Friday, September 22, 2017

FTR Guest Chef: Chef Billy Sotelo From La Caille Restaurant

It's always an entertaining and fascinating time to have a chef in your kitchen. You get a chance to get inside their head, and see the thought, skill, and time it takes to prepare the meals that we get to enjoy at restaurants. It truly gives you a new appreciation of chef's skills and dedication to food.

Our Guest Chef, Billy Sotelo from La Caille Restaurant was no exception to this phenomenon. We had the honor of sharing an evening with him while creating a garden-fresh ravioli feast! We were especially inspired by his story, for he is self-trained, and credits the wonderful chefs that he worked under for his success and love for cooking.

Chef Billy came to the FTR kitchen with his arms nearly overflowing with garden-fresh tomatoes from the La Caille Garden. This would be the basis for our tomato sauce. And only 3 other ingredients would compliment these juicy and sweet beauties: garlic, olive oil, and salt.

Tomatoes of all colors, sizes, and textures means complex and delicious flavors!


Next, he began mixing the dough for the ravioli. Again, simplicity is best when it comes to fresh food. So, he added all-purpose flower, eggs (1 whole egg to every 3 egg yolks, about 12 in total), olive oil, and salt. 
No bowl necessary for this dough! 
We all got a chance to knead the dough, which turned out "smooth as a baby's head," as one member commented. We allowed the dough to chill, while we removed the skin from the tomato sauce (although you can just blend it all together).
We don't only work out in the gym! Kneading this dough will get those forearms 
When the dough had chilled (about 20 minutes) we were ready to start rolling! Chef Billy showed us his pasta making machine and how to continue to run the dough through, changing the settings to get thinner and thinner, until desired thickness.


Finally, we got to see how ravioli always seems to come out so uniform and perfect! We used Chef Billy's ravioli molds to gently press the dough down, fill it with a simple and delicious blend of ricotta, parmesan, and olive oil, and how to brush it with egg and top it with more dough to complete the plump and savory pillow!
Carefully filling the ravioli molds with cheesy goodness!

The whole process took close to 1.5 hours, but boy, was it worth it! We all gained a greater appreciation for the effort that goes into homemade ravioli and had a chance to slow down with our food, appreciate the magic of combinations and mixtures, and put our own love into the food we were making, together. 



We all got to enjoy the fresh ravioli together, tasting the sweet and slightly acidic tomato sauce, the pungent, yet delicate flavor of the fresh basil, and the absolute satisfaction of biting into a gooey, soft pillow of cheese that makes anyone feel at home. 

We are so grateful to Chef Billy for showing us this sacred and beautiful ceremony of food. And a special thanks to FTR member Steven Mecham, who works with Chef Billy at FTR, for setting us up with such a kind and talented man!

Look out for our next guest chef and come join us in the kitchen!



Friday, September 1, 2017

FTR Chopped!

On August 19th, FTR hosted it's own in-house version of the famous Food Network show, "Chopped!"


If you have never seen the show before, chefs compete to create the best dish out of 4 "mystery basket" ingredients. They are able to use other ingredients from the pantry, but must utilize the four unique ingredients they are given.

FTR members/professional chefs Tanner Freed and Chris Henry volunteered to entertain us with their skills and bring us together to celebrate and enjoy food-- the very mission of Food to Recover!

Sous chefs were selected from the crowd, and FTR members were chosen as celebrity judges.
It was an evening full of quick dicing, creative cooking techniques, delicious combinations, and lots of on-your-feet quick thinking!

Chefs and Sous chefs think and work quickly!

We had 2 rounds of fun; each lasting 30 minutes.
In round 1, chefs were instructed to create an appetizer with the following "mystery ingredients:"

  1. Cactus leaf
  2. Canned Chicken
  3. Jicama
  4. Fresh farmers market peaches
  5. BONUS:Pineapple Tomatillos


Cactus leaf can be tricky to prepare, as it can get slimy pretty quick if you're not careful. Canned chicken was a challenge, because it was already cooked, thus the chefs were unable to infuse it with much flavor. Jicama is a mexican root that is very fresh and crunchy. And, the pineapple tomatillos were cherry-sized balls bursting with citrusy pineapple flavor. 
We all watched in awe as one chef dropped the canned chicken into a boiling pot of water and topped the "rouleau" or roll with a peach and carrot sauce, while the other chef quickly minced and diced the cactus and peach for a fresh salsa to mix with the canned chicken and place atop a crostini. 
Simple genius. And delicious.


Our celebrity judges critiqued the presentation, creativity, taste, and use of garden produce from our Food To Recover garden. Tanner and his sous chef came out on top for Round 1!

Round 2 was the entree round! The anticipation in the room increased as the crowd eagerly awaited the new "mystery basket" ingredients and the talent of the chefs.




