Lavender Design + Cuisine: 2023

Friday, May 26, 2023

2023 Vegan Mediterranean Culinary & Wine Pairing Classes!

Vegan Mediterranean Culinary & Wine Pairing Classes

Greetings Foodies & Wine Lovers!

Join me on a wonderful vegan Mediterranean culinary & wine pairing journey to France, Spain, Italy and Morocco - all without venturing far from home.

My culinary and wine pairing classes are held locally at the beautiful FlipJackRanch in Bonny Doon nestled amongst a redwood forest in the magical Santa Cruz mountains!

Each class runs for 4 hours and limited to 10 students to ensure the most spectacular experience for all. Since, seats are limited, early registration is highly encouraged. Please click here to view my classes and to register now.

Additionally, all registered students in my classes will receive a one-time 10% discount offer on all culinary, cooking and baking items available in ToqueBlanche kitchen store in downtown Santa Cruz and on their website. Discount code will be provided in the class.

I look forward to seeing you in my fun and delicious classes!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Lavender Design + Cuisine
Event Caterer

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming workshops, chocolates, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!

Copyright © 2023 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Bathroom and Benefits of Good Energy!

Clean, Clutter-Free, Organized and

Serene Bathroom

A clean, clutter-free, organized and serene bathroom promotes and enhances good energy not only in the bathroom, but also throughout the house. The flow of good energy in the house not only alleviates anxiety, restlessness and exhaustion, it also boosts feelings of well-being, improves and enhances clarity in communications and the power of decision making!

Click here to view a few simple and practical ways to improve the energy in your bathroom/s if needed.

Ellie Lavender
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
Interior Designer
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive Feng Shui & interior design tips and information on upcoming workshops!

Simple Dining Room Revitalization Tips!

Clutter-Free, Vibrant & Inviting Dining Room

Formal or casual, modern or traditional, the dining room is the social center of a home. It is the place to enjoy meals, friends and family gatherings, birthdays and holiday parties.

To revitalize your dining room, start by decluttering (remove all items that have nothing to do with a dining room), paint your dining room (a fresh coat of paint will lift up the energy), change light fixtures and rug, add arts and fresh flowers and finally, give your dining table and chairs a makeover if they needed it (sand, stain or paint).

These simple steps are not only cost effective, but also fun ways to revitalize your dining room. They will contribute to healthy eating and harmonious family relationships!

Happy Revitalization!

Ellie Lavender
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
Interior Designer
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive Feng Shui & interior design tips and information on upcoming workshops!

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Vegan Recipe: Sweet & Savory Gateaux Salé

Sweet & Savory Gateaux Salé

Gateaux Salé Dough in Vintage Baking Pan

Vintage Baking Pan

Greetings Gourmet Foodies!

Gateaux Salé is a delicious Provençal bread appetizer served with pre-dinner drinks, or apéro, as they are often referred to. It’s very easy to make and you can enjoy it while it’s warm by itself or with a smear of vegan butter, creamy herbed vegan cheese or any other spreads to your liking! It beautifully complements creamy soups, mixed-greens or arugula pear salad with a glass of red wine such as Pinot Noir.

The term Gateaux Salé, refers to anything baked in a loaf pan, but I made mine in a beautiful vintage baking pan (the Wear-Ever aluminum fluted pie pan made in 1950s), which I found at a yard sale and love it!

So let’s get started with the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup spelt flour
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp. dried herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 stick melted vegan butter at room temperature
1 cup plain oat milk
1/2 cup chopped walnut (and a few walnut halves to put on the dough)
1/2 cup chopped pitted Picholine or any other green olives (and a few whole olives to put on the dough)
5 dried figs thinly sliced
2 thyme sprigs and a few marjoram leaves

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Generously brush a 10 or 12 inch deep pie pan with melted butter and set aside.
3. Process the rolled oats in a food processor until they have turned into fine flour.
4. In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients and toss them with spatula a few times.
5. Add oat milk and melted butter to ingredients in the mixing bowl. With a fork, mix all ingredients until well combined.
6. Pour the dough in the greased pie pan, with a spoon level top of the dough, place halved walnut, sliced figs and whole olives on the dough, using your hands tap over them so that they are situated in the dough. Next place the thyme sprigs and marjoram leaves.
7. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Take the gateaux sale out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack for one hour.
9. Then, carefully run a Perry knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the gateaux sale. Next, place a cutting board over the pie pan and turn it over to remove the gateaux sale, and then gently flip it over, slice and enjoy.

