LEWISTON – Central Maine Medical Center Executive Chef Oleg Opalnyk looked at his students Monday night — many who suffer from diabetes and heart disease — and delivered some tough news.

For good health, they need to switch to plant-based foods. Opalnyk is promoting that diet in his “Healthy Eating Equals Quality of Life” classes, of which Monday night’s was the first of four.

“What’s plant-based food?” he asked.

“Things that grow in the ground,” a woman volunteered.

“Yes, it has no mother,” he said.

“No animal products, no chicken, no beef, no pork, no fish. No dairy products, cheese,” he continued.

By the time Opalnyk got to dairy and cheese, the audience was groaning at the thought of doing without.

“I know it’s yummy stuff,” he said. “But it’s full of cholesterol, full of stuff that makes us sick, overweight, obese. Disease, diabetes, cholesterol and obesity, all of that is because of what we eat.”

He shared his story: He was born in Ukraine, moved to Russia, where he met and married an American girl. They married and moved to the United States. In Chicago, he went to culinary school and then worked for restaurants. He began learning, Opalnyk said, why he was beginning to put on weight and why Americans are not as healthy as they could be.

Making a face, he said, in his Russian accent, “Pardon me, but people are much larger here than other parts of the world.”

His audience laughed. “This is a very developed country but the food is so bad here,” he said. His examples were displayed on a table: cheese, heavy cream, butter, bacon, mayonnaise, sour cream. Meat and dairy make people sick, he insisted.

So does trans fat, hydrogenated oil and shortening, he said. “Cells cannot process that. That’s why people become bigger and bigger. The same with corn syrup.”

Processed food, including many deli meats such as ham and bologna, is another food category with health concerns. “Why do we have a lot of colon cancer? Because of all the chemicals they put in processed food. You have to eat a pound of kale to balance that one ounce of processed meat.”

Refined foods — white bread, white flour, white rice, white pasta — turn to sugar in your body, he said. In many cases “if you eliminate processed and refined foods, if you become plant based, you can get rid of your (type 2) diabetes” and improve other diseases, he said.

His students were skeptical.

What’s wrong with lean chicken and fish, one woman asked?

A man said if he gave up dairy he wouldn’t get enough calcium.

If they gave up meat, how would they get enough protein, asked another.

Opalnyk said meat and dairy products have cholesterol. Salmon has mercury. People can get Omega 3 and the other nutrition they need if they eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, he said. There’s substantial calcium and protein in many vegetables, he said. “If you keep eating vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner you’ll have plenty of protein.”

Besides vegetables, what to eat? Opalnyk had answers and tips.

Breakfast should include protein sources like nuts, beans, granola with soy, rice or coconut milk, and some kind of fat source like peanut butter (natural, without trans fats) or almond butter. Eat lots of fresh fruits and as many vegetables as you want, he said.

People need whole grains — found in oatmeal, whole wheat breads and whole-wheat pasta — for fiber. Fiber keeps colons clean, “like cleaning a chimney,” he said.

Breakfast should be the largest meal of the day, Opalnyk said. “All day you’re going, going, going. You need energy, calories and minerals.”

Lunch should be smaller than breakfast and include protein, tofu, potatoes, whole grains and lots of vegetables.

Dinner should be small: a salad or soup, nuts and fruits for snacks, because most people come home from work and go to sleep. “We don’t burn calories. Calories will be stored,” he said. “If you want to become bigger, eat.”

The secret to making healthy food taste good is herbs and spices. “Tofu without flavoring is like eating a rag,” he said, prompting laughter from the audience. With seasoning, it becomes tasty, healthy protein.

“I cannot imagine my kitchen without herbs and spices,” he said. Some of his favorite flavorings are curry, ginger, cilantro, sage, rosemary, basil and thyme. “Garlic is awesome. I put garlic in every recipe except desserts.”

There’s no butter or sour cream on his potatoes. He uses herbs. “Dill and potatoes are like husband and wife. You should have them together.”

To get meat flavoring without the cholesterol, Opalnyk uses mushrooms in soups and stews. He recommends buying dried mushrooms, putting them in the blender and making a powder.

