A memory making restaurant!

I love this restaurant.

 I love the decor.

I love the people I have met there.

I love the people I have gone with to share a special meal and time together.

I love the memories I have from my visits to Matthew Kenney's.

And I love, I really love, the food!

On Sunday, January 22nd, I, along with six other good friends, headed down the turnpike to Oklahoma City to celebrate Monica and Tim's birthday. It was indeed great time spent together, from the great car conversations, to phenomenal food, to checking out the new Whole Foods Market, and ending with a fascinating shopping trip in the biggest Asian market I have ever gone to.

The food speaks for itself

beet carpaccio

heirloom beets ‘en sous vide’, cashew ‘goat’ cheese, pistachio, frozen lemon oil

avocado dragon roll

autumn root vegetables, ginger, jicama rice, nori

avocado dragon roll

autumn root vegetables, ginger, jicama rice, nori

Sunday Brunch Sampler




bixby chopped
‘roasted’ pecans, caramelized delicata, avocado, sundried tomato, seven herb ranch




local red beet gnocchi
hazelnut-parsley pesto,truffle, sage, ‘braised’ cauliflower




local red beet gnocchi
hazelnut-parsley pesto,truffle, sage, ‘braised’ cauliflower




tortillas
napa slaw, guacamole, queso fresco, cacao mole




classic heirloom tomato lasagna
sun-cured tomato marinara, macadamia ricotta, hand-cut pesto




curried kelp noodles
young coconut, peachcrest vegetables, basil, chili, almonds




autumn ice cream trio
macaroons
apple, pumpkin and maple




chai tasting
clove gelato, ginger layer cake, cinnamon cacao fudge, cardamom budino




chocolate ganache tart
caramel cream, pink himalayan salt
with a side of vanilla ice cream




Now, just for the record, I did not eat all that food! 
But admittedly, I ate a lot of it!!






Happy Birthday Monica!




Happy Birthday Tim!
(yes, those are kale chips!)




Here's the gang that contributes to my memory collection!


I am grateful for the times we spend together.


I can't believe I forgot my rock though!

Living the Dream

My good friend, Denise, of Raw Intentions is opening a restaurant. It is, and has been, so fun to not only witness all this excitement, but also be a part of it. I have so much admiration and respect for Denise. Her faith, determination, and passion are remarkable. With the opening of her restaurant, she is living her dream.

Saturday night she hosted her monthly Dinner and Movie, but this time it was in her own space, the Raw Intentions Kitchen, located in Broken Arrow. Every time I walk into "the kitchen," as we have come to fondly call the restaurant, I am always pleasantly surprised by new changes. I am looking forward to the Grand Opening and to her success.

The dinner was Italian. It was fabulous. And did I mention, raw? I don't have enough words to describe this nutrient packed meal, the flavors and textures, or the deliciousness, so I will show it to you in pictures.

Rosemary Bread and Garlic Bread

Best raw bread I have ever eaten

Three layer raw cheese "ball" with pesto

Great presentation 

Simple salad with balsamic dressing

Rawmesan "cheese"

Zucchini Pasta, Marinara Sauce, Meatballs, Marinated Mushrooms and Onion Bread

And here is Denise with dessert

From the bottom crust, to the cream filling, to the mint leaf, 

it was a perfect finish to a wonderful evening.

The Movie we watched was a documentary called Simply Raw. It is about reversing diabetes in thirty days. It follows the progress of ordinary people, who accomplish the extraordinary, by changing their diets, and curing their diabetes. I am always amazed at what the right food can do for our bodies, yet how poorly we are educated when it comes to these matters. Type II Diabetes has been referred to as a "food born illness." It is predicted that one in three born in the year 2000 will have diabetes.  If you, or someone you know has diabetes, this is a must see film. Do it for yourself, or for someone you love.

To watch Simply Raw, click here.

If you are local to the Tulsa area, or come to visit, make it a point to visit the Raw Intentions Kitchen. It is located on the south west corner of Aspen and 81st Street in Broken Arrow.  I think you will be both impressed and surprised at what raw food is all about. In Tulsa, Petty's Fine Foods in Utica Square, also carries raw food from Raw Intentions.

I wish you the desire to seek out the knowledge 

that will allow you to reach your optimum health.

It is that person in the mirror who is totally in charge of you.

What is your dream? And are you living it?

Monday on a Tuesday

Today was a tough day.

It was Monday on a Tuesday.

The first day back after the Christmas break.

The first day back after our trip to Massachusetts for my father-in-laws funeral.

I was so happy to get home. I was a bit tired.

Dinner was easy because I had my Carrot Apple Ginger soup all made and it only had to be heated up. To go with it I made an awesome salad complete with Greek olives (I love olives) and a maple balsamic dressing.

Add the Carrot Apple Ginger soup and it was a wonderful dinner.

Funny how I can come home really wiped out, fix a great dinner, and then I am energized!

So I made a triple batch of my husband's favorite macaroons.

These are my husband's favorite "snack" and made from Philip McClusky's Raw Food Carob Dessert book. 

I cleaned up the kitchen and then it happened. It was staring me in the face. It looked so needy, so what could I do?? So, yes, I decided to feed it and juice happened!

This went in

and this came out!

I think I have a new addiction! 

Soup's on!

Next to raw food, soups and stews are my favorite.

Today on Facebook, Oh She Glows, posted her her Top 10 Soup Recipes for 2011. I spent an hour just reading her blog on each of the ten recipes. I just love her website and her blog. She posts amazing recipes in the most amusing way.

I made a shopping list from the recipes and made my way to Whole Foods. When I got home I couldn't decide which soup to made, so I made two!

This is Carrot Apple Ginger Soup. The flavor and texture is so smooth. I love the touch of ginger in this recipe. I reserved about a third of the apples, carrots and onions and then added them in to the blended portion. We will have this for dinner tomorrow night with a great big salad. I can't wait!

Oh, and I almost forgot, it is wonderful with grated nutmeg sprinkled on it. Look at all the character in this nutmeg.

While the Carrot Apple Ginger Soup was cooking, I started another soup: Holiday Soup for the Soul. I just couldn't help myself. I was in the mood to make lots of soups, but I did stop at two!

We had this soup for dinner and, oh my gosh, we almost had thirds!! This one will be a definite repeat performer in our house!

Can you see all that flavor floating in the bowl? I wish you could taste it and feel the steam on your face! I love all those little quinoa tails floating around.

My husband had his soup on top of some left over quinoa spaghetti and topped it with a few chopped walnuts. He like it. Actually, he REALLY liked it!

I might have to consider a double batch next time!

Of course I must give my juice report! This is day four with my new juicer. I love having new toys. I want to play with it all the time! Tonight I went simple: pineapple, a cara cara orange and a green apple.

Poured over ice it made a most refreshing drink.

So here's to soup, to juice, to Oh She Glows, to health, to 2012, and to you!

Bottoms up!!!

"I'm a little teapot . . .

. . . short and stout"

 No, I'm not! (well, maybe the short part!)

I can't seem to get that song out of my head.

Santa brought me this lovely cast iron blue teapot.

"here is my handle, here is my spout . . ."

It has a dragon fly on it on each side where the handle attaches. I like dragon flies.

And it makes the BEST tea!

Somewhere along the line I stopped drinking coffee. Guess I just don't need that caffeine anymore, and quite frankly I really don't miss it. It was not a conscious effort, it jut happened. Since then I have been discovering tea.

My current favorite is Rooibos Tropica from Teavana. Santa brought that to me too. It is so pretty. It's like drinking a garden!

Here's a few benefits listed with this tea:

• May support the immune system, promoting well-being
• May support digestion
• Naturally caffeine free, so great for kids
• Superfruit enhanced with strawberries & papaya
• Contains uplifting citrus
• Peach is a sweet source of vitamin C

Wikipedia says this about Rooibos tea.

Aside from all that, it just has this wonderful taste that makes my mouth happy and warms me up when I am cold.

I add a small spoonful of my favorite raw honey

"get me all steamed up, and I'll shout . . ."

I almost drank it all before I took a picture!!

"...sock it to me baby, let it all hang out!"

Now where did that song come from?? That goes way back! 

But now I have it out of my head!

I think I will go make another pot of tea.

I got juiced!

So, tonight I got juiced, and I loved it. Mean green pure pulp free juice.

This was my first glass of juice from my new Breville Dual Disc Processor Juicer.

It was superb! Here is what went into it:

Kale: a super-green vegetable, perfect for supporting weight loss. It is a rich source of glucosinolates, which are powerful detoxifiers, and is also packed with full potent anti-cancer phytochemicals, including the sulfur sulforaphane.

Spinach: is packed with iron, vitamin C and folic acid for healthy blood cells, making it a perfect fatigue fighter. It is also rich in chlorophyll, a substance that, together with the fiber in this juice acts as an effective cleanser and detoxifier.

Cucumber: contains sulfur and silicon - minerals that support kidney and liver function to aid elimination and tackle fluid retention. It is also rich in potassium, which helps maintain a healthy fluid balance.

Celery: is a strongly alkaline and is a great detoxifying food and is calming for the digestion. A well-known diuretic, celery's potassium-sodium electrolyte balance helps to avoid water retention and to reduce blood pressure. Celery is also rich in B-vitamins and vitamin C.

Apples: contain soluble fiber known as pectin, which binds to toxins and helps eliminate them from the body. Fiber can also encourage the proliferation of healthy bacteria in the bowel, stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower cholesterol. Freshly pressed apple juice provides malic acid, which your cells use for energy production.

Pear: contain high levels of dietry fiber to help keep the bowels in good health, and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. They are also rich in immunity-boosting vitamin C and in mineral copper, which has an antioxidant effect on the body.

Ginger: is a well known digestive aid, and can help relieve indigestion and nausea. Its powerful gingerols possess anti-inflammatory  properties know to help reduce pain and inflammation and alleviate asthma.

Now with all those ingredients, and their health benefits, it is no wonder I am juiced!!!

And this is the wonderful machine, in it's new home, that makes it all happen:

This is the Breville in action:

Notice the huge pulp bin. It has a wonderful pitcher with a cover that allows the juice to pour out, but skims the foam off and leaves it in the pitcher. I really like that feature.

Tomorrow I plan to feed beets to the Breville, along with oranges and carrots. 

The color will be spectacular.

 

Look at the incredible color in this vegetable.

From the green, to the red, oh my, it is just beet-a-ful!

I can't wait to get juiced again tomorrow!!!

P.S. Hello blog, I have missed you. I will do better in 2012!