• 1 container of pre-washed mixed greens
• 1 Granny Smith Apple, julienned
• ¼ cup toasted walnuts
• ¼ Crumble Goat Cheese
• Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Blueberry Vinaigrette

• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tbsp apple juice
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp minced shallots
• 1 pinch of stevia, raw sugar or a little honey
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Puree all the ingredients in the blender until smooth. Thin with apple juice or water.

Variations: Can add grilled or poached chicken breasts to salad.

En papillote means “wrapped in packets”. Cooking food in either parchment paper or foil helps seal in and blend flavors . This is a very healthy way of preparing food since it requires no or little fat. Makes an easy week night meal or special presentation when you entertain.

• 4  7-8 oz Wild Alaskan Salmon filets, skin removed
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• Tarragon and Parsley Sprigs
• Splash of White Wine
• Drizzle olive oil
• S&P to taste
• 4 sheets of parchment paper-about 24 “ long

Preheat oven to 400 F. Measure out 4 individual sheets of parchment paper about 24 inches. Fold in half and cut out a heart shape. Open up one parchment paper and gently laid in salmon filet. Toss on top julienned zucchini, carrot, shallot add just a bit of white wine and olive oil and top with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Then gently fold or crimp edges of paper to create a “sealed” packet. Finish preparing the rest of the filets the same way and put two on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes. This can be prepared up to three hrs. prior to baking.

So what’s cooking these days…

I have been enjoying getting some really nice greens this winter at Adams Acres in Newburgh, NY. They have been offering beautiful and tasty Spring Greens Blend, Baby Bok Choy and Swiss Chard and their Micro Greens. It’s grown right here in the Hudson Valley all year round by a fairly  new company called Continental Organics, located in New Windsor, NY. They are growing their produce and fish by Aquaponics, which is a form of year-round, sustainable agriculture, that combines hydroponics (or water based planting) and aquaculture (fish cultivation), pretty exciting and you can read more on this on their website.

I just became a Vitamix Affiliate where you can learn and purchase Vitamix High Power Blenders that you can make incredible smoothies, sauces, salad dressings, soups and lots more within minutes. Since I have been using Vitamix for the past 13 yrs. making beautiful meals for my clients and see how it’s changed their health, I decided too share this with my cooking students and health coach clients.

I am introducing  Vitamix to individuals and groups and with every purchase you receive free shipping and a complimentary 3 hr. class given by me with a recipe handout. To schedule a vitamix demonstration, please give me at a call at 845-548-6520.

Health Coaching Programs are now available for 3 months and 6 months. During your assessment will talk about your goals and assess if they can be obtained in 3 months or if they need more support and would need more sessions in my 6 month program.

Each program is customized to your needs and include 3 sessions per month:,
Two, 50 minute phone sessions, 1 live cooking class with recipe handouts or online cooking class with ebook.

Your Dr. just told you that you need to go on medication to lower either your blood pressure, cholesterol and or sugar levels and you really don’t want to but don’t know what else to do!

Get ready for a body that’s healthy, has more energy and looks great!

My 5 step plan to managing your high’s is for busy people who are time challenged and frustrated with what they should or should not be eating. They are not sure what cooking equipment they need or what cooking ingredients they should be buying and why. In your coaching program, I will take the frustration out your life and make it fun going grocery shopping and cooking delicious meals.

In your program, I can help you understand why your are stuck with making healthier food and lifestyle changes and will motivate and support you to implement new cooking techniques and time management in the kitchen without spending all your time in the kitchen. This program works best for busy people who are ready to commit and feel happier about making changes and being accounted for them.

Call 845-548-6520 or email to set up your complimentary session. Will do a personalized assessment of your health and goals so you can start getting focus on what you need support on.

2 tablespoons grape seed oil
½ onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 15-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes with juice
5 ounces baby spinach
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1 15-ounce cannelloni beans, drained
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan cheese rind (about 3 inches)

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.
2. Cook until the onion is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir until dissolved.
4. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits.
5. Add the beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf and parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Then add spinach and cook until wilted; take out the parmesan rind and bay leaves.

Most Americans today are time-starved and challenged with the increasing cost of real whole foods – items that are unprocessed and unrefined (or processed or refined as little as possible).

Buying convenience-food products is at a record high, and so is the amount of convenience foods to choose from on grocery shelves.

But what most people don’t realize is that convenience foods are costing them their health. These folks are spending more time at the doctor’s office and taking not only one prescription medicine but several – and they are still sick.

