apples, restaurant consulting and poached eggs

Its so easy to buy gifts for me. I just asked all my family members to get me cookware. One my recent acquisitions was an egg poacher. Being a chef, I want to use as few short cuts as possible. One of my major challenges in cooking has always been poaching eggs. I could never got the vortex quite right, the vinegar always got into the flavor of my egg…somehow it just never looked pretty. But now, I have a lovely egg poacher. At first I didn’t like it because the cups were plastic and the thought of heating plastic didn’t thrill me. Also plastic is not non-stick (neither is non-stick cookware, completely non-stick). But I just take a bit of olive oil and paint it on the cups with a paintbrush and viola – beautiful poached eggs that come out of the cup.

I’m very happy now with my new toy. I make all kinds of poached egg treats but in natural healthful way. Now I can also bring poached eggs to you as part of my delivery service. Although I am not certain how long I would eat them and if I’d really want microwaved poached eggs…but I could certainly make them and bring them to you for breakfast or to your office. Certainly let me know and check out the catering services on my website www.sobelwellness.com .

I recently also bought some gala apples.  I made a mistake and bought some that were not organic. They were covered with this nasty waxy film. I have no idea what that is, but I really don’t want to be eating it. Also the apples are tremendous. They are not sweet. They sort of have this staid taste that tastes like apple – but almost as if it were canned and very old. Nothing like the crisp sweetness of a fresh organic apple.

I’m in the process of looking for work as a restaurant consultant. If you or anyone you know is starting up a restaurant concept and would like to benefit from incorporating whole, natural and local foods onto your menu as well as offer perhaps one or two dishes that are healthful, not just healthy in the classical boring flavorless sense, please let me know.

I’m also looking to establish myself as an expert to the media. I’m working on writing a book, but that’s a labor of love and not one I always have time for. Instead I am hoping to garner some media exposure now and gain the ability to be able to write as time allows. If anyone you know has any needs for someone to speak on Alice Waters-esque food preparation or restaurant/menu, home catered meals that are delicious and health balanced, let me know. If anyone has any connection to Alice Waters at all, I want to meet her more than I can breathe and would love to be able to expand her brand to New York.

Bon Appetit and Salud!

my vision for the world if money were no object

Someone asked me this question in an email a month ago and I just reread the email. I think its brilliant if I do say so myself and being the time of new years resolutions, here are mine for 2009…and it will happen!

If money were no object, I would want to prepare healthy food for people in their homes as a personal chef and also teach healthy cooking classes in people’s homes [for whatever they could pay] and lead classes as well as seminars on the health benefits of certain foods. I would maybe want a very
small cafe that I would hire a staff to cook at and I would design the menu.  I see myself more as a designer and a consultant. I’d love to consult to restaurants so that they use healthier ingredients -such as changing the oils, maybe that is something I should mention at BNI – does anyone here
know a restaurant owner or a caterer who needs a consultant to make their
menu or offerings healthier. Go from top down instead of individuals.

I’d love to transform entire organizations and corporate cafeterias as well as schools to only have healthy foods and make sure every airport had a healthy option for travelers.

I’d want to design some sort of healthy hot dog stand – like the dessert truck (http://www.desserttruck.com/) but with bowls of green vegetables and grains that were delicious, flavorful soups that were also healthy, an explosion of flavor – lots of ginger, garlic, tumeric, cilantro, lime, a bit of butter, coconut oil etc. Food that tasted GOOD but was also good for you…and get people excited about eating it because of how it is going to make them feel versus how they may feel now.

Eventually I’d like to be a partner (or two or six or 100) in a sit down restaurant like Alice Water’s Chez Panisse. A restaurant started by Alice and 100 of her closest friends. Who is with me. Let’s bring some Berkeley to New York City or at least to Long Island. I know just the place!

At the same time I’d want to design neighborhood healthy tours – to show people all the resources in their neighborhood to buy healthy foods and also the restaurants that have it. As well, even in a restaurant that is “not so healthy” there’s always a healthy option, but its a lot of pressure to go to a place and read a menu.  Its much easier to just know what to eat without looking at the menu. Something like – I’ll have whatever fresh fish is available, broiled with lemon and herbs, brown rice or wild rice if you have
it and any serving of steamed or lightly sauteed vegetables. For dessert – have the darkest, richest chocolate dessert and share it with 4 people, just don’t do it every day.

