Hypocrites Remorse

"Are you sure this is healthy? This is the most fried, unhealthy looking thing you have ever made", said my son last week. Typically this is not the statement a healthy chef wants to hear about their latest creation. But to me, It was music to my ears. This was a success story and here's why.

As I sat in my professional conference earlier this month and listened to panel discussions about the importance of fresh, local, organic, non-processed foods, a voice in my head kept chanting, "you are such a hypocrite!"  I heard this voice over and over for four days.  What makes me a hypocrite you ask?  It is the fact that I spend my days cooking healthy, fresh, local and organic meals for my clients.  I even get up on my soap box on a daily basis to these same people and preach about the virtues of eating healthy food, that you make yourself, and how a bit of careful preparation on the weekend can set you up for a week of homemade meals.  The problem is, I was not doing this at home for my family.

Like any temperamental chef/tired mom, I rebelled when my kids did not want to eat the sauteed kale over a bed garam masala scented quinoa.  What was wrong with them?  The adults in my class loved this dish at lunchtime today.  Each time my kids rejected one of my new healthy creations, I became more and more frustrated.  So much so, that over the past couple of months I basically stopped making dinner altogether.  Dinner time became a constant "fix it yourself" situation.  Each of us on our own to throw together what we wanted in the short span of time between arriving home from school or work and before heading out to the evenings sports activities.  Sandwiches, cereal and gasp, frozen waffles and biscuits became mainstays.

I resolved then and there as I sat listening to the farmers, chefs, authors and advocates of the fresh, local food movement, that there would be some big changes when I got home.  I considered coming home and emptying all of the boxed foods from my pantry.  I was going to make all my own bread and crackers.  No frozen chicken nuggets or waffles.  This was going to be radical!  Well, with five hours to kill on the plane ride home, I realized that radical was probably not the best way to go.  I needed to be subtle, weaving new things in, while gradually taking some of the bad things out.  Think like a kid.  Think about the things they liked the most and were the staples of our "fix it yourself" lifestyle.  Additionally, I needed to get over my own hurt feelings and start thinking about the kids.  I'm quite certain I would not have wanted to eat kale and quinoa as a ten or fourteen year old.  I would have to save my uber healthy greens and grains for work and soak up my accolades there.

Like all busy parents, I am tired at the end of the day and truly do not feel like cooking when I get home, especially when I have been cooking all day.  I really can sympathize with the average American family who chooses the convenience of the drive thru over preparing a meal at home.  I have all the tools and knowledge to do the right thing, yet fell right into the rut of doing what was easy instead.

So, I am three weeks in to my continuing effort to make an effort at dinner time.  Thus far, some of the highlights have been making sushi with my son, roasting a whole turkey breast which was dinner one night and sandwiches for the lunchbox for the rest of the week.  There has been more fruit and no frozen breakfast items.  So, I'll admit, there is still a box of cheese crackers in my pantry, because let's face it, I really just don't have time to make cracker dough and cut out goldfish shapes.  I am sharing today, one of the my kid's new favorites.  It has the appearance of being bad, but is in fact a much better option than a similar item at drive thru.  This is not rocket science, it is just putting my own ego aside and trying to think about things my children love and making them better.  As a result, of my new way of approaching dinnertime, I am happier, the family is happier and the nagging voice in the back of my head chanting "you are such a hypocrite" is fading away. 

I hope you will enjoy my easy and versatile chicken recipe and remember to make every plate something to be passionate about.

"Faux-ride" Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless organic chickenthighs
1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup whole wheat panko
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

Serving Suggestion:
1 recipe of Honey Mustard Sauce*
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
Whole grain buns or wraps

Step One:
Cut the chicken into desired size.  See picture below for ideas.  Fingers work the best for wraps, patty's or slider cut for sandwiches on a whole grain roll and nuggets for straight up dipping.

Step Two:

Place chicken in a ziploc bag with the Greek yogurt and set aside while you make the coating.

Step Three:
Place the bread crumbs, panko, Parmesan and spices in a shallow dish or pie plate and stir to combine.  Remove chicken from Ziploc bag and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Step Four:
Place coated chicken on a foil-lined sheet tray, sprayed with non-stick spray.  At this point, I like to sprinkle a little more paprika on top of the chicken as it helps give the finished product a more "fried" appearance.  Spray top of chicken with non-stick spray before placing in the oven.