Cooking at home is one of the easiest and healthiest things you can do to control the nutrient content of your food. However, I know it can be one of the hardest tasks at home to accomplish.

But with a little planning and keeping healthy ingredients well stocked in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer, you won’t want to resort to frozen TV dinners or takeout menus anymore – and your pocketbook will be getting fatter, not you.

Strategies for a healthy pantry

Begin with using real whole foods – nothing processed or refined, no artificial ingredients, nothing sweetened or with white flours.

Stock your refrigerator with more plant-based foods that are nutrient-dense, rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants, such as colorful vegetables, greens and fresh fruits. Stock the cupboard with beans, canned or dried, and whole grains, such as quinoa and barley.

Stock your freezer with nuts; they will stay fresher longer. Walnuts and almonds are great for baking or topping salads or making salad dressings. Nut butters such as almond and cashew are really healthy fats and great to have on hand to add to smoothies or to make salad dressings.

Dried fruits including apricots, dates and raisins are great to add to cereals and can be used as natural sweeteners in baking.

Why you should care

The importance of having a well-stocked, healthy pantry can help with losing weight, provide more energy and fewer chances to develop chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

By stocking a healthier pantry, you will have more variety on hand to cook or bake with, and you’ll help keep your family interested in trying new foods. It will also be helpful for people on a special diet, because they will not be overwhelmed with what to prepare on a daily basis.

To sum up, the result of having a well-stocked pantry of healthy foods: You’ll be full of energy, happiness and have clearer thinking, too. So take the time to keep your pantry healthy, and it will return the favor.

Check out this recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup

Farm Market Salad with Sardines

Serves 1

• 2 handfuls of baby arugula, washed and drained
• 6 yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 small chunk of cucumber, sliced into quarters’
• 1 tbsp red onion slices
• 2 tbsp red pepper, small diced
• 2 tbsp orange peppers, silvered
•  Some chickweed sprouts
• 1 4 oz can of boneless sardines, packed in olive oil

Lemon Garlic Dressing

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juiced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sprinkle of oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In a salad bowl, toss arugula with the next five ingredients, top with some chickweed sprouts and add slices of boneless sardines. Drizzle with dressing and Enjoy!

Easy and delicious way to get your omega 3’s in!

I visited one of my favorite farm markets today, Blooming Hill Farm in Washingtonville, NY. They have the best and freshest greens and sprouts. I had some other veggies on hand from the day before and a can of sardines and made this super easy salad and dressing for lunch. You can certainly use other greens,  such as romaine, mesclun and other or additional veggies. It’s ok, make your own recipe! Serve with a slice of baguette and a glass of cabernet and was good to go! Try it for your next lunch, it really is delicious and you will do your heart a lot of good!

Wow, what a great conference I attended last week. It was hosted by Dutchess County Tourism and with over 100 attendees from restaurant owners, caterers, farmers, educators, wineries etc. from around the Hudson Valley. A lot of exciting culinary events, projects, groups are happening in the valley and the amount of people who are visiting the Hudson Valley has grown in these last 5 yrs. This valley is becoming a desired destination for tourism like our west coast folks in the Napa Valley Region. There is an incredible richness of farms, wineries, restaurants, parks, historical sites and roadways that are beautiful during our four seasons with our Fall Season being the most colorful!

The conference was hosted by Mary Kay Vrba, Director of Dutchess County Tourism (second from the right) and ran from 9:00-3:00. It started with a panel discussion on local agritourism lead by three excellent Hudson Valley Chefs, Peter Xavier Kelly, Chef, Vintner, Restaurateur, Laura Pensiero, from Gigi Hudson Vallley, Mark Strausman from Agriturismo. Also, Sara Grady from the Glynwood Center in Garrison, NY spoke on Hard Cider Week and Cider Trail.

Janet Crawshaw from the Valley Table spoke on upcoming Restaurant Week, March 18th-31^st  and share with us on ideas for packaging the many types of food, hotel, B&B, farms, restaurants etc. and how to work on collaborative culinary packages too.

Lunch was included in this conference and wow what a treat! From the pictures above, this was our lunch and Dessert and it was all from a Hudson Valley Farm. Here’s the menu and where everything came from. Absolutely delicious and another treat that we had during lunch was to listen to Betty Fussell speak on Tasting the River and the Rock.

Salad of Organic Baby Greens and Hot House Tomatoes crowned with Fresh Chevre

From Continental Organics, New Windsor

Mt. Fresh Farms, Highland

Sprout Creek Farm, Poughkeepsie-their goat cheese is melt in your mouth good!