I know personally that for the past three months I have been neglecting my own diet and been so busy that I actually ate pizza a few weeks back. I am lactose and gluten intolerant and I ate pizza. I don’t know what I was thinking…but my body is so attuned to junky food that I actually have gotten sick again with my ADHD out of control. A few days of eating healthy again – eating only gluten free grains, no bread and as little cheese/dairy as possible (except last night) and no alcohol and I feel amazing…or at
least my digestion and my brain feel amazing.

One night in early December I made the following for dinner:
venison with coconut, peanut butter sauce with orange champagne vinegar (I just made it up, I don’t have a recipe, one day I will make it again and come up with a recipe to share with you all)
steamed asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower with a touch of herb butter
and quinoa/brown rice with mustard seed and a bit of curry
I had 3 squares of dark chocolate for dessert.

it was fantastic. not a drop of fat on the venison. the sauce was just the
right amount and mostly spices with a touch of coconut, stock and 1 tsp of
peanut butter for flavor, maybe I put an 1/4 of tsp of sesame oil in as well.

Last night I made grass fed lamb stew with sweet potatoes and carrots from the 4th street co-op.  The lamb was from whole foods…but I am starting to think that I want to get my meat from Dickson’s Farms which sells meat at Morningside Farmers Market. http://dicksonsfarmstand.com/ I am going to see if I can get some sort of account for the restaurant once I open it. There was some complicated recipe I didn’t have time for – so I modified it slightly slow cooking lamb with onions in water for 1 hour (boiling and slow cooking until the water evaporating and repeating this process) and then adding beef stock (2 1/2 cups) the rind of one blood orange, allspice and anise seeds (about 1 tsp each). I cooked the lamb for 1 hour and then added the carrots and sweet potatoes and some little blue potatoes at the end for 20 min – they got all soft and just incorporated into the stew. Best thing I ever tasted…delish!

These are the recipes I want to share with people and what I want to bring into their lives that healthy food is not boring and one doesn’t need to think of a diet as deprivation. Food should be good, strengthening, delicious but at the same time filling so that a smaller portion leaves you
just as satisfied. I had about 4 ounces of venison. Half the fat of a dry grilled chicken breast with a lot less of the cancer causing substances from the grilling time.

I am still struggling with how to work this into a 20 second elevator pitch.  If anyone has any suggestions I am open to them.  I just want anyone struggling with a food issue, intolerance or just simply wants to be healthier in 2009 to be excited about food and food that’s not only tasty but health supportive with all the great qualities that will keep me strong, lean, with high immunity and energy. This is the message I want to transmit.

I hope you are all having a great 2009 so far!

luscious organics cafe

I am excited that I just put my first press release together for my new cafe. www.sobelwellness.com/luscious-organics-cafe.html. I want to share a copy with you all and I’d love if anyone could help me get this into time out or other fun publications that are looking for health oriented restaurant and food options. I am hoping to kick off a lunch and dinner deliver service to wall street analysts (those who still have jobs) and other people in the downtown area that are looking for a healthy alternative to take out Chinese, pizza and sushi.

An enticing new healthy oriented organic café, juice bar and lunchtime take out opportunity has just come onto the downtown New York scene and diners throughout the city looking for an intimate environment that is more similar to a posh loft-like living room than a typical restaurant are invited to sample the unique sights, sounds and tastes of Luscious Organics, a vegetarian organic café and juice bar, conveniently located in the Atmananda Yoga Studio, at 324 Lafayette Street, on the border of SoHo and the Central Village one block south of the world famous Bleecker Street. The space is a downtown gem, an urban oasis for all things healthy and holistic offering classes, workshops and now an incredible new café and juice bar where you can have a juice, enjoy a full meal or order a healthy lunch to pick up or be delivered to your office.