He ended the first class asking who didn’t like tofu. Lots of hands went up.

He passed out cubes of Asian-flavored tofu he had prepared. (He had cubed it, marinated it with lime zest, ginger, garlic and liquid aminos (a soy sauce alternative full of proteins), and baked it on a sheet pan until lightly brown. See the recipes.) This can become chicken and beef for pasta and other dishes, he promised.

Cautiously, I tried a few cubes.

Yum! I asked for a few more cubes, and the recipe.

I’m not ready to go completely vegetarian/vegan, but I’m interested. Opalnyk cautioned that the healthiest way to go vegetarian/vegan involves planning — to prepare nutritious meals. He said it’s a process; it took him several years to completely make the switch. He started out giving up beef, then chicken and fish. Cheese was the last to go.

Opalnyk’s three other healthy cooking classes, with their how-to cooking tips, are from 5 to 6 p.m. July 16, 23 and 30 in the lower-level conference room of 12 High St. Sponsored by CMMC, the classes are free.

The classes were moved from the original location at 60 High St. because so many people showed up for the first class. Those interested can call Community Wellness at 795-8448 and leave their name and number.

[email protected]

Potato salad

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes

2 cups diced tofu

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Sea salt to taste

1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 cups Vegenaise (from health food store)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles

1/2 small red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 bunch dill, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:

Put the potatoes into a big saucepan of cold water. Bring to a simmer. Continue cooking the potatoes until a paring knife poked into them goes in without resistance. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool.

Reserve some scallion greens and capers for garnish. Meanwhile, stir together the Vegenaise, mustard, pickles and their juice, onion, remaining scallions and capers, parsley and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes. Mix diced tofu with the nutritional yeast and add. Break up the potatoes by hand into rough chunks, add them to the bowl and toss gently to coat with the dressing. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

Ginger lime tofu

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons dried mushroom powder

1 teaspoon dried coriander seed powder

1 tablespoon lime zest

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Bragg Liquid Aminos, to taste

1 block of extra-firm tofu, cut to your desired size.

Instructions: Mix all the ingredients but the tofu together. Gently toss the tofu in the mixture until pieces are coated. Let sit for two hours, then spread in a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Roasted yams with garden vegetable sauce

Yield: 2 servings

Take 1 large yam, wash it and leave the peel on, but cut out any bruises or scrapes. Cut the yam into four quarters going the long direction of the yam.

Season with:

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon onion powder

1teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil 

1teaspoon salt

Mix the seasonings, then coat the yam and bake at 350 until soft.

Sauce:

Vegetables all diced to an eighth-of-an-inch thickness

1/4 cup carrots

3 tablespoons celery

4 tablespoons onion

1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1/4 cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Bragg Liquid Aminos to taste

1 1/2 cups cashew cream (see recipe below)

Saute all vegetables (after dicing) and garlic. Once tender, add all of the other ingredients accept for parsley. Let simmer until the consistency is nice and thick. (Note: When you add the cashew cream to the other sauce ingredients, do not bring to a boil for it will cause the cream to separate. Simmering yields the best results.) Add the Bragg’s as needed to taste. Once you have the desired thickness and taste, remove from heat and add parsley just before serving.

Cashew Cream Sauce

1/2 cups raw cashews

1 cups of water

Directions:

Place both items in blender and mix until smooth like milk.

Asian shiitake ginger sauce with udon noodles

2 cups shiitake mushroom caps

1 tablespoon fresh chopped garlic

1/2 cup fresh chopped scallions

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos

3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

The zest of two limes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups of fresh baby spinach

1 package of udon noodles

Directions:

Mix together the shiitake mushrooms, garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and Bragg Liquid Aminos and roast in the oven on a baking sheet until golden brown.

While that is roasting, place 1 tablespoon olive oil, ginger, scallions and lime zest in a saute pan and cook slowly for about 5 minutes.

When the mushrooms are roasted, cut them into thin strips and add to the saute pan with the liquid that the mushrooms roasted in and saute for about 10 minutes.

Cook the udon noodles as indicated on the package and add to the sauce. Add the spinach and cilantro and season to taste with more Bragg Liquid Aminos if needed.