For those of you who missed the cooking class today, here are the recipes. 
 
Rapini with scarlet runner beans from Rancho Gordo that Steve bought at Cube Restaurant, one of my favorite restaurants in LA. 
 
Composed asparagus salad with the most amazing caper vinaigrette 
 
Black quinoa salad with snap peas and green onions, quinoa courtesy of Alter Eco 
 
…And my only contribution which was a detox pesto with dandelion greens, spinach and fresh herbs 
 
Seasonal Spring Cooking Recipes

We had another great workshop @ ECCM this past weekend on how to do much deserved mini-detox after holiday overindulgence. For those of you who didn’t have a chance to attend, here are the handouts. Post-Holiday Detox Handouts

For those of you who missed our workshop today in our LA office, here are the recipes in PDF form. We wanted to highlight seasonal produce that we can find in our local farmers markets (which we should ALL be shopping at) put into side dishes to serve at our holiday table that are less cloying than traditional holiday fare. Our recipes are vegetarian and do not include dairy. What you missed was a lovely Saturday morning at ECCM, a tasty sampling of Steve’s cooking and unlimited COCONUT BLISS ICE CREAM! We had 6 different flavors and toppings that included cacao nibs, granola, fresh banana, young coconut slivers, chocolate covered goji berries and a yummy red wine persimmon compote. Thank you Luna and Larry’s for our morning of bliss! Now my only hopes are that ants don’t devour our office and that the treatment rooms don’t smell like squash and shallots on Monday.  
Next workshop: My UNOFFICIAL guide to pregnancy and postpartum on December 5. 
 
recipes-fall-09.pdf

Today we had our first workshop in our new office space on a very hot topic - H1N1 and how to take care of yourself throughout cold and flu season. We discussed several recipes that you can make at home to boost your immune system as part of your self care plan to avoid getting sick… 
 
Immune boosting soup 

 
Directions: Place the beef and bones into a pot. Cover with water and slowly bring to a boil, skimming the surface occasionally. When the water comes to a boil, turn down to simmer, add the mushrooms, carrots, burdock, and onion. Add sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low heat around 3-4 hours until the meat falls off the bones. 
 
Immune enhancing juice 
 

 
Directions: Juice the apple, Swiss chard, carrots and pepper. Add citrus juice and enjoy! 
 
Immunity smoothie
 

On July 4, Steve made an amazing summer potato purslane salad. Purslane is an amazing green vegetable that looks like a succulent. It has a tangy bite to it and it’s one of the only vegetables that is high in omega 3 fatty acids. It’s only in season during the summer months and we can find it at the farmers markets in So Cal. 
 
1 lb Fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes 
1 large bunch purslane 
4 scallions 
1/4-1/3 cup grapeseed vegannaise 
2 tablespoons dijon mustard 
2 tablespoons good quality red wine vinegar 
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
2 cloves garlic (optional) 
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional) 
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper (yes it makes a difference) 
 
Steam the potatoes until tender, cool slightly and cut into chunks. Remove the large tough stems from the purslane, soak in acidulated water, drain and then coarsely chop. Slice the green onions thinly including the green part. Finely mince the garlic and thyme leaves, if using. Combine the garlic, thyme, red wine vinegar, mustard and mayonaise in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the oil slowly until you have a nice emulsion that stays together. Season with the salt and pepper, tasting for balance. Combine the purslane, potatoes and green onions in a large salad bowl, then pour enough of the dressing over it to coat all of it. Gently toss, making sure everything is well coated but not swimming in dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or so before serving. Taste for seasoning before serving.