It is always exciting to hear back from class attendees and find out that they are enjoying the recipes and making them at home for their families.
That is awesome!
That is the BEST compliment I can get!
I always encourage attendees to be creative with the recipes - use them as a template - and experiment with them - have fun with them.
The kale salad that I prepared has been folded into rice pasta for robust and garlic-y pasta salad.
The creamy kale slaw that I prepared has been served with tortilla chips and salsa.
The marinated collard greens have been served on top of steamed vegetables and swirled into a bowl of miso soup.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Eat Green
A Rainbow Of Colorful Food
Spring is the time to think green - in honor of spring I kicked off my first raw food class of the year in my kitchen friday night.
The focus of the class was how to get more green food into the diet with a special emphasis on how to prepare kale and collard greens which - because of their fibrous nature - will present some special challenges in the raw - unless properly prepared.
I offered some of my personal favorite recipes for salads, soups, and smoothies - all culled from years of preparing raw food cuisine - a long with a slew of ideas for serving them.
With only a blender, food processor, cutting board and ceramic knife we prepared some seriously delicious green cuisine.
Take a look at the menu:
Marinated Collard Greens
Green Power Soup
Kale Salad
Kale Slaw
Spinach Soup - with an creamy almond base
Hydrating Green Smoothie
Spring is the time to think green - in honor of spring I kicked off my first raw food class of the year in my kitchen friday night.
The focus of the class was how to get more green food into the diet with a special emphasis on how to prepare kale and collard greens which - because of their fibrous nature - will present some special challenges in the raw - unless properly prepared.
I offered some of my personal favorite recipes for salads, soups, and smoothies - all culled from years of preparing raw food cuisine - a long with a slew of ideas for serving them.
With only a blender, food processor, cutting board and ceramic knife we prepared some seriously delicious green cuisine.
Take a look at the menu:
Marinated Collard Greens
Green Power Soup
Kale Salad
Kale Slaw
Spinach Soup - with an creamy almond base
Hydrating Green Smoothie
Friday, April 26, 2013
Congee For Breakfast
This morning I had congee for breakfast. Congee, a rice porridge that is popular in Asia, is comfort food in a bowl.
Congee is easy to prepare if you have a crock pot.
The secret of making congee is to add 4 - 6 parts liquid to 1 part rice. You can play with the proportions to see what texture and thickness you prefer.
I like to start congee the night before when I am in the kitchen making dinner for Dan and I. I put homemade chicken broth, soaked brown basmati rice, minced ginger, minced garlic and tamari sauce in a crock pot, set it on a low temperature, and let it simmer all night.
In the morning the rice is thick, moist, and custard like.
Although congee is delicious eaten as is - for variety you can stir in meat, chicken, fish, beans, eggs, or vegetables of your choice.
This morning I stirred shredded chicken into my congee. It was delicious and I served it with a side of last night's left-over vegetables - sauteed bok choy, turnips, carrots, and peas.
Congee is warming and easy to digest and is reputed to be an excellent food for those that are recovering from illness.
Congee is easy to prepare if you have a crock pot.
The secret of making congee is to add 4 - 6 parts liquid to 1 part rice. You can play with the proportions to see what texture and thickness you prefer.
I like to start congee the night before when I am in the kitchen making dinner for Dan and I. I put homemade chicken broth, soaked brown basmati rice, minced ginger, minced garlic and tamari sauce in a crock pot, set it on a low temperature, and let it simmer all night.
In the morning the rice is thick, moist, and custard like.
Although congee is delicious eaten as is - for variety you can stir in meat, chicken, fish, beans, eggs, or vegetables of your choice.
This morning I stirred shredded chicken into my congee. It was delicious and I served it with a side of last night's left-over vegetables - sauteed bok choy, turnips, carrots, and peas.
Congee is warming and easy to digest and is reputed to be an excellent food for those that are recovering from illness.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Breakfast Food Adventures
Those of you who follow my posts know that I made a goal last week to eat a wider variety of food at breakfast. I had gotten into a pretty significant food rut - lock-stepped into the habit of preparing only certain things at breakfast. One advantage of eating a wider variety of foods is that we are more likely to get a wider variety of nutrients and micro-nutrients than when we eat the same thing day in and day out.
Having just completed my one week goal today - I have to admit that I have enjoyed the journey out of the breakfast food rut. Though some breakfasts were better than others - overall I have enjoyed the variety, creativity, and experimentation.
This morning I had a bowl of miso soup made with sea veggies, dried shrimp, bok choy, carrots, and an egg.
Simple - but it kept me fueled on a 1 hour hike and a fairly strong yoga practice this morning. Not bad!
Having just completed my one week goal today - I have to admit that I have enjoyed the journey out of the breakfast food rut. Though some breakfasts were better than others - overall I have enjoyed the variety, creativity, and experimentation.
This morning I had a bowl of miso soup made with sea veggies, dried shrimp, bok choy, carrots, and an egg.
Simple - but it kept me fueled on a 1 hour hike and a fairly strong yoga practice this morning. Not bad!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Criteria For A Good Breakfast
I have certainly been steering my breakfast boat toward a more varied nutrient profile this week.
