YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Red, yellow, and orange peppers get their good looks, as well as some of their most noteworthy health effects, from plant pigments called carotenoids. These pig ments act like sunscreen, protecting the ripening peppers from sun damage. As it turns out, those pigments have a similar safeguarding effect on us. Like other antioxidants, carotenoids also help boost immunity and fight cancer and heart disease. They're valuable for vision as well: Orange peppers are a top source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which guard against cataracts and macular degeneration. In fact, orange peppers contain more zeaxanthin than any other fruit or vegetable (with corn a distant second). Red peppers supply abundant amounts of beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A, a nutrient crucial for night vision. Perhaps the most surprising nutritional pepper perk is its vitamin C. Just one small red, yellow, or orange pepper gives you up to three times your daily requirement of C (one small oran...

You don’t eat meat? Not a problem. This recipe is all vegan. That is right, no animal products at all. Believe me, you will not miss them. Asparagus and Mushroo m Risotto (Pressure Cooker) Recipe Serves 4 2 tablespoons/30ml/30g olive oil 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces 1 medium onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp/5ml fennel seed 8 ounces/225 g baby portabella mushrooms, sliced 1 1/2 cups arborio rice or 1 1/2 cups/316g risotto rice ½ cup/125ml dry white wine 3 ½ cups/875ml vegetable stock (low sodium) 1 cup/225ml grated vegan Parmesan cheese zest of lemon In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon/15ml olive oil over medium heat. Saute asparagus 2-3 minutes; remove to a bowl. Add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent (2-3 minutes). Add fennel, mushrooms and rice. Stir until rice is coated with oil. Pour in wine and cook until most of the wine is evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Add stock, cover and bring up to high pressure. Lower heat and stabilize...

There seems to be some confusion over our  baked goods, everyone. Tell the truth: if we asked you to tell us the difference between a crumble, cobbler, crisp, grunt, slump, buckle or brown Betty (without Googling it), could you tell us? Until we started working on this article, we definitely wouldn't have been able to swing it. All of these desserts have some common element. Nearly every one involves fruit, butter, sugar and flour in one way or another. The differences are definitely fewer than the similarities. A crumble is probably what you think of when you hear any of the names of the other desserts in this list. A crumble is a baked dish of fresh fruit (apples, berries, plums, etc.) that is topped with an oat-based streusel. Add ice cream and transport to summer heaven. A crisp is exactly like a crumble, except there are no oats in the streusel. That makes the crisp topping more like sweet, buttery, crumbled pie crust. If anyone ever serves you a "cobbler...

October 3 is National Caramel Custard  Day. Caramel custard, or crème caramel, is a caramel-coated baked egg custard.  It takes a little bit of practice to perfect, but the result is a creamy, flavorful dessert that’s well worth the dress rehearsals. Ingredients 1/2 cup/96g sugar 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1/3 cup/64g sugar 1 teaspoon/5ml vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups/625ml very warm milk Ground nutmeg Directions Heat oven to 350F/176C/Gas 4 Heat 1/2 cup sugar in heavy 1-quart/ 1 liter saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and golden brown. Divide sugar syrup among six (6)ounce/180ml custard cups; tilt cups to coat bottoms. Allow syrup to harden in cups about 10 minutes. Mix eggs, remaining sugar, the vanilla and salt in medium bowl. Gradually stir in milk. Pour over syrup in cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Place cups in rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches/33 x 23 x 5 cm, on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan to wit...

That tradition of cooking the day of the holiday will most likely continue this year in a number of households. Who wants to spend their time in the kitchen? There's a better way if families hire a personal chef for Thanksgiving. Not only can families remove stress from the holiday, but it presents a great opportunity to make the holiday special and unique in terms of the dishes you can ask the chef to prepare. Thinking outside of the box, instead of the Thanksgiving staples such as roasted turkey with mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side, why not change things up? The prep time that many families endure before the holiday can be replaced by flipping through magazines or, let's face it, Pinterest, to find enticing offerings for dinner. One thing to consider is personal taste. This is your Thanksgiving after all and you should keep in mind that there is a special art in choosing dishes that work well together. You also do not want to get the...

Pancakes have been around since Prehistoric times. In Scotland and the USA they are a leavened dough much like a “drop s cone”. In Britain they are unleavened and resemble more of a thicker crepe. In my house they were reserved for Sunday breakfast or the occasional “breakfast for supper”, which was always a treat. Here is a GREAT version that just happens to be wheat/gluten free. Your family will never know if you don’t tell them. Serves 4 (about 16 pancakes) 2 cups/500ml almond milk (you can use dairy milk, rice, coconut or hemp) 2 large eggs (you can substitute 2 tablespoons of ground flax mixed with 6 tablespoons/90mls warm water) 1/4 cup/60ml melted vegetable shortening or butter 2 cups/347g Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour (I used King Arthur) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (helps with chew and binding) 2 capfuls of pure vanilla extract Whisk the milk, eggs and shortening together. Sieve the flour, sugar, b...

Cake doughnuts can be a healthy way to have an American breakfast favourite that is bak ed not fried. This is a spiced cake version without wheat or nuts using an All-Purpose GF commercially produced flour by King Arthur. Drizzle a bit of glaze if you like or spread with your favourite frosting. We say - “go naked”. 2 cups/244g King Arthur GF Flour 3/4 cup/144g granulated sugar 2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (you can leave this out but the consistency will be drier) 1/2 teaspoon/2ml ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon/1ml cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon/1ml allspice 1 teaspoon/5ml salt 3/4 cup/185ml almond milk (sub dairy, soy or your preferred) 2 eggs beaten 2 teaspoons/10ml pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons/45ml oil Pre-heat oven to 325F/162C/Gas 3 Lightly grease your doughnut pan. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the milk, egg, vanilla and oil. Make a well in t...