Pasadena personal chef service, Om Chef posts food news, research, recipes, resources and experts on how, why and what to eat for ultimate taste, optimum health and environmental sustainability
Showing posts with label Mediterranean diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mediterranean diet. Show all posts
Om Chef downtown L.A. enlightened omnivore clients will find all ingredients for these salads cleaned and chopped in labeled glass containers conveniently located in their refrigerator...making this dish qualify as 'fast food' the enlightened omnivore way
Begin with chicken stock preferably fresh homemade, or if you are short on time use Swansons low sodium chicken broth. Heat chicken stock with minced fresh garlic, ginger and fresh chili pepper to taste.While stock is heating up prep your veggies. Shown is a simple mix of thinly sliced crimini and shiitake mushroom, carrot, fresh lotus root, fingerling potatoes, green onion and cilantro, and a couple of smallish lobster tails. Add spuds first, cook 5-6 minutes, add carrot, cook additional 2 minutes, add mushrooms, cook 2 minutes, add remaining ingredients cover and remove from heat. Finish soup with a splash of nam pla (fish sauce), and/or a little fresh lime juice.
Lobster was on hand for this dish, but most any seafood, chicken and/or tofu would work just as well.
Soup allows for tremendous creativity, simply varying a few key seasoning ingredients can change it completely. Replacing the cilantro, ginger, nam pla and lime juice with fennel, a little white wine, a pinch of saffron, fresh thyme, a swirl of EVOO and a strip of orange peel turns it into a heavenly Mediterranean soup needing nothing more than a baguette and someone to enjoy it with.....the fresh lotus root works beautifully in the Mediterranean version
Asian soups are an Om Chef favorite, I love the myriad of dried ingredients available, including dried lily buds, shrimp, oysters, scallops, wood ear, black fungus, jujube, seaweeds, jellyfish, and multiple kinds of fungi to name a few.
Om Chef downtown L.A. enlightened omnivore clients will find all ingredients for this dish cleaned and chopped in labeled glass containers conveniently located in their refrigerator...making this dish qualify as 'fast food' the enlightened omnivore way
This Mediterranean Salad is a classic horiatiki/Greek salad gone wild.....Greek feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, red or gold bell peppers, Italian parsley, red onion, and Kalamata* olives from your favorite small producer are supplemented with carrots, purple cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, romaine. and fresh flat leaf parsley, basil, and oregano ...most any vegetable can be added, this is what was on hand for this particular Mediterranean Salad.
Red onions and mushrooms may be marinated for an hour to mellow the onion.
To 3TB of Red Wine vinegar add 1tsp of honey, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 2 TB chopped fresh oregano, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 2 TB olive oil....add 3-4 sliced crimini mushrooms, and 1/4 thinly sliced red onion....allow to rest for one hour.
The marinade will be used as the dressing, and added to the final salad
Slice or chop tomatoes, cucumber, and vegetables available, toss with marinaded onions and mushrooms,
crumble in 2 oz of feta cheese, toss, and drizzle with marinade.
Serve with warm brown rice, pita bread or your favorite baguette
Salads are the time to be creative, go a little wild with your ingredient selection! No two salads should ever be exactly the same....
Just be sure to taste as you go along
serve with brown rice. shown: curry roasted cauliflower and ginger carrots
And the perfect use of all those yummy farmers market veggies broiled and roasted a few days ago..brushed with a little Balsamic vinegar and olive oil, placed under the broiler with a slice of provolone and served on a grilled La Boulangerie baguette
La Boulangerie's excellent breads are available at the Friday farmers market at the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Los Angeles
Cauliflower coated with curry and a splash of olive oil before roasting
The only thing better than this is the leftovers! Delicious salads and sandwiches are a promise when last nights roasted veggies are added to farmers market fresh mixed greens, or snuggled between slices of your favorite artisanal bread, such as or La Brea . Roasted veggies are one of those dishes that is even better the next day! Boulangerie
Pink lentils, shown above, cook in only 10 minutes, and are beautiful summer salad when gently tossed with nastursiams, marigolds and rose petals, and lightly dressed with a drizzle of hazelnut or almond oil and lemon juice
Lentils are an excellent source of protein, ultra easy to cook,
and are delicious warmed up and dressed with fresh herbs or curry,
or as a simple but perfect compliment to cooked whole grains such as brown rice...
..for the more carnivorous appetite serve lentils with grilled salmon or a broiled lamb kabob
Lentils come in a variety of colors and sizes,
they have an affinity for rice partly
due to the similar cooking times.
Shown here is a green unpeeled lentil available at
your local market with a cooking time of 30 minutes.
Herbs and spices to play up your lentils include, but are not limited to:
bay leaf, black pepper, black or green cardamom, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry pwder, fresh ginger, mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, and turmeric
Turtle beans, aka black beans are ultra easy, cooking in just 2-3 hours they are the perfect bean for Mexican inspired meals. Cook with one or two carrots, a little chopped onion and during the last hour of cooking add generous dash of cumin and sea salt. Serve hot with fresh salsa and a cooked whole grain (shown with brown Basmati rice ), and/or fresh hot corn tortillas with shredded cheese........black beans pair well with beef, pork or chicken
Herbs and spices for black beans: assorted frsh/dried or ground chile peppers, bay leaf, cilantro, coriander, cumin, epazote, garlic, ginger, oregano, parsley, savory, thyme
The mighty mung bean may not be pretty, but it's amazingly yummy and gentle to even the most
sensitive tummys.
