Redlands GrowFest held annually at Fruit & Spice Park encourages you to grow, can and preserve your produce and vegetables! The most popular event there is the Chefs Cookoff and I was honored to be invited again this year to judge with Christine Najac, publisher, author, sommelier and food and wine blogger of South Florida Food and Wine, Farmer Grabiel Marewski of Paradise Farm and Tim from Fruit and Spice Park.
The Chefs did an outstanding job as there were a lot of distractions! Judges asking questions, snapping photos, not forgetting Edible South Florida’s publisher, Gretchen Schmidt, Farmer Margie from Bee Heaven Farm and Fruit & Spice Director, Tim Stribling were describing tropical fruits, spices and produce to the audience the whole time.
Here are some behind the scenes I captured of the Chefs Cook off. Each chef was given a “secret ingredient” and a box of mystery ingredients and allowed to pick anything from the ingredients table. Winner announced below!
Bring your family to the next one and make it a day’s visit cause it’s a drive! There are food booths or bring a picnic, lots of areas to lay out.
Wok Star Supper Club, huge success at Drunken Dragon
Thank you everyone who came out to celebrate my Wok Star Supper Club at Drunken Dragon this past Sunday. Everyone raved about the exotic flavors of each dish, what a successful dinner gathering to conquer the summer blues and celebrate what would have been my mom’s birthday, my mom would have approved!
We had other surprises, the General Manager, Ryan Hamilton arranged for their art gallery two doors down to be open so we could view some pretty amazing art before going through a back alley to visit Foxhole Bar. It was a lovely evening with 3 activities rolled into one. Thanks also to Alex Tanaka the manager and Alexia Tapanes who was so patient with my wish list. And of course, Voss who hydrated us all evening.
I hope you’ll return and try other dishes and don’t forget their Korean BBQ, and say that’s what you want to do when you make your reservations, not all tables have the BBQ grill. Visit Drunken Dragon for more details.
Missed my Wok Star Supper Club? You can drool over the photos below. I’ll be organizing more this fall, so stay tuned.
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To find out more about my Wok Star Supper Club (previously called Hoh Wok Club.)
Note: I don’t get paid to organize these events. I do it because I love introducing people to good Asian cuisine in Miami! I do get 2 complimentary dinners.
Healthy, Delicious, Easy Lunch Ideas
Scratching your head wondering what to bring for your lunch to work? I got you covered. These lunch ideas will keep it simple and fast plus give you variety so you’re not bored with the same ingredients for a week. I see meal preps on social media and think, well, that’s good but so boring, it’s the same lunch all week? When you know what to expect, you lose interest.
PROTEIN – provides energy, so less starchy carbs like rice, bread and potatoes and more protein!
Drumsticks, pork ribs, pork chops, pork shoulder strips, pork butt picnic, steak strips, ground turkey.
SPICES – use 2-3 different spice rubs to flavor drumsticks or ribs for variety. Pack some flavor with 2 of my favs, My Spice Sage Curry powder and Flavor God Everything Spicy.
DRESSING – make your own, so easy and WITHOUT preservatives or any goopy fillers.
Only 4 ingredients…
EVOO, Marukan rice vinegar, San-J tamari and good mustard (I usually like mustard with lots of grain for texture)
Use a clean glass jar with lid:
Proportions are twice amount of oil to vinegar, dash of tamari, big teaspoon of mustard. Close lid and shake it up, that’s it!
SALAD – use a variety of vegetables throughout the week and use cold leftover vegetables from dinner. I store the chopped veggies in a tupperware box.
Grill vegetables like eggplant, bell peppers, portobello mushrooms.
COMPLEX CARBS – help maintain sugar levels, that means sweet potato or quinoa NOT rice, potatoes or bread, those make you sleepy, bloat and pack on the love handles. Yes, I found all this out when I became prediabetic and it has helped me so much to keep my energy going!
Finally, a great box to bring that delicious lunch. I like this Sistema lunch box with a freezer brick which you fill with water that keeps your lunch cool for the trip to work or school! That little blue round container fits in the freezer brick hole for salad dressing or sauce and on the lid as you can see are the fork and knife, so it’s completely self contained. They are so practical and I got my hubby trained so he just whips out from freezer and throws into the lunch box. I found them at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx, also Container Store for a lot more. I cannot stand the blue ice, they drip when they cool down.
Would love to hear some lunch ideas that work for you…
Note: none of the products sponsor me except San-J tamari which is included when you purchase my Wok Star Kit.