Gwyneth and the Rest of Us

Do you think GP licks the bowl??

Frequently, when I'm cooking in my home kitchen, I think about the clients in my classes and imagine recipes as they might view them.  What ingredients would be inaccessible to them?  How much would the recipe cost to reproduce?  Is there equipment used that many of the families I work with might not have at their disposal?  It certainly helps me realize how lucky I am, while at the same time considering the injustices of the food market.

This week, I've been cooking out of "My Father's Daughter", Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook.  Now, if you read my old blog, you know I'm a (not so) closeted Gwynnie fan.  And while I've been pleasantly surprised by the fact that most of the recipes I've tried have been quite tasty, and not too difficult, I can't see converting many of them to use when I teach.

Here are the recipes I've tried this week.

Summer Salad (GP calls it Famous Ivy-like salad, but since, (a) I will never, ever eat at the Ivy (b) I don't consider salads "famous" and (c) I'm not trying to impress you with salad names, I shall just refer to it as summer salad) w/ Lime Balsamic Vinaigrette

Butter lettuce, grape tomatoes, cilantro, basil, grilled corn/zucchini/spring onions, roasted beets.  We also added grilled wild salmon (a luxury, for sure) and avocado.

A shot of the raw ingredients

Dressing ingredients.  Simple for me, but I could not ask my classes to buy agave (I think we'd use honey) or  balsamic (red wine vinegar is less expensive).

Next, I tried a Cold Pea and Basil soup.  This one, I could actually try with my classes with minor adjustments.

Very few ingredients.  Please no comments on my basil plant.  It feels sad.

I topped it with some Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of parmesan.  And that basil leaf.  Color me fancy.

Finally, I tried what Gwyneth calls "the healthiest brownies you can make without sacrificing flavor".  I have my doubts about this, and I thought some of the ingredients were just weird and obscure (why spelt flour?  why not just whole wheat?).  BUT, they are vegan (except when I, er, make them with whole milk instead of the called for soy milk), so I guess for the no animal product person in your life, there's that.

This a LOT of ingredients for brownies.  My "normal" brownies have 5 ingredients.

I might have used a feeeeww extra chocolate chips.  This is why my arms aren't the size of toothpicks like Gwyneth.  Speaking of which, Gwyneth lists the serving size of this recipe as 8 people.  Really?? Like 8 GIANTS?!

Oooey, gooey (vegan...almost) brownies

To read more about the ways I am so *not* Gwyneth Paltrow, scoot on over to Zomppa and read this week's Melissa@Market.  You'll find another recipe for a chilled soup.  But, no pretense, I promise.

Bread for the City visit and farmer's market demonstration is tomorrow, here in DC.  Can't wait to tell you all about it.