Pan-roasted French cut Chicken Breast, Reserved Pan Jus

from Campanelli’s Poultry Farm, Kenoza Lake. I get their Chickens from Adams and they are very tender, juicy and fresh tasting.

Sautéed String Beans and Herb Roasted Potatoes

Winter Sun Farms, Kingston

Plecan Farms, New Hampton

Warm Granny Smith Apple Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Hurds Family Farm, Modena

Benny and Caesar’s Ice Cream Poughkeepsie

And do you believe this home grown lunch and conference was $65.00!

Today, modern pressure cookers are made to be very safe and reliable. They have multiple safety features, improved vent systems and pressure-release valves that are 100-percent safe. These new pressure cookers are made of stainless steel with thick three-ply bottoms that prevent foods from burning and help food cook and brown evenly.

Using a pressure cooker can cut your time by 70 percent. Imagine making chicken stock in 30 minutes instead of five hours, beef stew in 15 minutes instead of 2½ hours, fluffy brown rice in 15 minutes instead of 50 minutes, creamy risotto in seven minutes instead of 40 minutes — and no stirring. You can also make a lot of delicious desserts, such as cheesecake, in 30 minutes.

Now you will not only have more time in your life but also more money in your bank account; a pressure cooker uses one-third of the energy of normal cooking methods, making it very green for our planet.

Other benefits of pressure cooking are healthy and low-fat cooking. The pressure cooker uses very little liquid, and because it’s a “closed system,” vitamins and minerals are retained during cooking. It also doesn’t require that you use olive oil because of its no-stick bottom. The pressure cooker can build up pressure and create 250 degrees of cooking temperature, whereas regular cooking methods heat up to 212 degrees.

Flavor is also better achieved in using the pressure cooker because ingredients under all that pressure help intensify and keep the natural flavors of food. Tougher meats will be more tender, vegetables retain their freshness and brightness of color — food is just more appealing and healthier under pressure.

So how do you know what pressure cooker to buy? There are several brands to choose from, so take some time to evaluate the many models on the market. The larger size 9-quart is great for canning, the 7- and 8-quart sizes are great for soups, stews and desserts. The 4- and 6-quart are great for making vegetables and grains.

Braised Short Ribs

Serves 4

• 4 meaty beef short ribs (about 2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• ½ large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, diced
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium heat. Add short ribs in batches, and brown evenly about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add onion, garlic and rosemary to pressure cooker, and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste, red wine and beef stock, and whisk to combine. Add beef short ribs back to the pressure cooker and bring up to a boil, lock pressure cooker lid in place, and cook for 30 minutes under high pressure (15 psi or second ring). Use the quick-release method (running edge of pressure cooker lid under cold water until pressure value is released), and open lid to check if meat is tender and falling off the bone. Take out beef ribs and put on a plate. Empty sauce into a food processor and puree. Add sauce back to the pressure cooker and bring to a boil. If sauce is not thick enough, make a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cold water to 1 tablespoon cornstarch and make a paste; add to the sauce a little at a time to desired thickness.

Risotto with Peas and Porcini Mushrooms

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ small onion, finely diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 dried porcini mushrooms
• 2¼ cups of chicken stock
• ¼ white wine
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

In the pressure cooker over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute onion and shallot for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add rice and lightly brown. Add frozen peas, mushrooms and stock, wine and stir well. Lock lid in place and bring to high pressure (second ring) and then lower heat and cook for 7 minutes. Use the quick-release method (running edge of pressure cooker lid under cold water until pressure value is released). Stir in parmesan cheese, butter and pepper, and let sit until cheese melts. Serve immediately in bowls.

View Original Article from the Times Herald-Record

Blueberry Almond, Lemon Bread Pudding

Serves 6

• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 slices of challah bread, trimmed and cut into cubes
• ¾ cup fresh blueberries
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ lemon, zested
• 1/3 packed light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups warm milk
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 3 cups water
• Cinnamon to taste

Butter a 5-6 cup soufflé dish or bowl that fits loosely into the Pressure Cooker. In another bowl, combine the bread, blueberries, almonds, and  lemon zest. In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the bread mixture and transfer to a butter soufflé dish. Cover tightly with foil, bottom and top. Place a trivet in the pressure cooker and add the water. Place the covered soufflé dish in the cooker on a trivet, and close the lid and bring up to high pressure and then lowered the heat to stabilize and cook for 20 minutes. Release the pressure and keep the pressure cooker closed for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and take out the soufflé dish.  Loosen the foil and cool. For more color, place under the broiler and then sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm with whipped cream.