Big Bowl of Love

Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love – Real World Spa Cuisine : Lemon Mashed Potatoes, Halibut with Lemon Garlic Spinach, Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

Big Bowl of Love’s Cristina Ferrare shows us that healthy can taste great! Executive chef of the Golden Door Spa , Dean Rucker, joins CF to show us all how to cook smart and enjoy every moment of it! With the tease of a healthy chocolate cake….how could we not be curious?

What’s on today’s menu?

  • Lemon Mashed Potatoes
  • Halibut with Lemon Garlic Spinach
  • Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake


Loving this episode! CF and Dean did a wonderful job showing that healthy food can look and taste fabulous. Each time I go to a spa I sit and enjoy the decadence and feeling of well-being I have as I sit spa-side to enjoy a healthy lunch. Now, I can bring that feeling to my OWN home! A few candles, some lemon water…the perfect at-home spa experience. I may have to pick up Dean’s cookbook.  Can’t wait to try the chocolate cake!

Now for a few BBOL tips:

  • Canned unflavored pumpkin can be used in place of cooked yam.
  • To find a more natural alternative, use honey in place of sugar.
  • Orange and chocolate make a great combo!
  • Be sure to use semi sweet dark chocolate for this recipe.
  • You can keep the cakes in the frig until closer to entertaining. They only take about 10 minutes to cook.
  • Agave is a great alternative to honey because it dissolves in cold.
  • Berries will get bitter if you over blend them because you are breaking up the seeds.
  • To remove seeds from the mixture, be sure to strain them.
  • Cooking the lemon rinds with salt and sugar for about 5 minutes helps to pull the bitterness out of them. Then rinse and re-boil with just water. Do that twice and be left with a perfumy sweet lemon flavor…without the bitterness.
  • Hands all stinky from garlic? Rub them on your stainless steel sink to remove the smell.
  • Garlic will have a harsh flavor if you cook it too long.
  • Add touch of red pepper flakes to the spinach for a kick!
  • Is your fish fresh? Should have a sweet ocean smell or nothing. If there is a strong odor, not good. You should be able to press on it and will be firm and pop back up.

Here are a couple of my OWN suggestions:

  • Add a little thyme or garlic to your mashed potatoes to make it your OWN!
  • When you are cooking up your lemon mixture, make a little extra for a great cup of tea.
  • Caramelize a ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of soy milk, 4 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to create a sweet topping which adds a little bad to your good!
  • Make a few extra cakes and freeze them. Perfect for last minute sweet cravings.
  • Crumble up one of your little cakes. It makes a little frozen yogurt seem decadent!

Guiltless cooking that you are sure to enjoy!

Links to recipes:

http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Halibut-with-Lemon-Mashed-Potatoes-and-Garlic-Lemon-Spinach-Recipe

http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Warm-Flourless-Chocolate-Cake-Recipe

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