroading.

Frequenters of the establish-ment from the past will notice an l-shaped wrap-around bar in front of the kitchen area. Side-tracked serves beer, wine and spirits, along with the food.

Sidetracked owner and Ber-thoud resident, Maureen Bar-nett, grew up in Pennsylvania, and the pizza she serves is the thin, crispy, New York-style.

On a recent visit, my wife and I opted for a “create your own” pizza. We chose the smallest size — 14 inches. Our

topping choices included mushroom, onion and salami. Salami is more of a back-east pizza topping. A 14-inch basic pizza with cheese costs $11, with each ingredient adding $1.50. Sixteen-inch and 18-inch pizzas cost more, and the topping price goes up too.

he menu also offers cal ones filled with marinara sauce, mozzarella and ricotta. Like the make-your-own pizza, a number of toppings may be added.

For those not wanting to make a decision on their

pizza toppings, Sidetracked offers one called Very Veggie. It comes with red sauce, artichokes, spinach, roasted red pepper, mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives and onions.

Meat lovers may prefer to order the Meat Freak. In addition to red sauce it has pepperoni, ham, sausage and bacon on it.

To make the meal at last somewhat healthy, my wife and I ordered a side salad. The salad came with mixed greens topped with tomatoes, bell peppers, on-ions, black olives and mozzarella cheese. The size was impressive.

Other appetizers, besides the salad, include garlic cheese bread, an antipasto plate, wings and mussels.

For those not in the mood for pizza, Sidetracked has soups and salads. Soups — Italian vegetable, roasted red pepper and tomato bisque — are homemade.

Cheesecake, cannolis and a daily des-sert special are available too.

On my next visit, I may change things up and try a sandwich. There is an Italian sandwich, a meatball or sausage parm and a grilled cheese that interested me. The loaded open-faced grilled cheese fea-tures melted mozzarella, provolone and parmesan with tomato, spinach, onion, mushroom and banana peppers.

For those 12-and-under, Sidetracked has pepperoni rolls, a kid grilled-cheese and PB-and-J. Adults may order pizza by the slice at any time as well.

Monday through Friday, the “student special” is a slice of pizza and a soft drink for $2.99. Those 18-and-under may take advantage of this special from 11 a.m. to

1 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.Sidetracked also offers a venue for local musicians to

perform. A small, raised stage now sits just inside the front door.

ear future lans maybe mid ril call for a new door on the east wall that will lead to a patio. This is on the shady side of the building and will offer more space for diners during good weather.

Sidetracked is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. — and later on the weekends. Call 532-9905 for take-out orders.

Sidetracked? Order a pizza

Surveyor Columnist

Bob McDonnell

Photo by Bob McDonnellThe side salads at Sidetracked Food and Spirits go well with the pizza.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 17, 2016 Page B5

The hottest new grilling trendsSpecial to the Surveyor

Canadians and Americans love their gas grills, but some feel grilling over gas loses some of the flavor associated with charcoal and smoke. ell worry no more. here are numerous grilling lanks and wood chi s available rill ro, for e am le, has a full line of flavors that, when combined with the cooking

ower of a roil ing gas grill, allow backyard chefs to taste the smoky flavor of wood while cooking with the convenience of gas. ender, smoky ribs, roasts and seafood can be achieved with ease.

Smoking with wood chips hen you smoke a cut of meat, give

it lenty of time and smoke so it can absorb the flavor. tart by soaking the wood chi s in water for at least half an hour and then drain them. se a stainless steel or cast iron smoker bo

laced under the cooking grids so the chi s will smolder and smoke. here are several different ty es of rill ro wood chi s available. ickory is used most traditionally in the southern barbecue belt and gives a strong hearty flavor to meats. ry hickory with beef or ork. es uite is a great choice for beef, lamb, or even turkey. ruitwood, such as a le or cherry, is great for lamb, oultry and fish. hatever ty e of wood chi s you choose you re sure to get un aralleled taste.

Planking is a great way to impress your guests ooking meat or seafood on a wooden lank is sure to get great results and

wow your dinner guests. he rocess is ust as sim le as smoking. ust soak the lank in water, uice or beer for an hour and at it dry. lace the seasoned meat on the lank and then onto a medium low tem erature grill. ook it to its desired doneness and serve. t s that sim le. rill ro offers cedar, ma le and alder grilling lanks. edar is ideal for salmon, but don t be afraid to try other meats on it. ork goes great on a ma le lank and lamb is ideal for alder.

E eriment with these ideas and you will soon discover smoking can be good for you ... your food that is.

or more smoking reci es and ti s visit www.onthegrill.ca, or www.grill ro.com or www.broilkingbb .com.

Did you know? Special to the Surveyor

According to the Celiac Disease oundation, gluten is the general

name for roteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale.

hat s an im ortant thing for arty hosts to know, as many eo le

now follow gluten free diets. hen lanning arty menus, hosts should

ask guests if they adhere to glutenfree diets, as consuming gluten can trigger an abnormal immune system res onse in eo le who have eliac

disease, otentially causing damage to the small intestine. heat is commonly found in bread, baked goods,

asta, and cereals, among other foods. arley is resent in food coloring, sou s, malt vinegar, and beer.

ye is found in rye bread, certain beers and cereals, while triticale may be resent in certain breads,

astas and cereals. f guests have gluten allergies or

are suffering from Celiac disease, look for foods that are designated as gluten free. any grocers now offer numerous gluten free roducts to cater to the growing number of individuals who no longer consumegluten.