Step Five:Bake chicken at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes.  You want to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165 degrees.  I highly recommend investing in an instant read thermometer.  The good news is, that if you get caught up with the laundry, bills or homework, chicken thighs are very forgiving and will still be moist and tender, even if they are slightly overcooked.

 

The finished product is a moist, tender and flavorful "faux-ride" piece of chicken.  Serve as is or as a wrap or sandwich. Leftovers freeze well.

Honey Mustard:
As I have learned, making your own dressings is so easy and should be done on a weekly basis.  I promise, once you start to make your own dressings and vinaigrette, you will have a hard time going back to anything in a bottle.  This is one processed item, that was easily eliminated from my pantry. 

1/2 cup Light Olive Oil Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
1/4 cup Local Honey

Step One:
Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.  This dressing will keep in your fridge for up to five days.

The end result is a great tasting wrap that kids and adults with enjoy and feel good about eating!

IACP Conference, San Francisco 2013

Feeling as though you have finally found your place in the world, yet at the same time, feeling as though you are completely out of your league. That is how I feel when attending the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference each year. I love the ease of being around people who share your similar passion for food, and who are not at all miffed when you stop to take pictures of all of the plates on the table before eating a meal. You can plan for dinner, while still eating lunch. Exchanging business's cards and ideas, as well as learning from experts. That is what the days are filled with at this event.

The experts are the ones, that initially made me feel as though I was totally out of my league. As a relative newcomer to the professional food world, sitting in the same room with Thomas Keller, Maxime Bilet and Joyce Goldstein is utterly amazing. Not to diminish any of these people's accomplishments, but when they begin to speak, you realize that your commonality far outweigh your differences. To hear an accomplished chef, speak with the enthusiasm of a small child on Christmas morning,  when describing the freshness of the pea juice he extracted from the vegetable with a centrifuge, made me smile. I know that feeling.  I get it often in the kitchen when something tastes especially wonderful or looks spectacularly beautiful. I get it! The passion for your craft, the discovery of new techniques and flavors. It is what binds us all together, despite the kitchen in which we are cooking.

Needless to say, the trip was fantastic, the scenery, food and camaraderie were unmatched. I also gained a new found respect for the people of the Bay Area. There passion for freshness and quality in the food they prepare and consume is inspiring. I hope to implement these new ideas in my own kitchen, moving forward.

I hope you will enjoy the small sampling of the photographs I took while on my trip to the west coast.  Each of these pictures moves and inspires me in their own special way. Enjoy, and remember to always make every plate something to be passionate about!

Beautiful blistered shishito peppers at The Ferry Plaza Building

Fruit display courtesey of Driscoll's Berries

Chef Nancy's new buddy at Truchard Vineyards, Napa Valley

Would eat this delicacy from Craftsman and Wolves for breakfast everyday

The incredible Bi-Rite Market in the Mission District.  So much more than a grocery Store!

 

 



Tequila tasting at Tacolicious

Wonderful fresh pizza and salads at this Mission District gem

Fresh, raw oysters at Ferry Plaza Seafood

No trip to San Fransisco is complete without a tour of Chinatown

Clean plate club for me! Could not leave a morsel of this bucatini and broccoli rabe pasta at Zuni Cafe

Had to travel all the way to San Fransisco to have the chance to spend quality time with Atlanta Chef, Rosemary Rutland

Chef Nancy Waldeck and Chef Carlin Breinig enjoying an Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Cafe

The best Irish Coffee!

 

 

 

And the sun sets on an incredible adventure



My Cheesy Excuse: Part Deux

So, I find myself this week without a new recipe for my blog. Unfortunately, the stomach flu hit my son and me, and food was about the farthest thing from my mind. I decided to repost a blog that originally appeared on the Taste and Savor site last year, but never got transferred to my passionate plate blog. Ironically, this blog is about an evening when I was supposed to be home writing, but found myself spending the entire evening with a friend, bottles of wine and a big hunk of stinky cheese. Sounds, like fun, wish that was what I had been up to this week.

The good news is, that we are all feeling better and are moving off of the clear broth and Saltine cracker diet that have been our staples this week. I am already thinking of my recipe for next week and excited about the new crop of spring veggies coming our way.

As always, keeping every plate passionate, even if it is a plate of Saltines.

This blog originally appeared on tasteandsavor.com on Sept 5, 2012.

