Mike Ward is Executive Chef of The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards. Prior to that he lead the kitchen as Executive Chef at Tyler Florence’s El Paseo in Mill Valley. Mike is one of the most inspiring people you will ever meet and I highly recommend you try his uniquely flavorful and beautifully prepared meals for lunch or dinner. The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards features California wine country cuisine using sustainably and organically grown local ingredients including produce from The Restaurant’s organic garden. The seasonal menu changes daily and the award-winning wine list offers more than 1,000 selections, providing numerous options for wine pairings. Gratitude Gourmet recently dined at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards for Lunch and every single bite was perfection! See the Picture Slideshow below. We started our meal with Homemade Rosemary and Black Pepper Bread with Olive Oil and a Garden Inspired Cocktail: (1.5 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz ginger juice, 1 oz strawberry juice, 1/2 lemon, and 1 egg white. Shake all ingredients with 3 ice cubes until ice is dissolved. Strain pour into a coupe glass and garnish with fresh flowers or an orange slice.) Wine: (Gratitude Gourmet highly recommends this World Class Wine!!). Wente Limited Production Winemakers Studio Lot No 001 2012 Livermore Valley Red Blend (45% Petit Verdot, 40% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot) For Appetizers: we greatly enjoyed the flavors of the Hamachi Crudo (crispy ginger salad, kumquat, fermented wasabi, aoili, shiso) and Market Green Salad (strawberry vinaigrette, riesling soaked strawberries, manchego cheese and walnuts). Main Courses: Roasted Sea Scallops (PAELLA! which was excellent!, clams, spanish chorizo, safron aoili, charred green garlic) and Roasted Sea Bass (mushroom quinoa, red beet yogurt, sunchoke chips, horseradish, trout roe) Dessert: Savarin (cream cheese, walnut, milk gelato, carrot) and Portuguese Custard Tart (strawberries, cassis meringue, strawberry balsamic sorbet) We recommend you go to The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards and experience this amazing gourmet lunch or dinner yourself! Enjoy! Gratitude Gourmet enjoyed a great spring day filled with tasting, touring and lunch in the little-known Yolo County Vineyards: Simas Family Vineyard, Matchbook Wine Company, Route 3 Wines, and Taber Ranch Vineyard. Simas Family Vineyard: You must have the 2010 Mourvedre Capay Valley and Pasture Raised Eggs. Matchbook Wine Company: You must have the 2013 Arsonist Red Blend (52% Petit Verdot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot) Route 3 Wines: You must have the 2012 Barberra and 2012 Grenache. Taber Ranch: You must have the Taber Ranch Red ... and they have a beautiful event center with a lake and gorgeous views of the hills. View the Picture Slideshow Below for a 'Taste' of Yolo County! Are you looking for some of the best gelato and cakes you've ever tasted? Check out Leslie Wong's Sweet Orchid - Gelateria, Patisserie, Cafe in Fremont. The Gelato is FRESHLY made and so delicious I had 3 scoops :) and the cakes in the picture are Taro Vanilla and Limoncello. Her wedding cakes are pieces of art. Sambazon, announced four new açaí flavors: Superfruit Packs, including Performance Protein Superfruit and Supergreens Superfruit, as well as açaí Sorbet flavors, including Açaí + Coconut Creamy Sorbet and Açaí Chocolate. They will first be available at major retailers in the West Coast, then Nationally later this year. Check out this great Supergreens Bowl Recipe! INGREDIENTS
1. Allow the superfruit pack to soften in room temperature for 2 – 3 minutes 2. Peel a banana and break it up into the Magic Bullet cup. 3. Break up the frozen pack with your hands into smaller chunks, then cut off the top of the pack and drop contents into the Magic Bullet cup. 4. Add Chocolate Hemp Milk, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein Powder and Maca and blend on low until very thick. 5. If you are not happy with the consistency, continue to add liquid while blending 6. Pour into a bowl and top with Fresh Seasonal Fruit, Granola, Hemp Seeds, Fresh Banana, Golden Berries, White Mulberries, Goji Berries & Bee Pollen 7. If not serving right away: place bowl in the fridge or cooler. Blend again for a few seconds before serving. Enjoy! Malnutrition is the #2 secondary diagnosis in cancer patients, and up to 80 percent of all cancer patients experience nutritional issues during treatment. The Meals to Heal Cookbook shares healthy, easy to prepare recipes that not only taste delicious but also mitigate the many side effects of cancer treatment. Recipes are organized by meal as well as by side effect, allowing you to easily find meals suited to your particular health needs. With authoritative sections on a wide variety of common health and nutrition topics, such as healthy non-meat alternatives, and controversial topics, such as juicing and soy, The Meals to Heal Cookbook is a go-to resource addressing all of the major food, cooking, and nutrition questions asked by patients and caregivers in a straightforward, accessible, and supportive manner. Are you looking for a one night getaway to Carmel, California? Here are some suggestions:
Check Out MELT Organic’s line of delicious, good-for-you spreads, created for butter lovers seeking a healthier alternative. Here’s what makes MELT so great:
Remember that Gratitude Gourmet has Facebook and Twitter Pages that share fun news during the week! Like Gratitude Gourmet on Facebook AND Follow on Twitter! :) "Here is to great wine, delicious food, family and friendships. Cheers!" - Fabio Viviani This is a great quote to describe the wonderful atmosphere and inspiring food producers and vintners at the 2016 Pebble Beach Food and Wine. For example Carlos Enriquez prepared Two delicious items: Vegan & Gluten-Free Chicharron with Coconut, Chili, Lime, Cilantro, Passion Fruit AND Black Forest Cake. Enjoy the Slideshow Pictures below of the event. Gratitude Gourmet is looking forward to next year! Simply Gum is an all-natural, premium chewing gum that is biodegradable and not made out of artificial ingredients and other gum bases. Fun flavors include: mint, cinnamon, coffee or ginger. Simply Gum is available at retailers across the nation including Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppes as well as online at www.simplygum.com Not only will these cookbooks bring families closer together, but they will help parents pass on a valuable hobby and get them interested in a foreign culture.Let's Cook series (Let's Cook French, Let's Cook Italian, and Let's Cook Spanish) brings together popular cultural recipes, gorgeous artwork, and foreign languages to create a family reference cookbook that engages children in the culture, community, and food of a different country. Enjoy! Save the Park, a game developed by Games for Change, a New York nonprofit, and funded through a $250,000 grant from American Express lets players take on volunteer personas and then complete park-essential tasks like planting trees, securing food from bears, and picking up trash. There are four roles to play: Mei (who lives in California and already volunteers), Ben (an military vet who does animal protection), Luna (a 19-year-old college student who's favorite hobby is salsa dancing) and Andre (a graphic designer who volunteers with his communication skills). There are three environments (forest, desert, and coastline), and the goal is acquire points by completing tasks or gathering up Easter eggs. That lets you get to the next level. Then they suggest 'Now do this in the real world.' The American Express Foundation is offering to donate $1 to the National Parks Foundation for each download before the end of the year, up to a value of $50,000. Get your copy here. |