Shown here are split mung beans cooked with curry.
Also available whole, these require a longer cooking time,
and the whole mung (or moong) bean
can also be sprouted for your next stir fry calling for bean sprouts.
Mung beans luv ginger, cumin, cilantro, and whole or ground coriander
btw: Mung beans are really a pea
Dried black eyed peas cook in 90 minutes with nothing more than a little sea salt.
Black eyed peas luv the following herbs and spices: bay leaf, cayenne, chile peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, and turmeric.
Cooked black eyed peas are delicious straight from the fridge topped with avocado and roasted tomato, as shown, or warm up the peas and serve with any whole grain. For the more carnivorous appetite, serve the peas as a side to meat, black eyed peas pair especially well with pork.
Why cook your own beans? Variety, flavor, choice of organic, much less sodium, and for some the number one reason, the dreaded 'gas'...home cooked beans are not nearly as gassy as store bought canned.
Cooked beans, peas and lentils can be stored 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Storage containers shown are heavy glass by Pyrex. Glass containers are superior to the various plastic containers available as you have no worries about chemicals from the plastic leaching into the food. Pyrex glass containers are also very convenient, going from refrigerator to the oven or microwave with equal ease.
A well made salad does not need the bottled, high in fat, calories, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and preservative loaded dressings from Kraft...this is a sample of ingredients for a fab salad, the only limit is your imagination. A thoughtful blend of crisp and soft, crunchy and creamy, dry and juicy, sweet and savory, bitter and sour, and gently held together with a splash of olive oil and a double splash of complimentary vinegar, makes store bought salad dressings completely unnecessary.
Using a colorful mix of raw, cooked, semi-cooked, and pickled veggies, fruits, cooked and/or sprouted grains, beans and/or peas, nuts, and cheese provides a an exciting, never boring way to eat fresh and healthy.
All of the above mentioned ingredients can be cleaned, chopped, sprouted, pickled and/or cooked two or three days ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. Ingredients may be used for a quick salad, heated and served with cooked whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, wheat berry, or barley, or add some of these fab, and prepared ahead ingredients to a simmering broth for an instant and delectable soup.
Composing a beautiful meal of the tastes your body is craving is ultra easy and delicious with a little advance preparation. This is one of the secrets of optimum health, having delicious and good for you options ready to go when hunger strikes.
Veggies from downtown Los Angeles 7th and Figueroa Farmers Market, every Thursday from 10-3
On the second day split and broil a french loaf with the ends removed, top with reheated ragu, a slice of provolone and/or mozzarella, place under broiler until cheese is melted.
All that fabulously fresh farmers market produce can be simply dressed in olive oil, whole garlic cloves, plenty of fresh herbs and roasted in a hot oven (450) for an awesome dinner tonight, and two or three more meals over the next several days.
After roasting, cool and refrigerate in sealed containers, ideally glass.
Roasted veggies turn simple mixed leaf lettuce in to a gourmet salad, sandwiched between artisan slices of bread with a few slices of chesses and grilled creates a superior hot sandwich, or gently rewarm the veggies and serve with a cooked whole grain such as kasha (buckwheat), brown rice or quinoa
Veggies shown here are from the 7th and Fig Farmers Market in downtown Los Angeles. Thursdays from 10-3
half a cup lentils, two cups of water, garlic, half a spanish onion, simmer 30 minutes, or until tender. Avoid boiling to retain lentils shape.
Cook 2 strips of tofu, pork or beef bacon (depending on your desired level of enlightenment ;0) until crisp, set aside.
Using same saute pan, sear one pound of scallops (in two batches-never crowd a pan!) in a teaspoon of butter...allow scallops to cook for one minute over medium to high heat, turn (only once to allow browning/carmelizing)) and cook additional one minute, remove from pan.
Toss a generous handfull of clean and dry baby spinach in to hot sautee pan, spinach will cook very rapidly, under one minute, remove spinach as soon as it wilts,
add one tablespoon apple cider vinagar to hot sautee pan, deglaze aprox one minute..
.place lentils and spinach on serving plate, sprinkle with chopped crisp bacon, top with seared scallops and drizzle with apple cider reduction....serve with lemon, and a nice salad
Whole fish is not only a better value, it's much easier to see the level of freshness in whole fish than in a small fillet. Whole fish shrinks less during cooking, and bones and trimmings are the beginning of an excellent fish stock.
All three of the fish shown are a mere $2.99 per pound at several of the markets in Chinatown.
Pictured: pacific sierra aka spanish mackerel, white bass, and red tilapia. Their small size insures minimal Mercury, and low environmental impact.
