In my (Saturday picnic) basket: Duck Prosciutto(!), Pepato (raw, semi-soft sheep Cheese from Sonoma), cornichons, green olives, Rosso del Salento wine, local Bartlett Pear, fresh baguette and the finale, goat milk sea salt caramels.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Day-off Decadence
Today was pure, day-off decadence. Having a croissant with blackberry jam for breakfast put me in a French mood, so when I wandered into Cured, the new salami and cheese shop in town, I was thrilled to find the opportunity to continue the French experience through lunch.
In my (Saturday picnic) basket: Duck Prosciutto(!), Pepato (raw, semi-soft sheep Cheese from Sonoma), cornichons, green olives, Rosso del Salento wine, local Bartlett Pear, fresh baguette and the finale, goat milk sea salt caramels.
In my (Saturday picnic) basket: Duck Prosciutto(!), Pepato (raw, semi-soft sheep Cheese from Sonoma), cornichons, green olives, Rosso del Salento wine, local Bartlett Pear, fresh baguette and the finale, goat milk sea salt caramels.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Cashew Cherry Breakfast Bars
My classmate and I created these cashew cherry breakfast bars in class the other day. They were so delicious, they ended up on the Whole Foods website by virtue of our fabulous teacher Lisa Turner.
The idea and the ingredients are simple. For a 13x9" pan: Mix about 1 cup toasted seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax, etc.) into about 1 1/2 c room temperature nut butter. Press into pan and bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes, until golden and set. Cool. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree a few dates with about a cup of dried fruit, adding nut or seed milk to thin to a spreadable consistency. Add a dash of cinnamon or other spice, if desired. Spread onto cooled crust. Top with a mixture of toasted shredded coconut and orange zest. Chill for half an hour before cutting and serving.
The idea and the ingredients are simple. For a 13x9" pan: Mix about 1 cup toasted seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax, etc.) into about 1 1/2 c room temperature nut butter. Press into pan and bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes, until golden and set. Cool. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree a few dates with about a cup of dried fruit, adding nut or seed milk to thin to a spreadable consistency. Add a dash of cinnamon or other spice, if desired. Spread onto cooled crust. Top with a mixture of toasted shredded coconut and orange zest. Chill for half an hour before cutting and serving.
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| Photo by Crystal at zen-eats.com |
Poached Eggs...
Poaching eggs without "cheating" is a skill I have to master for my culinary school midterm. So far, my boyfriend has been dutifully accepting my messy attempts without much complaint. I'm finally getting the hang of it. This morning I added thick slices of hearty Irish oatmeal bread, fresh arugula and aleppo chili. Aleppo is a type of crushed red pepper that is rubbed with a bit of oil and salt. So delicious!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Emerald Kale Salad
This is a Bauman College Recipe that I made in class a couple weeks ago. It turned out so delicious I decided to make it at home for dinner tonight. The kale is massaged with olive oil and salt, then mixed with wild rice, pomegranate seeds, diced persimmons, and, in tonight's version, pomegranate molasses vinaigrette.
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| Photo by my classmate Crystal. Check her out at Zen-eats.com |
Monday, October 24, 2011
Shopping Spree!
Week of October 24
The shelves at Alfalfa's are still stocked with local veggies! This week's meals will be centered around Colorado's finest fall squash, leafy greens, and sweet fall fruits.
Some ideas are formulating already: Pomegranate-glazed chicken with green olive and walnut pilaf, Stuffed delicata squash with wild rice and kale salad, Blue corn tacos with spicy ground beef, arugula and lebni. Yum.
My Basket is full of...
(-> and here's what I made with each item)
Local, Organic Produce:
-Russet Potatoes -> Potato Leek Gratin (made with cashew milk)
-Yellow Onions
-Easter Egg Radish
-Bartlett Pears -> Pear Ginger Compote
-Jonathan Apples
-Leeks ->Potato Leek Gratin
-Green Curly Kale -> Emerald Kale Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate
Healthy Proteins:
-Pasture-fed ground beef -> Spicy Blue Corn Tacos with Arugula and Lebni
-Free-range bone-in chicken breast -> Pomegranate Glazed Chicken
-Pastured eggs from my friend's farm
New, exciting, and just plain fun:
-Organic Coconut Butter
-Fuyu Persimmons ->Emerald Kale Salad
-Pomegranate -> Emerald Kale Salad
-Local, organic Irish oat bread
-Local, organic blue-corn tortillas ->Spicy Tacos
-Raw green olives -> Millet Pilaf with Green Olives, Walnuts and Pomegranate
-Wild capers
-Organic Lebni (Kefir cheese)
Pantry Staples:
-Organic raw walnut halves -> Millet Pilaf
-Organic raw cashews -> Maple Cashew Creme (served with warm gingerbread)
-Organic raw almonds -> Almond Milk
-Organic raw sesame seeds
-Organic great northern beans
-Organic garbanzo beans
The shelves at Alfalfa's are still stocked with local veggies! This week's meals will be centered around Colorado's finest fall squash, leafy greens, and sweet fall fruits.
Some ideas are formulating already: Pomegranate-glazed chicken with green olive and walnut pilaf, Stuffed delicata squash with wild rice and kale salad, Blue corn tacos with spicy ground beef, arugula and lebni. Yum.
My Basket is full of...
(-> and here's what I made with each item)
Local, Organic Produce:
-Russet Potatoes -> Potato Leek Gratin (made with cashew milk)
-Yellow Onions
-Easter Egg Radish
-Bartlett Pears -> Pear Ginger Compote
-Jonathan Apples
-Leeks ->Potato Leek Gratin
-Green Curly Kale -> Emerald Kale Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate
Healthy Proteins:
-Pasture-fed ground beef -> Spicy Blue Corn Tacos with Arugula and Lebni
-Free-range bone-in chicken breast -> Pomegranate Glazed Chicken
-Pastured eggs from my friend's farm
New, exciting, and just plain fun:
-Organic Coconut Butter
-Fuyu Persimmons ->Emerald Kale Salad
-Pomegranate -> Emerald Kale Salad
-Local, organic Irish oat bread
-Local, organic blue-corn tortillas ->Spicy Tacos
-Raw green olives -> Millet Pilaf with Green Olives, Walnuts and Pomegranate
-Wild capers
-Organic Lebni (Kefir cheese)
Pantry Staples:
-Organic raw walnut halves -> Millet Pilaf
-Organic raw cashews -> Maple Cashew Creme (served with warm gingerbread)
-Organic raw almonds -> Almond Milk
-Organic raw sesame seeds
-Organic great northern beans
-Organic garbanzo beans
A fresh idea
Today is the first day of my first blog! This blog is about inspiration. Each week I fill my shopping basket with foods that inspire me- vibrant local vegetables or an interesting new product that I've never bought before! Throughout the week, I cook, bake or otherwise prepare whatever inspires me in that moment. No shopping list. No recipes (well...mostly!). No boring routine.
For me, the kitchen is a place for adventure and creativity. It's about learning to cherish your masterpieces and your mistakes! So read on, cook along, and have fun!
For me, the kitchen is a place for adventure and creativity. It's about learning to cherish your masterpieces and your mistakes! So read on, cook along, and have fun!
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