Hey, I got one for you.

An accomplished chef, a professi dietitian, and a has been broadc walk into a room that happens to ten cameras and professional lig What do you get?

You get a brand new TV show.

(upbeat music) It's called Arkansas Taste Kitchen, or as I like to call it, ATK.

You get, like I get, two new bes And because they've got so much on their business card, I'll let them introduce themselv Robert, we'll start with you.

- I'm chef Robert Hall.

I am the department chair at, are you ready?

- Here we go.

- Let me have oxygen.

The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Insti of the University of Arkansas, Pulaski Technical College.

- Woo hoo!

Brilliant!

- You made it!

- Well done.

- Alyssa, you don't need oxygen.

Yours isn't quite that involved.

- It's not.

Not yet.

At least.

My name is Alyssa Frisby.

I'm a registered dietitian in the Culinary Medicine Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

- And with that title, Alyssa gets to tell you what we're about to produce right in front of you on this sh What's the first thing we're going to feature under the of Healthy Comfort Food?

Hit me.

- Believe it or not, we're making healthier for you mac and cheese.

- No way.

- Way.

- Absolutely.

- There's no way you can make mac and cheese healthy.

- You can.

- Okay, now you're going to have to keep watching.

Here w All right, prove it.

- I think one of the secrets is cutting down the salt that we're going to use or that typically is used.

- Now, if I see the dietician no I know that, - she endorses this.

- Yeah, you can trust it.

- We're putting, a fair amount o in the water to flavor the pasta and that's going to allow us to the amount of salt we're going to put on the table and all of that.

Pasta generally doesn't have a whole lot of flav and so salting it while you're cooking it creates the fl And most of that salt we're going to pour down the dra You're not going to eat it.

So salted water brought to a boi In goes the pasta.

We're going to cook it just acco to the pasta box or the package.

- Alyssa, let's talk about this What kind of pot, you shop for all these ingredien What did you shop for?

- I did.

Well, because we're talking about comf I wanted to choose something that was familiar and easy to pr So I just went with elbow pasta.

Your standard enriched white pas If you wanted to make this a lit healthier, starting with the pas say you're looking for more fibe in your diet, you could choose a whole wheat p or you could do something like a bean based past or chickpea pasta.

That's going to add some protein some fiber, and it's going to be a little mo than your standard elbow macaron - You're starting to convert me a little bit, but by the way, we need to let you know this, th at the end of the show, we're go to show you how much this cost.

We're going to show you the tech with Chef Robert.

But at the end of the show, watch for how much this will cos You can always play your own version of Price is Rig with our kitchen here.

But you went shopping for this.

How long did it take for you to you didn't, it doesn't sound like it took you long to find the pas - No, it didn't take me long.

It can be a little intimidating looking at a pasta shelf.

There are so many varieties on t today.

- Well, that's the way it is of almost everything.

- You're absolutely right.

So that's why it's important to get overwhelmed with making new right then and there, when you'r in front of the aisle.

Go ahead and start with somethin that's familiar.

- One little trick for a really good mouthfeel, that's a professional word that - Mouthfeel.

Aren't you glad you got this show on, mouth feel!

- So the package is going to sug for elbow macaroni that you cook at about 6 to 8 mi We're going to cook it about fiv A little bit less.

It'll continue to cook in the ov If we cook it all the way and then cook it in the oven, we might overcook it and it gets a little bit mushy.

- And the mouthfeel is not nearl - Not as pleasant.

- Or satisfying.

- Satisfying.

We're going to melt the butter just to a foam.

- Now it's a tablespoon of butte - It's all it is.

- So it's not that bad.

- And only a tablespoon of flour If you're gluten free you can do with a quinoa pasta or a bean pa that's gluten free.

And there are so many gluten fre flour alternatives that we're not baking anything so we don't have to worry about, does this work?

It works.

- Well, you've just walked into the features of the Arkansas Tas and that is versatility.

Alyssa, yes, we have these ingre but we're not stuck on this.

- No, you get to decide the fat of your milk.

For example, you can choose if you want skim, 2%, even whole You can choose the type of flour especially if you have allergies That's something you should be sensitiv But a lot of wheat based flour alternatives.

You can substitute one for one.

- There you go.

- If you're, if you have a dairy using nondairy cheese, you can use nondairy mil a milk substitute that she said.

You can use stock.

- Wow.

So this is versatile stuf - We're going to let this, this just till it gets foamy everywhe Then we've cooked out the flour that sometimes is left.

