It was Kathie Lee-or maybe it was Sara Lee-who once said, “Taking the highway to thindom has invariable been a bumpy road with a stop sign at the turn to dessert.”
Ever since I can remember any delectable morsel, that had the tag dessert, immediately registered: guilt and shame…following each bite. Feeling deprived if not eaten, I had a continuous daydream, well more like a haunting novel, that some day, there would be a knock on my door…
My hero…with his palm gripping my doorknob, his heart throbbing in his ear, his free hand reaching for the sword that hung at his hip and his billowy white long-sleeved shirt, stuck to his perspiring chest, would kick the door in with his foot, sword thrust forward, and instead of grabbing me this modern day pirate sword turned into a plate of cookies!
Naturally, they would be low in salt, cholesterol and fat, high in fiber, several important minerals thrown in, and best of all–wouldn’t taste like a cereal box. Guilt-free flavors of chocolate chip, brownie, macaroon and…
Pinch me. Am I awake? This is not fiction this is a fact! Their is a super hero, Dr. Cookie-a.k.a., Dr. Marvin Wayne and Dr. Stephen Yarnall.
These medical professionals who believe wholeheartedly in a healthful lifestyle which includes desserts have written The New Dr. Cookie Cookbook.
“I believe that we can save more people with cookies and humor that we will with cardiology,” Yarnall stated when I talked with him recently at his cardiology clinic.
Dr. Yarnall”, a gregarious man with an impish grin, was sitting among walls lined with shelves of books and bright green magazine holders brimming with papers.
“What is this?” I asked, spreading my arms out to make a wide circle. Pointing to the papers, he looked at me, and explained that it was his library of research for Dr. Cookie and his other passions, writing and travel.
“Robin Leach, on his new TV food cable network, (via telephone) first question was about our Hippie Cookies,” Dr. Yarnall remembered, as he reached for a cloth covered bowl and handed me a chocolate chip cookie. (It was very chewy and very chocolate!)
Inching closer, I whispered, “Robin Leach? What other celebrities do you know?”
“Well,” Dr. Yarnall said proudly, “Julia Child and I were on CNN, and she complimented me for being a doctor who felt butter and eggs were not to be thrown out of our lives.”
This…a cardiologist-a man who knows about clogging arteries-promoting cookies. Since the only conversations I have had with doctors is flat on my back wearing a hospital gown, I was feeling a bit emancipated, and vertical. I pluckily asked, “Doctor! You are going to offer me inner peace, by saying, it is OK to eat dessert?”
“What the consumer need think about butter, cheese, and eggs,” Dr. Yarnall explained, in his opinion, “is not to eliminate. But the key to good nutrition, which is directly linked to good health, is moderation. We believe in enjoying life to the fullest. And for us, that means eating desserts. Eat your basic food groups, exercise faithfully, and enjoy dessert.”
“Desserts are sweet and filling. They satisfy your appetite as no raw veggie can. They are warm and comforting. They are fun and celebratory. Each recipe is carefully, lovingly, created for enjoyment, without the explosion of fats and calories,” he assured me.
Thumbing through his book, I asked what was his favorite recipe. He said it was “Dr. Cookie’s World Famous Cheesecake.” The recipe: One slice of your absolute favorite cheesecake. One very special friend. Two forks. Combine the ingredients. Savor every bite. Talk about how wonderful it is to enjoy great food with even greater friends. Smile a lot. And don’t feel guilty.
I liked Dr. Yarnall.
He is also known for “Doc Talk,” a monthly question and answer column he writes for Hope Health Letter. He and his wife, Lynn (a 100-mile ultra marathon runner)enjoy giving lectures on Royal Cruise Line tours in his philosophy of dessert-ing your way to health. They have fun by using magic tricks and optimism; they naturally share.
I hate to tell myself this, but there is no more excuse for daydreaming. This book supports those of us that have had an unhealthy fear of eating desserts and can actually say, “It is the doctors orders.”
DR. COOKIE’S DIVINE ALMOND MACAROONS
1 large egg white (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350F. Coat baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Beat egg white with an electric mixer set at high until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating. Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the almond and vanilla extracts and beat at medium speed just until blended. Fold the almonds and oats into the meringue.
Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonful’s onto the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned