Lavender Design + Cuisine: January 2023

Monday, January 16, 2023

Plant-Based Recipe - Lemony Escarole & Cannellini Beans Soup

Escarole

Lemony Escarole & Cannellini Beans Soup

Escarole is a nutritious and versatile leafy green, offering a unique combination of refreshing crunch, mild bitterness, and a delicate nutty flavor. It is ideal for elevating various dishes, most notably in the traditional Zuppa di Scarola e Fagioli (escarole and bean soup).

Originating from the Naples region of Italy, this rustic soup features tender, wilted escarole, creamy cannellini beans, shallot, garlic and Italian herbs (dried or fresh), all brought together with a bright, lemony finish and best enjoyed with crusty bread.

Next time you visit the farmers market, pick up some escarole to add a savory bite to your soups, salads or pasta dishes.

So, let's get started with the recipe.

Ingredients (Serving size 4)

4 Cups chopped escarole (washed & drained)
1 Medium shallot minced
2 Garlic cloves minced
1 Cup Cannellini beans
3 Cups vegetable broth
1 Tsp. Meyer lemon or lemon zest
1/4 Fresh Meyer lemon or lemon juice
1 Tsp. Italian herbs (dried or fresh)
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 Tsp. Sea salt
2 Tbsp. grated Plant-Based Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium pot sauté escarole, shallot, garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil for a few minutes until escarole is slightly wilted.

2. Add 3 cups vegetable broth, cooked cannellini beans (if using from can, rinse first), Italian herbs, sea salt and bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 15 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, grated Plant-based Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy it for lunch or dinner with crusty bread, a bowl of salad and a glass of Chenin Blanc.

Escarole Pasta Recipe: Sauté escarole with shallots, garlic and Italian herbs, then toss it with cooked linguine, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh Meyer lemon juice and zest, and shaved plant-based Parmesan cheese.

Chef-Gardener Notes: Escarole, this robust, year-round vegetable grows best in sunny spots with fertile, damp soil. Plant in soil amended with compost and practice cut-and-come-again harvesting (cutting leaves just above the soil line) for a continuous yield.

Happy Planting & Cooking!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Plant-Based Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Event Caterer
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!

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Picholine Olives, Walnut & Herbes de Provence Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

Picholine Olives,Walnut & Herbes de Provence

Gluten-Free Bread

So Delicious!

Discover the joy of baking fresh bread with this Easy No-Knead Savory Picholine Olives, Walnut & Herbes de Provence Gluten-Free Bread. Requiring minimal effort and just an hour of your time, it delivers amazing flavor. Enjoy it warm, either plain or with your favorite toppings like plant-based butter and fig marmalade or avocado and tomato. It pairs wonderfully with a light meal such as asparagus soup and an arugula pear salad.

So let’s get started with the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 stick melted plant-based butter at room temperature
1 cup plain oat milk
1/2 cup chopped walnut (and additional 1/4 cup to sprinkle over the dough)
1/2 cup chopped pitted Picholine or any other green olives (and a few more thinly sliced to sprinkle over the dough)
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp. dried herbes de Provence
1 tsp. finely ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
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 mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except for the melted butter and oat milk.
5. Add oat milk to melted butter and pour them to ingredients in the mixing bowl. With a fork, mix all ingredients until well combined.
6. Pour the dough in the greased loaf pan, with a spoon level top of the dough, sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped walnut, 1/4 cup sliced olives, using your hands tap over them so that they are situated in the dough.
7. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Take the bread 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 bread, place a cutting board over the pan and turn it over to get the bread out, then gently flip over the bread and slice.

This wonderful gluten-yeast-dairy-free bread with your own personalized packaging and label will make a delicious culinary gift for family and friends too!

Happy Baking!

Chef Ellie Lavender
Plant-Based Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Event Caterer
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Monday, January 2, 2023

Recipe: Crisp Apple & Shaved Fennel Salad

Crisp Apple & Shaved Fennel Salad

Salads are the perfect combination of nutritious, delicious, and effortless. This vibrant blend of baby romaine, shaved fennel, crisp apple, radish, and blackberries—drizzled with a white balsamic vinaigrette and finished with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt—is truly elevated eating. While a quick chop-and-toss is efficient, taking the time to arrange a beautiful "salad art" plate makes the experience much more enjoyable.

So let's get started with the 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: Cut the core from the romaine to separate the leaves, then wash and dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner. Prepare the produce by removing the tough outer layers of the fennel, then thinly slice it and the apple using a mandoline or sharp knife. Finally, thinly slice the radishes with a knife. Next arrange them 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
Plant-Based 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!