Good Looking Home Cooking

Melissa's Kiwi Jam :)

2015-05-18T17:37:00.000-04:00

Missing my former co-worker - Melissa!

Recipe found here: http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/kiwi-daiquiri-jam

Modernist Food / Kitchen Debut / Pride Party ~ The Lovely & Talented Mathew Guiver

2013-07-09T01:23:00.001-04:00

My roommate, Mathew Guiver (@mathewguiver), has the skills of a professional chef, with the creativity of an artist and the cooking stamina of a Olympic Hurdler. For a recent party, he prepared an unbelievable menu for a very special Pre-Pink Kitchen Warming Party. Below is his blog post with photos of the food. I'm thrilled to have this be his debut on Good Looking Home Cooking and look forward to many more posts from him!

A few months ago, a new guy entered my life… (Don't worry though, I promise the romance in this story is focused on my passion for food). As luck would have it, he was finishing a kitchen remodel but openly admitted that he didn't plan on cooking in it very often. In discussing a party to celebrate the completion of his new kitchen, David asked if I would be interested in taking care of the food and libations. Obvi, I said yes, and immediately went into brainstorm mode.

While working on the menu, I saw the invite that was sent out to our guest list.

The lovely & talented Mathew Guiver? Me? Immediately I started getting texts about this invite. "This guy's really into you," "I want a man that calls me lovely & talented," etc.

Talk about pressure! Not only that, but this invite got sent to his close friends, and the party would be my introduction to a dozen or so important people in David's life.

Shit, I thought. I really have to deliver on an incredible menu. The concept I settled on was a day of food representing the four major meals, all of which had been deconstructed and rebuilt with modernist cooking techniques. Here's the menu I came up with (admittedly after two weeks of research and testing).

Breakfast:

Ice cream sandwiches made of bagel infused ice cream and cream cheese cookies, topped with freshly whipped cream

Lunch:

Reverse Caesar salad made of a Parmesan cracker topped with Caesar avocado spread, crouton crumbles, and romaine foam

Dinner:

Zucchini noodles with raw macadamia nut Alfredo on a pasta dough chip

Dessert:

Chocolate covered bacon banana bread balls and vodka marshmallows

Interested in learning how to recreate these dishes? You've come to the right place.

Breakfast

This was actually the first dish that came to me. As a dedicated Food Network fan I've watched pretty much every episode of shows like Chopped, Next Iron Chef, and Cupcake Wars. During an episode of Next Iron Chef a year or two back, chef Anne Falkner won a challenger with a dish that included toasted bagel ice cream, and I decided this was my opportunity to recreate it.

Ice cream recipe

I had to do a bit of testing to find a combination of ingredients that worked for my own ice cream. Additionally, after experimenting with different ways to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, David and I decided it was best to invest in one. We actually found a great machine for under $40 on Amazon, and I highly recommend buying one if you plan to make ice cream at home.

Ingredients:

3 poppy seed bagels

2 c heavy cream

3/4 c milk

3 Tbsp cream cheese

1/4 c buttermilk

1/4 c sour cream

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Set oven to broil.

2. Cut bagels in half, place on the top rack of your oven, and let them become blackened. You may want to open a window or turn on a fan, because you will need to go beyond toasted, and make sure the surface of each bagel is completely black.

3. Put bagels in large bowl, add cream and milk.

4. Use an immersion blender and work through the bagels. Make sure that there are no chunks of of toast and that you have a smooth, thick mixture.

5. Add cream cheese, buttermilk, and sour cream. Blend until smooth.

6. Finally, add your egg yolk, and vanilla. Blend once again, then cover, and place in the refrigerator for a few hours.

7. Pour the mixture into your chilled ice cream maker canister, and surround it with ice and rock salt.

8. Run your ice cream maker until your mixture has reached a creamy yet firm consistency. You'll be spreading this onto your cooled cookies to make the ice cream sandwiches so you don't necessarily want it to form a semi solid state.

Cream Cheese Cookies

I actually based my cookies on Ina Garten's Regelach recipe. I did make a few adjustments to increase the strength of the cream cheese flavor. Additionally, since I used the cookies for ice cream sandwiches I didn't over bake them. I wanted a soft chewy cookie, so I baked them at a low temperature and removed them before the bottoms had much color.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 packages of cream cheese (12 oz)

1 stick of butter

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

Directions:

1. Let your cream cheese and butter come to room temperature. Do not microwave them, it will run the dough.

2. Mix your butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.

3. Add sugar and cream. Then add salt and vanilla.

4. Slowly add flour until combined. Do not over mix.

5. Remove dough, and roll it into a ball on a floured surface.

6. Cover dough, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

7. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

8. Roll out dough on floured surface until about 1/4 an inch thick. Using a circle shaped cookie cutter (you could also use a cup, or the lid off a mason jar) cut out your cookies and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

9. Bake for 10 - 11 min, then let cool on a wire rack.

Final prep:

1. Make sure that your cookies have cooled before attempting to assemble your sandwiches.

2. Scoop about 3 Tbsp of ice cream onto a cookie. Place a second cookie on top and press down so ice cream spreads.

3. Freeze for a few hours, or overnight.

4. Just before serving, remove and let thaw for 10 minutes. Top with fresh whipped cream.

Lunch

It took me awhile to come up with the reverse Caesar salad cups. I knew I wanted to do something with a foam in order to show off some of my molecular cooking skills. I finally decided to do a lettuce foam, and from that came the thought of doing a Caesar salad but somehow deconstructed. When you bite into my reverse Caesar salad cups you get all of the flavors of a Caesar salad, but with none of the same textures.

Parmesan cups

Ingredients:

2 c shredded Parmesan cheese (do not use grated, it won't come out right)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut 3 inch by 3 inch squares of parchment paper.

3. Place paper squares on a baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese onto paper, and form a circle shape.

4. Bake for a few minutes, until cheese starts to brown.

5. Remove from oven, and immediately invert each piece of paper (with Parmesan circles) over a shot glass. This will create the 3 dimensional cup shape. Now, you could go with a flat Parmesan cracker, and it won't involve risking any burns to your fingers. However, I really like the look of the cups over the flat crackers.

Caesar Avocado Spread

To create my Caesar spread, I borrowed from Lauren's Latest and just made a few modifications.

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lemon

3/4 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 c shredded Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until smooth.

