Apple, Cranberry and Thyme Pork Loin

Miso Glazed Broiled Swordfish

Classic Russian Beef Stroganov in Portobella

Chicken and Gruyere Sausage with Cider Glazed Greens

Stuffed Portobella and Zucchini

Portobella mushrooms are delectable and substantial single dish vegetarian meals when stuffed with nutty pesto sauteed tofu and topped with mozzarella and Parmagiano-Reggiano.  For the more carnivorous, sausage and onion with a fresh marinara, mozzarella and Parmagiano Reggiano

Lobster Bundles, Lunch Envy

A luscious lunch for the Atkins crowd....poached wild caught lobster*, Haas avocado, heirloom tomato, red onion bundles on a bed of Arugula, gold bell pepper and baby greens in a light drizzle of lemon, basil and mission olive oil

*Lobster...but it's so expensive! No, not if you watch for the sale, and due to the downturn in the economy lobster is frequently on sale.  Buy it frozen and vacuum seal for freezer storage of 2-3 months.

When in Doubt, Kabob It!

Italian sausage meatball, crimini mushroom, bell pepper and onion Kabob

Minced chicken and shrimp with ginger, garlic, thai basil and mushroom kabob

Classic beef kabob

Salad Season II

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 

Filet mignon, avocado, marinated red onion and mushroom, steamed purple potatoes, carrots, 

black lentils, blue cheese crumbles on a bed of mixed greens. 

Lightly dressed with a fresh herb (thyme, rosemary) and red wine vinaigrette 

Asian Flavored Lobster Soup in Under 20 min

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

Buffalo Cornish Hens

Cornish hens marinated in Franks hot sauce overnight and roasted at 500 for 15 minutes.

Quick Herb Rubbed Boneless Beef Top Loin Roast

A simple dry rub of fresh herbs... thyme, sage and rosemary, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and a splash of olive oil to hold it together, applied to roast 6 hours before roasting. Roast is removed from refrigeration 90 minutes before roasting, spuds, carrots and onions accompany the roast in a well preheated 450 oven for 15 minutes, temp is reduced to 350 for remaining cooking time of 30 minutes-ish...use your trusty meat thermometer for best results.
For more on roast beast technique click here

EZ Ahi Tuna Poki-tini

Dice sashimi grade Ahi, chop red or green onion, avocado, cilantro and tomatoes,
mince ginger, and garlic, combine in glass bowl and drizzle with soy or ponzu flavored soy sauce, and fresh lime juice.
....allow to marinate for 15 minutes before serving

Traditional Sunday Dinner, Roast Rib Of Beef

Roast Beast is simple, easy and absolutely delicious to any carnivore with these simple steps.

The most important step with any recipe or cooking instructions (or any instructions for that matter), is to read through them two or three times

Purchase USDA Prime if possible, found at your better meat markets such as Huntington Meat Market *(323- 938-5383),  
and if you have no other choice- Costco. 

 Much of the beef available at Huntington Meats is from Harris Ranch,

Buying from Dan and Jim at Huntington Meats gives you an excellent excuse to go to the Farmers Market

an authentic L.A. experience, this is the original farmers market started during the depression by two young, savvy guys trying to make a difference....and they did! Farmers markets can be found all over the U.S thanks to Roger Dahlhjelm and Fred Beck.

Or buy direct, the natural** healthier choice from the top chefs choice, Niman Ranch  or Snake River Farms.

Purchase USDA Choice if necessary, available at Ralph's or any good supermarket.
 Downtown Los Angeles Ralph's at 645 West 9th St,  has an excellent meat department, and this location also carries USDA Prime Beef. 

A full prime rib roast consists of 7 ribs, and will weigh an easy 15 pounds. 

We are using a two rib roast here weighing just over 4 pounds it will need a little less than one hour in the oven. 

Remove roast from refrigeration allow to come to room temperature, one hour per pound is about right.

pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven 450

....if you do not have an oven thermometer go get one now, available at any decent grocery store....

skip the convection oven, an old school oven is best and reduces the risk of drying out the roast.

Apply 2 TB of butter to cut ends of roast, and a dry rub of fresh thyme, rosemary, fresh cracked pepper, and possibly a few whole garlic cloves for the pan.  

What about the salt? No salt, none, skip the salt for a truly juicy roast.

