Like Chocolate for Dinner

Sara's "For the LOVE of ALL things CHOCOLATE"

That's right ladies we are going to have chocolate for dinner. I'm talking about cacao nibs tossed with crunchy green beans, pancetta-cocoa sauce ladled over pasta, dark chocolate stirred into a big pot of short ribs. Every recipe must have chocolate including the evening cocktail! It's time to explore chocolate's natural ability to impart depth and richness to each of our savory dishes, but don't worry there will be a chocolate dessert and it can be sweet!

Inspirational Quotes:
-"People think of chocolate as a hot fudge sundae, as opposed to a deep, earthy taste," says Berkeley, whose chocolate cookbooks have made her name synonymous with chocolate. "But if you close your eyes and taste dark chocolate, you realize it's just a natural as a savory ingredient."

-"If it's done well, it will be nuanced and you won't really know it's there" says Medrich author of "Bittersweet" which includes a chapter on "Chocolate for Dinner" with such recipes as coq au vin and wild mushroom ragout, each made with unsweetened chocolate. "I just love the other dimension you get from it."

-As with wine, Perez advises, "never cook with a chocolate you wouldn't want to eat." Use unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate or cocoa powder in savory dishes. After all, you don't really want your dinner to taste like a box of chocolates...or maybe you do but that's a whole other theme! Don't be afraid to experiment with a few white or dark chocolate curls as a garnish. Perez likes to crown a dish with a thin cylinder of white chocolate to hint at what's in store.

CHOCOLATE RESOURCES:
http://www.chocolatecuisine.com/recipes/index.shtml
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/csingred/chocolate.html
http://www.chocolatecuisine.com/
http://www.food.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_26049,00.html
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/food/meatpoultry/articles/0,,164340_171320,00.html
http://mainframe.stoneandgiacomotto.com/recipes.php

From Creole to Cajun

Shellee's "From Creole to Cajun": A New Orleans Experience

Welcome to the flavors of New Orleans! You’re invited to an evening alive with food as spicy and soulful as the music. The flavours of French, Spanish, and Southern food combine to haunt your senses as the mythical spirits of past lives haunt the rich history of Bourbon Street. We’ll feast on crawfish, gumbos, and jambalaya as we let our taste buds dance to the sensations of Creole & Cajun.

What is the difference between Creole and Cajun cooking? Most Louisiana chroniclers claim the answer is simple. Many Creoles were rich planters and their kitchens aspired to grande cuisine. Their recipes came from France or Spain as did their chefs. By using classic French techniques with local foodstuffs, they created a whole new cuisine, Creole cooking.

On the other hand, the Acadians, pronounced (uh-CADE-ee-uns), later contracted to Cajun, were a tough people used to living under strenuous conditions. They tended to serve strong country food prepared from locally available ingredients. It was pungent, peppery and practical since it was all cooked in a single pot. Thus Cajun cuisine was born.

Come and experience the joie de vivre of New Orleans!

NEW ORLEAN'S RECIPE RESOURCES:
http://www.neworleansweb.org/recipes.html
http://www.jfolse.com
http://www.gumbopages.com/recipe-page.html
http://www.neworleansonline.com/cuisine/recipes/conorecipes.html
http://southernfood.about.com/cs/mardigrasevents/a/mardigras_rec.htm
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blrestrecs_no.htm?once=true&
http://www.emerils.com/recipedb/search.php?search=802&searchby=SOURCE&sourcetitle=Emeril%27s+New+New+Orleans+Cooking
http://www.ci-no.com/recipes.html

A Raw Gourmet

Jessica's- A Raw Gourmet

If you've got the notion that raw food is synonymous with rabbit munchies and that it lacks luster, you might nix the idea after you taste it and behold its luscious looks.
Burritos, pizza, lasagna, carrot cake, ice cream, homemade crackers and marinara sauce are among the wide range of dishes prepared - and enjoyed by its devotees.

Raw food followers believe that at around 115 degrees, essential enzymes in food die off. However, "Raw food doesn't necessarily mean cold food," points out Dan Ladermann, co-director of the Fort Bragg-based Living Light Culinary Arts Institute. It is important to try and create meals that emphasize "textures, aroma and love." When he prepares his tomato sauce he says a richness of flavor is evident because the vegetables haven't lost it through overcooking.

A raw diet, as its name implies, is based on consuming unprocessed, preferably organic, whole plant-based foods, at least 75 per cent of which should be uncooked. It consists of: Fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, legumes, dried fruit, seaweed, fresh fruit & veggie juices, pure water & milk from young coconuts.

People who follow a raw diet use particular techniques to prepare foods such as: sprouting seeds, grains and beans; soaking nuts and dried fruits; and juicing fruits and vegetables. The only cooking that is allowed is via a dehydrator. This piece of equipment blows hot air through the food but never reaches a temperature higher than 116°F.

RAW RECIPE RESOURCES
http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/recipes/main.html (drinks too)
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/ (drinks too)
http://www.rawfoodlife.com/raw_food_recipes.html
http://www.vegparadise.com/recipeindex.html#Raw
http://www.rawgourmet.com/recipes.html
http://www.rawheaven.com/
http://www.rawganique.com/recipes.htm
http://www.rawveganrecipes.com/index.php?
http://www.sunfood.net/recipes.html
http://creativehealthinstitute.us/recipes/chiRecipes1.PDF
http://www.alivefoods.com/
http://www.rawseattle.org/