2. Taste, and season or add additional oil to reach desired taste and consistency.

Crouton Crumbles

I love making croutons, but had to test a few different types of bread to decide which to use with my reverse Caesar salad cups. I decided to go with hot dog buns, as the crust to bread ratio gave me a crumble with the color I was looking for.

Ingredients:

3 hot dog buns

1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Rip up your hot dog buns a few times, then let them sit uncovered for six to ten hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Using your hands and a fork, work through the bread pieces until you have reached a crumb like consistency.

4. Place bread crumbs on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with garlic powder, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Romaine Foam

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce

1 - 2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp soy lecithin powder or granules

Directions:

1. Rip up romaine lettuce into a blender.

2. Add water, and blend until smooth.

3. Strain mixture using a sieve or cheesecloth.

4. Let cool in refrigerator for at least an hour.

5. Add soy lecithin and use an immersion blender to work a foam. The foam will only form on the surface of the mixture so you will need to scoop it off the top in order to continue foaming.

Final Prep:

OK, I'm not going to lie… The romaine foam is a pain in the ass, but it's a pretty awesome technique that most people wouldn't expect at home. It's very sensitive, and will lose all of it's volume if you handle it too much. You'll essentially need to assemble all of your Caesar cups, then foam and top each one and serve IMMEDIATELY.

To assemble the cups, place them on a serving dish, then pipe a layer of avocado dressing that coats the bottom. Sprinkle your crumbs, then top with fresh romaine foam.

Dinner

I really enjoy homemade pasta. It can be a bit of work, but is well worth it in my opinion. There are essentially only 3 ingredients in pasta: flour, salt, and eggs.

I definitely wanted to make a homemade pasta dough, but decided to do something different with it. I came across this article on heo yeah yum, and it inspired me to create pasta dough crackers.

But pasta crackers wouldn't be enough. I was already going all out with this meal, and wasn't going to stop now. My mother always told me that "anything worth doing is worth doing well," and it's a saying that has always stuck with me. I usually go quite overboard, but that’s a whole other story.

A few years ago I became a bit fascinated with raw food preparation, and actually did a few raw vegan cleanses, one of which lasted about six months. I definitely recommend eating more raw dishes, and if anyone is looking for a cleanse that won't leave you hungry, then raw vegan is the way to go! One of my favorite raw fishes was a zucchini pasta with a macadamia nut Alfredo, so I decided to use both elements to top my pasta crackers.

Pasta Crackers

Ingredients:

2 c and 1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 c semolina flour

4 eggs

Olive oil

Sea salt

Directions:

1. Mix all purpose and semolina flour, and form a well in the middle.

2. Crack 3 of your 4 eggs individually into a cup or mug, then transfer one at a time to the mound in your flour mixture. Never crack eggs directly into the well of your flour. Pieces of cracked shell are near impossible to locate and remove.

3. Mix eggs with a fork, and gradually work in the flour mixture.

4. Once combined, knead for 5 to 6 minutes.

5. Wrap with saran wrap, and let sit at room temperature for an hour.

6. Roll out pasta dough (1/4 at a time) until it is less than 1/8 of an inch thick.

5. Brush half of the surface lightly with olive oil. Fold in half, then continue rolling until the dough is once again less than 1/8 of an inch thick.

6. Cut 2 inch by 1 inch rectangles, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

7. Turn oven on, and set to broil.

8. Combine the yolk of your remaining egg with a splash of water, mix with a fork, then brush the surface of your crackers with the egg wash.

9. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

10. Place in top rack, and let cook for a couple of minutes. These won't take long, and I highly recommend turning the oven light on, and watching while they bake. It only takes a second for them to go from brown and delicious to burnt.

11. Once the surface has browned, remove from oven, flip, and return for another minute or so.

Raw Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1 c raw macadamia nuts

1/4 c pine nuts

1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp water

1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Break up macadamia nuts into piece, place them in a jar or Tupperware container, fill with water, and let set overnight at room temperature.

2. Strain macadamia nuts and rinse.

3. Place soaked macadamia nuts, and all additional ingredients in a heavy duty blender.

4. Blend until smooth, while testing for consistency and flavor. You may wish to add additional water or oil depending on your climate.

Raw Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:

Zucchinis

Directions:

1. Peel zucchinis.

2. Using a cheese grater, grate the zucchinis while holding them lengthwise in order to get a long faux pasta.

Final prep:

The final prep for this dish is actually pretty easy. Once cooled, take a pasta cracker, spread about 2 tbsp of raw Alfredo, then top with zucchini noodles, and a couple of pine nuts.

Dessert

I'd been wanting to test this recipe for homemade “adult” marshmallows for a while now. I can't take credit for the ingredient list or directions, but I can tell you they were delicious! I did substitute marshmallow flavored Smirnoff vodka for the liqueur, hoping it would increase the marshmallowness. Also, I would advise to use plenty of corn starch when handling the marshmallows, as they are quite sticky.

A few weeks ago David had asked me to pick up a slice of banana bread when I got us breakfast from a nearby coffee shop, so I definitely wanted to do something with banana bread. “But how can I make it more modern?” I asked myself. With a few minutes two words struck me, "bacon," and "balls."

Chocolate Covered Bacon Banana Bread Balls

Personally, I'm a vegetarian. I don't mind cooking occasionally with non vegetarian ingredients though, and though an infusion of bacon flavor could really set this dish apart. I didn't want to overdo it with the bacon though, so I simply rendered the fat from a package of bacon and used it instead of butter in a banana bread recipe.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 ripe bananas

1/3 c bacon fat

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

4 Tbsp cream cheese

10 oz bag Ghiradelli Bittersweet 60% Cacao baking chips

1 Tbsp shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 4 inch by 8 inch loaf pan.

2. Mash bananas in bowl with a fork until smooth.

3. Mix in bacon fat, then sugar, egg, and vanilla.

4. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture, and blend.

5. Slowly add flour, and mix until just combined.

6. Pour mixture into pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Since you will be using this bread for your balls, you don't want to bake the loaf until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove your loaf when the toothpick comes out with just a bit of residue.

7. Let loaf cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until cool all the way through.

8. Crumble loaf into a bowl using your hands. Add cream cheese, and work the mixture until it is smooth but chunky.

9. Roll about 3 Tbsp at a time into balls. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

10. Pour baking chips into glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then mix. Repeat this process 4 or 5 times until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Mix in shortening.

