The Best Raw Snacks Ever!

I was in the kitchen at Whole Foods Market in West Hollywood, California preparing to teach a class when an angel floated in. She bestowed two huge bags full of her culinary gifts for me to sample, gave me a heartfelt hug and left. I was excited. I love food and presents and she had delivered both!

The angel in the kitchen was Susan O'Brien, the owner of Hail Merry raw food products. It's a Dallas, Texas based company with some of the best products I have ever tasted in the gluten free, raw, vegan world of foodstuffs.

Her "Grawnola" is scrumptious! She dehydrates the nuts (after soaking them in filtered water to release the enzymes), seeds and gluten free oats then mixes them with pure cane sugar and cinnamon. This is a great morning cereal or snack to take with you where ever you go.

Other treats she provided included gluten free macaroons, chili spiced pecans and lemon thyme pecans. All were extremely well balanced in their flavors. She certainly knows what she is doing in the kitchen!

The most impressive of all her gifts to me were her gluten and dairy free Merry's Miracle Chocolate Tarts. I have had numerous raw food chocolate desserts and have made many of them myself. These were, by far, the best I have tried. In fact, her tart won in the Natural Foods Expo West for best new product out of, are you ready for this? - thirty six hundred entries! Yeah, they are that good!

Now available in most Whole Foods Markets around the country, you can get her delicious treats too. Or, order online by clicking here.

Many thanks to Susan O'Brien and her angelic treats. Even if you are not into raw foods, try them. They are far better than most cooked foods I have had!

Spicy Raw Kale Salad

Spicy Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
1 lemon juiced
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Bragg’s Amino Acids or Gluten Free Tamari
2 Cloves fresh garlic minced
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoon season all spice mix (7 Seasons, Emeril’s Original Essence)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions:

Spine the kale by running a chef’s knife along the stem to separate the leaves from the stem, then chop the kale to desired size. (Some people prefer to tear the kale from the stem. Suggested method is faster). Take the remaining ingredients and place them on washed kale. You can adjust any of the spices to your taste so don’t be afraid to add or subtract or to try other spices. Toss well and eat. Add raisins, dried cranberries, pinenuts, walnuts – whatever you would like. This salad gets better as it sits for a day or two in the refrigerator. Spread kale on a cookie sheet and dry in a 170 degree oven (or dehydrator) until crispy to make kale chips.

Many thanks and much love to Stephanie and Michael Garcia for sharing this incredible recipe.

Trader Joe's Prepares and bags kale for you now. Check it out.

Kale Chips

In an earlier blog, I gave you a recipe for raw, spicy kale salad. What I did not tell you is that you can make a simple delicious snack out this raw salad - kale chips!

Once you have made the salad, all you have to do is spread the raw, marinated kale on cookie sheets and place them in a dehydrator or dry them out in the oven on a low setting - say, 170 degrees.

If you use the oven, check the drying kale about every 20 minutes to see how it is doing. You don't want to burn the kale unless you like that smokey burned flavor (some people do!) If it is mostly dried but not all the way, you can turn the oven off and let the chips finish drying in the oven overnight.

When dried, place the chips in a bowl and leave them out. The refrigerator is not necessary. The thing is, they are so good (they strangely taste a little like cheese!) they will disappear in no time flat.

To read about the benefits of kale - and boy are there! Click here.

If You're Going to Steal My Bank Card, Why Would You Eat There???

I got a call from the fraud department of my bank today. I thought they were freaked out that I pulled a bunch of money out of my savings the other day but, no. That was not it.

The chipper gal at the bank informed me that some "unusual activity" had been encountered. She said; "Fifty cents was used at a Red Lobster in Florida." I burst out laughing and said; "Honey, I am a chef and I admit a food snob at that. I don't eat there on my own accord."

She went on to say; "Another twenty five was spent at a Sizzler Steak House in Orlando." More laughter spilled out of me. I said; "The least they could have done on my dime was eat at a Ruth's Chris Steak House." This time we both laughed hard.

Hi jacking a bank card is not laughing matter. For that matter, neither is eating at Sizzler or Red Lobster. I am just grateful that was all it was.

If you do want a delicious flank steak with pomme frittes and a side of sauteed garlic spinach from a mostly organic place with great wine, delicious food and fun decor, try one of my favorite Los Angeles Hang outs by clicking here.

