The Market starts tomorrow…Now open Sundays…Banana ice cream is back! April 5, 2013

Spring is here! That means a whole bunch of things for Julia’s kitchen…
The Farmers’ Market starts tomorrow! You can find us across from BMOCA; we will still have an Adaba Foods sign this week, so don’t let that trick ya. Every year the farmers have more and more to offer early in the season; come support these amazing people who work so hard to offer a safe and local food supply!

Starting this weekend, we are open on Sundays from 9-3. Join us for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. You can also pick up dinner for later and enjoy a stress free Sunday dinner.
Our menu will start to transition with the seasons~first change is that banana ice cream is back! Enjoy plain, like a sundae, or in top of pancakes for a decadent breakfast…yum!

Enjoy this beautiful Spring weekend!

Tax-Time Tonic March 10, 2013

Ahhh, a lovely snowy weekend in March…the perfect time for me to hunker down at home and face up to the 14 months of accounting that sits waiting for me in my office. I walk by my office several times every day, yet the space becomes invisible to me when there are piles of paper data waiting to be made electronic. Today is the third day I had slated to 1. learn how to use Quickbooks, 2. enter all of this data, and 3. get my taxes done before the pressure mounts. So, what have I been doing? All kinds of things except the three I just mentioned, including inventing new drinks!

I am loving this hot drink, because it is so totally warming, satisfying, and nourishing. Being warmed, satisfied, and nourished is the perfect way to keep a pesky sweet tooth in check, by the way…the base is fresh nut or seed milk, plus a little coconut cream and carob powder. It’s sweetened with dates and/or dried figs, then embellished with fresh ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric, all of which have strong medicinal properties. This is a well-rounded drink. And, it can be made in just a few minutes.

Yes, yes, you can substitute cocoa powder for carob powder if you must, but your drink will be decidedly more bitter. In another post, I’ll delve into the differences between carob and chocolate and the benefits of both…for now, I’ll just say that carob is soothing, naturally sweet, alkalizing, and delicious.

PS – we are nominated in two categories for Best of Boulder, gluten free menu and vegetarian-friendly restaurant. And, I wrote us in for a couple other categories…if you are so inclined, you can cast your votes by using this link: http://bit.ly/bestofboulder2013

This will make 2 mugs of happiness…

• 1 1/2 -2 cups water
• 1 dried fig
• 1 pitted date
• 1/2 to 1 inch piece of fresh ginger; no need to peel
• 1 Tablespoon creamed coconut or coconut butter (or you can use coconut milk instead of water)
• 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds (or sprouted almonds or another nut or seed)
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 Tablespoon carob powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of cinnamon

Put everything in the blender and process until very smooth and a little frothy. Put in a pot and bring to a simmer…sit down, relax, smile, and enjoy!

 

 

Upcoming Baking Class! February 17, 2013

When? Sunday February 24th 1pm-3pm

Where? My home kitchen (on The Hill)

How much? $50

What will we learn? Food-based Baking – truly satisfying treats!

• whole grain alternative flours to add diversity to your baking (all are gluten free)
• low-impact sweeteners
• healthy oils for baking
• tricks and techniques for moist and delicious (vegan, whole grain, gluten free) results
• discussion around where to find the real satisfaction in baking and treats

We will make a flour-based cake and a sprouted grain sweet bread, which can be used as a base for all kinds of fun things. We’ll also make a health supportive topping/frosting. The class will be casual and, while not hands-on, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with the textures and tastes of our creations, as well as ask questions!

Please stop into the cafe (Monday through Saturday 9am to 7:30) to reserve and pay for your space. Please also email me at juliahellerman@gmail.com so I have your contact information. If it’s not convenient for you to stop in, let me know and we can make another arrangement. You are also welcome to email me with questions, of course.

I look forward to spending a sweet and nourishing afternoon with you!