11. Dip balls one at a time into chocolate mixture, then return to parchment paper lined baking sheet and let cool in the refrigerator.

Final Notes

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my culinary adventure! I know, the recipes may seem daunting, but they were actually pretty easy. I spent weeks testing and modifying each recipe so that you won't have to, and I can promise they are all delicious (although I didn’t try the banana balls, rest assured all of the non vegetarian party goers loved them).

If you don't intend to recreate any of these dishes, then at the very least, I hope my post has inspired you to think a bit more creatively about food!

Roasted Eggplant Muffuletta

2013-07-08T00:48:00.000-04:00

After a trip to New Orleans I tasted a muffuletta sandwich for the first time and it completely changed the order of my favorite sandwiches. It traditionally has a lot of meat so I searched for a way to get the same tasty and filling flavors without the meat. I came across a recipe that has been modified below and on a recent summer evening I made these sandwiches for an impromptu picnic on the water.

Roasted Eggplant & Spinach Muffuletta

(Adapted from the recipe in the book Veganomicon)

Ingredients:

Olive Relish:

1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional - I just had this in my cupboard and used it!)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Muffuletta

1 medium size eggplant
Olive oil
1 handful of fresh basil
Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
2 large fresh tomatoes, sliced
1 round peasant style loaf or sandwich buns (recommend sourdough or dense whole wheat)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet. (I use coconut oil for this)

2. Cut the eggplant width wise into thick slices. Rub the slices with kosher salt and allow to drain in a colander for half an hour or so.

3. While the eggplants are draining make the olive relish. Place the olives, parsley, garlic and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor, pulse it as you slowly add in the olive oil. I prefer my relish clumpy so I just pulse it to get it evenly chopped.

4. Rinse the salted slices with cold water, drizzle them with olive oil and lay on the greased baking sheet. Roast for 20ish minutes, flipping once, until the slices are brown and tender.

5. Cut the loaf in half and dig out some of the bread insides to make room for all the delicious ingredients! (You can use the bread insides to make bread crumbs or just as a munching snack)

6. Spread the olive relish very thickly on either side of the bread. This is crucial and you want to make sure to get a lot of the relish juices on the bread. If the relish looks dry, drizzle on a little more olive oil.

7. Layer the bottom with roasted eggplant on the bottom layer, followed by the mozzarella, tomato slices and basil. Place the top loaf on and press down firmly. The thicker the bread, the more you should press down. Wrap in foil or a zip lock bag and for maximum flavor sensations, refrigerate for a few hours (or over night!) with a few heavy items placed on top of the sandwiches. Enjoy :)

Italian Feast For 50

2013-06-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

There is a LOT of catching up I need to do....For starters, I recently turned 26 and made a giant vegetarian feast for my close friends but it didn't seem right to publish that post without paying tribute to my 25th rotation around the sun when I had a big, fat, Italian-style birthday party. I created a menu weeks in advance and started prepping over 7 days out. It was the largest cooking prodcution I've ever done and required extensive advance planning. I had about 45 RSVP's but I really struggle with knowing how much food to prepare for large groups and I never want people to leave hungry. So I probably cooked enough for 80-100 people. We had leftovers for a solid week following my birthday. I invited people over just to help eat the leftovers!

Mini asparagus and mushroom frittatas.

My Grandma's beautiful Native American painting with a table full of

homemade bread and local cheese.

Antipasta California style: Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and avocado.

Faro salad with marinated peppers and zucchini.

The display.

Marinated & roasted eggplant salad with olives, bread chunks and pecorino cheese.

Marinated roasted mushrooms

Green bean salad with roasted walnuts

Josh Tal enjoying (I hope!)

Meat tray

Dessert buffet! Desserts provided by Erica, Bernardo, Nichole and my Mom :)

Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

2012-08-30T01:35:00.000-04:00

For my Mom's birthday we had seared Halibut with shiitake mushrooms for the main course. I've been trying to eat a lot of mushrooms lately as I have this strange feeling that mushrooms, onions and garlic are all super foods for our brains. It's a combination of them being here on earth for so long, plus their many layers, and for mushrooms their ability to communicate through microscopic roots miles away. There is a special feeling I get when I eat fresh organic, hearty mushrooms. This shiitakes I picked up at the Friday, Heart of the City Farmer's Market. I recommend serving this with salad and a hearty rustic bread or over a bead of quinoa. White wine and some Carlos Santana.

Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 fillet of Halibut

1 lemon, zest & juice

1 tablespoon of capers

1 pint of shiitake mushrooms

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat

2. Sprinkle the halibut with salt and ground pepper on each side. Squeeze the lemon juice on it.

3. Sear the halibut in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side. The halibut should turn white the whole way through and have a nice golden hue on the top and bottom. Remove the halibut from the pan and put on a plate. Do not overcook as it will become too dry.

4. Add the mushrooms to the pan, drizzle a little more olive oil on them. Sprinkle the lemon zest and capers, salt and pepper on the mushrooms. Add a little more olive oil if you want.

5. For presentation I cut shallow wells in the halibut and stuffed the shiitake mushrooms into it.

Enjoy!

Indian Pizza in Bernal Heights

2012-08-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Pooh & Josh (two totally rad new friends) had been talking about this Indian pizza place, Zante, right next to their home since I met them. We had it delivered to their home one night and it was delicious! I used to make a variation of Indian pizza back in NYC - but this place has it down pat, I much prefer their vegetarian version. The box isn't lying - this is the best Indian Pizza (Not sure if there is much 'Indian Pizza' competition in San Fran, but whatever). I have yet to try their other foods -but if their pizza is any representation, I will need to try everything they have!

The pizza is topped with spinach, eggplant, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, green onions and cilantro. You can taste the cumin and Indian spices on the roasted vegetables. This pizza is perfect with a beer and....they deliver! Cheers for minimal moving.

Zante Pizza
3489 Mission Street
415-821-3949

Ricotta Strawberry Spread

2012-08-28T00:56:00.000-04:00

Whenever I am preparing a nice meal, I like to have something for folks to nosh on...because I'm almost always later than expected with serving up a meal. At a recent pot-luck meet up a guy brought this delicious salad that was just ricotta cheese with sliced strawberries. Strawberries are in season now and absolutely delicious! I served it with these yummy whole grain flax seed crackers. This salad is super easy to make, looks pretty and always impresses people because few actually expect this as an appetizer. It's perfect with a glass of white wine. I made this as something for my mom and I as I was making her birthday dinner. It was the perfect snack. The strawberries I picked up at the farmer's market. California has amazing strawberries!

