Pear Fig Lavender Tart Recipe

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Take a trip to Provence, the land of heavenly lavender, make a Pear Fig Lavender Tart!

Pears and figs are in season and with a touch of culinary lavender flowers they’ll make a heavenly tart! This is a very lovely recipe, absolutely divine by itself, though much lovelier with a shot of espresso, a cup of tea, or a glass of pinot noir. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.    2 large Barnette pears

2.    3 medium-large fresh figs

3.    1 Tbsp. orange rind 

5.    1 cup fresh orange juice 

6.    1 1/4 cup spelt pastry flour (alternatively, you can use 1 cup of spelt pastry flour and 1/4 of            almond meal)

7.    1 1/4 stick sweet butter (melted and at room temperature ). Vegan version, use Earthbalance            butter.

8.    1/4  cup sugar

9.    1 Tsp. culinary lavender flowers (finely chopped)

10.  1/2 Tsp. culinary lavender flowers

11.  Tart pan (11 inch diameter) with removable bottom

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375F 

2.   Place the tart pan on parchment paper and cut into a circle with additional 1 inch over the               size of the tart pan in order to cover the tart pan’s wall.

3.   Brush the parchment paper with the sweet melted butter, speckle a few orange rind, a few               lavender flower and 1 Tsp. sugar.  

4.   Wash figs and slice them gently. 

5.   Wash pears. cut in half, remove core and thinly slice them using a Mandoline. 

6.   Arrange figs in the middle of the tart pan and the pears around the figs. like a sunflower. 

7.   Sprinkle a few orange rind and lavender flowers on the figs and pears. Pic. 1

6.   In a bowl combine spelt pastry flour,1 Tbsp. sugar,1 Tsp. lavender flowers (finely chopped). Add       in the orange juice and melted sweet butter.  

7.   Mix lightly to incorporate all ingredients. Do not over mix. It’ll make the tart dense.  

8.   Pour the mixture over the figs and pears and with a spatula flatten it to cover them. Pic 2

9.   Bake the tart for about 30-35 minutes until golden. Pic 3
10. Let the tart cool for 15 minutes.

11. Flip the tart over on a plate Pic. 4, remove the parchment paper Pic. 5 and let it cool for 30             minutes before serving. Pic 6

Happy Baking!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Lavender Cuisine

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Cultivate Happiness and Prosperity in Your Life!

The path to living a more Happy and Prosperous Life starts with a Clutter-Free Home.
Are you unsure whether Clutter is affecting your life?

Take this Clutter Assessment Quiz to find out whether Clutter is holding you back from living a more Happy and Prosperous Life:

1. Do you often find yourself in a state of avoidance, procrastination or indecision?
2. Do you feel at ease and welcomed when you walk in to your home?
3. Do you often think about clearing your home but somehow can't ever bring yourself to do it?
4. Do you have trouble figuring out what to wear even though your closet is full of clothes?
5. Do you have piles of books, magazines or newspapers you have never read and probably never will?
6. Do you save broken items just in case someday you may fix them?
7. Do you keep things that you don’t need or use just because they were a gift?
8. Do you have a spare room or garage that you can’t use because it’s full of stuff from you, your grown children, and others?
9. Do you have a house and garage littered with unfinished projects?
10. Do you own a storage unit on your property or rent one elsewhere?

If you answered “yes” to 50% or more of these questions, your home is experiencing a moderate to severe degree of Clutter!

Declutter your home to free yourself from physical and emotional clutter.

Let Go!

Happy Decluttering.

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Peach Lavender Galette Recipe

Take a trip to Provence, the land of heavenly lavender!

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Peach and lavender are simply divine and together they make a heavenly galette! This is a very lovely summer recipe, absolutely wonderful by itself, though lovelier with a shot of espresso, a glass of pinot noir or both.

Galette Dough Ingredients:  

      1.  1 cup spelt pastry flour

      2.  1 cup almonds meal

      3.  1/2 Tsp. organic culinary lavender flower dried or fresh

      4.  2 Tbsp. sugar

      5.  1 Tsp. Meyer lemon or lemon rind

      6.  5 Tbsps. cold sweet butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces

      7.  1/3 cup ice water. 

