YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Using Julia Child's recipe from The French Chef in muffin tins and look how cute they are, like little children all dressed up and ready to go...my little bebe baba! We followed Julia's recipe exactly except for the fact that we cognac instead of rum.  Recipe From: The French Chef by Julia Child Ingredient (dough) 11/2 cups/187g all purpose flour measured by the scoop and scrape method 1 tablespoon/15ml sugar 1/8 teaspoon/.5ml salt 2 1/4 teaspoons/11ml yeast 3 tablespoons/15ml water lukewarm 2 large eggs 1/4 cup butter/57.4g (half a stick) melted and cooled to tepid Directions (dough)  Mix the yeast, sugar, and water, stir and dissolve. Let it “prove or proof” for 4-5 minutes Place the rest of dry ingredients in the mixer, make a well and add the yeast mixture in the center. With the dough hook on your mixer set to # 2 start to mix, adding the eggs and butter as you do. It will be sticky but after 1 minute - if it doesn't start to form a sloppy b

  It is the time of the year that many of our clients are eating more fish. This is an adaption of a dish I grew up with. Fresh poached and flaked tuna replace the canned version. The dried "Italian Blend" herbs and powdered garlic are substituted with fresh mint and garlic. Canned tomatoes have been left in, but feel free to use your own tomato concasse (skinned and seeded) diced tomatoes. Whole cherry tomatoes would be fantastic too. Mint you are saying to yourself, really? Pazzo cuoco unico! This is not dessert. This is pasta. Basil goes with pasta. Everyone knows that even those not brought up in a household with Italian heritage. The mint brings an unexpected freshness and "pop" to the dish. As usual I would not finish this with cheese as it is a fish dish. A drizzle of good olive oil and if anything dried breadcrumbs. As always this is quick, easy Good and Good for You! serves 4-6 1 pound/450g Penne Pasta (4) 5 ounce/145g tuna fillets 1/4 cup

It is tough to find good snacks for kids in this day and age of highly processed, fast foods. Here are some healthy ideas for snacks...all organic of course. These ideas are great for adults too!  Need a little extra boost at the office between meetings and meals?  Here are a few solutions. Apple Slices and Peanut Butter  (try adding a bit of organic maple syrup to the peanut butter and microwaving for an extra special treat) Fruit Slices and Soy Cream Cheese  (a tub of vegan soy cream cheese (at room temperature) with 1/4 cup undiluted apple juice or orange juice concentrate and a dash of cinnamon. Stir vigorously until smooth. Serve with apple and pear slices, strawberries, and banana chunks for dipping. Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins Tortilla Chips sprinkled with Cheese  (or cheese alternative) Fruit Skewers  (simply cut any fresh fruit in season into bite-sized chunks and alternate on wooden or bamboo skewers with grapes) Dried fruits  (such as organic raisins, dates, apr

If you are looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean-styled diet might be right for you. A Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine — among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Most healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limit unhealthy fats. While these parts of a healthy diet remain tried-and-true, subtle variations or differences in proportions of certain foods may make a difference in your risk of heart disease. Benefits of the Mediterranean-Styled diet Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality,  a reduced incidence of cancer a

It seems that St. Patrick’s Day is the only real celebration most people think of when it comes to the month of March.  Being of one half Italian heritage, another important day in March is The Feast of St. Joseph.  St. Joseph is known as the the patron saint of the worker and the poor throughout  Italy, and the fava bean, or broad bean, has the story of being the savior of a nation, that of Sicily.  Yes, Sicily is part of Italy, but that debate will not be waged in this article. As the story goes, there had been a horrible drought in Sicily.  All of the crops died. The fields looked like deserts in a sea of dust. After much praying to St. Joseph, there was one crop that survived and indeed thrived.  It was the fava bean, which is why it is now commonly called “the lucky bean.”  An added bonus is the nutritional value.  They are very low on the Glycemic Index, and in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Favas are also a good source of fiber, protein, phosphorus, copper and mangane

Serves 4 1lb/450g pasta, cooked according to package directions al dente (to the tooth) 2 tbsp/30ml olive oil 5 cloves garlic, chopped ⅛ tsp/.5ml red pepper flakes 1 cup/225ml onion, diced 1 bulb, 2 cups/450ml fresh fennel, cut into bite sized pieces 2 cans anchovies, drained and chopped 2 cups/794g crushed tomatoes 2 tbsp/30ml tomato paste 1 tbsp/15ml basil, chopped Heat oil in large pot, and saute in it the garlic and pepper flakes (30 seconds), add the fennel, onion and anchovies, saute until fennel is soft and onion is becoming translucent and anchovies “melt”(3-4 minutes).  Stir in tomato paste and coat all vegetables (1-2 minutes).  Add tomatoes and basil. Simmer 30 minutes. “Sawdust” 2 tbsp/30ml olive oil 1 tsp/15ml garlic, thinly sliced 2 tbsp/30ml pine nuts, chopped 2 tbsp/30ml basil, chopped 1 cup/225ml fine homemade breadcrumbs , toasted Pour oil and garlic in pan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, add crumbs a

Recently we found ourselves with a glut of field greens.  Lovely, green and deep purple, and eggplant with no one to eat them. We believe in using and eating food, not throwing it away.  So what could be done to preserve the goodness at hand?  Soup came to mind, but you can eat only so much soup and it has a tendency to get “grainy” when frozen.  Juicing was another option, but our illustrious leader (Chef Ya) decided to go a different route.  PESTO.   The sauce pesto originated in the northern region of Italy, Liguria, Genoa.  According to Wikipedia, the name is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestâ (Italian: pestare), which means to pound, to crush, in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble  mortar and wooden pestle . The ingredients in a traditionally made pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. This same Latin root through Old French also gave rise to the English word  pestle . Traditionally the sauce is ma

1 cup raisins 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips 1-2 tsp virgin coconut oil (more for thinner chocolate, less for thicker) 1/8-1/4 tsp cloves or cinnamon (optional) In a medium sized pot on low heat, place the chocolate chips, coconut oil and spices. Stir occasionally as they chips melt to mix  together.  Add in raisins and mix until all are coated evenly. Spread out mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.   Place into fridge to harden.  Once hardened, break up pieces and eat!!  Super simple and delicious. Store the rest (if there are any left!) in the fridge.

Baked or fried this are sure to please even the carnivores.  Freekeh gives the mouth feel of meat and mushrooms the meaty taste. Makes 8-10 burgers or about 20 “meatballs” 4 ounces/116g uncooked freekah 3 shallots, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed into a paste 4 ounces/116g mixed mushrooms (we used baby bella, white, and shiitake) small bunch parsley, chopped 1 15 ounces/425 can of chickpeas drained 1 teaspoon/5ml olive oil 1 tablespoon flax with 3 tablespoons  water  OR 1 egg 1/4 cup/59ml/43g potato flour (sub rice or almond flour or 1/2 cup/118ml/60g dried bread crumbs) 1 teaspoon/5ml sea salt 1/2 teaspoon/2ml ground black pepper In a medium sauce pan on medium high heat add the freekah and spritz with oil.  Toast for 30-45 seconds.  Add enough water to come the width of 2 fingers above the  freekeh.  Turn the  heat up to high and cook until the water reaches  the top of the freekeh.  Stir, cover and turn the heat down to low.  Cook for 16 mi