Ricotta Strawberry Spread

Fresh ricotta cheese

Strawberries, quartered

Mix the two in a bowl. Serve alone or with crackers.

Variations: If you want to get really fancy you can drizzle on a little lemon olive oil or honey.

With homemade crackers

Summer Arugula Salad

2012-08-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

For my Mom's 60th birthday I wanted to make a special dinner at home. The menu included a ricotta strawberry dip, summer arugula salad, roasted summer squash with bacon in pasta, seared halibut with lemon, capers and Shiitake mushrooms and a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. My mom told me one of her favorite salads is arugula, fennel and Parmesan. I made a slightly modified Birthday version of this to showcase some of the fabulous produce in season. The Friday, Heart of the City Farmer's Market just opened and is wonderful. The prices are loads better than the Saturday Ferry Building Farmer's market. I picked up these delicious peaches that tasted like mangoes! This salad is light and delicious and packs well for parties. Be sure to choose peaches that are a little on the firmer side so they hold well in the salad.

Summer Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

Arugula

Firm yellow peaches

Walnuts

Fennel bulbs

Shaved Parmesan

Balsamic dressing:

- olive oil

- balsamic vinegar

- honey

- lemon juice

- mustard

- red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Slice the peaches into evenly sized cubes.

2. Toast the walnuts for 5-7 minutes

3. Slice the fennel bulbs into thin even slices

4. Toss the arugula, fennel and peaches. Sprinkle on the toasted walnuts and shaved Parmesan.

5. Make the dressing by adding the ingredients in order from most used to least used. Shake the dressing and taste to see what you should adjust. I usually allow people to dress their own salads since everyone has a different dressing preference.

Left to Right: Jessica & Mary Farman, MOM, me, Nadine Farman

Cake Delivery from San Francisco Baking Institute

2012-08-27T00:32:00.000-04:00

My roommate Nichole met Rachel, above, during a week long bread baking course at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Rachael was in the 18 week world-renowned baking program. She hails from a family run bakery in Anchorage, Alaska - Fire Island Rustic Bake Shop. Rachel was baking goodies 5 days a week while in the program and delivered multiple cakes to us on a regular occasion. It was like a reality show where we tried to eat as much as possible. All these cakes are made by Rachel, a professional baker, and were delivered to our home! Every week in the program they focus on a different area.

The cakes below are from Mouse Week.

Opera Cake

Rachel at the bottom of our stairs, brining up three cakes!

It's like being a kid at your birthday when she opens the box to unveil some incredible dessert.

Chocolate Rum Mouse Cake

Cherry Liquor Chocolate Mouse Layer Cake

Pineapple Moose Cake - my favorite!

Rachael put in a real pineapple stem up top for the effect and caramelized the mallow topping. The inside looks like this:

Delicious sponge cake rolled around homemade pineapple jam with dried pineapples. Divine!

Cake delivery on our counter

This was incredible. Dense, not too sweet, powerful delicious chocolate.

Rachel's macarons

The inside of a perfect raspberry macaron.

Her first shot at a wedding cake! And the flowers are edible. It's absolutely perfect.

Just dropping off a wedding cake in the middle of the week - NBD.

Gorgeous floral detail by Rachel....

Too pretty to eat.

Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop
On the corner of 14th & G
1343 G Street
Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Strawberry Picking, Eatwell Farm, Dehydrated Strawberries

2012-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

We belong to Eatwell's CSA and we were pretty excited to receive info on Eatwell's Strawberry Days! My good friends Hannah, Isy & Emma joined Nichole & I for a day of strawberry picking in the sun. Eatwell has two large strawberry crops, one was smaller strawberries from last year's crop and the other was larger, brighter strawberries from this year's crop. We nearly filled our baskets on the new strawberries before walking across the field to the small strawberries where we quickly discovered that the small strawberries from the previous year were much sweeter and juicer! Almost as though the strawberry flavor was more concentrated in the smaller berry, so we double stocked up! We froze some, made some strawberries pies, and dehydrated a bunch which were delicious!

Isy

Nichole

2 legged strawberry

Isy & Emma

A nice poem about friendship at a thrift store in downtown Petaluma:

It says: "Friendship is the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with the person having neither to weigh thought nor measure words, but pouring all right out just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful friendly hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of comfort, blow the rest away"

With all the strawberries we froze some, made some mini strawberry mint pies (above) and dehydrated a whole of strawberries (below).

Dehydrated Strawberries
Slice the strawberries as evenly as you can, and place on the dehydrator. Let it be for 6-8 hours at 135 degrees. Store them in an airtight container and ~~try to not eat them all at once.~~ enjoy as you wish!

Go pick your berries with your friends and be fearless...

Late Night Milk & Cookies in San Francisco & NYC

2012-08-21T01:07:00.000-04:00

It's always a nice surprise when your out and about and you stumble upon a place serving late night milk and cookies. Let's be real - it doesn't matter how old you are, everyone gets excited over milk and cookies doesn't matter what time it is. Over at Buckshot in the inner Richmond of San Francisco on a Tuesday night with my girls and we decided it was the perfect hour for milk and cookies which were heated up on a frying pan and served with those old school mini cartons that bring back fond memories of elementary school lunches....

Mmmm....mmmmm

On a recent trip to NYC I came across a new bakery in Hell's Kitchen with late hours called Schmackary's where I stopped for milk and cookies. While Buckshot (above) had one choice of cookie and milk (makes sense because first and foremost is a bar and game room) Schmackery's had several unique flavors of cookies such as the 'Deep Dish Banana Peanut Butter Cookie' (below).

or the maple bacon cookies...