When fish is less than fresh look for "Frozen-at-Sea" (FAS) When thawed, sea-frozen fish are almost indistinguishable from fresh fish, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In reality FAS is almost always your safest choice. 'Fresh' may mean 5 or 6 six days on ice, and that is way less than fresh if not downright gross...
Seasonal greens, fresh dill, mint, flat leaf parsley, shaved walnuts, kidney beans, shredded red cabbage, shaved purple, orange, and gold carrots, marinated mushrooms and chopped purple onion, ....
A splash of olive oil, sea salt, and a generous splash of 30yr Sherry Vinegar.
delicious as a salad, or mix with warm brown rice or other grain for a complete meal. Top with grilled fish for a wilted green salad, and sophisticated presentation. Winter Raw Green mix is also a great bread or toast topping, add a little babaganoush or hummus and yumm!...
Eggplant and purple (red) onion may be grilled, broiled or oven roasted at 400 degrees, remove any charred skin, rough chop, add sea salt and coarse pepper.
Serve with a squeeze of Lemon, Meyers if possible
No need to add olive oil, who needs the extra calories?
Ready to eat as shown or mix in tahini, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice for a fresh and fab babaganoush.
Grill several eggplant, and other veggies, store in refrigerator for fast, and easy dinners for days. Brown rice is great made ahead, and the perfect accompaniment to grilled or roasted veggies
Originating in India, eggplant is a berry from the nightshade family, and has been on the menu longer than history has been written. Eggplant comes in a magical array of sizes and shapes, and colors from lavenders, purples and blues, to ivory, ecru and gold. And eggplant contains an equally powerful assortment of vitamins, nutrients including copper, potassium, manganese, and thiamine (vitamin B1). Eggplant is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and niacin.
Eggplant is high in fiber and its low soluble carbohydrate content make them a super food for diabetics.
Crimini mushrooms tossed in rosemary, thyme, garlic and a splash of olive oil...broil 5-7 minutes.
Broiled, herbed mushrooms have a special connection with brown rice, and you need little else for a delicious dinner. A few shavings of Parmesan may be added, and a tiny splash of Balsamic vinigar for something extra special.
Short grain brown rice simply steamed. Bring 4 cups of cold water to a boil, add a dash of sea salt and 2 cups brown rice, return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low simmer, cook 40 minutes, and no matter how tempted you may be, DO NOT remove the lid before 40 minutes, after 40min. remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes...and it will be perfection
Baby Bamboo...asparagus is at its best simply steamed, and this can be done in the microwave in 40 seconds, the microwave works remarkebly well for vegetables and even fish, but make sure you use absolutely no plastic, ever, in the microwave, only glass. A squeeze of meyer lemon makes it complete
Purple carrots poached in fresh ginger spiked orange juice. May be poached on the stove top or the microwave. Don't over cook, they should have a nice crunch, and yes, orange or gold carrots work equally well, as do beets.
Angou Pear, walnut, winter lettuce such as Mizuna, dried cherry, red wine vinegar macerated red onion, and Roquefort cheese combine for a heavenly salad that loves to be with brown rice
Om Minestrone soup changes with the season, this batch was a yummy mix of kale, crimini mushroom, shiitake mushroom, napa cabage, zucchini, carrot, cannaleni beans and leeks in a garlicy, basil scented broth, serve with fresh baked Om Focaccia and light salad.
Omnivores add Italian turkey sausage or traditional Italian sausage
Grilled Japanese eggplant on a bed of gingered black lentils. Dressed with thyme, lemon juice, walnut oil and chopped walnuts 
Black & Blue, Broiled Steak Salad 
Lobster, black quinoa, 
Black bean, avocado, 
Begin with chicken stock preferably fresh homemade, or if you are short on time use Swansons low sodium chicken broth. Heat chicken stock with minced fresh garlic, ginger and fresh chili pepper to taste.While stock is heating up prep your veggies. Shown is a simple mix of thinly sliced crimini and shiitake mushroom, carrot, fresh lotus root, fingerling potatoes, green onion and cilantro, and a couple of smallish lobster tails. Add spuds first, cook 5-6 minutes, add carrot, cook additional 2 minutes, add mushrooms, cook 2 minutes, add remaining ingredients cover and remove from heat. Finish soup with a splash of nam pla (fish sauce), and/or a little fresh lime juice.
Cauliflower coated with curry and a splash of olive oil before roasting
Pink lentils, shown above, cook in only 10 minutes, and are beautiful summer salad when gently tossed with nastursiams, marigolds and rose petals, and lightly dressed with a drizzle of hazelnut or almond oil and lemon juice 
Lentils come in a variety of colors and sizes,
Serve with polenta and a simple salad
All that fabulously fresh farmers market produce can be simply dressed in olive oil, whole garlic cloves, plenty of fresh herbs and roasted in a hot oven (450) for an awesome dinner tonight, and two or three more meals over the next several days.
delicious as a salad, or mix with warm brown rice or other grain for a complete meal. Top with grilled fish for a wilted green salad, and sophisticated presentation. Winter Raw Green mix is also a great bread or toast topping, add a little babaganoush or hummus and yumm!... 
