Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 25, 2009
Weekly Indulgence
Stephanie Coward
My husband Joe and I began planning our move to Chattanooga around last December, and I have been waiting for Earth Fare to open for almost as long. Seriously. Well, my days of waiting are over, as Earth Fare opened December 9.
Through its Web site, the Earth Fare company offers everyone the opportunity to get healthy. The My Health Journey program is an excellent opportunity for those who have been teetering on bettering their diets, but are just overwhelmed with all the information out there.
Free membership in the program garners a pantry makeover, Earth Fare coupons and informative newsletters, which empower all of us with the ability to chose our foods wisely rather than allowing them to own our lives and our health.
Earth Fare is a supermarket with a capital “S,” and my expectations were surpassed during my personal tour, courtesy of Community Relations Manager Abby Shipley. (And just an FYI, during the hour I was there, I saw no less than 30 employees on the floor checking on the shoppers.)
The all-natural store is loaded with affordable organic fare and numerous items from local farmers. From peanut butter stock to sushi to the most mouth watering slice of chicken Parmesan pizza you could imagine, Earth Fare offers more than just grocery shopping.
The store also hosts a slew of community events, and I attended a Cooking Live with Amanda Varnell class the next night. For less than the cost of a take out meal, I, along with several other ladies and gentleman, enjoyed sampling five quick, organic holiday dishes.
Varnell travels all over holding these classes, and whenever you attend a class, you get a copy of all the yummy recipes, which is probably the best part. She said that she both practices and teaches “distraction cooking,” meaning that most of the items she prepares won’t ruin if the cook becomes distracted and forgets about them for a few moments.
She purchased all the ingredients for the dishes she cooked at the class I attended at Earth Fare the day before. This was extremely convenient and several people went shopping for items after the class.
We began with a Festive Holiday Greens spring mix salad. This was my favorite dish of the entire night, so we’ll come back to that one. Next up was the roast pork with apples. I am not a fan of pork, but I did try a tiny bite and the loin was bursting with flavor. The sauce mixture that went with the pork – a combination of pineapple, apple, cashews, onions and seasoning, was very tasty and I ate it all.
The cranberry nut wild rice is a (in my opinion) daring take on rice. Wile rice piled high with pine nuts, onions and dried cranberries is a far cry from the Uncle Bens brown rice in a bag I usually boil up.
I am addicted to fruits and veggies, especially green beans. When I saw green beans with cashews on the menu, suffice to say, I was thrilled. The beans were combined with cashews, a favorite nut of Varnell’s and they were outstanding. I never knew cashews were so versatile, but I will surely be cooking with them again.
The class ended on a sweet note – a pound cake with fresh whipped cream and berries. The whipped cream was made in less than two minutes and tasted better than any I’ve had out of a spray can. While I don’t eat cake, I did enjoy a load of berries smothered in the whipped cream and could not have planned a better way to end the hour and a half class.
Now, let’s get back to the salad. It was a mouth-watering mixture of: spring mix; an orange, peeled and sliced; Gorgonzola cheese crumbles; a granny smith apple, sliced; green onions, chopped up; cashew pieces; dried cranberry and – the best part – honey cinnamon dressing.
I will admit, reading over the menu at the start of the class, I was quite nervous about this dish. I never eat bleu cheese and so I have never tried Gorgonzola, which is actually quite mild in comparison. I’ve never eaten a more scrumptious salad, and that’s saying something, since I mainly eat vegetarian meals. (My motto with meals is the greener the better.)
She told us that when making salads, we should try for color and varying textures. This salad had blue, orange, green, red and brown. It was filled with chewy, crunchy and in between. It took a lot of self restraint to not immediately purchase the salad items after class and run home to make more, however, I had this column to write, but will be
making it as soon as I can.
As the old adage goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I will wait.
Varnell has several fixed class nights at various locations and also provides private in-home lessons and kitchen consultations. With four children of her own, she knows how hectic life can be and her classes are the perfect opportunity to put everything in perspective. You can cook fresh, affordable foods quickly.
Anyone who is looking for a fun night out can reserve a spot in one of Varnell’s cooking class via her Web site at www.cookinglive.net. I’ve already reserved mine and my husband’s spot at Varnell’s next Earth Fare class – soups, stews and chilis – January 21.
For Earth Fare coupons and other community events, visit www.earthfare.com.
Contact Stephanie at stephanie@hamiltoncountyherald.com
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