We are moving ever closer to spring and I am contemplating new items for my personal chef clients’ menus. I thought I would whet your appetite with some pictures and descriptions of some of the things my clients have eaten lately. Some things stay on the menu year round and many things are seasonal. As you faithful readers of this blog know, I am a firm believer in eating according to the seasons. The reasons are many. The quality of locally grown in season food is higher, has more nutritive value, and is less expensive. Each season has its own energies, as does the food that grows during that time.

I must admit I am ready for the spring produce – peas, asparagus, strawberries! But, we have a few more weeks of root vegetables and squashes ahead of us. We are blessed here in California with an early spring but Mother Earth is still resting and waiting and so must we.

Here is a Winter Vegetable Stew I made for a vegetarian couple, rich with mushroom broth and locally cultivated mushrooms, winter squash, celery root, celery, onions, spinach, and sundried tomatoes which were picked and dried in the height of the season and so carry that life force in them.

A soup that sticks around most of the year is Chicken Noodle soup. Obviously, this was not for the same clients, but a family who orders soup every week. Here is where I get to be creative. I hardly ever use a recipe for soup. I have a memory of a recipe or a concept  and either see what looks good at the market and/or what is available in the fridge. This means each time it is a one of a kind masterpiece, never to be exactly repeated. This soup contains chicken thighs which I find have so much more flavor and richness, especially good for soups and stews. It also has onions, carrots, celery, spinach and noodles. This day, I used what noodles were available in the clients’ cupboards. It also has a healthy dose of garlic, and some salt and pepper.

Next up is a recipe, often requested by my vegetarian clients, from the wonderful Molly Katzen for Spaghetti Squash Pancakes. You first bake the squash and when cooked scrape out the flesh which is noodle like in shape. Personally, I have never quite gotten into using this squash as a substitute for noodles but many people do. The batter is simple with the cooked noodles, rice flour, onion, eggs, salt and pepper. I like using red onion and adding some fresh thyme. This definitely is a seasonal recipe, appearing in the fall and winter. These clients love little patties and cakes so I am sure some sort of spring pancake will be on their menus soon, perhaps peas.

Lastly is a recipe I found on a piece of paper when cleaning out my garage. I suspect it is a Zone diet recipe but I cannot give appropriate credit for it. Delicious little good for you cookies, made of dried figs, almond flour, salt, vanilla,orange zest, and a bit of coconut oil. ( the oil was not in the original recipe) Happily, they are processed sugar free, grain free, and gluten free.

Almond Fig Bites

2 cups almond meal
1 c. ( 6 oz) soft dried figs ( one of my personal chef friends suggested subbing apricots, yum!)
2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. coconut oil

Heat oven to 325º. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 1 minute.

Form dough into small slightly flattened balls  and place on baking sheet 1/2 in. apart. ( cookies do not spread during baking). Bake until bottoms of cookies are slightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes, turning pan once half way through. Cool and eat!

There is a small taste of what has been keeping me busy lately. I love my work as a personal chef. Every day is different and every client is different. Stay tuned for Spring will surely come and new ideas will emerge along with the new vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

This post is part of  GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister. Head over there and read all the other interesting posts, please.

]]> http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2011/02/06/personal-chef-for-hire/feed/ 1 http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/09/11/hot-and-sour-salmon-with-greens/ http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/09/11/hot-and-sour-salmon-with-greens/#comments Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:59:26 +0000 Charity http://forlifepersonalchef.com/?p=727

on my personal chef clients’ menu this week

I was a busy personal chef this week with 2 new clients. The busier I get, the easier  I want my menu planning to be, so 2 of the three families I cooked for this week, got this delicious Hot and Sour Salmon, adapted from a recipe from Dr. Andrew Weil. ( The other clients are vegetarian!)  And this weekend, I am cooking it for myself.

