Sacramento Magazine Interview and Photo Shoot, plus Chilled Avocado Soup Recipe
I am also happy to announce that Nugget Markets, Casque Wines, and Piatti Ristorante are continuing as my sponsors as the cakegrrl.com URL will redirect to this one at the end of June. No more Pepto pink background or sickly sweet recipes!! 🙂
Cooking Time: 30 minutes from start to finish
You’ll prep the spicy shrimp first so they can marinade in spices before you cook them.
Shrimp Ingredients:
12 Prawns, peeled and deveined
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ onion powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt
Prepare the shrimp:
Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt together in a small bowl. Stir in the prawns and coat them with the spices. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Prepare the avocado soup while shrimp is in the refrigerator.
Soup Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1/2 cup So Delicious coconut milk
1/4 cup organic chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
sea salt (to taste)
Prepare the soup:
Place avocados, coconut milk, lime and orange juice, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder in a blender. Pulse until well blended, add chicken broth to the consistency of your liking. Add salt and season to taste. Place into the refrigerator to chill.
Cook the shrimp:
Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a skillet. When oil gets hot, add the shrimp and cook them 3-4 minutes (or until they turn color). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Serve:
Remove the soup from the refrigerator, and spoon it into small bowls. Top each serving with the spicy shrimp. Serve immediately… the cold soup and the warm shrimp are a delicious combination.
Black & White Affair to Benefit Camellia Symphony Orchestra on June 10th, 4:30-7:30pm
A Black & White Affair Annual Food & Wine Benefit to support the Camellia Symphony Orchestra will be held on Sunday, June 10, 2012, 4:30-7:30pm at Scribner Bend Vineyards: 9051 River Road, Clarksburg, CA 95832 (Just 15 minutes from downtown Sacramento)
Enjoy a warm summer evening at Scribner Bend sampling award winning regional wines and amazing culinary creations. Camellia Symphony ensembles will provide the music making it a perfect evening on the Delta.
Cost per person: $35 in advance, $40 at the door. You can purchase tickets here.
Black and white attire encouraged.
There will be a silent auction at the event complete with spa packages for two, winery tours and fine wines, designer jewelry, weekend getaways to the coast and foothills and much more!
Participating wineries will include many of the Clarksburg appellation wineries as well as other regional wineries.
Food tastings will be provided by area caters and some of Sacramento’s most popular eateries. You won’t want to miss the food and wine pairings.
For more information about Camillia Symphony Orchestra, check out their Facebook page here.
A Divine Affair on May 25th, 6pm at Jackson Rancheria
Wine lovers are invited to enjoy A Divine Affair on Friday, May 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Grand Oak Ballroom and Garden Terrace at the Jackson Rancheria Hotel.
The event features dozens of Northern California wineries, plus food and entertainment.
Tickets are $30 in advance and are available online or at the Dreamcatcher’s Club® in the Casino.
To purchase tickets, click here.
The day of the event tickets are $35 and must be purchased at the Dreamcatcher’s Club® (no tickets available online or by phone on May 25). Must be 21 to attend.
Tickets include a complimentary wine glass and tray, wine tasting and food. Wine purchases may be ordered, but must be shipped by or picked up at the winery.
Live entertainment will include a smooth unplugged show by the Rhythm Vandals and acoustic melodies by Manny Sousa.
A portion of the proceeds benefit the Amador County Recreation Agency and the Jackson Rancheria Parks and Fields Restoration Fund.
Zinfest at Lodi Lake on May 19th!
The ZinFest Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 from 12 noon-5:00 pm at Lodi Lake Park.
Sip, swirl and savor from a selection of 250 handcrafted wines from 50 Lodi wineries. Passionate winemakers and winery representatives welcome guests, offering practical knowledge and sharing their delicious wines. Enjoy local provisions, learn some new tips at the ZinFest Wine and Cooking Schools, or relax along the beautiful Mokelumne River to an eclectic mix of live music. Guests can peruse merchandise from regional vendors and take home a commemorative bottle of custom blended Old Vine Zinfandel from the ZinFest Wine Shoppe. There is no better way to celebrate the fantastic wines of Lodi Wine Country! Tickets include a ZinFest wine glass, wine tasting, participation in seminars and entertainment. Festivities are held from 12 noon – 5 pm.
Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the gate and are available for purchase after March 12th. You can click here to purchase tickets.
