Her mom lost 100 pounds. This OP woman used culinary skills to help that happen

Lonita Cook trained as an actor in New York and uses those skills in her busy career as a film critic and author, as well as in her work creating voice-overs. In addition to her career, the Overland Park resident serves as the president of the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Museum Foundation. She has three children: one teenager and two young adults.

Q: How do you describe your cooking style?

A: I am a “souls of my ancestors” kind of cook. To me, this means I rarely follow a recipe and like to add what comes to mind. I seldom measure, so instead I season to taste. This is so different from my boyfriend, Nathan Lynn, who measures accurately and follows recipes.

Q: Who inspired your cooking?

A: My grandma inspired me. I still remember her wonderful white biscuits that she made for our big family dinners and holidays. Those biscuits were fluffy and amazing. My mom has 11 siblings, so I come from a big family with lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. We are an eating family.

Q: Has your cooking style evolved?

A: As a young adult, I would often try to re-create the dishes I saw on television shows. Now I still enjoy cooking, especially when I can create and cook what I want. Like many people, I don’t think preparing the daily, obligatory dinner is as much fun as experimenting.

I used my love of experimenting in the kitchen when my mother developed some health challenges. I wanted to prepare new dishes that would help her eat better. For her, and I think for many people, it is hard to change your eating habits due to diet restrictions. My goal was to come up with recipes that would still capture the great flavors she wanted but would be healthier. Initially I suggested that she enjoy one sweet treat after eating a tasty, but more nutritious meal. That helped her change her eating habits. She lost over 100 pounds and reduced her need for medications.

While on this journey with her, I learned more about healthy cooking and creating balanced meals. Now, I try often to use natural and organic foods.

Q: Did living in New York influence your cooking?

A: I was raised in Kansas City, Kansas, and took a bus to New York to study acting. It was such a big, international city and so different from here. I learned how sweet the culture was here in Kansas City. In New York, I was amazed at the different languages I frequently heard and all of the different foods that were available. That was the first time I had tasted French cuisine and Cuban food. I shopped at the international markets. I grew and learned a lot about myself.

Q: What recipe are your sharing?

A: This frittata is one I developed when making healthy recipes for my mom. It tastes great and I love that you can adapt it to your own preferences. I whisk broth into the eggs instead of adding dairy. I add a little cottage cheese but others, especially when cooking for children, may prefer subbing a shredded cheese.

It is ideal during the summer as I top the frittata with fresh greens. To make the dressing for the greens, I blend a little lemon juice and honey, adjusting the amounts so it is a nice sweet-tart flavor and toss it with the greens.

Frittata

Serves 2 to 4

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 to 2/3 cup finely cut broccoli florets

3 baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped red onion, chopped

Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Dried sage, to taste

2 strips turkey bacon, diced

3 eggs

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chicken bone broth or chicken broth

2 to 4 tablespoons cottage cheese

Fresh lemon juice, to taste

Honey, preferably raw, to taste

Spring mix of lettuce leaves

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the broccoli florets, mushrooms and onions and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and sage.

Add the bacon. Cook stirring frequently, until the bacon is browned.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the broth and season, as desired.

Spread the ingredients evenly over the skillet. Add the egg mixture. Cook over low heat.

As the frittata just begins to firm, add the cottage cheese. Cook until the eggs are done and the frittata is set.

In separate bowl, mix together the lemon juice and honey (adjust the volumes of lemon juice and honey to make a sweet-tart flavored dressing.) Toss with the spring mix. Top the frittata with the spring mix just before serving.

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Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore are cookbook authors and food consultants that make up The Electrified Cooks. They have published over fourteen cookbooks and thousands of recipes. They are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier and blog at pluggedintocooking.com.