Cardiologist makes sure family is served healthy, appealing meals

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As a cardiologist, Dr. James Warnock knows the heart-healthy benefits of a diet rich in seafood. Therefore, he is often found preparing salmon or other types of fish in the kitchen or the outdoor grill. His wife Shannon who clearly appreciates his culinary assistance, can't resist the urge to good-naturedly rib her husband about his conditional cooking rule.
"James is happy to cook as long as he doesn't have to shop for anything," Shannon said. "He will even go so far as to unload the groceries from the car for me, but don't ask him to buy them. If I make sure that I have all the items that he needs on hand, he will take care of dinner. It's a deal that I'm happy to keep."
Warlock, an interventional cardiologist at Jackson's Cardiovascular Associates, often cooks and serves foods to his family that are tasty as well as healthy. He views his time in the kitchen as a way to decompress from his busy schedule.
The Warlock family, which includes Amelia, age 11, Jay, 7 and 5-year-old Eliza, are quick to point out that they share cooking duties in large part due to Shannon's responsibilities as chairman of the State Parole Board. As an attorney, she is a valued member of this important board whose members travel to the state's prisons in Parchman, Rankin County and Leakesville to review and make decisions on hundreds of Êparole cases.
The job calls for long days and in some cases, overnight stays that find her away from their Ridgeland home when the evening meal rolls around. Shannon says that knowing that her children are eating a home-cooked meal relieves some of the guilt she experiences when work takes her away at night.
"In some ways, James is a better cook then me and while some women might be competitive about their role in the kitchen, it is something I really value," she said. "One of the perks of being married to a cardiologist and a great cook is that I don't have to worry that my children are eating fast food."
For frequent family gatherings, James may pan sear salmon filets while Shannon creates an accompanying side dish like grilled asparagus and a healthy salad. She enjoys experimenting with various dressings made with her favorite condiment Ñ olive oil.
"My friend Paul Koury, who owns Paul Anthony's Market, keeps me well-supplied with new and different olive oils," she said. "I buy so many different types that I often have to ask him, ÔNow remind me which one I like the best?' It's amazing how many varieties are available. They all create unique, interesting flavors based on the type of spices you add."
Shannon says while she enjoys creating interesting dressings for salads, vegetables and seafood, she uses a moderate hand when preparing dressing for her children. While they are all healthy eaters who will "try anything," they have not yet acquired a taste for spicy foods.
"I love to tell people that broccoli is Amelia's favorite food," she said. "My kids know there are some foods that aren't good for you."
For family meals, the Warnocks are mindful of their children's tastes. Like most kids, they enjoy the occasional hamburger and hot dog, "but they really are healthy eaters and there are many Ôadult' dishes they will eat and seem to enjoy," Shannon said.
These include Spanish paella with a liberal dose of seafood, black bean soup, white bean chili and healthy pastas tossed with light sauces.
"I tell James that he can feel free to tell patients that physicians do actually practice what they preach. His children are good examples of the healthy standards he promotes," she said.
Although the Warnocks both grew up in Brandon, they attended different high schools and didn't meet until they were students at Mississippi State University. While it is often a young man's good looks that attract most females, Shannon said with a laugh, it was her future husband's expertise on the dance floor that caught her eye.
"I had seen him at some fraternity parties and was impressed with his dancing skills," she said. "One of my friends had attended Northwest Rankin with him and said he was a nice guy. I asked him to a Kappa Delta sorority dance called the KD Kidnap. ... We hit it off immediately and that was it for both of us."
A proposal at MSU's Chapel of Memories was followed by a wedding and a busy first few years of marriage during which James attended medical school and Shannon was busy with law school.
Although she claims to have picked up a few cooking skills from a mother who is a "fabulous cook," those early years didn't allow for much time in the kitchen. The one exception was a favorite dish that has withstood the test of time.
"With both of us in school, there was not a lot of time or money, so eating out was a splurge," she said. "I made a dish at least once a week that we still call ÔMed School Chicken.' It was so simple; just chicken and rice cooked in a casserole dish with Lipton Onion Soup. But to us it was and still is the ultimate comfort food."
After the children came along and schedules became, if not less busy, at least more predictable, the Warnocks made it a priority to eat dinner together as a family. They also frequently entertain family that includes both sets of parents and siblings who live nearby in the Jackson area.
"We usually celebrate everybody's birthdays at our house by serving their favorite foods and of course, a homemade birthday cake," Shannon said. "My children absolutely love my mother's old-fashioned pot roast."
Shannon now has firsthand experience about some of the world's best food that extends beyond "Mimi's roast." She and James spent 10 days last year in Paris. Despite the reputation French food has for containing heavy sauces, the Warnocks found the opposite to be true.
"We were surprised that a lot of the food was actually light and healthy; definitely not as much rich food as we had heard," she said.
While the trip to what some call the most romantic city in the world was one they will always remember, the Warnocks are planning an evening at home for the most romantic holiday of the year.
Instead of dining out on Valentine's Day, James has offered to cook the "dinner of her choice" for Shannon next Thursday. It's an offer that couldn't have pleased her more, she said.
"I think having your husband cook for you is a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day," she said. "And of course, if he does buys the groceries himself, I will know that for him, that will be the ultimate gift."