From the moment you enter into the inviting surroundings at the newly re-managed restaurant, the holistic experience begins. Floor to ceiling windows, high ceilings, warm inviting lighting and the intimate environment of your living room and beautiful communal table are a beautiful complement to the subdued red-shaded lamps, elegant multi-colored floor to ceiling curtains and dark wood flooring throughout the studio that surround the open kitchen and juice bar just one block from SoHo, New York, NY.

Seated at either the juice bar or a real dining seat at one of Luscious Organics’ dark wood communal tables, accented with highly contemporary, white dishes, flatware and tall vases of fresh lilies, enjoying the scents of fresh herbs and spices wafting from the kitchen, you know you’ve come to the right place to sample the delicious fare of health supportive vegetarian organic cuisine. You don’t even realize after a while that there’s no meat, very little dairy and eggs and that everything coming out of this kitchen is fresh, minimally processed and wholesomely delicious.

The Luscious Organics menu embraces the culinary style of health and the yogic lifestyle. The menu highlights the bold fresh flavors of nearby Chinatown, the union square greenmarkets and other sources of local produce that support community agriculture and local farm eggs characteristic the New York Hudson Valley and surrounding farms in upstate New York and Pennsylvania. Savor such dishes as velvety butternut squash soup with local greenmarket pears, heartwarming lentil soup with fresh market root vegetables, lightly stir fried bok choi with black sesame ginger glaze, braised Brussels sprouts, sesame and honey accented Asian cabbage slaw, tarragon infused spinach quiche accented with local farm fresh goats cheese, coconut brown basmati rice, orange walnut quinoa with ginger and orange rind, lime-chili marinated tofu with fresh vegetables and many other delights. Complete your meal with one of the tempting hand-crafted desserts, many of which are gluten free and naturally sweetened without refined sugars prepared fresh daily in the kitchen. Top off your meal with a delicious cup of chef and owner Meredith Sobel’s proprietary “Creative”tea, a mix of teas, fruit flavors, fresh ginger and chai spices that captures the whimsical creative yet inspirational nature of her cooking and her personality. And as Meredith herself, the knowledgeable owner of Luscious Organics greets you with a warm smile, you are immediately captivated by Luscious Organics’ thoughtful, savvy service and the love that is freshly infused into each and every dish.

The relaxed sophistication of the dining room of this café in New York, NY flows into the adjoining yoga studio where you can stop by and take a class. There are classes in the early mornings, midday and many in the early and late evening to accommodate a variety of schedules. Take a class and stay for dinner or pre-order you meal to go and it will be packed and ready for you to take with you upon finishing your class. Our express yoga, chill and lunch service will be kicking off in the New Year and will include an express yoga class and to go lunch which you can enjoy at your desk after class. There are two showers in the studio to accommodate your midday needs.
Luscious Organics is situated off the living room of the Atmananda Yoga Studio in downtown Manhattan in the area of Soho. Luscious Organics is open Monday to Wednesday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Juices and Smoothies available some Thursdays. Dinner is served at approximately 7:30pm-9pm. Selected weekend lunch service will also be available twice a month. A website will be available shortly with detailed weekly hours. Interested guests are encouraged to call 646-209-4519 for a recording of weekly hours or email lusciousorganics@gmail.com. Weekday lunch take out or dine in service is available by order only and all orders must be placed by 10:00am. To order lunch or to make a dinner reservation, please call 646-209-4519 or email lusciousorganics@gmail.com. Complimentary delivery service is available in the downtown area and will be expanded throughout Manhattan shortly. Call for more details. Seamless web service will also be available soon.

About the Atmananda Yoga Studio
Discover a beautiful New York oasis of all things organic, health oriented and focused on connecting your mind to your body. The calming, sophisticated space includes dramatic 14-foot ceilings. For more information or to make a lunch or dinner reservation, please call 646-209-4519 for the café directly or 212-625-1511 for the studio or visit http://www.atmananda.com. The studio and café are located at 324 Lafayette Street, between Houston and Bleecker Streets, on the 7th floor. Take the #6 train to Bleecker Street or the B/D/F or Q trains to Broadway/Lafayette and exit at Lafayette and Houston. Walk one half a block north to 324 Lafayette Street. The café’s website will be up and running soon. For immediate cyber-information, please visit www.sobelwellness.com/luscious-organics-cafe.html.