Salmon fishing season just ended here in the Monterey Bay.  It was short and very few salmon were actually caught. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch has updated their opinion on eating salmon and recommend avoiding eating any California Salmon. Your best bet continues to be wild caught from Alaska.  Here, in California, that is widely available. If you are not familiar with the Seafood Watch program, please click on the link  and learn about it. Subscribe to their blog, “like” them on Facebook, donate some time and/or money. It is a fabulous program. I have learned a lot from them.

Hot and Sour Salmon with Greens

serves 4

4 6 oz. portions of wild caught Alaskan Salmon ( I prefer the fillets)
2 lbs. bok choy, cleaned and ends trimmed
1 bunch swish chard, chopped
6  green onions, ends trimmed, cut into julienne slices on the diagonal
3 T. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 T. coconut oil ( or olive oil)

6 T. tamari
3 T. chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
1 T. honey ( local and organic is best)
2 T. minced garlic

Mix the last 4 ingredients in a small bowl for the sauce.

Melt 1 T. of the coconut oil in a saute pan, add the greens and ginger . Cook for several minutes until lightly done. ( The water from freshly washing the greens will help steam them a bit)

Remove the greens and arrange nicely on a platter. ( or in my case for my clients, I put them into small glass or plastic containers)

Melt the other tablespoon of coconut oil. Place the salmon serving side down into the pan and saute until nicely seared. Turn the salmon, lower the heat, cover the fish,and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. ( Time will depend on the size of your fillets, how well cooked you like your salmon ). During the last few minutes, take a few Tablespoons of the sauce and drizzle over the fish.

Place the cooked fish on top of the greens and pour the rest of the sauce over the whole thing.  You could serve this just by itself for a simple meal. One of my clients also got some veggie fried rice with this and the other got some roasted broccoli.  Either way, it will be delicious.

Many of my personal chef clients have special dietary needs such as gluten intolerance. As I do also, this works well for me. I have done a lot of experimentation over the years, searching for satisfying healthy ingredients. I did baking this winter and spring for a local cafe and made scones every week. Then I often used frozen blackberries. Now, we are in the height of summer fruit season and the farmers’ markets are overflowing with beautiful berries, as well as the stone fruits such as cherries and peaches, both of which would be yummy in this scone recipe. All berries, especially the dark ones, are high in antioxidants and so good for you and so satisfying.

In my own personal dietary path, I generally avoid flours of all kinds, not just the ones containing gluten. I have a hard time digesting refined carbohydrates if I eat too much. There also seems to be an almost addictive element there for me.  But, a baked good now and then is something to look forward to and savor.

Gluten Free Blackberry Scones

1 1/2 c. Almond meal ( I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1 c. Gluten Free baking mix ( again, I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/6 cup melted coconut oil ( 3 T)

1/6 cup melted butter ( 3 T )

3 – 4 T. raw local honey, depending on your sweet tooth and the sweetness of the berries

2 pastured eggs

1 c. fresh local organic blackberries ( of course ALL of your ingredients should be organic)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the blackberries and stir. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing gently. The dough will be sticky. Spoon it into mounds on the baking sheet. This recipe makes 6 large scones. Sometimes, I make 12 smaller ones. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. I usually turn the baking sheet halfway through the baking to help ensure evenness.

You could substitute many other kinds of fruit. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches, or a combination. Just make sure the pieces are a nice small size.

So, make yourself and your loved ones a batch of scones. Take a break and sit a moment and enjoy the summer with a scone and an iced tea/coffee/coffee substitute. Life is sweet.

This post is part of the GNOWFGLINS  Tuesday Twister and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. Check out the other interesting reads, please.

I was inspired today by the challenge to actually go through the freezer and see what was in there. Not much really. Lesson revisited: My vacuum sealer isn’t just for my personal chef clients. Duh, I really should be using it often. I had to throw away a package of lamb shanks ( deciding to donate that $20 to Haiti, so it won’t be an entire waste of money) and a package of freezer burned turkey parts, as well as some soup that was just plain too old.  I did find a little package of frozen strawberries that is also very old but it is vacuum sealed ( thanks Nancy) and will taste yummy this week with some of the bag of mango that is in there. ( note to self – vacuum seal it after you open it!) There is liver – some beef liver from the farmers’ market and a container of chicken livers. I had the first container of them yesterday, so I think that is enough liver for me for the week. There is a large container of beans, undated. I have so many beans in the pantry, I may throw these beans away. Peas! we have already discussed these. 1/2 a package of corn, still ok. a mostly there container of parmesan crisps, that I threw in the freezer because I am not sure I like them ? a few bags of various nuts and seeds, quite a few ice packs, a couple of small containers of chicken broth and that is it.