This wonderful sweet and savory Gateaux Salé with your own personalized packaging and label will make a delicious culinary gift for family and friends too!

Enjoy & Happy Baking!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Feng Shui Tips for the Front Door!

In Feng Shui, one of the first places to look at in your home is the front door. You want to have a strong front door so that you can welcome positive energy. When chi can flow easily into your home, this energy brings along abundance and ease. The front door refers to the official, formal front door of the home.

Your front door should be easily accessible, clean, clutter-free, vibrant, inviting and welcoming, make it that way!

Ellie Lavender
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
Interior Designer
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive Feng Shui & interior design tips and information on upcoming workshops!

Vegan Salade de Pois Chiche Nicoise (Chickpea Nicoise Salad) Recipe!

Vegan Salade de Pois Chiche Nicoise

(Chickpea Nicoise Salad)

Salads are healthy, delicious and very easy to make. This Salade de Pois Chiche Nicoise (Chickpea Nicoise Salad) is my vegan version of the Salade Nicoise, a Provençal dish. It’s super delicious, flavorful, colorful and loaded with herbes de Provence, seasoned fried chickpeas, hearty purple and red potatoes, red onion, cherry bell radishes, Picholine olives, capers, vegan feta cheese, crispy escarole leaves and crunchy endives with a tangy Dijon Vinaigrette!

Salad Recipe - Use my salad photo above as a guide to compose this lovely salad, add or substitute other salad greens, veggies and other plant-based ingredients to your liking and create your very own beautiful salad art.

Vinaigrette Recipe (2 servings) - In a bowl combine 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. diced shallot, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Then, whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the mixture is emulsified. You can either drizzle it on Salade de Pois Chiche Nicoise right before serving or serve it in small bowl with the salad.

Enjoy this beautiful salad as a delicious healthy lunch or dinner with crusty bread or baguette with a glass of beautifully aged Pinot Noir.

Chef Ellie Lavender

Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!

Monday, January 16, 2023

Vegan Lemony Escarole Soup Recipe!

Garden Escarole

Chopped Escarole, Minced Shallot & Garlic

Photo 1

Sauteed Escarole, Shallot & Garlic

Photo 2

Photo 3

Vegan Lemony Escarole Soup

Gorgeous Garden Escarole, one of my most favorite veggies! So many ways to enjoy this nutty, slightly bitter, delicious and nutritious veggie!

Beside wonderful salads especially with pear and berries such as blackberry or blueberry, you can make a delicious flavorful escarole vegan soup with shallot, garlic, chickpeas or cannellini beans and Italian herbs! Easy to make and perfect for lunch or dinner with crusty bread and a glass of red wine such as Pinot Noir.

So let’s get started with this very simple and delicious Vegan Lemony Escarole Soup Recipe!

Ingredients (Serving size 4)

4 Cups chopped escarole
1 Medium shallot minced
2 Garlic cloves minced
1/2 Cup cooked chickpea or cannellini beans
3 Cups water or veggie broth
1 Tsp. Meyer lemon or lemon zest
2 Tbsp. Meyer lemon or lemon juice
1 Tsp. Italian herbs (dried or fresh)
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 Tsp. Sea salt
2 Tbsp. grated vegan Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium pot sauté escarole, shallot, garlic (photo 1) with 2 tbsp. olive oil for 3-4 minutes until slightly wilted, Photo 2.
2. Add 3 cups water or veggie broth, cooked chickpeas, Italian herbs, sea salt (photo 3), bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, add 2 tbsp. Meyer lemon or lemon juice and let it stand for a few minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with lemon zest and grated vegan Parmesan cheese.
4. Enjoy this wonderful soup with crusty bread for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad and a glass of red wine, such as Pinot Noir.

Escarole & Pasta Recipe - You can also sauté escarole with shallot, garlics, Italian herbs, toss them with chickpea linguine pasta, a drizzle of olive oil, Meyer lemon zest and shaved vegan Parmesan cheese! This dish will also make a wonderland lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad and a glass of beautifully aged Pinot Noir.

Escarole History - Escarole aka Scariola is believed to be native to Sicily. It’s a signature ingredient in the Italian soup known as Stracciatella. From a very early period escarole was used as a vegetable by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, then spread to the British Isles in the 1500s and was brought to North America by English colonists.