vegan baking, gluten free cookies and en masse cooking

So I have been experimenting with gluten free baking. What’s the deal with gluten anyway? So many of us are inflamed and on top of it have poor digestion. My body is so attuned to eating that if I go one day eating a non-whole foods diet, I get a bit ill. Most of us however walk around stressed, overworked, underpaid, underloved and our blood is literally boiling, and we don’t even realize it. Eating non-plant based fatty foods from animals that have not been eating a quality diet, or fats that are highly refined as well as excess sugars and foods that turn quickly to sugar once ingested (high glycemic foods) doesn’t help reduce inflammation, it actually increases it. Eating a plant based diet rich in whole unaltered grains (i.e., not ground into a flour and not removing the fiber – whole grain flours are better than non-whole grain – but once a flour you are already starting to lose some of the whole gain goodness). The problem is, sometimes we want something a bit sweet. Inflamed and all. I would love a piping hot bowl of pumpkin soup sweetened with agave, but sometimes I either don’t have the pumpkin on hand or I don’t want to cut them up (thanks to my super heavy vegetable knife, its a bit easier, but sometimes I feel like I need a cleaver or a machete, which the people who run my cafe said we have somewhere, oh boy!).

So instead, I turn to whatever else is available…and then I pay for it. Yesterday I was preparing a miso soup, greens stir fry with bean casserole. Pretty healthy right? I also was planning to sell these gluten free ginger snaps made with sorghum flour and rice flour. I am not sure what sorghum is, but they were pretty good. However, no one wanted dessert and I was stuck with an open bag of cookies. There are all kinds of rules I am learning about selling things that are open and how long they can last, so basically, I can’t sell them. So then I got stuck with them. And they were really good, too good. Often times though these store bought cookies are a) super expensive and b) sugary. I’ve been experimenting to see what I can sell in my cafe. Despite training under a pastry chef, pastry and dessert has never really been my thing. I mean I love to eat it, but its so much more of a science than cooking, which is truly an art.

Many of my cafe and catering clients however love vegan baked items and want them, so I am experimenting with vegan baking. I do a lot of vegan cooking in the cafe, although I am not a vegan and despite 20 years of avoiding eggs, I do love my organic brown eggs, especially when I get them from Traditional Nutrition Guild or the Union Square Farmers market and they are all different colors with the speckles. Its amazing. I still don’t quite understand what makes an egg brown, white or any other color for that matter. I do understand the taste difference between a fresh organic egg and a store bought one. But I am trying other things: egg replacer (I feel like this stuff is unnatural and nothing more than cornstarch, so I am still looking for something more natural), applesauce, honey (some vegans don’t like me to use it). I’d love any feedback from vegans who are as natural as possible and have ideas for me. I can do gluten free baking, but vegan baking has been incredibly difficult. I tried vegan quiche as well and it didn’t quite come out right.

This morning I poached an egg and enjoyed it with curry powder and two slices of gluten free bread made from flax, tapioca flour and cornstarch. I think the fact that its made with corn starch, delta glutalactone (what on earth is that?) bothers me a little…but I am not yet baking bread myself. This is also a yeasted bread. I think a bowl of brown rice or quinoa or whole grain cereal from Bob’s Red Mill is still a better choice for my carb intake. Otherwise that bag of gluten free cookies is going to be calling my name.

Educating the Food Network about Diabetes

So I just came back from a taping of what I thought was a food network show where Francois Payard, owner  of one of my most favorite dessert (and also restaurant) places in New York, was giving a class on the traditional buche de Noel. So, I was trying to figure out if it was really worth taking half a day off from networking, returning phone calls and other work to further my business…and go to a food network TV taping for a show based entirely on sugar and fat. I was basically going to go on Nationwide TV (and let’s face it worldwide, this is the network that brought us Iron Chef) eating cake. A bit of irony, right?