And most people, it doesn't matter a whole lot if you do this, but it's one ste mo better, - Makes it all worth it.

- Mo Betta was the original name for this show, but we stuck with Taste Kitchen.

- ATK.

- So how much milk are you adding to your roux?

- This is about a cup and a half And in the professional world, there's even argument.

Do we, do you heat the milk first?

Do you heat the cream?

Do you heat the stock before you to a roux, blah, blah, blah?

None of that stuff matters.

It really doesn't matter.

We're just going to bring all th together and just let the bubble And then we're going to add the - Now, Alyssa, how would you ans somebody watching going well that's all well and good.

Y'all got a TV show and stuff.

But this is taking too much time in my life.

How would you answer that?

- I really don't think this take any more time than your standard box mac and cheese.

You're doing a lot of similar st but like we've talked about, you really get to control the salt content, the fat conten You get to make it healthier for And it really is just taking an - You know, it takes commitment, and you've got to say to yoursel mean it, I'm going to cook healthier.

And Robert, that brings us to on your goals with this show.

- Is cook, cook at home.

If you would, if you tune in to regularly, you'll pick up tips, techniques, cooking methods to make your life easier in the And that promotes, I hope, our hope is that you cook at hom one more meal a week - Wow.

- Than you already do now.

If you don't cook at home at all then one meal.

If it's breakfast, if it's dinne doesn't matter.

- One meal.

- Jump in the kitchen.

- Let's commit to that.

You're w Let's commit right now.

One meal - One thing we can talk about is a way to make this even more than what we're already doing he So say you want to add more prot to your diet.

Choosing one of those whole whea bean based pastas, chickpea pastas is going to add more prot but you can also add something like chicken to the mac and chee You definitely want to focus on a balanced plat so having some of the mac and ch having some protein, maybe even adding a vegetable is going to help make a well-rounded plate for th So what kind of cheese did you a - This is mild cheddar cheese.

One little change to a medium sharp and ext cheese will add a bolder flavor without changing any of the nutritional facts of - Again, if you want to know the cost of stay with us to the end of the s - Now I'm going to go drain the in our sink over here to the sid and put it all together.

- Do you mind if I stir, Chef?

- Stir away.

- All right.

I love how the cheddar cheese ma that familiar orange color.

Maybe this is even kid friendly.

What do you think?

- I think it's, I think you're r - Now, this pasta again, it's undercooked just a little b so that it can finish cooking in - Here you go.

- And we're going to add the sauce right on top of it.

- Look at that.

- And now I'm going to add, I li We're going to add all the peppe But I'm only going to add about half the salt.

I'm going to reserve the rest of after I've taken my first bite of the finished product.

If I need just a little more, I'll add a little more.

But because I added salt to the while the pasta was cooking, I can hold off on the amount of the amount of salt that I'm using in here.

- Good point, so salt really brings out other flavors as well, right?

- It does.

It's a flavor enhancer, but we o A person only needs a teaspoon o for the entire day.

Just a teaspoon.

And that's not added salt.

That's total sodium, right?

I'm talking like I know somethin - Wow, the cardiologist is just going to love you now.

- We put it in the bowls.

You can put it in any kind of casserole dish.

Anything that's oven safe.

- And what do you mark your, how fast do you cook it?

What's the temperature?

Give us the details there, Rober - We're cooking it at 350.

That's a standard temperature for anything.

And we're going to cook it for about 20 minutes.

- Through the magic of televisio Ladies and gentlemen, only on TV can you have this happen.

He's putting in the uncooked mac Healthy macaroni and cheese.

Ooo, I can't wait.

We'll be back with this finished and another recipe.

An attempt for you coming up aft short bake.

I mean, break.

(upbeat music) - We've all been there.

Food can look and smell fine and still make you sick if it's not cooked or stored pro Bacteria grow fastest in what's called the temperature da between 40°F and 140°F.

The longer food stays in this ra the higher the risk for foodborn Keep hot foods hot, cold foods c and don't leave perishable foods sitting out longer than recommen That's going to be room temperat for more than 2 hours or 1 hour if it's above 90 degre If you're ever in doubt, you mig consider throwing the food out.

Remember, safety first in the ki - And we're back.

And while we wait on the mac and we've got another dish to prepar And this is one that is, well, sum it up, Alyssa, what how would you sum up the what we're about to see here?

- It's easy.

Easy, it's packed with protein and fib and it is a great accompaniment to our healthier mac and cheese.

- Right.

This is very important.

This is one of the most importan we could say on this show.

The use of a knife.

