Though the end of Winter is drawing near and Spring will soon be upon us, I imagine we will still have some chilly, crisp and Yummy SOUP-kind of nights. I love soup anytime, but for those of you who love to eat soup during the Spring months, here is a delicious Immunity-Boosting Soup. This soup will help to Fight Cold and Flu Conditions.
I love garlic and I use it in almost all of my foods. Garlic is the tastiest and best all-around stimulant for the immune system. Feel free to add other ingredients you absolutely LOVE to make this YOUR SOUP. Try this amazing recipe for this Immune-boosting soup:
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6 to 8
2 Quarts of Water
A large handful of dandelion greens (the weed you can eat…it’s yummy)
1 stick astragalus root, broken in half
2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated or chopped fine
1 small dried cayenne pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced fine (you can use dried cayenne pepper as well)
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and thinly sliced
About ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, chop mushroom coarsely
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes
2 generous teaspoons of dried thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon packed dried calendula florets, minced
1 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper
Couple pinches of cinnamon
1 bunch organic spinach, cleaned (about 2 cups packed leaves, coarsely chopped)
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One of the most popular and unique dishes most people order at restaurants is Paella. There are so many variations of this savory dish that to define exactly what is in Paella is almost impossible. I, however, have made paella many times for my friends, family and my paella loving clients. The most popular of the paellas is the seafood paella with lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp and scallops. Some people love the meats in Paella so they have ‘meat’ paella with the chicken and chorizo (a spicy Spanish pork sausage).
So, how did Paella become paella? Paella was originally a laborer’s meal, cooked by the workers over a wood fire in the fields for the lunchtime meal. We call it Paella, but to be more exact, it is ‘La Paella’ which is the name for the cooking pan itself and not the dish. Seafood was rare in the fields of Valencia and that is why they used meats such as chicken, rabbit, duck and snails which was also ‘cheap’ back in the day. The Paella was also traditionally eaten straight from the pan in which it was cooked with each person using their own wooden spoon. Eventually, rice with saffron (for the color) was added and now there are over 200 different variations of Paella.
I personally enjoy the Seafood variation of Paella but have made some delicious variations of the meat paella. The important thing to know is you don’t have to travel the world to experience the savory taste of Paella….you can call me and I will come to your home or next event and make the paella for you and your guests before your eyes.
Though the end of Winter is drawing near and Spring will soon be upon us, I imagine we will still have some chilly, crisp and Yummy SOUP-kind of nights. I love soup anytime, but for those of you who love to eat soup during the Spring months, here is a delicious Immunity-Boosting Soup. This soup will help to Fight Cold and Flu Conditions.
I love garlic and I use it in almost all of my foods. Garlic is the tastiest and best all-around stimulant for the immune system. Feel free to add other ingredients you absolutely LOVE to make this YOUR SOUP. Try this amazing recipe for this Immune-boosting soup:
INGREDIENTS: (images of some of the ingredients are shown below)
Serves 6 to 8
2 Quarts of Water
A large handful of dandelion greens (the weed you can eat…it’s yummy)
1 stick astragalus root, broken in half
2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated or chopped fine
1 small dried cayenne pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced fine (you can use dried cayenne pepper as well)
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and thinly sliced
About ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, chop mushroom coarsely
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes
2 generous teaspoons of dried thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon packed dried calendula florets, minced
1 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper
Couple pinches of cinnamon
1 bunch organic spinach, cleaned (about 2 cups packed leaves, coarsely chopped)
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cyndi and Chip were married on January 10, 2015. We had the honor of providing catering services for their wedding at The Lodge at Arrowhead Lake in Pocono Lake, PA. The wedding was fun all around for all guests. So glad we were asked to be a part of their beautiful wedding.
“Chef Rock did an amazing job with our wedding in January. Everyone was raving about how wonderful the food was. His staff was incredible
All in all, the food was fabulous. I highly recommend his services, and will be using him again in the future!” ~ Cyndi and Chip Allen