Tonight was quite an event for 19 of us. There were 15 people at the table and 4 of us in the sidelines (i.e. in the kitchen – adjoining the dining room). All of us were quite enthralled with Steve’s depth of knowledge and understanding of the human body’s function and mechanisms.
The first guest arrived early – coming down from SF – to have private time with Steve, others joined at 5:30 and soon the front room filled with 14 people all engaged in one big conversation. I joined them from time to time with an Amuse Bouche of “Pippin apple dipped in lemon juice and zest speared with a fresh mint leaf.” And they enjoyed a sun tea brew of “Red Clover Blossom and Dandelion Root.”
My day began with making the sun tea….
….and roasting the cauliflower and butternut squash, then off to do a Health Fair at the Whole Foods Market in Los Altos. I was one of 10 vendors at their “Eat Right America” store fair. Many, many folks stopped by my booth… they all enjoyed my Raw Avocado Soup, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. T’is good to be in Whole Foods, along with others who want to cook and eat well. A couple of the people who stopped by my booth stands out …. a 16-year-old who has been eating and cooking well for a couple of years, she’s eating some raw foods and has a dehydrator, too. AND – she’s making a difference at school… doing a “Meatless Monday” program, raising the awareness to others that what you eat matters. Another person I met today who comes to mind is Lisa, from Lisa’s Counter Culture, and her two smiling, happy kids. Lisa’s passion for good wholesome food seems to mimic mine. We’ll be talking more, to be sure. … and doing events together in the future – I’ll keep you posted(!).
I closed my booth a bit early in order to get home and into my kitchen to prepare tonight’s meal…. but, gosh, time goes soooo fast for me when I’m in Whole Foods. It’s like there’s a vortex there and once I’m in it’s hard to get out. Surely I’m not the only one who finds themselves in Whole Foods for much longer time than anticipated.
Okay – back at home, first thing – get the ribs cooking. Second is to infuse (perfume) the mushrooms. Third and fourth…. get the first two courses done and ready to serve: The amuse bouche and stuffed carrot appetizer. Once I get those two things done I can relax. OH – it’s like I have two “twilight times” when making a big meal. Y’know – that big sigh at the end of the day – at twilight time when the kids are in bed, the dishes are done and there’s no more pressing things to do for the day? – well, that’s my ‘twilight time’…. of which I have two when I do big dinners…. during prepping and the first two courses are done… and then the BIG one – when the main course is served.
The kabob idea came to me while in Whole Foods. I wanted to serve my guests a bit a food, not much, but something to satisfy their curiosity as well as their need to eat something – b/c – my goodness – the aromas in the house were fantastic. If I had been a guest i definitely would have wanted something to nibble on. So, a nibbler is what I offered. Just a small bite, and with a bit of sour to get their stomach acids activated.
Once everyone arrived I explained the menu and agenda for the evening, then led them into the dining room where they sat down to their appetizer: Stuffed Carrots with a Dried Kale Leaf.
I steamed and cored the carrots yesterday, oh, and marinated the goji berries, so all I needed to do was to blend it to make the stuffing, fill the carrots and plate’m. The kale leaves were in the dehydrator Wednesday and Thursday. The plan was to serve’m for tonight’s meal, just didn’t sure when or how. Serving it with the Stuffed Carrot really set off the dish – both esthetically and in flavor.
Tonight’s topic with Steve Fowkes, neurobiochemist, was: Thyroid hormone, estrogens, inflammation and body energy systems as they apply specifically to diet and weight loss.
The Menu:
Amuse Bouche: (simple, very simple and satisfying)
Mini Kabob of Mint leaf and Pippin Apple slice dipped in lemon zest
Appetizer:
Sweet’n Sour Goji Berry Stuffed Carrots w/lemon grass
Soup:
Gingered Squash Soup w/curry leaves, topped with cilantro and smoked salt
Main course:
3-hour steamed Beef Short Ribs in parchment paper wraps w/red wine and candied orange peel reduction sauce
Twice-Baked Riced Cauliflower w/Chinese 5 spice stuffed in Steamed Beets
Field greens w/sesame oil and lime-basil perfumed mushrooms, toasted pumpkin seeds and blood oranges
Dessert:
Stuffed Baked Apples w/pecan and young coconut meat in Port Balsamic Vinegar
yummmm
Date/time: Saturday evening, February 5th, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Place: Cupertino