And what makes me say that is a conversation you and I had, Ro this is the key to great cooking - This is the kitchen right here This is it.

And so how to use a knife?

Don't be afraid of a knife.

Hold the knife at the very back end of the blad guide the knife with a bear claw So if you see bears' claws, they're curled or they're curved And so we need those fingers cur And this flat part of your finge your middle finger, your highway communication finge is, is what guides the knife.

And then we're going to rock the just a little bit.

You don't have to do fast.

This is not, made for TV cooking - You know, like this one.

- But that finger guides the kni Your other fingers curl under and holds whatever it is that you're cutti And then if you're cutting board doesn't move around, you're supporting what you're cu It doesn't move around.

Your fingers are curled under on your guide hand.

You have a very, very safe, environment for you to cut with your knife.

And so we want to cut about the Then everything will cook at the same rate.

If we could, cut some things rea and cut some things really big, you're going to have things burn and you're going to have things under cook and just a little bit of a mess.

- And that's why this is the key to a great time in the kitchen.

- Once you get this down.

One of the issues we all have is the time that it takes in the This takes the time away.

It doesn't take an hour to cut your veggies.

Once you get, - This done here in a minute and - But it takes practice.

So while our goal is cook one meal a week more than you do, you need to cut every day.

- Alyssa, can you cut like this or are you learning to I am.

- I actually can.

Did you know t Chef Hall is my academic advisor at the culinary school?

- Now we get it.

- True story.

- That's how you got this job, R - While I do professionally trust him, I also feel comfortab being next to him with a sharp k because he definitely knows what he's doing as he's cutting the zucchini and squash.

- Yeah, but being on TV with it, it's another thing.

But I've got total confidence in too, Chef Robert.

- So I'm going to ask Alyssa to, make the bed of veggies.

We are using zucchini and squash red onion.

It's colorful.

- There is, no two vegetables ar and they don't have the same nut So you should eat a lot of veget to get that variety.

- Doesn't the red onion overpower everything with it's acidity?

- No, not when you roast it like we're going to do, right?

- Don't use a whole lot of it.

- Okay.

All right.

- We've talked already about ver with the Mac and cheese.

This is versatile as well.

You don't have to use zucchini a and red onion.

Open a bag of frozen vegetables, cut other vegetables.

Bell pepper, whatever it is that - Do you cut frozen vegetables, like you've just did with the fr - Well, the frozen vegetables al - Oh, okay.

Yeah.

- There's a kitchen trick.

Already cut for you.

- Okay.

- And some grocery stores have fresh vegetables already cut at certain times of the year - That's the best type of proces that you can get.

- Now everybody watching wants t okay, you've got all that on the What are you going to put on top - Okay, well, first we're going some extra virgin olive oil just to kind of carry the flavor of our seasonings.

We're going to drizzle this on top of our veggies, sprinkle a little bit of salt an So we're just going to do a ligh hand over top.

And what's really going to make super healthy is the addition of our protein.

So here's our black pepper.

- I'm getting healthier looking - I'm going to go a little bit extra black pepper.

- We're going to make a little m for our fish.

We're using tilapia for dinner t And this marinade is just like a vinaigrette that you can put o your salad.

So we're going to start with some lemon juice.

We're going to add some freshly minced garlic.

You could use garlic powder.

Garlic powder, onion powder, try to stay away from garlic sal and onion salt.

Get the flavor in garlic powder without that added salt.

- Ah.

See, aren't you glad you're watching?

- Some finely chopped parsley.

Little bit of zip from some crus red pepper.

- A little zip.

- A little zip pepper to crushed red pepper.

We're going to drizzle in the oi - Fa drizzle.

- Look at the color that that ad I think that's beautiful.

So we chose tilapia today because it's freezer friendly.

It's really affordable.

And it's going to cook quickly with the veggies.

- And it's raised in Arkansas.

But but back to the versatility.

There are other things you could use, right?

- Absolutely.

If fish isn't your favorite, you could substitute chicken.

You could substitute roasted chi or beans, you could do pork.

Or if you're looking for a fish that has different health benefi like a fatty fish like salmon, you could totally substitute a different fish as well.

- Let's see.

Adding the fish to the marinate the dressing, the vinaigrette.

- You're doing that by hand.

- I'm doing it by hand.

And notice that I'm handling the after handling all the produce, all the vegetables.

From a food safety standpoint, there are, there are some fish c We want to stay away from the fish cooties and eating those.

And, they're things that you don they're microscopic, that can make you really, really - We're going to have to have a whole new dictionary for this - ATK dictionary.

