Tag Archives | sunflower seeds

Creamy Lemon and Dill Dip

When I first got into Personal Chef work I was cooking for celebrities, the kind of people who can afford to pay the very best people to work for them. As a Chef who had only cooked in restaurants, I totally knew this and it made me nervous. I was confidant in my cooking but this was a different kind of cooking. Many of my clients wanted healthy food that tasted like bad for you food. I mean, who doesn’t?

I had never even heard or raw or macrobiotic cuisine before I started in this line of work. It just happened that my Mom was diagnosed with cancer around the same time, so I had an extra big reason to pay attention to these new, exotic, interesting ways that people were eating to stay healthy (or skinny or like, a good actor or whatever).

I loved the new challenge of this somewhat uncharted territory. After years working in fine dining, I knew exactly what buttery dishes, braised meats and rich desserts tasted like. It was just about finding these flavours within these healthier new parameters.

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Creamy Cauliflower and Celery Gratin

This recipe is inspired by my grandmother. I’m sure a lot of people are inspired by their grandmother’s cooking but mine was a little different than what you’re probably picturing.

She was a really good cook, something I took for granted about all of the women in my family. She married my grandpa, whose parents were from Lebanon and so learned to cook all kinds of exotic (and incredibly delicious) Lebanese food.

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Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Mushroom Lentil Burger

I think it is time for a new burger recipe. I have to be honest, these days I make burgers when I don’t feel like eating salad or raw veggies, to force myself to eat some greens. I wrap them in not one but two collard greens, fill them with more veggies, sauerkraut and some Eggplant Mayo, and the greens practically eat themselves.

Not that this needs to be your reason to make these burgers, you can also just feel like a good burger, because these really are. I’ve been making a version of these for years, and it all started when I was cooking for a client who didn’t like veggies, really loved meat (a lot) but wanted to eat vegan.

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Muesli with Easy Homemade Coconut Milk

Homemade Muesli

My husband makes the world’s best oatmeal. He makes it about once a year, and I’ve never paid attention to or asked how he makes it. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m afraid if I look too closely it will disappear (like a rainbow?) or if I’m just into mysteries. Maybe both.

Homemade Muesli

Usually, I’m not really an oatmeal person. I know that it is a good option at the greasy spoon and that oats are good at keeping us warm and are high in protein and fiber, but has anything ever been more boring than oatmeal? If it takes brown sugar or maple syrup to make you go ‘mmmmmmm’, I don’t think that oatmeal can really take the credit.

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