The moral of the story is; Eat well, no matter whose dime it's on :)

Product Review - Pamela's GF& DF Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I have tried many, many, gluten and dairy free cookies in my sixteen years of not being able to eat wheat flour and cow's milk based products. Back in those days, Pamela's Cookies were about the only gluten free game in town. I liked her cookies but did not love them so I began the process of making up my own recipes. I then loved mine so much that I rarely bought cookies off the shelves.

The other night, a dear friend was visiting me. She bought these cookies with her and, in my desperation for a midnight snack, I opened the box and began eating. Love at first bite! That's what happened.

The texture of this cookie is perfect. It does not have that grainy, rice flour feel. With 89% organic ingredients, these cookies are gluten and dairy free although, they do have a disclaimer that states, "May contain traces of milk." Due to shared equipment, that is.

The flavor is my favorite part. They are rich, dark and super delicious with a great balance of sweetness to chocolate. They are soft as well and I love a soft cookie. The chunks of chocolate are big and tasty and do not detract from the cake of the cookie.

So, now, I have a cookie I can buy if I do not feel like making them. The best part is I like them as much as my own!

To find Pamela's Cookies at a store near you, see their website here.

Single Man's Soup - A Stupid Simple Recipe

On yet another cold and rainy night in what is supposed to be sunny Los Angeles, I received a call from my BFF, celebrity hair stylist, Billy Lowe with a simple request. "Meg! I want soup tonight! Can you come over and make it here?"

Knowing my dear bachelor friend, I began to ask questions pertaining to cookware and basic food supplies to see just what I had to work with. There were no knives, no chopping board, no salt, no pepper, and no olive oil BUT, he did have a stock pot, an a couple of wooden spoons.

My love for a challenge in the kitchen was ignighted by this request. My passion for teaching the kitchen clueless also perked right up. I then set off to a nearby Trader Joes to pick up the ingredients.

Here's the recipe:

Single Man's Soup

1 bag chopped vegetables (we used Asian Stir Fry Vegetables)
1 bag chopped onion
1 box Just Chicken (cooked and ready to eat)
1 box Chicken Broth (organic, free range)
2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or Olive Oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste

First we sauteed the onion in Earth Balance butter substitute. Next we added the whole bag of veggies followed by the entire box of broth. We then added salt and pepper until it tasted great. We brought that to a boil then turned it down to low to simmer for a few minutes. We both like our veggies to be a little bit crunchy so we didn't cook them for long. For the last few minutes, we added the entire box of Just Chicken. You want to add the chicken last so that it just gets heated and not over cooked as it will become tough. Next thing we knew, it was ready to eat.

With no soup ladle, Billy improvised, using a mug to scoop his soup out. He had one bowl that he insisted I use while he used a glass, two cup, measuring cup. We then sat down at his table (yes, he does have a table) and began to devour this hot, delicious, simple treat. And it was tasty. Billy gushed about it's goodness - from it's health value to it's flavor - all throughout the meal. He loved it so much, he had a second helping - also known as four cups of soup!

When asked if he would make this soup again on his own, Billy offerd an emphatic "Yes!" But, we both agreed it's a lot more fun to make it together.

You can find all of these ingredients in most super markets. At Trader Joes, the soup cost about $15.00 (including salt and pepper grinders).

For a Trader Joe's near you, click here.

Food 411 - Goji Berries (Chinese Wolfberry)

This is one delicious berry that has received lots of attention in the natural health communites over the past few years. The goji berry, also known as The Chinese Wolfberry, is a small red berry that, when dreid, tastes slightly sweet, is a little bit chewey but always satisfyingly yummy.

Goji berries have a number of health benefits with a high antioxidant content.`They are also high in iron, selenium, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. Goji berries have been shown to have anti cancer properties, anti inflammatory, cardiovascular and benefits for serious diseases associated with the eyes.

A word to the wise:

Goji Berries are often treated with organochlorine pesticides (linked with cancer) where they are grown in China. Those grown in Tibet claim to be organic but there has been some question about that. High amounts of pesticide residue has been found on shipments to the US. The use of poisons are questionable, so thier consumption is up to your discretion. Avoid off brands found in mainstream markets. Markets like Whole Foods are very strict on what they will sell. They are an excellent resource for more information on goji berries.

If you would like to try a delicious tasting goji berry, you can find them at Whole Foods Markets. They are excellent as a stand alone snack, in oatmeal, on salads or with vegetables. For the best Goji Berries - organic and consciously grown - you can order them online by clicking here.