Last week I had lunch at Rouge Tomate in New York City with this week’s guest foodie, Carolyn O’Neil, who told me about 
her latest cookbook (Southern Living Slim Down South Cookbook: Eating well and living healthy in the land of biscuits and bacon) and the work she’d doing as a nutrition advisor for a new site offering “just the facts” from various experts (www.bestfoodfacts.org). This is one busy gal.
You may recognize her face, as Carolyn reported on food and travel at CNN for nearly 20 years. She currently writes a weekly column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Healthy Eating Out,” contributes to WebMD as a nutrition expert and appears on the Food Network as “The Lady of the Refrigerator,” a recurring nutrition expert on Alton Brown’s hit Food Network program Good Eats.
I asked her to respond to Bite of the Best’s guest foodie questions, what follow are her answers:
Which food product or gadget would you never give up? Chobani Greek yogurt as it tastes good, and is good source of dairy calcium and protein; lemons, as they help lighten recipes by brightening up flavors. The gadget — a serrated knife with rounded top, easy to slice and dice and the rounded top is easy to spread with; it’s the perfect knife to make a sandwich.
What do you like to serve when you entertain? I start with sparkling wine, preferably Champagne because it’s festive and it gets bonus points for being lower in calories than most other adult beverages.
I always serve a nice combo of fresh vegetables, raw for appetizers and roasted or grilled for the meal.
Some of my favorite recipes for entertaining are in my new Slim Down South Cookbook, including a Bloody Mary Tomato Salad with quick pickled shrimp, a Chicken BLT Salad and Molasses Glazed Flank Steak Soft Tacos.
Describe your “last meal?” Stone crab claws with Champagne. 
What food is your secret guilty pleasure? French fries dipped into homemade mayonnaise or sprinkled with truffle oil.
What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? Anis in Atlanta. It’s in a cozy little bungalow, making you feel like you’re in France. The menu is French bistro fare and the bread is terrific. I always get the trout with lemon, capers and artichokes.
What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Greek yogurt for use in savory dishes as you would use sour cream. It’s a staple in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries…such as yogurt with herbs on grilled lamb.
Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: Making a huge pot of chili and then letting it burn on the bottom; the whole pot of chili was tainted with a horrible burnt flavor. No way to save it — but now I use a kitchen timer to remind me that ‘something’s on the stove!
Who was your most influential mentor? For cooking it is my mom, Jessie O’Neil, who can whip up a multi-course meal and entertain a crowd with whatever’s on hand. And Julia Child, who taught me that recipes are there to be followed, but after you follow the rules and learn the techniques you can improvise a bit and add your own creativity.
Follow Carolyn @carolynoneil or for more info, visit one of these websites: carolynoneil.com, bestfoodfacts.org, oneiloneating.com
– bonnie
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