The Whole Carrot

 We had lots to do this month and I forgot all about the food in my fridge! This weeks blog was a challenge to use what we already had around the house to create my version of a recipe used in class.  It includes: 4c carrots (roasted) 1.5 cups milk ( I choose to make almond milk ) 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander 1 Tbl olive oil  1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 cup veggie stock I soaked almonds overnight and made milk. This is a great way to keep the recipe vegan while also incorporating a plant based milks that provides excellent sources for healthy fats, vitamin E and calcium. I roasted the carrots and sweat the veggies, and combined in my cast iron pan. Next was flavoring balancing and immersion blending! Once finished, I garnished with purple hyacinth (from my garden), sunflower seeds our amazing broccoli sprouts- which provides Sulphoraphane, which is an anti-cancer phytochemical.   Our version of Carrot Soup! We also made Al...

During the month of March, our class had the pleasure of getting acquainted with different fermentation, soaking and sprouting methods.  Fermentation is the process that happens when microorganisms like yeast and bacteria convert sugars from fruit or vegetables into probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that aid our gut in digestion and energy production.  Kefir My best outcome was making water kefir. The kefir granules fermented into a cloudy beverage that I then flavored with blueberries and lemon juice. This result was a yogurt like drink that was sweet and tasty! Kvass Kvass is a fermented beverage using salt and beets. In an effort to reduce sodium, I tried to make it with vinegar and sugar. The result did not yield active fermentation and was not very palatable. The traditional method was much to salty to enjoy. I hope to try making this again in the future.  Sourdough Starter My sourdough starter was ripe in 3 days. I have made sourdough starter before an...

  The visual presentation of a dish is essential to its overall enjoyment, as it is often noted that our initial perception of food is influenced by its appearance. Some basic principles to plating incorporate: Resist the urge to “draw” with your ingredients Use odd numbers of things, like 3’s or 5’s Keep a 1” border and don’t over clutter the plate Sauces should go under an item, which allows the eater to decide how much sauce they choose to use  Keep it simple and be playful, use your plate like a canvas.  A word on Acids.. Acid adds sourness to foods, but all acids are different. A red wine vinegar has complexity compared to its counterpart white. And lemon juice is far sourer and slightly more acidic in PH than red wine vinegar. Even fruits which are considered acids, will possess different features depending on where they are grown and harvested and even what part of the tree they grew on.  Acid can also change the colors of vegetables and fruits. Greens like ...