I also worked on the pantry and took a bag of unusable or way too old items to the trash. I have a bag of very strange items to go to the food bank. I hope someone will want organic pudding mixes, a bran muffin mix, and a couple of bags of non wheat noodles. Here is one of my pantry shelves. This photo makes me proud!

Cooking today involved making some yummy soup for lunch. It is blustery, rainy, and wild weather here in Santa Cruz this week. The perfect day for soup. I used a container of stock made from this recipe that was in the refrigerator. ( oh, and there is another container of it in the freezer, I forgot to mention). I used shrimp from the freezer and I still have more in the fridge now for another meal. I have so many packages of seaweed in my pantry, it is silly, so I used some seaweed from there , some dried daikon radish that was unearthed, and some dried miso, also from the pantry. With fresh spinach added for some color and freshness, it was delicious.

Pantry Miso Soup

maybe 3 cups of pork stock

2 packages of dried miso ( was a bit too much)

large handful dulse

large handful dried daikon ( sliced fresh would be good)

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4c. mirin

1/2 bag fresh spinach

1/2 lb (?) shrimp, peeled and deveined.

I just put it all except the shrimp in a large saucepan and let it simmer for about 10 mins. I added the shrimp and cooked a few more minutes until the shrimp was nice and pink.

A successful reducing the supplies day for sure ! Tomorrow I tackle the other pantry shelves and re organize the grains, beans, and flours. eek.

As a person working on living gluten free for almost 15 years, I have struggled with finding good bread. Believe me, I have tried many brands and have worked on learning to bake it myself. In one word, ugh! Most gluten free breads do not taste good, most are a weird texture. In the past few years, I have basically given up. And, recently, am moving towards a world that is not only gluten free, but flour free, so bread is out. But, there are those days when a sandwich calls my name.

I have mentioned the name Mark Sisson before in another post. He advocates a caveman diet… no grains! He recently gave a link to this recipe which is the reason for this post. You can find the original recipe here, which gives the nutritional info and it is always interesting to read peoples’ comments.

Foccacia Style Flax Bread

2 c flax seed meal

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1-2 T sweetening power from artificial sweetener ( I will NEVER advocate using artificial sweetener. Please inform yourself about aspartame. I used xylitol, which kept it very low carb but have no problem recommending sugar. It just would change the nutritional information)

5 beaten eggs

1/2c. water

1/3 c. oil ( I used olive)

Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare pan ( a 10×15″ pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Mix dry ingredients well. Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren’t obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter ( if you look at the photo carefully, you will see that dreaded string!) Let batter set for 2 or 3 minutes to thicken up some ( leave it too long and it gets past the  point where it is easy to spread) Pour batter onto pan. Spread it out from the center into a rectangle an inch or so from the sides of the pan. Bake for aboutg 20 mins, until it springs back when you touch the tope. Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want.

oh, this is good. It is moist. There is a bit of a bitter aftertaste from the flax but it is not really noticeable.  I actually followed the recipe exactly, which is unusual for me but in recipe testing, that is important. I can see many variation possibilities. How about adding some soaked raisins and cinnamon for a breakfast treat ? Or, add some garlic and rosemary for a more traditional foccacia ?

As a personal chef, I often have clients who are gluten free and I plan on making this a regular part of my menu. It is easy. It is delicious. It is healthy. What more could you ask for ? A simple thing like a tuna fish sandwich brought me much satisfaction today. And yes, there was mayonaisse involved.

part of Real Food Wednesdays from Kelly the kitchen kop. Go check it out for other ideas!