-JAY
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Join us for a celebration of all things chocolate! Sample all that we love from around the store and find the perfect sweets for your sweetie, romantic meal packages, unique gifts & more.

• February 11th (5pm – 7pm) A Guys Guru: Lessons for the clueless cook!
• February 12th (9am – 11am) Chocolate for Breakfast
• February 13th (4pm – 6pm) Romance for Dinner
• February 14th (4pm – 6pm) Choc Full O’ Love

Have I ever mentioned that I am a fall chef? I love everything about the season, the last few spontaneous warm days that give sense of purpose to the picnic basket who knows of emanate dormancy coming. I also enjoy the change in the air, when the sky furrows its brow and blusters a warning of colder days to come. Today’s lesson is an illustration of the latter.

The cold morning has inspired my thoughts of bringing my soup pot out for the first time since embarking on a healthy lifestyle. I do not fear this process, although I am feeling that challenge lies before me. I know with the lessons of healthy foods I have learned, the soup pot would definitely yield great results.

It pays to puree

Almost everyone loves creamy soups with all their richness and alluring texture. We can make amazing soups creamy and luxurious by simply taking out a portion or even all of the soup, pureeing it in the food processor or blender and replacing it back into the pot. Be careful with hot soup and the burp when a blender stops.

Roasted squash and almond soup

• 1 small butter cup squash, or any hard squash available
• ½ small onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 rib celery diced
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ to ½ C. almond butter
• 1 box vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut Squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 f. for 35 to 45 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a knife.

Let cool and scoop the pulp from the skin.

In a soup pot add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, thyme, and ¼ C. of vegetable stock. Wet sauté the vegetables adding stock when the pan goes dry. Cook until the vegetables are tender. About 6 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and the thyme twig.

Next add the squash pulp and the almond butter and mix well. Add enough stock to make a soup texture. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

The soup can be pureed for a smoother creamier texture.

What in the heck is a Rivel?

Recently on a trip home to visit family, My Mom and my Aunt and I were chatting about my culinary career and my recent healthy adventure. They asked me if I miss the food of my youth. They classified my family cuisine as Pennsylvania Dutch. I never thought about it, the foods of my childhood that could translate to healthy ingredients easily came with me. But the special treats, the goodies you only got on special occasions. I did miss them, but do they still hold the same grasp on my belly they did so many years ago? Yes, yes they do!

Easy Chicken Soup with Homemade Rivels

A rivel is very similar to the German spaetzel a tiny drop egg noodle. The rivel is larger and more robust by nature but the same recipe is at the heart of this treat.

• 1 box chicken stock
• 2 C. pulled cooked chicken meat
• ½ small onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 rib celery diced
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• For the rivel
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 Tbs. water
• All purpose flour

Mix together the egg yolk and the water. Next in a bowl with approximately 1 C. of flour in it with a nest impression in the middle add the egg mixture. Slowly with a fork bring flour into the egg mixture and stir to form a heavy batter. Remove excess flour. Rest the batter while the soup is prepared.

In a soup pot add the celery, onion, carrot, thyme and bay leaf with ¼ C. chicken stock. Wet sauté until the vegetables are tender adding more stock when the pan runs dry. About 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme twig.

Add the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer

Next working quickly spoon in small 1 tsp globs of batter into the simmering soup and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken meat and serve immediately.

Now that is soup that works as medicine!

The soup pot is always at hand to take the mundane and transform it into the grand. It has the power to draw families and loved ones together and even cure illness. When times are meager it can stretch the budget as well as bring forth luxurious offering to guests during feast. Many kitchen tools are smart but none are as wise as the soup pot.

Eat Well!

Healthy lifestyle isn’t always fun and granola, sometimes we get little hankerings for something familiar and kinda bad. Don’t we love hamburgers? We also like the feeling of empowerment when we stay true to what our bodies want and go for the veggie burger, even though what is inside the box isn’t very appealing. Mystery veg isn’t any better than mystery meat, that’s all I am saying.

Well, today is the day we say NO to the frostbitten hockey puck of bland flavorless pseudo-food patty and say YES to a big beautiful healthy burger that we made with all natural whole foods. It will be a day that when we sit down next to those omnivores, they will look at our buns in envy.

Anatomy of a basic veggie burger
The truth is there isn’t a lot to a veggie burger as far as the basic binding medium. The art of the whole thing is to fill up the binder with lots interesting flavors and textures so the burger has highlights and appeal. Without the veggie fillers the binder alone would be like a dense pasty savory cookie. So go crazy with the veg folks, and remember that is where you can really fine tune your nutrition too.

Basic veggie burger
Makes 10 to 12 burger patties
1 Can black beans drained
1 Can diced tomatoes
1 C. chopped carrot
1 clove garlic
½ C. chopped onion
1 ½ C. chopped fresh vegetables or frozen is fine too
2 C. Instant oatmeal
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 f.
In a food processor puree the beans, tomatoes, and carrots garlic and onions with a few pulses. Next mix in by hand the oats and vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes then form into patties and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and freeze in zip lock bags for later

So this is the basic burger, and this alone is way better than morning-boca-gaden-crud, but basic isn’t how we roll foodies, hamburger roll…

Let’s get funky and have something crazy good for dinner.