Place roast in a heavy roasting pan fat side up, ribs down, the ribs will act as a natural rack.

Insert meat thermometer in thickest part of roast not touching bone.

Place roast in 450 preheated oven

 don't open the oven door or feel the need to mess with the roast, trust your (excellent, high quality) meat thermometer to let you know when it's done. Do Not rely on the timer, trust your thermometer, and only the thermometer.

Roast at 450 for 15 minutes, reduce to 350 for remaining roasting time.

1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the estimated cooking time begin checking the meat thermometer, quickly baste the roast with the pan drippings while you are in there.....

Cooking time: Allow 12 minutes per pound for rare,  15 minutes for medium,  

and well done roast beef should simply not be done. 

Prime meats cook slightly faster than choice

When thermometer reaches 120 it's done, remove roast from oven,

yes, I said remove from oven...take it out! I promise you the roast will continue to cook while out of the oven, ultimately reaching a temp of  about 130 resulting in a perfect rare to medium rare  roast beast. 

Carefully remove roast from roasting pan to a serving dish, cover loosely with tin foil and  allow to rest for 20 minutes or even an hour.                             
Allowing meat to rest after cooking is critical, this step  allows the meat to finish cooking and guarantees juicer meats as well as a insuring rested and relaxed chef..

*Dan Vance's Huntington Meats (butcher shop) on 3rd in Los Angeles is not to be confused with the Huntington Meats ( meat packers, processors) of Montebelo. 

Huntington Meat Packers of Montebello experienced a massive beef recall for E. coli at the beginning of the year. Contamination and the necessary recalls are becoming more, and more common with the massive, commercialized meat packing plants...

** all Natural:

• Humanely Raised on Sustainable U.S. Farms and Ranches
• Never Given Antibiotics - Ever
• Never Given Any Added Hormones - Ever
• Fed All Vegetarian Feeds

Roast Pork Loin with Blackberry Merlot Reduction

What could be simpler than a pork loin marinated overnight in Merlot spiked with rosemary and garlic, and roasted or grilled the next evening with a salad of Romaine, tomatoes, avocado, carrot, and a bit of blue cheese tossed together while it's cooking?

A fab dinner, and lunch the next day, for delicious and healthy weight loss.


Tasting is an absolute in cooking, and this combo demands it...Merlot does not always pair well with Bleu cheese, it really depends on the Merlot and the cheese...taste it!



Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, 
no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own (taste)reason 
and your own common  sense.   -Buddha



Pork loin from downtown Los Angeles Ralph's at 645 West 9th St.

Ceviche in NoHo

The foundation of any Ceviche is seafood, chilies, and citrus juice.

Lime, and lemon are the most commonly used citrus juice, but grapefruit juice, and bitter orange juice are also popular. Jalapenos, seranos or habenero chilies are the universal favorites. Tomatoes, mango, bell peppers, carrot, onion, garlic are all optional

Pictured: Baja Ceviche

Tilapia, squid, mussels, crab, scalop, tomato, red onion, lime, cilantro, jalapeno, habenero, and garlic....garnished with carrot and radish

Peking Style Roast Chicken

Lettuce Wrap

Beef, thai basil, shiitake mushroom, bean sprouts, minced garlic*, ginger, nam pla,
Shrimp, ground pork, cilantro, garlic, fresh grated ginger, lite soy sauce,

Firm tofu is an excellent stand in for animal protein

*Don't be shy with the garlic, and minced works best, garlic mashed into a paste will add an undesirable bitter quality

Sausage, Kale, Pistachio, Chicken Rollade with Raspberry Reduction

Sausage, Kale, Pistachio, Chicken Rollade with Raspberry Reduction

NY Strip Steak with Fresh Herb Rub

Is the Dalai Lama an Herbivore or an Omnivore?

Organic and hormone free is better if for no other reason than less cows equals less potential exposure to the dangerous pathogens that are so rampant in commercial beef plants, antibiotics are routinely, and at times continuously, administered in commercial feed lots.

organic and local provides superior flavor and food safety

The dalai Lama is a 'Harmonyivore', essentially... if you call that food, and are so gracious as to serve it to me, thank you, it's delicious!
The Dalai Lama does not make animals a part of his daily diet......and he does not trip out into a tirade at their presence at a meal.