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Flora Farms in Cabo San Lucas

Because I’m not doing any cooking this week thanks to our holiday week, I thought I’d share a great foodie experience that we had at Flora Farm in San Jose del Cabo. Wowsy. Bowsy. What an unexpected Silver Lining of our trip THAT was! Flora Farm is a magnificent  ten-acre organic farm in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains. The road to get there is filled with ginormous bumps and “turbulence” as Suddenly Seven described our ride. However, what we learned is that taking the road less traveled can indeed produce magnificent Silver Linings! Patrick and Gloria Greene began ten years ago by founding the Farmers Market and expanded to grow for Floras Field Kitchen, Floras Grocery and the recent Culinary Cottage owners. Farming without pesticides or using genetically modified seeds and working the farm largely by hand yields over 100 varieties of heirloom vegetables and herbs. They are absolutely …

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Friday’s Fixin’s: CreamLess Asparagus Soup

Happy Good Friday! I am super excited to share Friday’s Fixin’s with you today. Chef Maili Halme and I have been in the kitchen again dreaming up some super fun ideas for you (and me!). As Maili told me, “I was working on the menu for a Spring dinner and my only goal was taste.  I wanted something delicious that everyone would love.  I wasn’t worried about calories or health or anything else.  I fully intended to put cream in this soup.   When I cook I taste as I go along.  I tasted the soup before I added the cream and thought it tasted so rich and delicious just as it was that I decided to omit the cream.” Do you see why she is my kind of girl?  I mean, really. As a result, this recipe is shockingly simple with so few ingredients that you’d think that there has …

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Cuckoo for Coconut Oil

Cuckoo for Coconut Oil

March 26, 2013

I’ve always been a big fan of Coconut Oil.  Over the past few years, I’ve started using it liberally – in both my kitchen and in my bathroom.  I wasn’t exactly Einstein, but was definitely on to something.  Turns out that Coconut Oil has proven to be a major Silver Lining that has gobs of health and beauty benefits!  Hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Friday’s Fixin’s: Kobocha Squash Salad

Happy Friday, everyone!  Did this week fly or is it me?  I mean, really. Zippety-doo-daah.  I’m super excited to share this week’s recipe. It is another collaboration with the über talented Chef Mailie Halme. Oh dear heavens is it ever AMAZING.  When you look at this recipe, I know it looks like a lot of steps, but you know me well enough by now to know that I am not going to share anything that isn’t easy and delish. Squash The finished product! I am super grateful to Maili for introducing me to Kobocha squash, a kind of Japanese winter squash.  I had never heard of it until now. Here are a few food facts about it: A single cup of kabocha has forty calories compared to butternut squash’s 60, and has less than half of the carbs of butternut squash (7 grams vs. 16 grams). Kabocha squash is an …

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Silver Lining Discovery: Kale Chips

This week I was at one of my favorite juice bars in Santa Monica and came across my new favorite and fantabulous snack, Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips.  Oh dear heavens to Betsy, are these ever AMAZING. In addition to being totally YUMMA, the Silver Lining is that these kale chips are gluten free, vegan, organic and 95% raw. Kale, as you know, is a superfood. According to Rhythm Superfoods, the kale chips are made by tossing fresh, organic kale with one of their hand-crafted dressings. The dressings are created from organic seeds, vegetables, juices, herbs and spices. No, they aren’t fried. Instead, they are air-crisped under low heat which maximizes nutritional potency. Hope that you enjoy these as much as I am! You can order them here:  http://rhythmsuperfoods.com

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Silver Lining Discovery: Onion Goggles

Even with putting my stainless steel knife in the freezer before slicing an onion, I still cry like a baby with colic when I cut an onion.  My friend Chef Maili Halme told me about Onion Goggles. Yup!  How f-bomb brilliant is that?!?!  And you know what?  They TOTALLY work!   How is this for a Silver Lining discovery?  I am so digging them! They are $19.95 on Amazon and on the Chef’s Resource website.

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How to Cut an Onion

We love onions. Love love love them. However, I’ve never liked cutting them probably because I have never known how to do it properly – until now.  My friends Chef Maili Halme and photographer extraordinaire Elizabeth Messina collaborated to create the perfect “How to cut an onion” series.  It’s so great and solved my ever-present dilemma. Hope it helps you as much as it has me! According to Maili, this is a quick and easy way to dice onions for any recipe. A sharp knife if key to this process. Placing the onion in the freezer for a bit before slicing will help diminish the strong gases that can make you cry. (How’s THAT for a Silver Lining?!?) Slice of the tip and the end and then cut the onion in half Make vertical slices 90 percent up the onion, keeping the end intact as an anchor. Then make horizontal slices 90 percent through …

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Friday Food Facts: Resveratrol

One of the nutritional Silver Lining’s of today’s Hot Grapes ‘N Kale recipe is resveratrol. You’ve heard of it, right? Resveratrol is that key, magical ingredient responsible for the health benefits associated with red wine (by the glass, not gallon!). Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol antioxidant found in a variety of sources including grapes (notably the skin of red grapes), berries, peanuts, dark chocolate, tea, and Japanese knotweed.  When consumed, resveratrol binds to proteins and stimulates the production of SIRT1, a serum known to block diseases by speeding up the cell’s energy production. How fabulous is that? Here are some of the specific Silver Linings of resveratrol: Boosts cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of blood clots Increases blood flow, important for the brain Reduces the risk of strokes Contains anti-inflammatory properties Protects against obesity and diabetes Helps prevent joint disease Improves athletic endurance May prevent the formation of cataracts May reverse build-up of fat …

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Friday’s Fixin’s is Back with Hot Grapes ‘N Kale!

Welcome back to Friday’s Fixin’s!  The last couple of weeks have been all-consumed with work and I haven’t been spending time trying new recipes. Suddenly Seven and the HOTY have been very patient with me – thankfully! Well, I have joyously been back in the kitchen with my friend, Chef Maili Halme. Playing with her in the kitchen is a true Silver Lining. Oh dear heavens is she ever talented.  Well, this week we had a great time and came up with some super yummy recipes that I’m excited to share with you here. Maili and I talked a lot about how nutrition contributes to cancer prevention and healing from treatment, so for the next few weeks, we are going to share some seriously easy and delicious recipes that are powerhouses when it comes to contending with cancer. The first recipe, Hot Kale ‘N Grapes is unbelievably easy and seriously delish. My family …

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Silver Lining Discovery: Whole Spice Sea Salt

One of my absolute favorite products in my kitchen is a collection of Whole Spice sea salts from one of my favorite places in the world, Napa.  I received these as a gift and, quite frankly, can’t remember for the life of me what I did before I had them. Oh dear heavens are they ever amazing.  They enhance a dish like no other.  My favorite flavor is the Rosemary; however, I am also completely smitten with the Matcha Green Tea (you KNOW how I love Matcha!) and the Wild Porcini flavors. I’m definitely a salt girl; however, I only use sea salt and never use salt at a restaurant.  When used in moderation (isn’t that ALWAYS the key word?), there are many health benefits of sea salt. For example, sea salt: Contains electrolytes and other nutrients that are essential for enzyme production and for the maintenance of the body’s …

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