Page B6 March 17, 2016 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Special to the Surveyor

Clean eating is a growing trend among people focused on health and wellness. A relatively simple concept of selecting foods that are minimally processed, clean eating intends to instill a greater understanding of the

athway between a food s origins and the final roducts that end u on grocery-store shelves and dinner tables.

Choosing whole or “real” foods that are as close to their natural forms as possible is a staple of clean eating. The availability of convenience-food prod-ucts has never been greater, and not all packaged foods are unhealthy. But clean eating encourages consumers to be more aware of the ingredients in the foods they eat while selecting those foods that are minimally processed. Many foods designated as “clean,” including vegetables and fruits, whole grains, free-range meats, low-fat dairy products, unsalted nuts, and whole seeds, are straight from the farm.

Another component of clean eating is eliminating or greatly reducing the consum tion of refined sugar. any health e erts advise refined sugar is a large contributor to unnecessary calories. Many people can get all the energy they need by consuming foods with natural sugars.

If an ingredient list includes names you cannot recognize, or if the natu-ral form of the food has been changed (i.e. removing the bran from whole

grains), it cannot be included in a clean-eating plan. Also, foods that have a lot of additives, including salt, sugar and fat, are not classified as clean.

Jessica Fanzo, assistant professor of nutrition at Columbia University, advises not all food processing is bad. Processing is sometimes necessary to

revent athogens that can lead to illness. or e am le, asteuri ing milk is a processing method, but one that is necessary to stop the proliferation of bacteria. Even steaming foods is processing in some form, but it is not on par with some of the overly-processed foods available.

he benefits to clean eating are numerous. ncreasing intake of fruits and vegetables can boost your immune system and serve as a nutritious way to maintain a healthy weight. Clean eating may help you become more con-scious of everything from meal ingredients to portion sizes.

Those interested in clean eating can begin slowly. Start to introduce more fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and farm-fresh foods into your diet. Look for foods in their natural form, such as whole oats and other grains.

void highly refined ingredients and limit sugar and salt intake. t for fresh herbs and s ices to season food. ver time you can make other chang-es.

Adopting a clean-eating approach to their diet is a great way for men and women to start living healthy lifestyles. Speak with a doctor or nutritionist about healthy and effective ways to transition to clean eating.

What is clean eating all about?

BERTHOUD DININGA & W Restaurant120 Bunyan Ave. 532-2272

Brick Oven, The269 Mountain Ave. 532-4747

Da Bean434 Mountain Ave. 532-1451

Derby Grille110 Bunyan Ave. 532-0986

Grandpa’s Cafe903 Mountain Ave. 532-2254

Mi Cocina400 Mountain Ave. 344-5022

Nonna Bella335 Mountain Ave. 532-0224

New China Chan Restaurant506 Welch Ave. 532-3895

Pizza Hut821 Mountain Ave. 532-1111

Side-Tracked237 Welch Ave. 532-9905

Subway307 Mountain Ave. 532-9818

Tito’s Mexican Grill405 Fifth St. 532-5500

Trailhead Cafe250 Mountain Ave. 532-9886

Whistle Stop Tavern, The535 S. Third St. 988-9257

Clean eating starts with selecting farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and otherfoods that are in their most natural form.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 17, 2016 Page B7

Special to the Surveyor

Dining out can make for an en-joyable evening or afternoon. Many people enjoy sampling different cuisines, and eating out removes the pressure and the work required when preparing meals at home.

A 2013 poll from Rasmussen Re-ports found 58 percent of American adults say they dine out at least once a week, while 14 percent go out two or three times per week and 4 percent eat out more than three times per week.

Dining out is also popular in Canada, where, according to Statis-tics Canada, restaurant sales per capita have increased steadily dur-ing the last 15 years. Across Canada, restaurants took in nearly $650 per person in 2012.

As the number of people dining out

continues to increase, many people find themselves looking for ways to stay focused on healthy eating when they are not the ones preparing their meals. The following are a handful of ways diners can stay healthy without giving up their love of dining out.

• Don’t arrive at the restaurant too hungry. Eat a small and filling snack before going to a restaurant. Eating a snack ahead of time will prevent you from overeating once your food arrives. An apple, protein bar or some crackers and cheese can take the edge off hunger and reduce the likelihood that you will overeat at the restaurant.

• Fill up on water. When the server comes to take your drink order, ask for some water if itÕs not already on the table. The symptoms of dehydration mimic those of hun-ger. Also, drinking water before and

during your meal will help you to feel full and decrease the like-lihood that you will overeat.

• Engage in conversation. Bring someone with you to the restaurant so you can share some lively conversation. The more time you spend talking, the longer it will take to eat, giv-ing your body time to digest and prevent overeating.

• Choose the right foods. When perusing the menu, look for foods cooked a certain way. Broiled and grilled meats are healthier than fried foods, and steamed vegetables contain plenty of vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. Avoid heavy cream sauces, lots of cheese and fatty meats. Ask if you can substitute fresh vegetables or brown rice for un-healthy sides or white rice.

• Eat more sea-food. Seafood is not only flavorful, but healthy as well. Eating certain fish gives your body the right types of fats to help the neurological system function properly and fuel your brain.

• Avoid dining out as a reac-tion to stress. Don’t go out to a restaurant if you are feeling stressed or rushed, especially if you use food as a coping mechanism. You may end up rushing through your meal and

eating more than you intended.• Divide your meal. Share a

plate with others or ask for a to-go container when your course is served. This allows you to set aside some left-overs before you start to eat, reducing the likelihood that you will overeat.

Dining out is a favorite activity for many people, and diners can take several steps to make their dining experiences healthier.

Make better choices when dining out