Chef Gardener Notes - Escarole is one of the most hardy greens and you can grow it in all seasons. Plant escarole in full sun in well-draining soil that is amended with compost to aid in water retention. And if you cut off the grown leaves just above soil level; it will re-sprout for a continuous harvest. It’s one of those beautiful self-maintained and ambitious veggies that loves to thrive!

Happy Planting & Cooking, make life delicious!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!

Monday, January 9, 2023

The kitchen Pantry Wonderful Benefits!

Open Space in the kitchen turned

into a Pantry

Coat Closet turned into a Pantry

Floating Shelves for Herbs & Spices

Having a pantry can help to store small kitchen appliances such as food processor & mixer, non-perishable foods and wines (it can be a mini wine cellar) while keeping kitchen countertops clear for food preps. It also inspires cooking and just being in the kitchen much more fun!

Plus, a well-organized pantry is essential for any good home chef. Learning to store, prepare and use the products we keep in our pantry can lead to better meals, healthier lifestyle and helps create less food waste.

So, ideally, we all should have a pantry, but what to do if we don’t have one?

Well, you can create a pantry with shelves using any suitable open space in your kitchen and even a coat closet, if there is one near by your kitchen.

See the pantry examples above, which do not require constructions and are easily doable as fun DIY projects.

Additionally, you can install some floating shelves for your herbs and spices to make them readily available when cooking and baking!

So many cost effective little things we all can do to make our kitchen not only a place of joy for cooking and entertainments, but also a kitchen, which is clutter-free, organized and inviting!

Happy Cooking & Baking!

Ellie Lavender
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
Interior Designer
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive Feng Shui & interior design tips and information on upcoming workshops!

Monday, January 2, 2023

Simple & Delicious Romaine Fennel & Apple Salad Recipe!

Romaine Fennel & Apple Salad Recipe

Salads are healthy, delicious and very easy to make. This whole leaf baby romaine lettuce, shaved fennel, apple, radish and blackberry salad with a simple olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette and freshly ground black peppercorns and a pinch of sea salt is a wonderful way to start the new year!

While chopping salad ingredients and tossing them into a bowl, might be a lot faster when making salads, creating a beautiful plate of salad art is much more fun even if it takes a bit more time!

So let's get started with my very simple recipe!

Ingredients: 2 baby romaine lettuce, one small apple, one fennel bulb, few radishes, few blackberries, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 3 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sea salt & freshly ground pepper.

Instructions: separate romaine lettuce leaves (cut the core of the lettuce to make it easier to separate the leaves), rinse the leaves a salad spinner and spin it a few times to get every bit of the water out, using your mandoline slicer, thinly slice fennel (remove tough outer layers fist) & apple (alternatively you can use a very sharp knife and thinly slice them), thinly slice radishes with a knife.

Next, arrange everything however you like on a large platter, drizzle olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, a bit of freshly ground pepper, a sprinkle of sea salt and enjoy!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!

Vegan Morello Cherry Walnut Cardamom Bread Recipe!

Morello Cherry Walnut Cardamom Bread

Greetings Gourmet Bread Lovers!

Whether you’ve never made bread or are an experienced baker, you can and should make this delicious Vegan Morello Cherry Walnut Cardamom Bread. It will take about 1 hour of your time and will taste amazing! You can enjoy it while it’s warm by itself or with a smear of vegan butter, with coffee, tea or even with a glass of fruity red wine, such as a beautifully aged Pinot Noir.

This wonderful with your own personalized packaging and label will make a delicious Valentine’s Day culinary gifts too!

So, let’s get started with the recipe!

Prep time 15 minutes

Bake time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup spelt flour

1 Stick melted vegan butter at room temperature

1 Cup plain oat milk

2/3 Cup chopped walnut

2/3 Cup dried Morello cherries

1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 Tsp. ground cardamom

1 Tsp. orange zest

A pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (this will take about 10-15 minutes and enough time to get the bread mixture together).

2. Generously brush a standard loaf pan (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches) with melted butter and set aside.

3. Process the rolled oats in a food processor until they have turned into a fine flour.

4. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients, except for the butter and oat milk.

5. In a small bowl whisk oat milk and melted butter. Then, pour them over the ingredients in the medium bowl.

6. With a fork, mix all ingredients until well combined and then pour into the greased loaf pan.

7. Put the loaf pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

8. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer on a wire cooling tack for one hour. Then, carefully run a perry knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the bread.

9. Place a cutting board over the pan and turn it over to get the bread out, then gently flip over the bread. Next, slice the bread with a serrated knife and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes, and special events!