Cooking Classes February 6, 2013

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying this lovely day. I am, but I’m hoping that we can get a few big snow dumps interspersed

I’m getting a lot of requests for cooking classes, so I think it’s time to set them up! I think I’ll do this round at my house, so the classes may be a little smaller, more casual, and more intimate. I don’t have access to a teaching kitchen, so classes involving cooking and baking will be demo-focused. Everyone will be able to taste, feel textures, etc and will be able to be very engaged in the process, but I have a galley kitchen, so we’ll be back and forth between the kitchen and dining room table. It will be fun!

I’m trying to gauge where the interest is…if you are interested, your feedback is appreciated! Feel free to offer specific times and days, as scheduling is always a challenge.

1. Is there interest in another basics class? It would be a discussion-only class about the whys and hows of the ingredients and techniques I use, including sprouting. This would be a 1.5 hour class and the cost would be $35 per person.

2. Do weekdays during school hours work for you and, if not, are you opposed to my family (children) being present? They are 9 and 12, so old enough to (hopefully) observe or do their own thing without being disruptive:)

3. What, specifically, do you want to learn about?

Classes, other than the basics class, would be about 2 hours and cost would be $50 per person; they would involve a lot of taste testing and discussion around how to be efficient, how to tailor recipes and techniques to your preferences and schedule, how to substitute ingredients and balance dishes, etc.

I plan to work at least one general cooking class and one baking class into the schedule, plus the basics if there is enough interest.

Have a wonderful day!

Golden Porridge January 28, 2013

This is a delicious and nourishing porridge inspired by the healing beverage Golden Milk and some leftover cooked grains. Eaten as a brothy, very lightly sweetened porridge, this feels incredibly nourishing and balanced. The turmeric and spices ease digestion and balance blood sugar, help to decrease inflammation, and help to build immunity. While many porridges and hot cereals are quite sweet, this recipe is more balanced, offering flavors to satisfy each of the six tastes:

sweet (grains, almond milk, coconut, cinnamon)
salty (salt),
sour (unsweetened berry sauce)
bitter (turmeric)
pungent (ginger, turmeric, chia seeds)
astringent (berry sauce, turmeric)

Although consistency is a matter of personal preference, this is intentionally made with a thinner consistency. Eating something with a lot of liquid in the morning helps to combat morning dehydration; and soupy foods are healthy for digestion in general. I often garnish it with a fruit sauce made from blended frozen berries thickened with chia seeds, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and drizzled with additional almond milk.

For 2 servings:

• 1 cup of cooked brown basmati rice, or other grain
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups, or more, of water
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger, or to taste
• pinch salt, if rice isn’t already salted
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk (or 2 Tablespoons coconut butter)*
• toasted coconut to garnish, optional
• fruit sauce to garnish, optional

*If you have some soaked nuts available, you can make your own nut milk by blending about 1/4 cup nuts with 1/2 cup water until very smooth. If not, you can stir coconut butter in for the creamy consistency, or use any milk you have available.

Put the grains, water, turmeric, ginger, salt, and coconut sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for about ten minutes. Have your teapot filled and ready in case you need to add more hot water to keep it soupy. The cereal should be a deep, but not fluorescent, yellow; add small amounts of turmeric as needed. Be sure to give it a minute to permeate before adding more or you might end up with too much. Stir in the cinnamon and nut milk or coconut butter. Pour into bowls and garnish. Enjoy hot with a deep cleansing breath and am moment of gratitude.

Free soup and kitchari January 26, 2013

We made too much soup for a warm week! Rather than waste, it’s up for grabs…you’ll just have to put down a jar deposit; we have curry and kitchari…

While we try to avoid this situation, it will undoubtedly happen, so we would love your suggestions regarding places that would take and use donations of healthy food.

Have a lovely weekend and, as always, you are invited to Julia’s Kitchen!

Curry on sale January 25, 2013

We need to make a new batch of Red Lentil Coconut Curry tomorrow, so it’s going on sale tonight! Any scones ad muffins remaining also going on sale and all will go through tomorrow. Come and get it!