Despite all of my intentions to write a new and interesting blog each week, there are instances when my hectic schedule leaves me with little time to sit quietly at my keyboard and write. Typically, I have a valid excuse such as, I worked three thirteen hour shifts in a row or I was carpooling the kids all evening. Last week was not one of those times.
Last Thursday, I had every intention of stealing off to my office and writing up a new blog and recipe that I had made earlier in the week. But alas, I was invited over to my neighboor's house for a "glass" of wine. This is really code for "let's chat and drink a bottle of wine". Since Carol was kind enough to supply the bottle of wine, I could not arrive empty handed, so I pulled out a nice piece of cheese that I had been saving for a special occasion. So pehaps, this was not the special occasion I had in mind, but wine, cheese and good neighbor's company would suffice.
I walked into Carol's house with the immediate disclaimer that the odor she may smell was not me. Many times it is me of course, because after a day in the kitchen with onions, garlic and other offending smells, well, you get the picture. In any case, the slightly funky smell was from my prized block of cheese, that I brought to share. This cheese is one of my new favorites and was of course introduced to me by Chef Nancy. It is called Morbier.



Morbier is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from France. It resembles a blue cheese, but the vein running down the middle is actually thin layer of tasteless ash. The cheese was still cold out of the refrigerator when we first tasted it. It was delicious of course, but the flavor was not yet fully developed. As we sat and talked over the next couple of hours, it was great fun to see how the taste of the cheese changed and improved as it warmed up to room temperature. Needless to say, the time passed, the wine was gone and all that remained of the Morbier was a lifeless rind sitting on a plate.


Yikes! I had spent the entire evening eating cheese and drinking wine. No time for a blog this evening. I had to walk home and make some dinner for the kids and get everyone organized for school and work the next day.

I hated having to tell Nancy that I had no new blog for her on Friday morning, but I kept my fingers crossed that she would see the humor in the picture of my "dead soldier", shown above. She is afterall, a Partyologist! Luckily, she did, and I ended up getting a blog out of my evening, albeit a week late.

So, the next time, you feel the urge to procrastinate and or just spend a nice evening with a friend, take along a nice slice of Morbier to share. I buy mine at the Buford Highway Farmer's market and have seen it at Whole Food's and occasionally Costco. Oh, and if you need to bring the wine as well, try a nice Pinot Noir. Enjoy!

Invite an Italian To Dinner

This Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo came about at work one day, when Chef Nancy and I were up to our elbows in food prep for a Thanksgiving meal for the participants at Cancer Wellness last fall.  Now, you may ask, who in their right mind would stop in the middle of such a large production to sit down and eat lunch, much less a big bowl of pasta.  Well, we would.  As I have mentioned before, we always try to take a few minutes to sit down and take a break for a midday meal.  Usually it's a salad, made from whatever we have leftover in the kitchen.  This day however, there was not a leaf of lettuce to be found, as we scrambled in true Iron Chef fashion to grab whatever spare ingredients we could find, and put together a quick meal.

What I came up with was a jar of roasted piquillo peppers, a log of goat cheese, a block of parm and some whole wheat elbow macaroni.  Perfect, a little pasta would power us through the long afternoon and evening ahead.  The result of my kitchen scavenger hunt yielded a beautiful and comforting Alfredo sauce, that is much lower in fat and calories than the original.  This dish has since, become a staple at home, and is a quick and easy weeknight treat. 

Try inviting this light and saucy Italian to your house for dinner tonight.  Remember to make every plate something to be passionate about.  Buon appetito!

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo:

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive-oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 roasted red peppers or a 12oz jar of piquillo peppers, coarsely chopped
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 lb of your favorite pasta, cooked to package directions

Optional Garnishes: Parsley, Chives, Basil, chopped roasted red pepper.  A combination of any or all of these is great.

Beautiful ingredients in all the colors of the Italian flag



 Step One:  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened, but not browned, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, and additional minute.  Lower heat to medium and add the peppers, milk, yogurt and both cheeses.  Stir to combine while cheeses melt.

Onions and garlic softening in the olive oil

The peppers make the sauce.  Try roasting your own for a more intense flavor than the jarred peppers

Ahhhh.....melting cheese.  Heaven!



Step Two:  Once cheese is melted, blend mixture with an immersion blender, or allow sauce to cool slightly and transfer to a traditional blender to mix up the sauce.

