Tag Archives: Fruit and Vegetable

THE ULTIMATE GARDEN@THE FRENCH LAUNDRY

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have an immaculate dinner in the French Laundry Gardens!  The evening included champagne, canopes, a 4-course dinner, and a tour of the gardens!  A RARE EVENT INDEED.

THE TOP TIP I LEARNED ABOUT ZUCCHINI FLOWERS:

 Zucchinis grow FAST!  Pick the Zucchini Flower before the zucchini gets big; otherwise, you’ll lose flavor.  Give  the zucchini 2 days max, then time to pick it and use the flower for a delish vegetarian meal.

ENJOY THE REST OF MY EXPERIENCE BELOW!

FIngerling Potatoes
The lovely dining area
A pristine plot
Even the bread was divine
The details from Thomas Keller himself
Gnocci--light and fluffy and delicious.

More pics to be posted shortly, so stay tuned !!!

EASIEST CROCK POT MEALS

Easier than pie.  Slow cookers are amazing.  Chop ’em, throw ’em in, set your pot to low. What an amazing way to multitask–run errands, just chill, or have a good night sleep.

1.  SPLIT PEA SOUP

Easy, honest, inexpensive (under $5.00!)

-1 packet of split peas (~1.50)

-A few tablespoons of Olive Oil

-1-3 Scallion sticks (~0.50) or one Fried Shallot (~1.00)

-Salt and pepper.

-1/2 cup quinoa or brown rice to add on top (~$2.00)

Toasted Sliced almonds or toasted walnuts

This is the easiest meal of all.  First, wash the split peas, then throw the whole package into the crock-pot with about 6 cups of water.  Let them slow cook until they are soft (~5 hours), then add the remaining ingredients except the quinoa.  Cook quinoa or rice separately, then use as your base to add the soup, or vice versa.  Top with toasted nuts. See, easy!

2.  TOMATO CANNELONI BEANS, KALE.

This is a hearty soup that takes only 15 minutes to prepare.   A couple hours later, a full meal was ready!

-2 cans of organic crushed tomato with basil

-1 can of canneloni beans

-2-3 cloves of garlic

Fresh Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme

-A few tablespoons of Olive Oil

-1 bunch of kale

-Salt and pepper to taste

Start by emptying the crushed tomatoes and canneloni beans into the slow cooker, and add 1-2 cups of water.  Add chopped garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme.  Add Olive oil and stir everything.  Chop the kale and add the pot.  Depending on how crunchy you like your kale, let cook for 1 hour, or up to 4 hours if you like your kale soft.

3.  CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

This is a DELISH cream based soup that I usually prepare in a pot-pan combination.  It can be done in a slow-cooker with much less work.

-1 cup crimini mushrooms

-1 cup of any exotic mushroom

-1 carton organic vegetable broth

-1 small carton of heavy whipping cream (can be substituted with whole or skim milk)

-Two Portabella Mushrooms

-Olive oil

-Toasted Pecans

-2 Scallion stalks

1.  Dump the Vegetable broth and heavy whipping cream into the crock pot.  Add 2-3 cups of water.

2.  Finely chop all of the mushrooms and scallions.  Add the crimini and exotic mushrooms to the crock pot.

3.  If you are short on time, then throw the portabella mushrooms into the pot, add olive oil, and stir everything.

3.a.  If you have ~10 minutes more, grab a pan, coat with olive oil, and cook the portablella mushrooms on high heat.  They will become crisp. Save them until your soup has cooked for several hours (the longer it cooks, the better).

4.  Top soup with toasted pecans, chopped scallions, and portabella mushrooms.

ENJOY!!!

BAKED SWEET POTATO CHIPS…TO DIE FOR.

Avoid spikes in blood sugar by eating vegetables with higher sugar content.   Root vegetables such as yams, sweet potatoes, carrots fall into this category.

The easiest and yummiest way to get your root vegetables?

BAKED SWEET POTATO CHIPS…IN 45 MINUTES FLAT 🙂

1.  Buy one large sweet potato.  They’re only a couple bucks!

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3.  While the oven is going, wash and scrub the outside of the sweet potato.  No need to peel it!  The the skin has a ton of fiber and nutrients.

3.  Slice pieces about 1/2 centimeter thick.  No need to be perfect, but don’t make them too thin or they’ll burn easily.

4.  Place them all into a shallow pan.

5.  Drizzle Olive Oil on top.  Then flip them all over and coat the bottom.

6.  I like to add chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage on top.  You can always leave them plain–that tastes good 🙂

7.  Place in oven and let sit for about 35 minutes.  After that time, tops should look somewhat dried out.

8.  Remove pan and flip each sweet potato.  Cook for another 10 minutes.

In 45 minutes…You be the judge.  If they can use another 5 minutes to get crisp, then leave them.  Otherwise, just turn the oven off and let them sit inside.  This gets them really “chippy”.

Enjoy your yummy blood-sugar-regulating snack 🙂