Must be 21 years of age to attend. As a friendly reminder, even great wines should be enjoyed in moderation. Designated drivers are strongly encouraged. Designated driver tickets are available for $10 each.
ZinFest takes place at Lodi Lake Park, located at 1101-1301 W. Turner Road in Lodi, California. Click here for directions and parking information.
The Wine Savor the bounty of the Lodi Appellation’s array of varietals- from Albarino to Zinfandel. With 250 Lodi wines to taste from, wine novices and aficionados are sure to find a new favorite!
The Food Indulge in regional cuisine from the best of San Joaquin County’s gourmet food purveyors. A selection of items will be available for purchase from each vendor, reasonably priced under $10.
Entertainment Lounge along the Mokelumne River or get up and groove to an assorted mix of live entertainment. Enjoy live bands, strolling entertainers and the ZinFest Piano Bar – where you can purchase a glass of wine, request songs and sing along with familiar tunes!
Merchants
Browse from a collection of artisan merchants as they display one-of-a-kind merchandise. Take a piece of wine country home with you, whether it’s local olive oil or reclaimed wine barrel furniture.
ZinFest Cooking School From regional celebrity chefs to local, award winning culinary experts, ZinFest takes great pride in creating fun and informative cooking classes for event guests. One winery is featured in each class, partnering winemaker with chef, for an engaging tasting and educational experience. Discover a new favorite dish and become the star of your next dinner party. The ZinFest Cooking School is open to all guests, with new demonstrations taking place each hour.
ZinFest Wine School Trendsetters and legends unite in the ZinFest Wine School. Listen as local experts and guest speakers engage in topics from “Blending your own Zinfandel,” to what cheese pairs perfectly with Lodi wines, and much more… Sip, savor and swirl your way through the afternoon. The ZinFest Wine School is open to all guests with new demonstrations taking place each hour.
For more information on the event, including events on Friday, May 18th and Sunday, May 20th, click here!
Mother’s Day at Casque Wines
I just returned from seeing my mom this past weekend when I flew to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon. If she were here this weekend, I would certainly bring her up to Loomis for their Mother’s Day Wine and Jazz Lunch. Here are the details:
Seating 1 (11:00 am – 1:00 pm) Make Reservation for 1st Seating
Seating 2 (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm) Make Reservation for 2nd Seating
They are open for normal wine tasting on this day from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, so if you don’t participate in the lunch, you are also welcome to enjoy the jazz music.
Spend the day wine tasting on the Placer County Wine Trail or just plan for a Mom moment at the winery with a catered lunch by one of the region’s top restaurants, Cafe Zorro, serving out of their new catering location called the Garage Gourmet. This location is just two doors away from Casque Wines so you can be assured the food will be nice a fresh straight out of the kitchen.
You’ll be able to chose from the following options:
- Grilled Salmon Salad: Grilled king salmon over a salad of field greens, arugula, delta aparagus, nuskies bacon, cherry tomatoes, leeks and Casque Wines Vermentino vinaigrette, or
- Pulled Brisket Sandwich: Sterling silver brisket slow cooked for 14 hours with spicy red cabbage slaw, crispy shallots and Casque Wines Calotte (red blend) BBQ sauce. Served with heirloom, fingerling potato salad, or
- Greek Style Quiche: Farm fresh eggs, feta cheese, bloomsdale spinach, artichoke hearts, grilled squash, Kalamata olives in a buttery crust. Served with organic frisée salad with a cucumber and mint vinaigrette.
Your lunch will include:
- your choice of entree
- a drink ticket for complimentary tasting or a glass of wine.
- 10% off of any wine purchased by the glass or by the bottle for consumption on site or for take away. (Adrian Wine Club members will receive an additional 20% wine club discount.)
Tickets are $20 per person and must be purchased IN ADVANCE on-line, at the winery, or at Cafe Zorro.
LOCATION: 3273 Swetzer Road, Loomis, CA 95650
Learn “Wine 101” with Rick Kushman at Lava Cap Winery on May 12th
Lava Cap Winery presents Wine 101 with Rick Kushman
Rick Kushman, co-author of “A Moveable Thirst” will feature his seminar “Why Wine is More Fun Than People Make it Seem” on Saturday, May 12, 2012 1:30-3pm at Lava Cap Winery in Placerville.