Sauce is ready for the "boat motor", a.k.a. the immersion blender

The immersion  blender is a great tool for making soups and sauces

This is enough sauce for one pound of pasta.  Feel free to add a drizzle of additional olive oil or s splash of the hot pasta water if the sauce appears too thick.

Pour a glass of wine and sit down with your family to enjoy!

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: Jerusalem on a Plate

I love when an unexpected opportunity arises.  I had one of these moments last week, when new friend and Cancer Wellness participant, Helen Stern, invited Chef Nancy and me to the North American screening of Jerusalem on a Plate.  The film was brought to this country as part of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

The film is presented by Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-born chef, who currently works and resides in London.  Mr. Ottolenghi is also the co-author of the beautiful cookbook, Jerusalem, pictured to the right.

My only complaint about this movie was that it was far too short.  The vivid scenery, cultural stories and spectacular food, made me wish that I could jump through the screen and join Mr. Ottolenghi on his journey through this fascinating city.

Throughout the movie, I was mentally taking notes as to what dishes and techniques I could bring to my own kitchen.  The one visual that stood out to me the most, was a deconstructed baba-ganoush.  I tried this eggplant dish for the first time almost exactly one year ago, and since then have been on a mission to taste baba-ganoush whenever it appears on a menu.  Thus, after viewing this film, I thought I would experiment with my own version of the recipe,  while incorporating the visual presentation I enjoyed in the film.  I encourage you to take a look at this beautiful cookbook next time you are in your local bookstore, and by all means if you ever have the opportunity to see this film, do not pass it up.

Baba Ganoush:

Ingredients:

2 large globe eggplants, or about 20 small Italian or baby eggplants.  You will need about 4 cups of cooked flesh.
4 garlic gloves, chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Optional Garnishes:
Sesame seeds
Extra-virgin olive oil
Charred baby eggplant*

Step One:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a fork to poke several holes into the skin of eggplant and place on a sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet. Or if using smaller eggplants, cut off the stem of each eggplant and place on a sprayed, foil-lined sheet pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until inside flesh is nice and soft. Once the eggplants have cooked, remove from oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Roasted Italian and Baby Eggplant

Step Two:
Scoop flesh from the eggplant with a spoon and place in a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree.

Remove mixture from food processor to a serving tray or bowl and sprinkle with desired garnishes. Serve with pita chips or crudite.

For the Optional Garnish of Charred Baby Eggplant:

Place eggplant over an open flame on a gas stovetop or underneath your broiler, turning often until flesh is blackened.  Once cooled, hold eggplant by the stem and gently scrape off the charred flesh with a small, knife.  Make sure to leave as much of the flesh as possible intact.

Place the peeled eggplant on top of your plated dip and spread the flesh with the back of a fork to create a base so that the stem end will stand up straight.

Finished presentation, inspired by the decondtructed baba-ganoush in Jerusalem on a Plate

I hope you will try this exotic dip and remember to make every plate something to be passionate about.  Cheers!

Healthy "Hearts" Salad for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines Day! I hope today finds you thankful for your loved ones both near and far, as well as an opportunity to express your gratitude and love to those around you. I have a fun and busy day ahead of me doing what I love best, sharing beautiful and delicious food with others.

February is American Heart Health Month as well as Valentine's day.  Both of these events, inspired my recipe this week. What better way to celebrate Valentine's day and heart health, than by giving the ones you love a heart healthy salad that is full off "hearts"?  Artichoke hearts, romaine hearts and hearts of palm, make a great base for a salad.  Throw in some capers, tomatoes and toasted walnuts and top it off with a drizzle of my crimson roasted red pepper Caesar dressing.

Tonight I will be at the Cancer Wellness Center with Chef Nancy and ten amazing couples who have been affected by cancer.  We will be doing a hands on cooking class, where the couples will be divided into four different teams, making four different recipes.  The menu includes red pepper jelly chicken, grilled shrimp with lemon pasta, a chocolate ricotta cream for dessert and of course, my healthy hearts salad as a starter.

Have a great Valentine's Day and get in the kitchen with the ones you love and create something healthy and beautiful to eat, while creating memories as well. 

Salad Ingredients:
1 8 oz box organic romaine hearts
1 9oz box frozen artichoke hearts, roasted*
1 14oz can hearts of palm, 1/4 inch slice
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
1 recipe Roasted Red Pepper Caesar Dressing**

To roast the artichokes, place on a foil lined sheet tray, in a single layer. Coated generously with cooking spray and season itch salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 425 degrees for 35 minutes, until brown and caramelized.

