I have a proposal for you...

Baby Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Is what I heard when I checked my phone messages near the end of 2010.  It was Aleta asking me if I would be interested in creating recipes and photographing them for a project at her company.  "Think about it" was what the message said.

Well, It didn't require too much thought at all.  How excited was I to branch out and add to my knowledge base of all things food.  I photograph just about every meal I make, much to the chagrin of my husband Jim.  Sometimes he has to wait so long, his food begins to cool.  That, I continue to work on.

The only struggle I faced with this exciting offer was the deadline.  At that time, I was extremely busy with my catering business and would be required to finalize the project prior to the end of the year.  YES, I said with confidence and nervous energy all at once!  Aleta works for State Garden which is located in the produce center in Chelsea, MA.  They produce an exciting product called Olivia's Organics among many other things.  The good news is that I was already using their product for my clients as I focus on good, quality organic products whenever possible.  You might pay a little more, but their greens are definitely worth it!

As it states on their website, this fabulous product is "proudly grown by American farmers, USDA organic and best of all your purchase supports the Olivia's Organic Children Foundation.  Hey, you can even download a coupon on their website,  www.oliviasorganics.org.  My only issue now is that I cannot purchase Olivia's Organics in Naples, FL.  They can be found along the East Coast as far down as South Carolina.

My task was to recreate ten recipes and photograph them for a new product of Cooking Greens.  They come in five varieties that include Baby Saute Blend, Baby Swiss Chard, Baby Collards, Baby Kale and Baby Spinach.  They are finally on the shelf in limited quantity and will be making their way to your local store in the near future.

While the project began by recreating the recipes provided, I actually ended up using quite a few of my own recipes and photographed all of them for print.  This was definitely an exciting time of frenzy while I shopped for ingredients, created and prepared many dishes and shot hundreds of pictures using different lighting and changing up the platters as needed.  All while I still maintained focus on my holiday clients.

Sauteed Baby Swiss Chard over Polenta

Sauteed Baby Kale with Sea Scallops

Baby Saute Blend with Salmon

It was, as they say in Boston, "wicked cool" to handle this task.  I had fun as I always do in the kitchen, created new and exciting dishes and best of all, Jim got the task of helping me taste and eat the final product.  Of course, it was cold.  Thank God for microwaves...

Thank you Aleta for allowing me to spread my wings just a little wider.  And for all of you, be sure to check out Olivia's Organics at your local grocery store.  You will be glad you did!

Have a great weekend everyone - I know I will!

Fino a quel momento (until that time)

LID

Hail to the Kale and Lentils!

Since we arrived in Naples, I have wanted to make lentil's but held off since Jim is not a big lentil fan, in fact, he's not a fan at all.  I just couldn't wait another day and it worked out great since he had leftovers from last night that he wanted to finish off and I had a great looking bunch of organic kale crying out to be cooked.  Well, not exactly crying but perhaps a little whimper...

And best of all, it's Meatless Monday!  I make my dish with not too much liquid as my preference, but most people make it as a soup.  You would need to just add more water and broth.  Another great add would be sausage.  You would just saute ground sausage, season with salt and pepper and add it in with the lentils.  That makes me smile as well, but since it's Meatless Monday...

Lentil's with Kale

Ingredients


3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion - diced
2 Cloves garlic - minced
3 Carrots - diced
2 Celery stalks - diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Cups lentils
2 Cups water
2 Cups vegetable broth
1/2 Bunch kale - chopped
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese - grated

Directions

Heat oil and add onion, garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Go through lentils and remove anything that looks rough around the edges.

Add the water, broth and lentils and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Add the chopped kale and continue cooking for an additional 7 minutes.  Toss in the cheese and you are done!  It's that easy for a tasty, healthy meal.

It was nice to enjoy this meal with a nice glass of wine, sitting outside watching the palm trees sway in the breeze.  I made sure to make enough for my lunch the next couple of days.  Have a great week everyone and remember, a good life deserves good food...

Fino e quel momento (until that time)

LID

It's that easy.

Kale Chips - Really?

Today I decided to move out of my comfort zone and try a new snack.  Using Kale?  Can that be possible?  I was amazed to find dozens of recipes on the internet and can't believe I never heard of using kale as a snack.  I only began eating kale within the past year after I found out it contained loads of vitamins and all things good.  Prior, it was used as a garnish for my dish creations.  Now I realize what a waste that was.

My sister Angela looked like I had four heads when I told her what my plan was today.  She said "kale?, the green?"  So for Angela, here goes...

Baked Kale Chips

1 Bunch of kale
Olive Oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 300
Wash and dry Kale
Shred kale in pieces away from the stem

Place in bowl, add olive oil and salt - mix
Bake on sheet pans in a single layer for approximately 20 minutes.

Cool and eat!

Honest to goodness, they taste like you are eating potato chips and IT'S GOOD FOR YOU! 

Have a great week everyone. 

fino a quel momento (until that time)

LID