While the banana peanut butter deep dish cookie was tasty and I finished it with my milk, I prefer the simple, standard chocolate chip cookie on a frying pan from Buckshot's in San Francisco. In a silly way, it's a little like a metaphor for life. You can go all over the place and have these fancy experiences and try unique flavors of life, but at the end of it all, when you listen to your heart you really enjoy the good'ol simple stuff like the classic choc chip cookie at a bar with a carton of milk.
Cookies & Milk in San Francisco? Buckshot 3848 Geary Boulevard
New York? Schmackery's at 362 West 45th Street

BISON MEATBALL SUB SALE

2012-08-19T20:07:00.002-04:00

Pastured raised bison turned into meatballs with almond flour, onions, olive oil, garlic a ton of herbs and a lot of hands on word. Delicious homemade sourdough bread rolls made by my roommate Nichole. A very slow tomato sauce with garlic and basil and fresh plum tomatoes and viola! Plate after plate after plate of the subs above quite honestly made with our blood, sweat and tears....we made approximately 100.
Nichole and I made a few rookie mistakes preparing for our Bison Meatball Stoop Sub Sale such as not starting the prep until 10:00 pm the evening prior! Our sub sale was on a Sunday starting at 11:00 am as folks started heading to the Giant's game. On Saturday we had decided to go strawberry picking, then out for dinner in Petaluma - so we came home late and amped up. However we were up making meatballs, sauce, rolls, and paper baskets until 4:00 AM! It felt a little like we were on an episode of 'Restaurant Impossible' except with much less of a pay out...That said, the experience was fun and definitely interesting! At about 7:00 am the day of, I went out to put up some gorilla marketing signs on the posts around the Giant's stadium:

To no one's surprise, Nichole's bread rolls were delicious and each one perfect looking. At first we had left the bread out too long to rise and so it was too soft to form into rolls. Nichole came in for emergency repair and combined the overly soft dough with some new dough. Here is a pic of the ever-expanding dough taking over our kitchen

After some worry and even talk about running to Safeway to buy bread rolls (gasp!) we had a tray ready to go into the over around 1:00am and as we're putting them in the oven - we drop the tray and the rolls get stuck on the bottom of the oven! Nichole comes to the rescue again. Dough rolls are brought back to life and go in the oven looking like this...

and come out looking gorgeous like this!

For the meatballs, I purchased 12 pounds of bison striploin cut from Rocky Mountain Natural Meats which is located in Denver, CO. Pre-grinder...

post-grinder...

Raw rolled meatballs...

...fried with a little olive oil

This is how our set up looked...we had an old bedside table with a picnic table cover, a couple plates of the bison meatball sub, a tip jar that said 'Tips for Chicks', a plate of homemade mini strawberry mint pies, and our super cool chalkboard with our menu/ingredients.

Our first customer! A Giant's fan / U.S. Marine named Tay...

In summary, we made enough to sell about 100. We sold about 50, broke even on costs, had 50 meatball subs leftover but were too exhausted to stay awake and try to sell the remainder. The subs were delicious, we ate them for a solid few weeks after, they freeze remarkably - but I had enough bison for 2012. We were a little unsure of selling from our stoop, I think our location could have been better but we didn't want to piss of any of the nearby restaurants/food trucks, since this was under the radar. Would I do it again? Yes, but only if the whole day before I did everything so I could get to sleep before 4:00am. When I look at the pictures now, I think I'm ready to eat some bison once again :)

Looks like a hurricane went through our kitchen huh? I'd say that's an accurate metaphor.

There is always that one lingering customer....

Homemade Bison Meatball Subs on Freshly Baked Bread - For sale from our stoop on Sunday!

2012-05-04T12:56:00.003-04:00

This Sunday, May 6th my partner in crime, Nichole, (master breadmaker), and I are joining forces yet again and selling BISON MEATBALL SUBS FROM OUR STOOP (557 2nd street between Brannan and Bryant).

We'd LOVE & APPRECIATE your support in helping us spread the word! We guarantee a delicious experience. Here are some easy ways you can help out:

TWEET OUR SUB SALE: Follow @GoodCookingSF and tweet about our sunday sub sale! Here are some sample tweets that are <140

Can I buy you a bison meatball sub on fresh baked bread before the Sunday Giants game? #bestpickupline @goodcookingSF
Looking forward to meatball subs w/ artisan bread on Sun! see u on 2nd st btw brannan & bryant at 11! Go Giants! @GoodCookingSF
Bison meatballs on fresh roll with homemade sauce for 6$? #bisonheaven @goodcookingSF premiering sun at 11, 2nd st/brannan

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: Like Good Looking Home Cooking on Facebook and share our Bison Sub Sale on your page!
BE LOUD: Tell your friends, parents, one-night-stands! Especially tell people who are going to the Giants game - they will be able to take our subs into the game! Just don't tell any po-pos because we are doing this under the radar (#thisisnotlegal)

Some fun facts about our meatball subs:

1) Most meatballs have a ratio of 1:1 meat to breadcrumbs our bison meatballs are 4:1 meat to almond meal. This is the real deal.

2) Our bread is tried and tested, Nichole was test making bread all week and has found the perfect roll. Also, she was recently accepted to the 18 week program at the San Francisco Culinary Institute!

3) Our meatballs are paleo & gluten free.

4) We are serving the subs in home made origami trays from recycled magazines. Nichole is super creative.

5) Our bison is Great Range Bison

6) Our sauce is slow cooked made with 2 different types of tomatoes and 20 cloves of garlic.

7) Bison is better for you than any other meat, check out these nutritional facts

Dehydrator Diaries: Kale Chips with Garlic

2012-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Red counters make everything look good.....It's been a while since I've brought out my dehydrator. I sort of feel bad for it - it's large and clunky and sitting in a bag and get so little love! I will change though and start making more kale chips or whatever chips. I made these for a little family gathering and they were gone in minutes. These are addicting and even more so because you know they are super healthy! Krack Kale Chips? Kidding. This was actually my second attempt at kale chips, the first time I lost track of time and over dehydrated them (I'm so neglectful to this dehydrator!) There is just one secret to this recipe, other than not over-dehydrating it, you have to massage the kale. A little something I learned from my buddy Sean, massaging kale makes it more accessible and tenderizes the kale. So set the mood, dim the lights and put on a slinky dress and massage your kale with your best olive oil like your about to ask it for a favor ;)

Kale Chips

Ingredients:
2 bunches of kale
Olive oil
Himalayan pink salt
Garlic powder

Directions:
1. Wash the kale, dry it, drizzle it with olive oil and massage it for 10 minutes
2. Sprinkle it with salt and garlic powder and toss in the bowl to evenly coat
3. Place in the dehydrator at 135 for 1-2 hours. Check for your desired crispiness.

