Cohen Lifestyle Meals – Beef & Chicken

Next to portion control the most important thing on the Cohen Lifestyle diet is eating protein with vegetables for all meals.

The first picture is my version of taco salad. Chop lean beef and season with chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper. Stir fry and put on top of salad greens.

I like using fresh herbs to marinade my food. For beef I use rosemary or thyme.

tenderloin beef strips with bok choy

To give you an idea of the portion of food I eat, I use a Corelle 8-3/4″ Luncheon Plate. Using a small plate will fool your eyes that you’re eating more. That’s a diet tip I often read about and I chose to follow it so my meals won’t look too depressing.

sirloin beef, garlic, and bok choy

For the ultimate indulgence I went to Santi’s and had US Angus prime rib sliced into sukiyaki cut. I trimmed all the visible fat from the beef. I can’t tell you how buttery soft and flavorful the beef is. Since I’m eating such controlled portions I deserve good quality food right?

With beef this good all it really needs is salt and pepper. Stir fry quickly. Don’t overcook. For veggies I sautéed some shimeji mushroom in the same pan I used to cook the beef.

sukiyaki beef with shimeji mushroom

For this Japanese inspired beef dish I blanched the enoki or golden mushroom in boiling  water for a minute. Then get a piece of sukiyaki beef that has been seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder and place a good amount of blanched mushroom on the beef and roll tightly. Pan fry until beef is cooked.

beef and enoki mushroom roll

I love burgers and even before my diet I always eat it with only one side of the bun and without any cheese so eating it the Cohen way wasn’t hard for me. In fact it’s my favorite meal. The secret was switching the type of veggies with my burger. I also used Angus beef from Santi’s to make the burgers which I cook for precisely two minutes on a George Foreman grill.

Sautéed mushroom slices topped my burger and served with a green salad with chopped tomatoes and cucumber. My usual dressing is either white balsamic or Modena balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a drop of olive oil.

burger w/ mushroom and salad

I was inspired from my dinner at Orris in Los Angeles to make grilled romaine lettuce. It was very easy and so delicious. Clean and dry the romaine lettuce. Do not separate the leaves. Do not cut the hard bottom of the leaves so they will stay together. Spray some olive oil on the leaves and season with salt and pepper. Grill for a minute or until the outer leaves are lightly charred. I used a George Forman grill that’s why both sides were evenly cooked. You can use a grill pan too. Salad dressing is optional.

If you’re not on a diet top the grilled romaine with shaved Parmesan cheese and dress it with your favorite vinaigrette.

burger with grilled romaine lettuce

Even a burger with bok choy and mushroom is yummy. For my burgers all I do is form the ground beef into patties and liberally put salt and pepper on the outside of the patty. More info here.

burger with bok choy

In this diet only chicken or turkey breast without skin is allowed. It’s a good thing I love chicken breast. I heard others can’t stand chicken breast so they skip chicken all together. They’re missing a lot of good meals.

I made my own Cohen style pesto by combining fresh basil leaves with fresh garlic, salt and pepper and a little oil just for to moisten the mixture. I marinated the chicken breast with the pesto and grilled it. I served it with mango cubes and butter lettuce.

grilled chicken pesto salad

My favorite herb to use with chicken is fresh tarragon. I simply love the bold flavor it brings to bland chicken. Just add chopped tarragon to the chicken breast, season it and grill or pan fry. You can even add low fat mayonnaise to the chicken to make chicken salad. Chopped apple or mango would also taste great with this salad.

If you’re not on a diet give your regular chicken salad a twist by adding chopped fresh tarragon to the mayonnaise dressing. Add some seedless grape halves or pineapple chunks and sliced almonds for a twist.

chicken tarragon salad

This is my version of Cohen Hainanese chicken. I simply cooked the chicken and made a sauce of finely grated ginger with just a little hot oil. You can also steam seasoned chicken breast and serve with the grated ginger mixture. Really good!

Hainanese chicken with bok choy

chicken with spinach

Marinade chicken cubes with some curry powder and sauté quickly.

chicken curry

In Unimart I buy “chicken mushroom”. It’s a large and long piece of white mushroom. I sautéed the mushroom with chicken and topped it with basil leaves. Add the basil only when the chicken and mushroom are already cooked. Remove from heat immediately after adding the basil. You can also use Thai basil.

chicken and mushroom with basil

The most filling meal for me is this chicken and vegetable soup. Add 1 to 1/2 cup water to chicken breast that has been cut into small pieces. Add bok choy, tomatoes, chicken mushroom (what you see floating on the soup) and simmer until you have really flavorful soup. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. This makes a big bowl of soup. Perfect for rainy weather or when you’re feeling hungry.

chicken and vegetable soup


I hope this series on Cohen meals inspired those on the same diet and also those who are thinking of shedding  a few pounds. It’s really all about healthy eating and eliminating white flour and sugar from the diet. For a while anyway. After I lose all my weight I plan to eat some bread and cookies but in a controlled amount. It’s a lifestyle change to keep the weight off.


More Cohen Recipes:
Breakfast
Seafood & Vegetarian


Santi’s Delicatessen 
The Promenade Bldg., 198 Wilson Street Corner
P. Guevarra, San Juan City
telephone: 381-2926; 381-2934

San Antonio Plaza Arcade, Forbes Park
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 894-1293

Cohen Lifestyle Philippines 

Suite 1006 Medical Plaza Makati (Across Makati Medical Center)
Amorsolo cor Dela Rosa Sts. Legazpi Village, Makati City
Manila, Philippines 1223
telephone: +63(2) 502.1090
mobile: +63 (917) 89.COHEN
(0917) 892.6436

Office Hours
M – W, F 8:30am -5:30pm
Thur 1:00pm – 7:30pm
Sat 8:30am -12:00pm