How do you think of variations and themes?
Sometimes I have an idea and just wait for the right ingredient to fall in place, sometimes I find an exciting ingredient and try to work it into a recipe. And once in a while, when the mood is right and the stars are aligned and all is well in the world I make up a funny name and make the food reflect the name…tonight is one of those nights.

So for tonight’s variation:
The Rhinestone Ninja
I added shitake mushrooms and edamame for the vegetable and seasoned with gomasio, ginger and soy sauce
I changed the onions to scallions (see flexibility-an onion is an onion)

That’s just the burger, but what about the toppings?
To fill out the Rhinestone Ninja, let’s have fun with the toppings. Foodies the topping enhance the burger but also it is an opportunity to expand the nutrition of the meal by getting in some extra vegetables in creative ways. Way better than lumping out the mustard and ketchup.

Gitano slaw
For 4 burgers
1 C. shredded carrot
1 C. shredded daikon radish
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 Tbs. seasoned rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp honey
Mix all ingredients together and let stand for a few minutes

Cowboy karate chop sauce
For 4 burgers
3 Tbs. veganaise
1 tsp or more to taste siracha hot sauce
½ tsp lime juice

Whole sprigs of cilantro to finish the burgers

Foodies, I want you to make some amazing veggie burgers this week, Have fun get the family and friends involved. Having a healthy lifestyle is a journey, enjoying a meal with people we love is a destination.

Eat well!

Michael just sent us this.

-JAY

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August 3rd – Veggie Burger Bonanza. Do you relish the thought of learning how to make your own veggie burgers? Join Chef Michael Kiss in this fun and informative class on how to put the flavor back in the bun. No moo, No cluck, and definitely no duck, just wholesome plant oriented burgers that are way better than anything from a frozen box. Vegetarian class.

August 10th -  29 ½ Minute Meals. It’s a busy life folks, and sometimes we feel hopeless to maintain a healthy lifestyle for us and our families. If you can find 29 ½ minutes Chef Michael Kiss will show you how you can eat healthy and delicious food that most importantly is fast to prepare. This week’s dinner in a flash; Peanut Tamari Tofu wraps with Thai hummus. Stop for a moment and chew! Vegetarian class.

August 17th **NEW SERIES** Hungry for Knowledge. In this new series, each month, Chef Michael Kiss will review and discuss one of the many dietary lifestyle books we have here at Whole Foods Market. In this non-bias exploration of all things food we will cook some of the recipes from the book as well as offer a 5% discount off the purchase price of the book of the evening. Our first book we will explore is “The Engine 2 Diet” by Rip Esselstyn. Rip is an Austin TX, firefighter that has developed a plant strong approach to healthy lifestyle. Vegetarian class.

August 24th – Melons 101. Summer isn’t summer without a big ol’ wedge of watermelon, the juice dribbling down your chin and the fun spitting the seed further than your friends. In this informative class Chef Michael Kiss will show you the right way to pick the best of the season but we will also prepare a few dishes that might surprise you when you taste them. Sweet and savory dishes that all include melon in the ingredient list; this will definitely be a class with a rind. Ur,um… I mean appeal.

August 31st – How to cook like a chef-Gazpacho Mania. This summer one of the hottest trends in cooling down is gazpacho. There are so many variation and new ones being invented by talented chefs every day. Join Chef Michael Kiss as we investigate what makes a classic gazpacho as well as learning how to get funky with nuvou gazpacho variations. Get excited for the flavor flamenco dance on your tongue. O’le! Vegetarian class.

Classes begin at 7:00 PM. All Whole Foods Market Cooking Classes are free of charge. seating is limited to first come, no registration required. veggie burgers ready to go in the oven! I feeling healthy today!

-JAY

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Class starts at 7:00 PM and generally last 30 to 50 minutes.  All Whole Foods Market cooking classes are absolutely free, No Registration is required and seating is limited to first come.

May 11th Whole Grains Salads 101
Vegetarian class
We all know that we need to incorporate more whole grains into our diets, although in practice it can be overwhelming and frustrating. Let Chef Michael Kiss show you how to take those healthy grains and make them amazing. With the warm weather we will be showcasing light and flavorful salads, great for patio dinners and side dishes at picnics, and don’t forget about summer entertaining!

May 18th 29 ½ minute meals
Omnivore class

Baja Salmon with stewed avocado and tomato and sunshine quinoa
Our fast paced life makes it hard to eat well… or does it? Let Chef Michael Kiss show the secrets to a worthwhile healthy meal that can be made in a flash! No pre-chopped ingredients, no magic ovens, no camera tricks. This is REAL live cooking and you can do it too in 29 ½ minutes or less!

May 25th Cook Like a Chef
Vegetarian class

Ever wonder how a chef looks at food, how they pick it, combine it, make it taste amazing? This week Chef Michael Kiss is going to break apart the concept of Pesto. This classic Italian staple with is definitely one of his favorites. Have you ever thought of changing the ingredients? Is it still pesto or something different? Join us and you start looking at food like a Chef too!