During the class, Kushman, wine and food writer and educator (you have seen his writing in the latest Sactown Magazine), will cover how to get more out of a wine country experience and out of drinking wine. He’ll give tips on tasting–which attendees can put to use on sight with Lava Cap wines. Other topics in the class include success for grape growing and winemaking, and why any of that matters to you. He’ll also decode some of the more annoying wine speak and offer pointers on how not to be a wine snob, even accidentally.
To purchase tickets, click here.
For more information, you can visit the Lava Cap website. You can like Lava Cap Winery on Facebook here, and follow them on twitter here.
Whole Foods Market Presents a Live Screening of “The Apple Pushers” in SF Apr. 22nd, Earth Day
Whole Foods Market, America’s healthiest grocery store, is taking its annual Do Something Reel Film Festival online this year. The film festival is an ongoing collection of provocative films about food and environmental issues that can be purchased online at www.dosomethingreel.com and streamed for a limited time.
Whole Foods Market will stream a different film each month with proceeds helping to fund the 2012 Whole Foods Market/AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival filmmaker grants.
The festival opens April 22, with a live screening of “The Apple Pushers,” followed by a panel discussion with the film’s writer and director, Mary Mazzio; executive producer, Laurie Tisch; and celebrity chef, food policy advocate and founder of Wholesome Wave, Michel Nischan. Debi Mazar, “Entourage” and Cooking Channel’s “Extra Virgin” star, will host the discussion. The event will take place at Alamo Drafthouse’s Slaughter Lane Theater in Whole Foods Market’s hometown of Austin. Additionally, theaters in Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and San Francisco will host simultaneous screenings and will stream the panel discussion. The panel discussion will also be live streamed for free to online viewers. “The Apple Pushers” can be viewed online from April 22-30.
“The Apple Pushers,” narrated by Academy Award nominee Edward Norton, and underwritten by the Laurie M. Tisch IlluminationFund, follows five immigrant street-cart vendors who are offering fruits and vegetables in New York neighborhoods where fresh produce isn’t widely available. The vendors, who take part in a unique urban experiment called The NYC Green Cart Initiative, personify what it means to be an American entrepreneur, and their stories shed new light on the nation’s food crisis and skyrocketing obesity rates.
“The film chronicles first-generation immigrant micro-entrepreneurs who are infusing low income communities with fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Mazzio. “Whole Foods Market’s emphasis on providing access to healthy and nutritious foods makes them an ideal partner in helping us to expand the message of the film.”
Each month the festival will showcase a different film online that will be available for purchase (prices will vary by film; one viewing per purchase). The films slated through August are:
- “Watershed” – Directed by Mark Decena, executive produced by Robert Redford and produced by his son, James Redford, the film follows Rocky Mountain National Park fly fishing guide, Jeff Ehlert, and six others living and working in the Colorado River basin. The film illustrates the river’s struggle to support thirty million people across the western U.S. and Mexico as the peace-keeping agreement known as the Colorado River Pact is reaching its limits. (May)
- “Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?”– A profound, alternative look at the bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, award-winning director of “The Real Dirt on Farmer John.” On a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, the film weaves together a story of the heart-felt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world and uncovers the long-term causes that could create one of our most urgent food crises. (June)
- Ian Cheney Retrospective: “King Corn” and “Truck Farm” – Each of the films Cheney has created or co-created spotlights an important environmental or food issue, from mobile gardens to the subsidized crops fueling our fast-food nation. Cheney was last year’s Whole Foods Market and AFI-Silverdocs grant recipient for his new work-in-progress, “Bluespace.” (July)
- “Lunch Line” – Co-directed by Ernie Park and Michael Graziano, this film offers a fresh perspective on the politics of food and child-nutrition through an examination of the surprising past, uncertain present, and possible future of the National School Lunch Program. The film reframes the school lunch debate through archival footage, expert interviews, and the uplifting story of six kids from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago who set out to fix school lunches — and end up at the White House. (August)
“Taking this year’s Do Something Reel Film Festival online provides an opportunity for audiences everywhere to connect with the films and their thought-provoking issues,” said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “Such connection and exploration can be the starting place for real change; it helps us all think about how our everyday decisions and purchasing power can make a difference.”
For the second time, the festival’s proceeds will help fund two $25,000 AFI Silverdocs grants for filmmakers in the green genre. Applications are available at www.dosomethingreel.com from March 21 to May 4.