Though some breakfasts have been more successful and satisfying than others - getting out of a breakfast food rut has been a whole lot easier than I imagined it would be.
What did I have for breakfast this morning?
Those of you who have been following my recent posts will not be surprised to learn that I relied on vegetables - in this case broccoli and carrots - left-over from last nights dinner. In addition I had a couple of slices of gluten-free sourdough bread from Grindstone Bakery, topped with avocado and smoked wild caught sockeye salmon.
Criteria For A Good Breakfast:
Healthy
Tastes good
Varied Nutrient Profile - at least different from the morning before
Easy to prepare - this one took a few minutes to prepare!
Though some breakfasts have been more successful and satisfying than others - getting out of a breakfast food rut has been a whole lot easier than I imagined it would be.
What did I have for breakfast this morning?
Those of you who have been following my recent posts will not be surprised to learn that I relied on vegetables - in this case broccoli and carrots - left-over from last nights dinner. In addition I had a couple of slices of gluten-free sourdough bread from Grindstone Bakery, topped with avocado and smoked wild caught sockeye salmon.
Criteria For A Good Breakfast:
Healthy
Tastes good
Varied Nutrient Profile - at least different from the morning before
Easy to prepare - this one took a few minutes to prepare!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
What Did You Eat For Breakfast?
This week the focus is on breakfast food.
What does your breakfast typically look like?
Are you in a food rut and eat the same thing for breakfast every morning? Or are you more adventuresome and mix things up a lot?
Does breakfast keep your blood sugar stable until lunch?
Does breakfast support your unique energy needs - whether you are working at a desk - or training as an athlete?
As you know I am a big proponent of making allowances for individual differences when it comes to food and what we eat. What works for some most likely will not work for everybody.
For instance I LOVE eating vegetables for breakfast.
I imagine that there are a lot of folks out there that would find eating fresh vegetables for breakfast rather strange.
Fresh vegetables - since they don't come in a box or package - are one of those foods that require some TLC. You generally have to do a fair amount of work to prepare a delicious dish of vegetables.
Rather than spend a lot of precious time in the morning washing and chopping vegetables - I re-warm the vegetables from the night before. This morning I had a well-seasoned melange of sauteed onion, carrot, broccoli and bitter greens with poached egg for breakfast.
Eating left-overs for breakfast saves time in the morning, really satisfies my hunger and keeps me feeling well nourished until it is time for me to eat lunch.
What does your breakfast typically look like?
Are you in a food rut and eat the same thing for breakfast every morning? Or are you more adventuresome and mix things up a lot?
Does breakfast keep your blood sugar stable until lunch?
Does breakfast support your unique energy needs - whether you are working at a desk - or training as an athlete?
As you know I am a big proponent of making allowances for individual differences when it comes to food and what we eat. What works for some most likely will not work for everybody.
For instance I LOVE eating vegetables for breakfast.
I imagine that there are a lot of folks out there that would find eating fresh vegetables for breakfast rather strange.
Fresh vegetables - since they don't come in a box or package - are one of those foods that require some TLC. You generally have to do a fair amount of work to prepare a delicious dish of vegetables.
Rather than spend a lot of precious time in the morning washing and chopping vegetables - I re-warm the vegetables from the night before. This morning I had a well-seasoned melange of sauteed onion, carrot, broccoli and bitter greens with poached egg for breakfast.
Eating left-overs for breakfast saves time in the morning, really satisfies my hunger and keeps me feeling well nourished until it is time for me to eat lunch.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Second Breakfast?
This morning, inspired by my daughter Carrisa, I thought I would get creative and make a breakfast smoothie.
I made what I thought would be a fairly substantial non-dairy base using rice, rice bran, almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds all strained through a nut mylk bag. Then I blended the mylk up with frozen bananas and about 1 teaspoon of spirulina.
At the risk of sounding like a hobbit - about an hour later - I was looking for second breakfast.
I quickly ran to the kitchen and re-heated last nights left-overs - hooray for left-overs - thin sliced beef in a mixed vegetable dish well seasoned with onion, fennel and basil. It was heavenly.
Nix smoothies.
Don't get me wrong - I like the idea of a breakfast smoothie - coconut based ones are definitely a favorite - but smoothies in the morning have never worked for me.
It may not sound like a very traditional breakfast - but when my body is looking for serious food - nothing is more satisfying than dinner left-overs.
I made what I thought would be a fairly substantial non-dairy base using rice, rice bran, almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds all strained through a nut mylk bag. Then I blended the mylk up with frozen bananas and about 1 teaspoon of spirulina.
At the risk of sounding like a hobbit - about an hour later - I was looking for second breakfast.
I quickly ran to the kitchen and re-heated last nights left-overs - hooray for left-overs - thin sliced beef in a mixed vegetable dish well seasoned with onion, fennel and basil. It was heavenly.
Nix smoothies.
Don't get me wrong - I like the idea of a breakfast smoothie - coconut based ones are definitely a favorite - but smoothies in the morning have never worked for me.
It may not sound like a very traditional breakfast - but when my body is looking for serious food - nothing is more satisfying than dinner left-overs.
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