I may or may not be posting a new Passover menu and timeline this year, merely because I might just use the same menu I posted 2 years ago. Â Although 2 years ago I hosted both nights and this year I am splitting the holiday with my sister-in-law and we’ll each cook one night. Â She and I both love veering slightly away from tradition and coming up with more modern menus.
I had a busy week last week with lots of classes plus an Easter Brunch shoot with my friend Jenni Kayne and The Chalkboard Mag.  Recipes coming to both of those sites around April 10th.  This week is the last week of my March menu, plus I have a shoot with my friend Molly Sims and I’m going to do some videos at the end of the week.  Let me know ASAP if you have any requests!
I’ve got to be super organized for meals this week.  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:
Sorry it has taken me so long to post my highlights of Natural Products Expo West.  There’s so much to report, I still haven’t gotten it all in there.  Although I only went for one day, I saw so much and it was honestly overwhelming! Expo West is a huge, and I mean HUGE, natural products trade show in Anaheim with something along the lines of 3100 distributors, about 1/6 of them are first-timers.  It’s mostly food, but there are tons of beauty care companies, supplements, pet food, food scientists and packaging companies.  It runs for 3 1/2 days and I don’t know that I could really handle more than one day.  Although it’s very crowded, it’s a great opportunity to meet with companies and see what’s new for them and really have the chance to ask them questions about their products.
It’s always hard to pinpoint the trends that stand out, especially since I only saw a fraction of the show.  But that’s not going to stop me from trying.  Here’s what I observed:
Give me all the peasant food. I need nothing fancy to make me happy and satisfied.  A good bean soup or bowl of braised lentils or refried beans is what I crave. I basically could never go Paleo because I can’t give up legumes!  There are many different cultures which use legumes in their cooking – from the Mediterranean and the Middle East to India and Caribbean. Let’s not forget Latin America, South America and North America! Legumes are a nutritious, inexpensive and versatile staple in many kitchens around the globe.  Did you also know beans with black or red color have crazy high amounts of antioxidants?
My daughters juts left tonight and I am pretty mopey about it. We had a great week with them and I am beyond grateful that they chose to come home for spring break.  Counting the days until they come home in May!
I am continuing with the March menu in my classes this week, although I have a group who requested the February menu and I can’t blame them because it’s so good. Â I was able to turn in the last round of edits for my cookbook this week and I am so excited! Â FYI, you can pre-order my cookbook Kitchen Matters on amazon or a signed copy from my local bookstore, Pages!
Here’s your dinner planner for this week:
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  I am hoping you made something naturally green this morning, like these Green Muffins or Green Pancakes, and rejected green-dyed bagels.  A green juice would be rather appropriate today, as well.  Now let’s move on. 😉 Not only is it St. Patrick’s Day, but it is also a mere few days before the first day of spring, a day of rebirth and nature’s way of starting fresh.
My daughters just arrived home for spring break, so the five of us will be together again for a whole week!  I am over the moon, since there’s pretty much nothing that could make me happier than spending time as a family.  I do have a busy work week though – testing recipes for Clean Eating Magazine, prepping for my classes, and finishing the last round of edits on my cookbook (!) My older daughter has become quite the cook in college, so I plan on leaning on her a bit for an extra set of hands in the kitchen this week.
Here’s your dinner planner for this week:
Baking bread, real bread, can be a challenge. Â There’s yeast and proofing and rising and time – lots of time. Â It’s not super practical if you work out of the home with regular 9 to 5 hours. Â Which is why I don’t make bread anymore. Â I used to make challah and round peasant loaves and the occasional cinnamon-raisin bread. Â In fact, I used to bake bread in high school and then in college. Â (Another possible reason my college boyfriend married me.)