Whole Foods Market’s technology partner NowLive, a production and streaming solution for professional live and on-demand events such as red carpets, cast chats,concerts and original productions will power the live chat as well as the film releases online. The purchase process takes seconds, and featured films can be accessed through most web browsers, SmartTVs, phones and tablets.
Additional video, behind-the-scenes talks with filmmakers, suggested questions for home viewings and other materials will be available at no cost at www.dosomethingreel.com.
The festival is presented in association with Applegate Organic & Natural Meats, Earthbound Farm Organic and Siggi’s Cultured Dairy Products. For additional information, a complete schedule of events, and details about the grant program, please visit www.dosomethingreel.com.
To purchase tickets online to the festival, you can go here.
Greek-Style Lamb
Presented by The Running Bum…
Today’s recipe for Greek-style lamb was written by the BF aka the Running Bum, and enjoyed by the two of us last weekend at Easter dinner in Incline Village. The amount of lamb RB prepared was easily enough for 4-5 people, and the portion of meat that I brought home (1.5 pounds or so) lasted me four nights (used cold as one of my many salad toppings).
Cavegrrl (CG): For this recipe, what cut are we looking for from the butcher?
Running Bum (RB): Well, the lamb is a boned fresh leg of lamb, normally about 7 lbs after they remove the bone…lamb is in season right now, and Taylor’s [Market, in Sacramento] has all cuts available.
CG: Cool, so how do we prepare the meat?
RB: I rub the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil so a small amount of sea salt will stick to it. After it’s lightly salted, I pour a little bit of lemon juice over it. Then I completely encrust the outside with coarsely minced garlic and organic oregano, or a reasonable facsimile. I like it so that about all you can see is garlic and oregano, and not the meat. 🙂
In the case of something huge and wrapped in twine, I tilt the whole thing upright in a bag and pour about a ½ cup each of additional olive oil and lemon juice down the center of the roast and also let a small amount dribble along the outside. Then I leave it stationary in the bag in the refrigerator for about 15 to 25 hours. About 3 hours before I’m going to start cooking it, I take the bag and its contents and shake it and turn it about every 45 minutes, making sure the bag is securely sealed. This really does the job of completely saturating and marinating the lamb. Pre-heat the oven [to] 250 degrees [when you are almost ready to cook the meat and before you garnish it in the roasting pan.]
RB: Garnish with freshly cut oregano, if you’ve got access to it.
RB: Cook it (6-8 lbs.) for two hours and then finish an additional 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This will yield perfectly medium rare meat. For medium, add 20 minutes at the original 250 degrees and finish with the aforementioned 30 minutes at 350 degrees. For rare, cook the initial 250 degree stage for 1:40, and then add the hotter 30 minutes at the end. Time everything precisely, and don’t open the oven or turn the meat while it’s cooking, and it’ll turn out perfect.
CG: Ah, very nice. Let’s not forget to allow plenty of resting time after you remove the meat from the oven. The last thing you want is for all the juices to seep out. I think we waited about ten minutes before slicing. If this seems like a long time to wait, you can occupy yourself by plating up the other sides you are going to eat during the meal. Also, make sure you cut the meat on a surface that will retain the blood/juices or else your counter will be a big mess. 🙂
CG: As you can see, The Running Bum knows how to cook lamb to perfection! Thanks for joining cavegrrl.com today.
RB: Ah, I’m so glad you liked it. That’s the ultimate compliment. 🙂
Here’s a picture of us taken at Autorama last month. I added this photo because I wanted you all to get a peek of the author. The couple that “Paleos” together, stays together. 🙂
Sweet Potatoes with Dukkah
This is another side dish we had during our Easter feast over the weekend. It’s just potatoes sautéed in coconut oil (Tropical Traditions is the best!) and sprinkled with a nut and spice blend called dukkah.
If you missed the recipe before, allow me to introduce you to dukkah… the nut and spice blend that is to meat and vegetables as sprinkles are to ice cream. A magical little topping that makes everything taste irresistible. 🙂 Below is how to make enough for this recipe and also enough to store in your cabinet and use on other things like fish or sautéed vegetables.
1/4 cup ground coriander
5 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried mint leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Nuts:
1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
1/2 cup raw pistachio nuts
1/2 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup cashews
Place the nuts and seeds, along with the mint and salt, into a food processor and pulse into a coarse consistency.
New Beginnings
Hello… I am starting this site because healthy eating and exercise are so important to me. I hope you will enjoy my little side project!!
cavegrrl.com 