Mallika's Chicken Pot Pie

2012-05-01T01:15:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty lucky in life with getting roommates who make our kitchen smell mouth-watering good! Starting with Celadon in NYC making her Bacon and Gruyere Quiche, and now in San Francisco with Nichole's increasingly impressive and delicious Mad Dough bread baking and on a recent rainy Saturday our kitchen was filled with the amazing comforting smells of my roommate Mallika's chicken pot pie. 2 Pies! This is some fine comfort food! The crust was perfect and the insides were warm and hearty.

Mallika's Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated pie crust
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 chicken broth
1/2 cup low fat milk
2 1/2 cups diced chicken breast
1 cup mushrooms
2 cups peas

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3. Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Source: My Favorite Vegetarian Restaurant

2012-04-30T00:36:00.000-04:00

I was at my friend, Nick's, house when his roommate came home with some leftovers from her new waitressing job at Source. We dove into her Grilled Moo Skewers and they were the best vegetarian mock meat skewers I've ever had! She gave me her 'studying' menu which I took home and studied until I finally made it to the restaurant. Source is a 5 min bike ride from my house, I've been three times, each time with a group ordering different items and it is by far one of my favorite restaurants in the city, if not the Bay Area. It's a vegetarian restaurant that is vegan friendly. I'm an omnivore, but I really appreciate a vegetarian restaurant that celebrates the variety and versatility of vegetables, nuts and seeds. The ambiance is peaceful, communal and comforting and the restaurant was actually designed with the ancient principals of metaphysics and and energy in mind! Pictured above is the 'Live Platter' which includes hemp tabouli, marinated mushrooms, their version of a green goddess salad, cesar salad, lettuce tacos and living chips. Their green goddess salad is dino kale, carrot, sesame seeds and a cashew based green goddess dressing. Simply delicious.

Below we have the 'Chili Cluck Pie' which includes house made mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, sriracha sauce, truffle oil and a balsamic glaze. Source also has a brick oven, so all the pizzas and breads have that extra perfect crust.

Source has daily specials and last time I went they had this 'Wilted Kale Salad' which was DELICIOUS. Similar to their green goddess salad but a balsamic based dressing and topped with half an avocado. You could tell this kale had been massaged and well loved.

'Peking Quack Spring Rolls' served with plum sauce.

'Spicy Buffalo Bytes' with slaw and vegan ranch dressing

Here we have the 'Dan Dan': mixed veggies and tofu over rice noodles, with a sweet almond, sesame, ginger soy sauce.

Another one of Source's daily specials that includes perfectly stir fried mushrooms, vegetables in a light sauce all served in a sort of baked cracker bowl with a bed of lettuce.

A Source 'Burger' made with beets, celery, carrots, lentils, mushrooms, brown rice, fresh herbs, soy protein, garlic and onion served in a pita with fries.

And now for dessert:

Living Mousse Parfait made with chocolate cashew creme, with caramel, cacao nibs and brownie bites

Live Brownie Bites covered with cacao nibs

Cookie Sandwich

SOURCE - Organic Vegan/Vegetarian International Cuisine

11 Division Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

415-864-9000

Food for Your Soul ~ Rhymefest with Citizen Cope

2012-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

...there is so much more underneath the armor. How are we still engaged in war? Life is so fleeting and short and we all the same exact thing: peace, safety, happiness. It's only in the last few decades that we've become overworked, overpaid, and lost track of our priorities. We've compromised our family & health for materials items, power, and meaningless labels. How did this happen so quickly? Why did this happen? People and society created this thinking it would make us happier. Maybe it was just an experiment - but now it is a paradigm we accept. We are people too - so we can change this. Put our world back on track and help our fellow beings that we, ignore...

Why do we every day put the things that matter most at the expense of things that matter least? Are we all so scared of falling off track - losing our grounding? Where has the strength of the community gone? Why are so many people left on the streets, unsupported, and dying slowly in the cold - ignored. So often I wish our eyes could see deeper than the surface. If we can activate our minds, occupy our hearts, we can see deeper. On the surface we see a poor person on the streets, we see someone who has 'slipped through the cracks', we see someone stealing, fighting, struggling - but if we can activate our hearts and mind we can see so much more! We can see truth and hope and let this be our inspiration to inspire change. We don't have to accept anything...

Apple Crumble (Paleo & Gluten Free) with Scream Sorbet

2012-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

As the finishing touch to a paleo feast, I made an apple crumble sin flour and milk. Served with Scream Sorbet out of the East Bay which is sold from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on Saturdays. I had the pleasure of meeting Sierra who was working the Scream Sorbet stand. Sierra is full of life and knowledge about Scream Sorbet's process and ingredients. They usually have 4 - 6 flavors available for sampling and purchasing and I believe it changes week to week. For this I used their 'Saffron Almond' flavor which was divine. The ingredients are on the carton and include nothing more than water, Kashiwasi Farms blanched almonds, sugar, sea salt and saffron.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
6 large apples, peeled and sliced. I recommend the Pink Lady apples for crumbles
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Raw honey
Cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place apple slices in a glass baking dish. Drizzle the honey on the apple slices
2. Mix the almond flour, egg, coconut oil and cinnamon in a bowl until you have a 'crumbly' consistency
3. Add the topping to the apples. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the crust is golden.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving with Scream Sorbet. Enjoy!

'Spaghetti' Squash & Bison Meatballs (Paleo)

2012-04-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Bison is by far my favorite meat. I debuted by love for bison on GLHC with my bison stuffed squash. I've never been a huge meatball fan - mostly because I never felt that great after eating meatballs however with bison, it's completely different. As with all meatballs, you can experiment and make them slightly different every time. For a recent paleo feast, I made these meatballs as the main course with a homemade tomato sauce. Instead of spaghetti, I used 'Spaghetti' Squash. It's the end of the season so I literally bought the only ones available! I'd never cooked this type of squash but was delighted on it's much healthier and equally tasty substitution for spaghetti. I was certain I would cut off my hand as I was trying to cut open this squash. I had to put all my weight on the knife to open the squash so be careful when doing this at home. Disclosure: I'm also accident prone - this may not be an issue for most folks :)
This meal can be made in advance and heated up. The meatballs are addicting and taste DELICIOUS the next day on sandwich bread or even cold. The longer and slower you cook the tomato sauce, the more enhanced the flavor will be and the thicker the texture. So, in true Italian style - cook this meal slowly with love, music and glass of wine.