RECIPES

Warlock Family Paella

3 tablespoons saffron threads
1/2 cup dry white wine
Light vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 cup arborio rice
1 banana pepper, trimmed and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, trimmed and cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, trimmed and cut into strips
3 cups hot chicken stock, fat skimmed off
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 mussels, scrubbed
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/2 cup canned sliced artichoke hearts
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup chopped tomato

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the white wine and saffron threads in a small bowl and set aside.
Preheat a large, heavy paella pan or frying pan for about 1 minute over medium-high heat. Spray it 4 times with the vegetable oil. Saute the onion for 2 to 3 minutes, until limp. Add the rice and saute for about 1 minute, until golden. Add the wine and saffron and stir until the liquid is completely absorbed. Stir in the peppers. Add the hot chicken stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed. Keep the stock over low heat. When only 1/2 cup of the chicken stock remains to be added, stir in the chicken. With the last addition of stock, stir in the shrimp. Turn the burner off. The rice should be tender.
Stand the mussels and clams upright in the rice mixture, joint down. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the mussel and clam shells open, 8-10 minutes. Scatter the artichokes, peas and tomato over the paella and bake for 2-3 minutes more.

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad with olives, tomatoes and mint

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano,crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast with skin patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon Dressing
2 medium-size ripe California avocados (about 1 1/2 pounds)
12 to 16 leaves Boston or butter lettuce (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano crumbled
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon strained fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of cayenne or 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup nicoise or other oil-cured black olives, cut in half and pitted
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 medium-size or two small ripe tomatoes (about 6 ounces), diced

Heat a ridged stove-top grill pan over medium-high heat, prepare a charcoal grill, or preheat broiler with rack about 4 inches from heat source. Rub meat side of chicken with oil and sprinkle with oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set chicken on ridged grill pan or broiler rack or an oiled rack over glowing coals, skin side down. Grill or broil about 7 minutes per side pressing occasionally on thickest part of chicken with a spatula. To check if chicken is done, cut into thickest part with tip of a sharp knife; color should no longer be pink, but white. Transfer chicken to a plate, let cool to room temperature, and discard any juices that escape from it. Remove skin. Cut chicken in about 3/4-inch cubes.

LEMON DRESSING

In a bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, cayenne, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste, and whisk until blended. Stir in onion.
Add chicken cubes to dressing, and taste and adjust seasoning. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add olives, mint, parsley and tomatoes. A short time before serving, cut avocados in half and remove pits. Using a small melon-ball cutter, shape avocado pulp into balls and add them to salad. Toss salad gently, and taste and adjust seasoning. Salad can be kept, covered tightly, 1 hour in refrigerator.
If desired, put 3 or 4 lettuce leaves on each plate. To serve, spoon salad onto center of lettuce or into salad bowls.

Heart-healthy dining
By Kara Kimbrough
Special to GetFitMississippi.com