Galette Dough Instructions:  In a bowl mix spelt pastry flour, almond meal, lemon rind, lavender flowers and sugar.  Add in the cold sweet butter and with your hands mix in the butter until it resemble a coarse meal texture. Drizzle the cold water over the dough and mix lightly until moistened. Gather up the dough and knead 2 or 3 times. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Galette Ingredients:

     1.  2 Tbsp. sugar

     2.  1 Tsp. fresh or dried organic lavender flowers 

     3.  6 Semi-ripe medium peaches, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

     4.  2 Tsp. Meyer lemon rind

Galette Instructions:

     1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

     2.  Roll out the galette dough about 14 inches in diameter & transfer to a baking sheet.

     4.  Arrange peaches and sprinkle Meyer lemon rinds (pic 1).

     5.  Fold the 2-inch border of the dough over the peaches and pleating together (pic 2).

     6.  Sprinkle the galette with sugar and lavender flowers (pic 2).

     7.  Bake until the crust is nicely golden for about 35-40 minutes (pic 3).

     8. Let the galette cool, garnish with the lavender sprigs and enjoy.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Lavender Cuisine

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

3 Practical and Powerful Ways to Declutter Your Life.

1.        Declutter Your Mind: Don't allow negative thoughts to take over your life. Instead, override them with positive and uplifting ones. I know it's easier said than done, but it's do-able, It takes practice. For example, as soon as a negative thought comes to your mind, say to yourself, I am not going there, been there, done that, I deserve a lot better, and get going by doing something kind and nourishing for yourself.

2.       Declutter Your Home and Work Environments: Remove, recycle, donate, trash, sell, do whatever is needed to let go of anything that you don't need, use or even like. Less is more! Clutter generates negative energy in the home and work environments and has a direct negative impact on your physical and emotional health. You deserve to live and work in a happy, positive and nourishing environment. So, just come up with a decluttering plan and let go!

3.       Declutter Your Relationships: This is the most important and probably the hardest, but again, it's do-able. Identify negative and toxic people in your life by making a list. Then, come up with your own plan of letting them go. Next, “Surround yourself with the dreamers, and doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.” – Edmund Lee

Happy Decluttering!

Ellie Lavender

Certified Feng Shui Practitioner

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Create Your Own Personal Spa Retreat!

The bathroom is the space dedicated to cleansing and purifying the body. Soaking and unwinding in the bathtub, steaming and lathering in the shower, or simply splashing your face with water restores health and refreshes your energy and emotions. Imagine a tranquil oasis within your home where you can soak the day’s cares away and restore your sense of balance with the world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Get Started Today. Apply these simple, practical and inexpensive Feng Shui enhancements to your bathroom and create your own personal spa retreat, a place of relaxation and rejuvenation:

1.        Declutter and organize your bathroom. Remove any items that have no purpose there.

2.       Keep your bathroom clean and mold free (use ecofriendly and organic cleaning products)

3.       Fix dripping faucets. We may not realize how small things in our environment can be draining our energy, our health and our wealth. This is especially true regarding the flow of water. In Feng Shui water represents wealth, prosperity, cash flow, career and business opportunities. In our home water flows through faucets. Therefore, dripping faucets adversely affect our wealth, not just with a higher water bill, but with an overall feeling of income “dripping away” each week.  Fix dripping faucets as soon as possible.

4.      Keep drains fully functional. Drains that are clogged up can result in our feeling overwhelmed or blocked. These feelings can affect our health and finances. Clear clogged drains as soon as possible.

5.       Proper ventilation is a must for a healthy bathroom. Open your bathroom’s window each day to let fresh air in.

6.       Toilet and Bathroom Door – Always keep the toilet’s lid down and the bathroom door closed. Keeping the bathroom door closed and toilet seat down minimizes the loss of energy and money.

7.       Make your bathroom beautiful. Bright and soothing colors (walls and cabinets) can create a serene and beautiful environment

8.      Place art that gives you pleasure and brings you good energy.

9.      The right scents are an important choice, and you can choose aromas such as calming, invigorating, or romantic.

10.    Add plants and fresh flowers to your bathroom to promote positive and uplifting energy.

11.     Bring music into the environment while in the bath.

Relax in your own spa retreat, refresh and rejuvenate often. Love Yourself.

Inspired Transformation: “Ellie helped us to transform our dark bathroom into a beautiful private spa! We started by decluttering our bathroom and painted it a soft lavender color. Then we bought a lavender-blue shower curtain, bathroom rug, a couple of lavender candles and a beautiful purple Orchid flower. These simple changes resulted in an amazing transformation of our bathroom and all for the cost of $78.39. Thank you Ellie for your guidance and creativity. We love our new private spa!" Julie and John, Los Gatos

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Ratatouille with herbes de Provence Recipe!

A Taste of Provence on Your Plate!