'Spaghetti' Squash & Bison Meatballs
Makes enough for 10-12
A meal planning tip: Start with baking the squash. While squash is in the oven start the sauce then the meatballs.

Ingredients:
2-3 large 'Spaghetti' Squash

For Meatballs:
4 lbs ground bison
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 eggs
1 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons fresh herbs
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
4 tablespoons ghee

For Sauce:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, crushed
2 28 ounce cans plum tomatoes
1 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 small cans of tomato paste
2 bunches of Italian parsley, chopped
2 chili peppers, chopped

Directions:
For Spaghetti:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half. Place cut size down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until it is easily pierced with a knife.
2. Scrape the spaghetti out of the squash shell and set aside into a bowl.

For Meatballs:
1. Saute the onion, garlic with 3-4 tablespoons of ghee until the onions are translucent. Allow the onions to cool.
2. In a bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs. Whisk in the almond meal and herbs. Add in the bison and mix until everything is incorporated. The best tools for this are your hands.
3. Roll the bison meat into small balls. Saute on a pan (LOW & SLOW) with a bit of olive oil. The bison meatballs don't take much time and you want them to maintain their moisture so be sure the heat is set to low. They should be golden brown. They will produce their own natural oils which make for a fantastic base for sauteing vegetables. Set aside on a platter while you finish the meatballs.

For the sauce:
1. Heat live oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic until soft.
2. Add in the pureed tomatoes with juices, crushed tomatoes, parsley, and peppers. Bring the mixture to a boil. Season with salt and pepper
3. Reduce the heat and cook until it is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook for 20 minutes.

Enjoy with a nice big salad and a glass of wine :)

Lemon Walnut Parsley Pesto

2012-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

I was recently given the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and have loved learning all the health benefits to various foods. When I made the flax and almond paleo bread, I wanted a pesto like spread to go with it. Ordinary pesto is made with cheese however this pesto is effectively paleo and vegan. It contains no cheese. I love Italian flat leaf parsley and it comes in bushels in our Eat Well CSA so I decided to make this a parsley pesto. Raw parsley is one of the best sources of Glutathione. Glutathione acts as a super antioxidant and can inactivate cancer-causing agents, that may otherwise damage cells. It also neutralizes fats that initiate artery clogging build up. Glutathione also protects our eye lens from the destruction caused by ultraviolet light, as such it is an antioxidant that helps protect us against cataracts.

Lemon Walnut Parsley Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped scallions
2 cups parsley
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 heaping cup walnuts
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have your desired consistency and taste. Sprinkle in the salt depending on your preference.

Flax & Almond Bread (Paleo & Gluten Free)

2012-04-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

I recently made a Paleo feast for 8 good friends. This bread is like an energy and fiber packed bread that is lovely alone, with dips and it keeps in the refrigerator for a little over a week. Instead of flours, this "bread" is made with flax meal and almond meal. The finer the grind, the better the bread will taste. I grind my flax seeds in a mini mill. In addition, flax seeds need to be ground for us to get their full nutritional benefits, so always be sure to cook with flax meal as opposed to flax seeds. It's an extremely easy recipe and can definitely be jazzed up with pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top, or walnuts folded into the batter. I've also though this would taste nice with crushed dried herbs. Let me know if you come up with any good ideas! I served this bread warm with a paleo lemon walnut parsley pesto.

Flax & Almond Bread

Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups flax meal
2/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Turn on some nice tunes - Natalie Merchant recommended
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a loaf pan.
3. In a bowl mix the flax meal, almond flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.
4. In a separate bowl vigorously whisk the eggs. This is where your love goes into the bread baking
5. Add the olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to the eggs.
6. Add the dry mixture to the eggs mixture and mix.
7. Put mixture in the loaf pan. It will not be as wet or fluid as most bread batters, you will need to use a spatula to get the batter into the pan. If it is too dry, you can add a little more olive oil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.

Happy Earth Day! A Little Food for the Soul

2012-04-22T22:54:00.001-04:00

Such a beautiful song....

Green Pasture's Restaurant in Austin, TX. Pure Deliciousness

2012-04-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

We recently went to SXSW in Austin, Texas for our event The Lean Startup. The night before the big conference, my manager, Christen, took me for one of the best meals I've ever had...and richest meals! The restaurant, Green Pastures, is in an old Victorian home. Our waiter told us he had seen a ghost just before dinner....I won't lie, I was a little scared to walk alone to the restroom so I just stayed in the main dining area! We had a lovely waiter who ended up driving us home because its impossible to catch a taxi in Austin during SXSW! True southern hospitality:

The meal was spectacular. Each ingredient was thoughtfully incorporated for true sensory bliss. We did not hold back for this meal...

It all began with a little taster from the chef of ahi tuna on cucumber with a wasabi sauce.

Appetizer 1:

The Mushroom Martini

Saute of Exotic Mushrooms with Garlic and Vermouth 1

This was rich, decadent, warming and truly celebrated the royal mushroom.

Appetizer 2:

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Stuffed Texas Quail
With Shiner Bock Glaze and Truffle Veal Glace

ahh....bacon....

Appetizer 3:

Toasted Brie Sandwich
With Toasted Hazelnuts, Caramelized Onion Preserves and Balsamic-Fig Coulis

Gourmetified grilled cheese sandos....yes please!

First Course:

Avocado Salad
With Tomatoes, Texas Goat Cheese, White Truffle Oil and Hibiscus

This was so creamy and delicious!

Pallet cleanser of grapefruit sorbet....looks like a planet.

Fireplace...ghosts...atmosphere

For our main course, Christen ordered:

Salt and Pepper Poulet Rouge Chicken

Heritage Cou Nu Breed Chicken, Truffled Mashed Potato, Buttered Mushrooms, Sauteed Green Beans, Roasted Garlic, Rosemary and Natural Jus (I don't know what 'Jus' is either...)

and I ordered the Pecan Salmon

with Lobster Bread Pudding Honey Carrots, Candied Jalapenos & Herb Butter

The lobster bread pudding....HOLY COW!! or should I say HOLY LOBSTER!?

and for dessert....