Arrange romaine hearts on a large platter and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients, in order, and serve the remaining dressing on the side.

**Dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 2oz tin of Anchovies, drained
1 12oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained
3 garlic cloves
Zest and Juice of a lemon
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Step 1:
Place olive oil and anchovies into a small sauté pan and warm over medium heat while mashing anchovies with the back of a fork. Continue heating the mixture until anchovies begin to dissolve and break up, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Step 2:
Add cooled oil and anchovy mixture, along with the remaining ingredients to a food processor. pulse to combine.

This recipe will make more dressing than you will need for this salad, which is good news, since it tastes even better the next day.  Use it as a dip, a sandwich spread or even heat it up and toss with some whole wheat pasta.

Enjoy sharing a delicious and healthy meal with all of the special people in your life and remember to make every plate something to be passionate about.

A French Lesson:

Although I have been on a bit of an Italian kick as of late, I am a Francophile first and foremost.  What better way to rekindle my first love, than to attend the "Oh La La! - French Macarons"  class with Chef Renee Jackson at the Cook's Warehouse this past Sunday. This was  my first time attending a class at Cook's, typically I am on the other side of the counter cooking and helping Chef Nancy with one of her classes.  I must say, it was fun being a student for the afternoon, learning the art of making the colorful French macaron's that are all the rage.  But most importantly, I got to spend the afternoon with some of my new favorite people and support another chef who's passion clearly shines through in her baking.

We were cautioned at the beginning of the class that the macaron is not a hard cookie to prepare, but rather, it was a temperamental cookie.  The basic macaron recipe is fairly simple to prepare. It's nothing more than egg whites, superfine sugar, almond meal and powdered sugar.  Precise measurements and a calibrated oven are essential.  Well, precise and calibrated are not adjectives that best describe my cooking style.  I am more of a "pinch of this" and a "pinch of that" kind of cook.  I suppose this is the "precise" reason that I am not a baker.  No worries, we were all here for fun, so let the baking begin.

We were given this basic macaron recipe from the book Mad About Macaron's, by Jill Colonna.

Ingredients:

150g Egg Whites, aged at least two day, at room temperature
100g Superfine Sugar
180g of Almond Meal/Flour
270g Powdered Sugar

Step 1:  Line baking sheets with parchment paper

Step 2:  Place almond flour and powdered sugar in food processor and pulse 4-5 times.  Sift dry ingredients using sieve into mixing bowl.  (when making flavored shells, add the flavoring during this step.

Step 3:Whisk the room temperature egg whites into glossy firm peaks, adding the superfine sugar gradually.  If coloring the shells, add at the very end of this step.  Use powdered or gel food coloring as liquid will change the consistency of the batter.

Step 4:  Fold the beaten egg whites into the dry ingredients using a large spatula.  Mix well.  The result should be a cake batter consistency.  Do not over mix.

folding egg whites into dry mixture

egg whites are folded properly

Use a rubber pastry scraper for the final incorporation



Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitter with a large tip.  (Wilton 1A)

Step 6: Pipe out mixture onto prepared baking sheets.  Using a circle template under your parchment will help ensure equal sizing of shells.

Strawberry shell batter, piped onto "polka dot" template

Step 7:  Let shells set for no less than 30 minutes.  They are ready to be placed in the oven when they are somewhat hard to the touch

Here are some lemon shells that are waiting to dry before going into the oven

Step 8:  While shells are setting up, move racks to the center of the oven and preheat to 325 deg.  It is a good idea to use an oven thermometer.

Step 9: Bake shells, one tray at a time, for 10-12 minutes

Step 10:  Remove shells from oven when done and place tray on cooling rack to cool thoroughly

Step 11:  Once shells are completely cooled, pipe your favorite filling (butter cream, ganache etc...), onto half of the shells.  Place partner on top using a circular motion to squish filling toward the edge of shell.

I may have "squished " too hard.  Mine looks more like a Whoopie Pie

Step 12:  Eat and enjoy! 

As Renee said, they may not always be pretty, but they will always be delicious.  This was the truth.  While none of the groups produced a pastry shop worthy specimen, we all learned a lot and most certainly could not have found a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  A glass of wine, three flavors of French macarons and time spent with passionate food lovers.

Jennifer, Brenda, Nancy, Renee, Moi, Mary Rob