The afternoon started with some basic networking. There were a few interesting people there. In the spirit of my networking group, Business Networking International and the great Neo-Sage, Larry Sharpe, I was determined to stay out of the box and when people asked me what I did, I said clients used me to make it possible to live in the real world and manage their diabetes. People were interested, they asked more questions. I collected a few cards. Mostly why I was there. I said I wanted to find out about what it took to shoot a cooking show and learn about the production aspects (which I did) and also just ask some basic questions to Francois about whether he’d ever used agave nectar. It so happens the person I was talking to, his first name was Javier, says, “Agave nectar…isn’t that the same stuff from the cactus plant…what they use to make Tequila.” I reply, “Yes it is and its also a great nutritive sweetener that is safe for diabetics. My new friend Javier replies and tells me his father is an Agave farmer and raises agave for Tequila. Super nifty if I am ever to need Agave in bulk. I’ll definitely keep Javier’s info on file.

So I thought I would be bold and ask some questions when they asked us if we wanted to ask Francois any questions. So I asked a basic question – how did he come up with chocolate for the Buche, when traditionally it was a sponge cake, of course I knew he is the MASTER chocolate cake guy (or whatever the French equivalent to that phrase is). He answered something to the effect that Americans love chocolate and it went over really well here – but that he actually makes 4 different kinds of Buche (not sure if there’s a plural of this word) and about 5,000 of them for only the 4 days around Christmas. That is a lot of Buche. So he starts demonstrating how to make the Buche and people ask a bunch of other questions. We are standing. I am getting a bit bored…and hungry. I decide to ask another question…this time the one I really wanted to ask. Francois – what do you think about making some of these Buche friendly to diabetics? He makes a comment how they don’t really taste good without sugar and he’s trying to make them low fat instead. To which I counter – have you ever heard of agave nectar. He says he hasn’t and he’s not really trying to reach a diabetic market. Next he walks us through the recipe where he says he’s not using sugar, he’s using corn syrup – something that really surprises me considering he’s French. I didn’t know French chefs used corn syrup – something I learned and he’s also using non-fat dried milk, which causes the cholesterol to be oxidated and therefore more sticky. So this glorious cake from a famous high end bakery is actually fairly processed.  He kept talking about the pasteurized egg yolks and cooking them in a saboyan to which he made a chocolate mousse with cream that probably wasn’t from a grass fed cow. Slightly defeated, but way more informed about what’s in Payard’s cakes and wishing I could sit down at this point, I turn to the person next to me who was extremely curious as to what agave was as were the other three people to her left.  We start whispering about it and I make a comment about how Bobby Flay loves Agave Nectar and how he had this woman making an avocado based chocolate mousse with agave on his grill it show from earlier this year. A show I tried out for.  He would know what to do with agave, but then again, he’s not a pastry chef.

And then someone walks into the studio and the woman next to me says, speaking of the devil…and there he is, Bobby Flay, and little did I know (or any of us) that this was an episode of Throw Down with Bobby Flay. How awesome! Now I don’t regret taking off half a day of work.  So here’s the good news: Francois talks about Bobby’s Buche which looks like it contains far more sugar and cream and looks straight at me and says – this cake is not for your diabetic clients. Awesome! National TV and its getting exposure – tip of the iceberg. Too bad I couldn’t (or didn’t!) say my name or website. Next time…and there will be a next time.

