Change is coming...

I am in the process of creating a new website over on Wordpress ( shhh, don't want to upset Blogger) and my blog will be at the center of it. The blog has moved but the rest of the site is not done yet.

The new address is http://www.forlifepersonalchef.com.

See You There!!

home sweet home

I have been on vacation in Pennsylvania and New England. It was a great trip and I am oh so glad to be home. It was good for this Californian to get a dose of beautiful changing leaves, chilly weather, a bit of snow.

I made some good realizations. I almost take it for granted the good food I eat. Almost everything is organic, hardly anything comes from a box or can, and a lot of it is raised and produced right here in California. I spent many days at the residence where my mother lives and they are at the opposite end of that spectrum! "Good" food according to the USDA guidelines but that certainly doesn't meet my idea of good food... nothing organic, mostly overcooked, under seasoned. They do have to make many people happy which is pretty impossible!  I also became painfully aware of the importance of my way of eating for my health. My digestive system is not too happy with the 10 days of being off the wagon. Time away from the kitchen, too, is always a good reminder of how much I love to cook. I missed it.

Today I went grocery shopping and got things to make my tummy healthy and happy again... beets, avocados, organic chicken, really good tortillas, kale, arugula, kombucha, persimmons. Let the cooking begin! I will report back soon with the results.

Soup's On!

I have been thinking alot lately about comfort food. What does that mean ? For much of my life, food has not given me comfort. I have had ( and still have moments of) a very UNcomfortable relationship with food. It has seemed more like my enemy.Comfort is an emotion and food at its worst, has been a vehicle for numbing anything I might have been feeling. I found some interesting research here.  It has taken me many years of therapy, many wonderful meals with loving friends, and my work as a personal chef to get to the point where I can actually enjoy eating, that I can love something I am eating, that I can feel some comfort from it. Soup is one of those things. Since I am basically non dairy, I enjoy "creamy" soups made from coconut milk. The subtitle of this post could be the evolution of a recipe. In my wanderings around the internet, I found this blog and recipe, which was inspired by someone else's recipe and blog. Of course, I made adaptations and now it is something completely different but related. Sort of like me and some of my family! 
Coconut Milk Winter Squash soup

4 c water

1 T vegetable bouillion

1 can coconut milk

1 chopped onion

1 T finely chopped fresh ginger

1 T finely chopped lemongrass ( I recently found a jarred variety!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

s and p to taste

1 c or so of  cubed winter squash ( I used Green Kuri)

large handful of chopped kale

handful of chopped celery

2 c chopped cooked chicken

I had some already roasted chicken, so this came together quickly. Put everything together in a large saucepan and cook until vegetables are tender. ( about 10 minutes)

Hearty, Healthy, Comforting.

Garden Interlude

Here in Central California, the changing of the seasons can seem subtle. Here are some photos of my garden today. For a variety of reasons, my garden has not received the tender loving care this year that it deserves. Interesting lessons for life, that. Some things have struggled mightily and succumbed. Others have thrived. Others cry out for me to do better! Soon, the rains will come and that will ease the burdens of these plants that do just want to bring beauty and happiness to the world. Little garden, I apologize and thank you for your blessings.

I love this cotoneaster in my back yard nestled against the redwood tree. Fall and Winter, it provides orange berries and Spring and Summer, lovely little white flower clusters. And look, the first fall leaf!
This is my Mexican Marigold. When I bought the little 4 in pot, I had no idea it would grow to about 4'x4' and smells so good. It cheers up my front yard right in front of my living room window most of the year.
See? We do have fall! The butterfly plant is going to seed, ready to spread its beauty throughout the yard and much to the neighbor's dismay, into theirs!
I inherited this lovely white dahlia from the previous owner. I have been unable to grow any other dahlias!! There must be a mole somewhere who has eaten the others. Shhhh. Why s/he hasn't found this one, I have no idea.

Gardens really are a microcosm of life. There is always work to be done. There is always beauty to be found. Taking time every day to look at both of those things is good.

Falling into the next season

Happy Autumnal Equinox! It is fall time. Here in California, we share the same shortening of the days as everyone, but we are still eating tomatoes and watermelon, though they won't last much longer. I have personal chef friends and colleagues all across the country with whom I share recipes along with many other business related ideas. Gone are the postings of tomato and salad recipes. Our in boxes are full of soups, stews, and winter squash ideas. 
Eating seasonally has become as trendy as being a locavore these days. This is a good thing! Eating locally and seasonally is not a new idea. It goes all the way back to caveman/woman days. You ate what you could harvest and hunt. You relished the fresh greens out of the ground in the spring,filled your bellies with berries in the summer, dug roots in the fall,and saved what you could keep over the winter.  

Fall is the season for harvesting, reaping what we have sown and nurtured through out the summer. Think of this on the physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Fall is a time of balance of the light and the dark, time to work on our own balance, again inner and outer. What in your life is out of balance ?

We naturally gravitate away from the cold refreshing foods of summer - salads, juicy fruits, cold and tart.  Now is the time for roasting root vegetables, making pots of soup that fill the house with their aroma, sipping hot tea instead of iced, baking. 