The Round 2 mystery basket included:
  1. Pork chops
  2. Raisins
  3. Polenta
  4. Swiss chard
Chefs and sous chefs got to cooking, while they briefly discussed the ingredients in their hands. Polenta is ground corn and can be utilized for many different dishes. Pork chops are thought to be a quick cooking and versatile protein. And, swiss chard, a dark green and colored stem vegetable, was plucked fresh from our garden. 

Both chefs chose to pan fry (or sear) their pork chop and finish it's cooking in the oven. For one chef, he saw polenta cakes, while the other reconstituted it (added liquid to it's brick form) and made it into a porridge bed for the pork. A sweet and acidy sauce was added atop the polenta and pork for one chef, while the polenta cakes were topped with a simple but delicious sweet sauce. 

Chef Chris Henry was the winner of this round!


With a 1-1 tie, the results were broken with one simple criteria: who used more garden produce. In the end, Tanner had utilized more garden ingredients, naming him the First Ever FTR Chopped Champion!

It was an evening full of creativity and inspiration! We hope to host another FTR Chopped soon, so keep an eye out! And, start sharpening your knives! We'd like you all to participate!

August Community Meal Prep!

August also brought us beautiful produce here in Salt Lake City, so we capitalized on the following "star ingredients:"
Green beans, Swiss Chard, Farro, and black/kidney beans! It was a fiber-filled meal prep!

Everyone showed up with their ingredients ready to chop and mix! And everyone left with Tupperware full of healthy food for the week!





Here is how we mixed and matched ingredients for our week's meals:

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Serves 6

1.25 lb. ground turkey 
6 halves sun dried tomatoes 
1/4 medium red onion 
1 Handful swiss chard or spinach, chopped
0.25 cup crumbled feta 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1/2 tsp minced garlic 
1/3 cup bread crumbs 
1 lg. egg 
6 hamburger buns 
to taste salt and pepper 

Roughly chop the swiss chard to prevent long stringy pieces. Also chop the sun dried tomatoes and the red onion.
In a bowl combine the ground turkey with the chard, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, 1 tsp minced garlic, dried oregano, egg, bread crumbs, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Stir everything until it is evenly combined. Shape the mixture into 12 patties. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge.
Cook the burgers on a grill.


Babaganoush
Serves 4-6
1 medium eggplants
1 large clove garlic, grated or finely minced
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp olive oil (or more for taste/consistency)
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
optional: ½ handful cilantro
olive oil (for roasting)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Slice your eggplant in half and sprinkle with salt. Allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes while water is pulled out. Blot with paper towel. Drizzle open side of eggplant with olive oil and place face down on baking sheet.
Roast for about 20 minutes until the eggplant skin is softened and starts to shrivel. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Then, scrape the “meat” out from the shell into a food processor.
Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, olive oil a pinch of salt and mix until creamy. Add herbs last and pulse to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.


Ground Turkey Chili
Serves 6
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 large sweet potato, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves,  or 5 tsp minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5  tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
himalayan salt to taste
4 cups water or broth, + more as needed
avocado, cilantro and/or diced onion, for garnish (optional)

In large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook until it starts to brown. Add onions, cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 7 – 10 minutes). Add garlic and green pepper, cook for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder, cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, liquids, beans and sweet potato, stir until combined. Add quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover slightly ajar and cook for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chili is ready when sweet potatoes are tender. Add additional water if chili is too thick for your liking.

  
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet potato , shredded
1/2 medium yellow onion peeled and finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 adobo peppers, chopped
½ jalapeno, diced
1/2 handful swiss chard, chopped
1 cans black beans drained and rinsed
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce 
1 cup pepper jack cheese grated

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the olive oil, chopped sweet potato and onion to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes
Add the bell pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt. Saute, stirring occasionally until vegetables have softened, about 10 to 12 minutes. Note: if vegetables begin drying out or sticking to the skillet at any point, reduce the heat to medium and add a few tablespoons of water to help steam and cook the vegetables.
Add the chard, abodo pepper, jalpeno, and black beans to the skillet. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until chard is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour about ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 8” x 8” square casserole dish and spread evenly to coat the bottom.
Add the vegetable filling to the center of each tortilla (option to add cheese inside roll, too) and roll them up. Place enchiladas in the casserole dish, snuggling them close together. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the cheese on top.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover, change oven to broil, and broil 3-5 minutes to allow enchiladas to crisp a bit.


Farro and bean salad
Serves 4-6
1 cup farro
2 cups Water
Salt
6 ounces green beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots—1 thinly sliced, 1 minced
1/2 handful swiss chard, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons salted toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground pepper

Rinse farro in mesh colander. In a medium saucepan, cover the farro with 4 cups of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook the farro until al dente, about 20 minutes; drain well.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Rinse the beans under cold water and pat dry.
Heat olive oil in large pan. Add the 2 sliced shallots, and sautee about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and chard and cook over high heat, stirring, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
In a medium bowl, whisk the red wine and balsamic vinegars with the minced shallot, garlic and thyme. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the farro, green beans, almonds and sautéed vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter or shallow bowl.



Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 English cucumbers, sliced thin
2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tbsp scallions
3 clove garlic, or 1.5 minced
1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp sesame seeds, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions: Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set aside. 
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cilantro, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Drizzle the mixture over the cucumbers.
Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds and crush red pepper and enjoy!


Cocoa Energy Balls
Makes 24 balls
Ingredients:
2 cups pitted dates
1 tablespoon maple syrup
cup organic peanut butter (may use seed butter)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt

Directions: In a food processor, combine all ingredients until a dough forms. The dough should be very sticky and be held together when pinched between two fingers.
Using your hand, roll the dough into 1 tablespoon balls and repeat until the entire mixture is rolled into balls. Place on a lined baking sheet or plate and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours or overnight.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze.


July Community Meal Prep!

Community Meal Prep is one of my favorite things to do. It brings everyone together and allows us to all contribute ingredients-- and cooking skills-- to come out with healthy and yummy meals prepped and ready to keep up fueled and happy throughout the week.

Because our Food to Recover Garden was producing bountifully, some of our "star ingredients" during meal prep were from the garden. Each meal prep, I try to highlight a few ingredients to demonstrate how versatile and delicious the food can be.




July's theme was to utilize as many garden ingredients as possible. You will see greens (swiss chard, kale, and spinach), basil, tomatoes, mint, and arugula from the garden. Our next meal prep utilized our green beans and jalapenos.


Sautéed green beans and Greens with Canellini Beans

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
2 handfuls green beans, tips removed
1 handful of leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 cup (or more) vegetable broth or low-salt chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons (or more) Rice vinegar

Directions:

Remove stems from greens and chop into bite sized pieces. Wash and chop leeks into 1/2 “ pieces.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and dried crushed pepper; stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add green beans first and sauté about 5 minutes. Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing with tongs to coat with oil.
Add 1 cup broth, cover, and simmer until greens are just tender, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dry, 1 to 10 minutes, depending on type of greens. Add beans; simmer uncovered until beans are heated through and liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and serve.



Lemon Shrimp Linguine

For the Shrimp:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5-6 cloves garlic
1-2 cups chopped mushrooms (optional)
1 bunch asparagus, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For the pasta:
2 lb linguine or spaghetti
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T grated lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil
4 tbsp fried capers
4 cloves garlic

Person 1: Boil the pasta in salted water. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp.  Fry the capers:  heat 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet over med/high. Add capers and fry about 2 minutes or until crispy. Drain and set aside.

Person 2: Grate the cheese and prepare the lemons. Chop the fresh basil.
Whisk the olive oil, parmesan, and lemon juice and zest together in a bowl to blend.
When capers are done, cook shrimp. Heat oil and add garlic, mushrooms, and asparagus (if desired). Sautee garlic for about 3-4 minutes, then add the shrimp. Cook until just turning opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Together: Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, shrimp, and reserved pasta water, adding 1/3 cup of the water at a time until moistened. Season with salt and pepper and stir in basil and capers.


Grilled Chicken with Bruschetta


Ingredients:
3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1.5 tbsp extra virgin oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
8 oz part skim mozzarella, diced
6 chicken breasts, grilled

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides. Grill the chicken 2-4 minutes on each side, set aside on a platter.
Combine onion, olive oil, balsamic, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and pepper. Set aside a few minutes.
Chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo and additional 1/8 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let it sit at least 10 minutes or as long as overnight.
Toss in the cheese when ready to serve. 
Season chicken with salt and fresh pepper.


Watermelon, feta, mint salad

Ingredients:
1/2 large watermelon
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (goat or sheep milk feta is best)
1/2 handful pumpkin seeds

Directions: Chop the watermelon into small cubes. Mix the oil, lime juice, salt, pepper in a small bowl. Pour over top the watermelon and sprinkle with feta and chopped mint. Optional to add pumpkin seeds, too.


 Chocolate Truffles

Truffles:
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
2 tbsp cup sunflower seeds
1/2 Tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 cup coconut
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 medjool dates, pitted (if dried out, soak in warm water for 10 minutes then drain)
1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil
6 strawberries, sliced in half

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend. 
Form golf-ball sized balls with your hands and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes and enjoy!
Add strawberry with truffle and enjoy!


Strawberry and Arugula Salad


1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
16 oz. sliced strawberries
10 oz. arugula greens
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced



In a jar add balsamic vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shake well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slice strawberries and onion.
Mix arugula with salad greens and add veggies on top. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing on top and add strawberries. Toss to mix and serve.