After the initial and taping during the tasting, a woman comes up to me. She says, “What was the name of that sweetener, I will show him. I’ve shown him Stevia. I will see if he will use it.” Thoroughly confused, I ask,  “show him?”  She replies, “I will show Francois the Agave Nectar you mentioned, he liked your question, and see if he will use it.” She turns out to be Francois’ assistant. So I ask for a card and believe me I will be following up with her. Wow, I was kvelling. At this point, I feel very powerful, and I see Bobby Flay talking with a few of the guests, so I go over. I stand around waiting through other people’s questions which were all very interesting and a woman next to me mentions the Next Food Network Star…another show I tried out for a few weeks ago. She mentions she got a call back and since he is one of the hosts, I guess she’s trying to get a good word in or something. I mention I tried out and didn’t get a call back because I am a healthy chef. He says, oh no – they should have called you back. That would be interesting, he says. So I ask him about Agave Nectar. He says he is not a pastry chef. Yet, the irony of this taping continues…but that he loves Agave in savory dishes and uses it all the time. I mention the restaurant, Tocqueville I used to work in, which is across the street from Mesa Grill and how I have been a fan of Mesa for a while. I don’t mention that I stayed up until 3am to watch him on the first and second appearance of Iron Chef and how huge a fan I am. He says he knows the Chef of that restaurant, Marco and we chat for a bit about it. I am chatting, with Bobby Flay. Wow, because this happens every day! At this point, I just feel like I am having a conversation with a friend. We talk about Miracle Grill where he first worked after visiting the Southwest. I remember going on one of my first dates in New York when I graduated college to Miracle Grill, I mention that. Mesa Grill was already open at that point, but only for a few years…and Miracle grill was pretty damn good, even without Bobby working there. I chat with his wife and his assistant about tuille cookies and how I used to make them. His wife makes a comment about what a pain in the behind they are. I concur, remembering a time when my pastry chef told me he wouldn’t feed the tuille cookies I made to his cat because they were too dark. This was all very cool indeed. I think I’m “MEMORABLE” which is what I need. They didn’t know my name, but I’m pretty sure they will remember my face. Let’s hope when I stop by the restaurant next week they still will. Maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow or over the weekend. Looks like he’s at Bar Americain these days – since he was wearing the “whites” with that label. Thinking strategy for what I can do for Mesa Grill or Bar. I’ve never looked at the menu for that place – so might be interesting to see what he’s doing over there.

I have been wanting to get into restaurant consulting for some time. Today was a fairly bold day for me, I walked into La Bonne Soupe and asked to speak to the chef and see if I could help with the menu to make it more friendly to diabetics. I feel a revolution coming on.

Anyway, I can’t give any more details on the show. I wonder if Payard will start using Agave and I’ll definitely have quite a bit of footage for a video reel to submit with my video press kit. Food Network – watch out. Meredith Sobel is here to stay!

Spa-tinental Food on the Upper West Side

Busters NYC 212-665-5045

892 Amsterdam Avenue (W. 103-W. 104 Sts.)

Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-5pm

New cafe featuring spa-tinental cuisine

Not organic – but lots of fresh vegetables. I don’t know where they get the chicken or the fish – if its wild or farm raised, but they do lots with seven grain bread and whole grain wraps. I’d give them a try. They are definitely headed in the right direction. Perhaps they’ll add some quinoa salad to the menu. I think they’d be open to it

I’m still loving Community Food and Juice Bar on 114th and Broadway. I went there for a second time and had the Berkshire Pork ribs with shredded pulled pork. Delicious!

I tried some grass fed beef this weekend at the Navel Expo provided by US Wellness Meats. It was also delicious and in whole foods today I found Venison from New Zealand. Did you know that venison has only 2 grams of fat and is only raised on pasture (never fed corn or antibiotics for that matter!). A chicken breast has 3 grams of fat and the leanest beef has 4-5 grams and regular steak has more than 20. That’s for a 4 ounce portion and I imagine many of you are having at least 10-12 ounces without even realizing it. Just that is close to 50-60 grams of fat – that is your fat allotment for the day. Actually its lower depending on who you ask. I am looking forward to trying out my venison soon. As well I got some coho salmon (wild) and delicata squash, my favorite sweet vegetable, wonderful for satisfying my cravings for licorice. I snack on sunspire grain sweetened chocolate or Green and Blacks organic 85% cacao content chocolate bars. You just can’t eat that much – its delicious but its serious chocolate. I imagine that would make one heck of a silk pie…

Cafe – A new restaurant on 108th and Columbus in Manhattan

So I went to this new restaurant called Cafe. I think they are affiliated with Zanny’s coffee shop, but I am not sure. Everything in the restaurant is organic and they have quite a bit of vegan and gluten free options. I had some sort of merguez lamb sausage with dried fruits and quinoa with a baked stuff pear for appetizer. My dining companion had a stuffed grilled avocado and a seitan meatloaf. Both were beautifully presented and the whole bill was under $50. We took a bottle of wine (and because I brought it, it was organic ). I highly recommend this place to any Harlem and Upper West Side dwellers or anyone else who wants an inexpensive but fabulous organic meal. They are BYOB which kind of made it nicer in a way.