Ratatouille is a traditional French Provencal stewed vegetable dish, which originated in Nice, in the south of France. It’s usually served as a side dish, but may also be served as a meal on its own accompanied by quinoa or millet pilaf, couscous or rustic bread. Ratatouille is very simple to make and a very healthy, nutritious, and delicious meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.   1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

2.   1 Tsp. minced garlic

3.   1/3 cup diced shallots

4.   1 cup diced zucchini

5.   1 cup diced yellow squash

6.   1 cups diced eggplant

7.   1 cup diced yellow bell peppers

8.   1 cup diced orange bell peppers

9.   1/3 Tsp. sea salt

10.  1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

11.  2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

12.  2Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

13.  1/2 Tsp. Herbs de Provence  

Directions: 

Add olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic to the pan, sauté until wilted and lightly caramelized about 5 -7 minutes.  Add eggplant to the pan and stir occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked about 5 minutes.  Add bell peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash and continue to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.  Add tomatoes, herbes de Provence, sea salt and cook for additional 5-7 minutes. Stir lightly to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature over couscous, quinoa or with rustic bread.  Sprinkle basil and parsley before serving.  Cold ratatouille on rustic baguette with a drizzle of olive oil is absolutely divine, so refrigerate the leftover for the next day.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Lavender Cuisine

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Create A Garden For Your Senses: See. Hear. Taste.

Gardens bring us joy and happiness. Whether you have a large backyard, a small courtyard or just a stairwell with a few potted plants, you can turn it into a place of joy, relaxation, serenity and contemplation, a living sanctuary that refreshes your mind and spirit  Using colors and the art of arrangements, you can transform any outdoor space into a restorative garden retreat.

Get inspired! Create your own garden retreat:

1.  Make your garden beautiful and vibrant!

2.  Plant colorful and aromatic fruits such as strawberries; vegetables such as yellow squash; flowers such as roses; and herbs such as lavender, sage, mint and lemon verbena.  These categories of fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs will invite bees, butterflies and birds to your garden in addition to creating visual pleasure.

3.  Add a soft wind chime, bird feeder, solar garden lights, vibrant garden balls, eclectic stepping stones, a couple of chairs and small table. These elements are perfect for stimulating your senses. They generate and promote good energy in your garden, home and life. 

4.  Create a garden that you can smell, feel, hear and taste!

5.  Connect with nature to enjoy its soothing power on your senses.

6.  Make a habit of having your morning coffee/tea in your garden, and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening.

Have fun with your garden!

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Celebrate Earth Day: Green Living Tips and Benefits

Celebrate Earth Day :: Green Living Tips and Benefits  

Every year on April 22^nd, more than 1 billion people in 190 countries take action to celebrate Earth Day! They plant trees, clean up their communities, contact their elected officials, and more—all on behalf of the environment.  

There are many things we can do collectively to promote a cleaner environment and reduce the harmful effects of climate change. One of them being a cultivation and promotion of Green Living. For example, we can:

1.   Improve the Efficiency of our Water Heater and HVAC System

2.   Get a High-Efficiency Showerhead

3.   Always run the Washing Machine and Dishwasher with a full load

4.   Avoid Cleaning Products with Harmful Chemicals and use Natural or Organic Ones

5.   Be Creative in so many ways when recycling: The best use of an old Claw foot Tub!

6.    Compost

7.    Avoid Buying Genetically Modified Foods (GMO).

8.   Shop from Local Organic Grocery Stores and Farmer’s Markets

9.   Eat Organic and Grow our own Organic Vegetables and Herbs

10.  Use Solar Energy

11.   Drive Electric Cars

Lastly, you can choose to become vegan or at least vegetarian. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation. Collectively we can reduce the harmful effects on climate change by having vegan or vegetarian foods. It's good for our health, and also contributes towards maintaining the natural ecological balance in the environment and preserving our beautiful planet.   

Promote environmental awareness on Earth Day and throughout the year.

Happy Earth Day!

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Roasted Vegetable Medley with Herbs de Provence Recipe!

Oven-roasted vegetables are delicious, highly nutritious and easy to make. You can enjoy them by themselves, on a bed of saffron lemon millet pilaf with a glass of Pinot Noir. You can also make sandwiches with toasted breads such as ciabatta, francese, whole grains or a bread of your own liking. Pesto spread and a slice of cheese (dairy or nondairy) will make this sandwich even lovelier!

Ingredients: 2 medium golden and red beets, 4 medium rainbow carrots, 2 medium parsnips, 2 medium fennels and 1 medium shallot. You can always add other vegetables. The key is to mix vegetables that are colorful and compliments each other in tastes.  

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash, brush, peal and thoroughly clean all the vegetables. Dry them with paper towel. Chop them into wedges, sticks, basically, into different shapes (see picture above). Place vegetables in a large bowl. Season with sea salt, 1 teaspoon lemon rind, 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence, drizzle generously with olive oil, and toss them with your hands to coat them evenly. Spread the vegetable on baking sheet and place them in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Get inspired and create your own roasted vegetable medley art!

Happy Roasting!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Lavender Cuisine

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Revitalize Your Life in 3 Steps!

Spring is the season of renewal and celebration and a spring cleaning of your home will nourish and strengthen your energy, cultivating happiness and prosperity in your life!