Creme Brulee With Grand Marnier and Caramelized Sugar

Green Pastures Restaurant

http://greenpasturesrestaurant.com/

811 W Live Oak
Austin, TX 78704

Tel: (512) 444-4747

500 Startups - Grubbing on the 12th Floor of Mountain View's 'Sky Scrapper'

2012-04-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've been working at 500 Startups for just over a year now and I've loved the ride! We are about to start our 4th Accelerator batch of startups and I'm excited to learn what they are all about. It's always an adventure over here at 500 Startups...and more than not there is something 'foodie' going on, whether it's a startup or a bribe or both. This post is a glimpse at the humor, experimentation and sometimes mild insanity that takes place at 500 Startups. One of the founders of the startup, DailyAisle, wrote this funny piece on 50 things she learned at 500 Startups.

To start - this is one of the views from our office. We are on the 12th floor of a building where everything else is 3 floors at max! So we have 360 degrees of uninterrupted views. It's gorgeous watching the sky change as the day turns to night.

In our last batch we had a group of Swedes who made these delicious chocolate balls for Demo Day:

We also had some folks who didn't make chocolate balls...but they made this pyramid of pigs! PRODUCTIVITY at its finest.

One of our wonderful foodie startups, Love with Food, delivers gourmet samples to your doorstep on a monthly subscription basis. In my case, it was delivered to my desk - this is for the month of March.

Inside is a card with details about the samples and a note about their philanthropic efforts where for each box delivered, one meal is given to the non-profit 'No Child Hungry.'

Tasty treats! The jerky, pictured in the background....was beyond addictive.

Another foodie perk of 500 Startups are the goodie bags (bribe bags?) delivered to the team... this one was particularly gourmet from 'Indie Food New York Mouth' (not one of our startups). This gift was actually for Dave, but I checked out the goods...naturally :)

The piece of chocolate on the bag above is a bacon toffee chocolate. Tasty but too much toffee and not enough chocolate or bacon...

Do I see stroopwaffles? YES!

With all this good food - who does the dishes?

Sometimes our startups leave dishes in the sink. So we have to leave scary notes...

A Yogic Feast: Chapati, Dal, 2 Kinds of Salad

2012-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

My good friend Sarah recently moved out to the Bay from NYC. We go back to freshman year in 2005 and I'm thrilled to have her home again. She and Erika came over for dinner one Wednesday and I was inspired to use my 'Yoga Cookbook' - a little gem I found in Varanasi, India. All the recipes are fro the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, which coincidentally also has an outpost in NYC...go figure! I also have a chapati pan I picked up in Pushkar, India for the equivalent to $1.50. I'd yet to use it so this Yogi feast was the perfect opportunity. The feast included whole wheat chapati, a slowly fermenting cabbage slaw, kale salad, and a delicious dal - all the recipes are included in this post. Sarah also has a professional camera so it was quite exciting to get some fancy looking food photos...finally! Check out my chapati pan with a piece cooking :)

A little something about taking a midweek break for a calm, healthy, peaceful meal with loved ones...or just yourself since we all deserve self love. Sometimes life can feel like a continuous rat race of always trying to get ahead and yet - we'll never get there. But it's also a continuous adventure. I've found that at times when I may struggling against the enemy of overwork, unwholesome food, or stress - I can develop an inner strength by taking the time to have a mindful meal and more so, by sharing food with friends. Your meals aren't only cleansing for your body but also for your soul...

Chapati

(makes about 18)

Chapati are the standard flat bread throughout Northern India. Made slightly different in each region, I loved the chapati on the treks. You can use chapatis as a spoon for stews, dal or raita.

Ingredients:

250g whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

175ml of water

ghee

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and salt. Gradually mix in the water until the dough binds together. Knead for about 10 minutes.

2. Oil a bowl, turn the dough twice in it, then cover with a damp dish towel. Leave the dough to sit for one hour, then knead it again.

3. Form the dough into small balls. Flatten them and roll into thin disks. As thin as you can without tearing them. Repeat turning the chapati in circles as you roll them, so you can make them evenly thin. The more symmetric the rounds are, the more they will puff up. It's tricky the first time around, like all things, you'll get better with practice.

4. Turn your burner on high and put the chapati pan on it. You can also use a skillet if you do not have a chapati pan. There should be NO grease on the pan. Cook the chapati on each side for a few seconds until it puffs up and gets golden brown. It helps to have a damp cloth handing to press down on the sides of the chapati for even puffing.

Lentil Dal

(Serves 5)

Many Indian & Middle Eastern dishes call for turmeric. While in Bahrain I learned of the health benefits of turmeric. Many women take a turmeric tea every morning to maintain memory and fight off Alzheimer's. The spice is also warming and a good stomach and appetite regulator. If you have a cold or cough, try boiling some turmeric with hot milk.

Ingredients:

200g red lentils

750 ml water

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon powdered mustard

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 handful chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 butternut squash, chopped

Directions:

1. Roast the butternut squash in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cubes are easily pierced with a fork. Set aside.

2. Place the lentils in a pan with the water, turmeric and bay leaf. Bring the pan to a simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Careful, tenders can easily get mushy - there is definitely a tipping point.

3. While lentils are simmering. Heat the ghee in a skillet. Add the cumin and mustard over high heat for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the coriander, tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the butternut squash and add the mixture to the lentils. Add the salt and lemon juice. Stir to get the mixture a little thicker. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve warm :)

Optional Add-Ins:

Chopped onions - add these in with the tomatoes

Fake meat - add this in the tomatoes

Chopped boiled potatoes - add in with the tomatoes

Slowly Fermenting Cabbage Slaw

I love making a tub of this at the beginning of the week and adding some to my lunches each day. This really does get better as the days go by. I haven't perfected this recipe yet - but this is a good start. Also, as the days pass, this dish takes on a gorgeous fucsia color.

Ingredients:

1 small red cabbage, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, smashed in a mortar and pestle

Directions:

1. Slice the cabbage and place in a bowl.

2. In a mason jar (that has a lid!) combine the sesame oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice and smashed garlic. Shake vigorously until combined. Pour over the cabbage and toss to evenly incorporate. You should taste it at this point and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your liking.

Kale Salad

The options are infinite but a favorite combination of mine is kale, avocado, sliced white onion, and hard boiled egg. All with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and a little mustard.