Look up food cooties.

- Okay.

- And have you a towel or someth nearby that you can wipe your ha But soon after that, get to the Soap and water, wash your hands and whatever the fish has touche just, it is contaminated.

It shouldn't touch anything else - Here we go.

So now the big moment we've all been waiting for, for two of today's Arkansas Taste Kitchen.

- We are putting the fish on top of the vegetables.

So for the fish, the vegetables to act like a roasting pan.

The grate.

- And what temperature are we going to roast it?

We got to get it in the, - We're at 350 degrees.

We're going to put it in the sam that we put the mac and cheese.

It's, the mac and cheese has been in about ten minutes.

The fish is going to take 10 to 12 minutes.

It all should come out about the same time.

- Oh, here we go.

- We ready for the oven?

- Yeah.

- All right.

This is getting exciting.

We're going to taste what we've We're going to show it to you when we come back after another very quick bake, I mean break.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting f the taste test at Arkansas Taste The tilapia and the healthy mac and cheese.

And now Robert will get them both out of the oven.

A ceremony that many people didn't know exi - This is the fun part.

- This is the fun part.

Exactly.

First, the mac and cheese.

- Beautiful.

- Looky there.

That looks good enough to eat to me.

- It smells amazing.

- I don't know what y'all are going to eat.

- Now the tilapia, the protein in the vegetables.

On a plate, you would devote more room on yo for this than you would for that - Absolutely.

To make that healthy well-rounde we're going to want half of the to be your veggies, want about a quarter of the plat to be your protein, and then a quarter of the plate to be your starch, which, in this case, is our heal mac and cheese.

- Okay, now that brings to mind this, I'm 20 six feet tall.

Show me how much I would serve m to make this and remain healthy.

- It's a very good point.

Your nutrition needs are going to be very different from mine, and they're going to be very dif from Chef Hall's.

So while we only have two pots h that doesn't mean that you get o and I get one.

We're going to go ahead and port - See, and you're leaving me out altogether.

That's what she's saying.

- Chefs eat last, right?

All rig - Not if it's mac and cheese.

- Beautiful mac and cheese.

Let's come over to this side and get some, - Hold it.

That's it?

- That's it.

Balanced plate, Craig, we're working on our prot and our vegetables right now.

- I'm all about commitment.

Good enough.

- Well, that's the first plate, - The first plate.

- Well, there's second.

- There's seconds, yes.

Just give yourself some time with your first plate.

Chew thoughtfully.

Slowly.

Really take time to be present with your food.

In my teaching kitchen, I have a And that is, you cannot eat your while you're standing up.

Do you guys do that at home?

- Yeah.

Oh, I don't know.

- Do you stand and eat over the - I can neither confirm nor deny allegations.

- Let's get some more veggies he - Oh.

Now see?

- Right.

How does that look?

- See, it's noon to six, nine to noon, right there.

And that's healthy.

- Beautiful.

I'm gonna go ahead and plate my as if I were plating for my ten old daughter.

So she's going to need less than Definitely less than you.

Let's get some mac and cheese he - Hurry up.

You're saving.

- You're saving that other crock You're just saving that other on - Folks, if this was smell-a-vis you'd be in love right now.

- All right.

And then Chef Hall, let's get yo So again we're going to load up on our veggies here.

The zucchini, the red onion.

And the tilapia came out beautif Excellent work, Chef.

- So, how do you recommend to maybe handle someone that, I don't like it, and really have never tried it.

- Trying it is the first step, y it can take, even for adults, up to 20 tastes for us to really if we like a food or not.

- Oh, I know I'm going to like t I've had over 15,000 tastes of t It's hard for me to look at this and think, this is still healthy - Craig got more mac and cheese - Craig is training for a marath He's going to, it may be a TV marathon, but he's going to have a little - Now, ladies and gentlemen, - An eating marathon.

- Here's the first taste.

Right.

- We're going to mac and cheese - And go.

- Mmmm.

- There's a really nice crunch, - Oh, Chef Robert, you just kept - All right.

- And I'm going to get a little bit of fish and some sq - I believe it gets four yums.

That's a new guage I've just established.

- It gets four yums.

- That's right.

ATK, the four yums.

That's as high as you can get.

- Oh.

- So is it still comforting?

- Comforting.

I feel it's healthy and I feel wealthier for it.

Thank you all and thank you for Remember if it's healthy, if it's easy to cook, if it's got ingredients that are affordable, it's Arkansas Taste Kitchen.

And that's why we watch.

Join us (upbeat music)