Get started today. Apply these 3 simple, practical tips to your home and enjoy your happiness and prosperity amplified in amazing ways:

1.    Declutter - First thing first. Declutter your home. Remove any items, I mean any items that you don't have a use for, need or even like. Do a quick evaluation and decide where the item needs to go. Simplify the process by using the chart above. No need to go and buy fancy boxes. Just use what you have or get some boxes from the nearest grocery stores.

2.    Organize - Put everything in its logical place. For example, books should be on the bookshelf, not on the living room floor, dining room table, kitchen counters, etc.

3.    Clean your house top to bottom using non-toxic and eco-friendly products. Windows are a must. These days you can find people who come and clean your windows quickly and inexpensively. If you don’t have time to clean or you don’t like to clean, get some cleaning people to clean your house, yard, garage, etc., The goal is getting your house, hence your home cleaned, so find a creative and inexpensive solution to get it done.

These simple and practical actions will lift up the energy in your home, hence your life.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Ellie Lavender

Certified Feng Shui Practitioner

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Discover how to Simplify Your Life in 3 Steps.

Living simply results in a rewarding lifestyle because it’s based on mindful consumption. It's about inner richness and gratitude for the things we already have rather than constantly struggling to acquire more and more stuff, which we don’t need. Excess results in mind and environmental clutter and inhibits paths to happiness and prosperity.  

Living mindfully leads to a lifestyle of gratitude. The idea of “less is more” is never more applicable than when living simply. When making do with less, the attitude of gratitude naturally extends into all areas of life, including just being grateful for life itself.

Simplify Your Life in 3 Steps:

1.  Declutter Your Home, Office/Workspace and Relationships – Release and Let Go

2. Organize  Your Home and Office/Workspace – Be Productive and Feel Empowered

3. Apply Feng Shui – Bring Balance and Harmony into your Life

Inspire Transformation Story - “Ellie helped us to declutter, organize and Feng Shui our whole house, which was neglected for many years! Once, we declutterd, organized and applied Ellie’s creative and inspiring interior design’s solutions, our house was transformed into a beautiful home, a place of joy, comfort and relaxation. The two areas, which needed the most decluttering and organization, were our children’s bedrooms. The immediate positive impact became apparent when we stopped asking our 9 year old daughter and 12 year old son to do their homework, pick up their things, stop arguing, etc. Pleasantly, we noticed our constant nagging had turned into praising them for keeping their bedrooms clean and doing their homework. We are also delighted that every Saturday morning they bring their dirty clothes basket to the laundry room and empty their trash cans, which have helped to keep their bedrooms clean and organized. Our daughter and son are now much happier and calmer. They also sleep better, argue less, and are more focused on their school work. For this amazing transformation and so much more, we can’t thank you enough, Ellie!“ 
~ Cathy & Steve , Almaden Valley

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Moroccan Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Golden Beets and Parsnips Recipe

Organic Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Golden Beets and Parsnips (great substitutes for potatoes) are full of flavors, delicious, nutritious and simply divine. This is a very delightful recipe for lunch or dinner, lovely by itself, and even lovelier over a bed of saffron-lemon millet pilaf or mixed greens. Pour a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and olive oil dressing (prepare the dressing a few minutes before serving the meal so that it will stay fresh) over the veggies with the pilaf or the mixed green right before serving it. Additionally, a glass of Pinot Noir will complement this dish beautifully.

Ingredients (serving size 4-6):

1 pound rainbow carrots

1 Pound parsnips

1/2 Pound golden beets 

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tsp. Moroccan spice Zaatar (Cost Plus sells it)

1/2 Tsp. sea salt

1/2 Cup olive oil

Instruction: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. (the high temperature ensures that the veggies will cook quickly, stay crispy outside and tender inside).

2. Peel carrots, beets and parsnips. Wash and damp dry to remove moisture. Cut into 2 inch strips. 

3. In a bowl mix veggies with sea salt, lemon juice, Zaatar spice and olive oil until lightly coated.

4. Spread the veggies evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

Happy Cooking.

Chef Ellie Lavender

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine

Aspiring Young Artist Chefs Made Exquisite Chocolate Arts.

The Creative Hands of Aspiring Young Chefs 

Aspiring Young Artist Chefs Made Exquisite Chocolate Arts.

The amazing Tierra Pacifica Charter School students rocked the kitchen one last time. Today, in our 4th/last class they made Artisan Chocolates with Organic Herbs, Flowers & Fleur de Sel which they loved and promised to make for the Valentine's Day. These enthusiastic foodies and creative young chefs' beautiful teamwork and collaboration was simply amazing. Click here for their beautiful testimonials.  

Thank you Bengie, the amazing aspiring young chef students and the Tierra Pacifica Charter School for the wonderful opportunity to share my love and passion for vegan-vegetarian-Mediterranean cooking with you.

My Amazing Creative Students: Love your wonderful thank you card, it is sitting beautifully in my office. 

Cheers.

Chef Ellie Lavender

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Copyright 2017, Lavender Design + Cuisine