Go to the farmers' market if you can, or look in your favorite grocery store for what is fresh and in season. Have you ever had a roasted parsnip ? celery root? a yellow or chiogga beet ? When was the last time you ate turnips, if you ever have ?? Roasting root vegetables is a delicious and easy way to enjoy the fall bounty.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Use what ever vegetables you like or want to try. These work well... carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, celery root, turnips, rutabaga, onions. The celery root you will want to peel, but I don't bother with the rest. Just make sure they are clean and cut out the bad spots. I like bite size chunks. Just make sure you cut everything approximately the same size. Preheat your oven to 400º. Fill a large sheet pan/baking sheet with your veggies. Coat with olive oil ( several Tablespoons), salt and pepper. Depending on your tastes you could add garlic ( whole cloves or granulated), Herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, rosemary. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check after the first 15, stir and turn over the veggies for even cooking. You want some crispy caramelization.  Enjoy. I like the leftovers with eggs for breakfast.

Quinoa Pudding

I have been focussing much energy this week on cleaning up my diet, banning added sugar for the moment. I am also seriously reducing my starchy carbohydrate intake as well as overall amount of food. For me to be successful with this, I need to maximize nutrition and taste. I want my meals to give me the power and energy I need while satisfying my taste buds.
We need carbohydrates for energy. Quinoa is a good grain to keep IN the diet.It has no gluten, is high in protein, low on the glycemic index, and is quite versatile. I had some yesterday in a savory main dish with shrimp and vegetables. Today it is dessert, and I still have some already cooked for another creation, perhaps a cold salad. As well as being gluten free, I don't use much dairy. Coconut milk is an extremely satisfying alternative.
Quinoa Pudding

serves 4

1 c. cooked quinoa ( some say rinse before cooking to reduce any bitterness, I also suggest soaking overnight before cooking for easier digestion)

1c. coconut milk ( go ahead and use the full fat, and please get organic)

1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 T. lemon juice

2 pears, cored and cubed

pinch of salt

1/4c. chopped walnuts

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold.

So, we have got protein from the quinoa, good fats from the coconut milk and walnuts, sweetness from the pears, and unusual flavor from the 5 spice powder. This is tonight's dessert as well as breakfast one morning this week.

This is a recipe that has room for much improvisation. I didn't use any sugar. If you want, add some honey or agave nectar. I used pears because they are coming into season. Try apples. Stone fruits are still in season here in California so plums or peaches would be good. If I had had some fruit liquor that would have matched the flavors, I would have added 1 T. If only I had not finished off that ginger liquor! That would have been tasty. I have a lemon tree in my yard and this week lemons are plentiful. Orange zest would also work really well. And, of course, use any nuts you like.

Eating food like this reminds me that high power nutrition can be delicious. No reason to stray from the course I have set! Enjoy. 

Figs!

I love figs! I used to eat canned figs and cream at my grandparents' house growing up. I don't remember liking them then. As an adult, I discovered dried figs ( Fig Newtons don't really count as eating figs) and then, one wonderful day, I ate my first fresh fig. Oh joy!  While not cheap, they are available now and worth every penny. I cooked a dinner party a few weeks ago and made a wonderful appetizer called Figs in a Blanket, a fresh fig, stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto , baked to a heavenly crunchy gooeyness, and drizzled with a honey and balsamic vinegar reduction. mmm. In an earlier post, I mentioned fig gelato, and that same friend has made fig pickles. Recently on one of the many internet sites I peruse for recipes, I found this one shared by a personal chef colleague for Chicken and Fig salad.
It is originally from the California Fig Advisory Board. Now, that would be a fun gig!

Greek Style Chicken Fig Salad

serves 6-8

1/4 c orange juice

1 T plain yoghurt ( I used Bellwether Farms Sheep's milk)

1 T lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced, or crushed with a press ( I used more)

1/2 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c good olive oil

1 1/2 c ( about one lb) cooked, diced chicken breast

1 1/2 c cooked chickpeas ( at the last minute I realized I had forgotten to buy any, I think they would add alot to the recipe)

1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick ( I used the English variety and didn't peel)

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped or sliced

3/4c. fresh figs ( about 10) diced ( or quartered)

3 c. mixed salad greens

6T chopped fresh mint

In a large bowl, whisk together the orange juice, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until well blended. Add the chicken, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and figs; stir and toss to coat well. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve, divide the greens among individual plates. Top each with an equal amount of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the mint.

I also added some herbs to the dressing mix - finely chopped mint, thyme, and oregano, to bring in more flavors of Greece. I added some celery to the salad and garnished with pine nuts. You could add feta cheese. Try a bit of honey in the dressing. Pomegranate seeds would make a lovely addition and garnish.

If, ( gasp!) you don't like figs, you probably aren't reading this anymore, but if that is the case, you could substitute grapes, or do that when figs are out of season which will be soon.

While this didn't really remind me of the Greek food I have eaten, smelling the thyme and the oregano did. I have spent many happy days on the beautiful island of Crete, sitting amidst the herbs . I wonder what dishes this will inspire me to cook now. Opa!!