Spring has sprung and it was evident last week thanks to Chef Chris Paul of Everything We Eat, a local meal prep delivery service. Putting an emphasis on locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients, Chris was the ideal chef to do an introduction to spring menu. Assisting Chris at COOK was the other side of Everything We Eat (and Chris’ other half), Leigh-Ann Paul. As a nutritionist, Leigh-Ann is able to use her expertise to craft healthy, customized meals for clients. Check out what Chris and Leigh-Ann Paul served our guests, learn some meal prepping tips, and read more about their seasonal, sustainability conscious and nourishing meal delivery service.

Grilled asparagus for Chris’ gazpacho

Grilled asparagus gazpacho with tarragon oil and burrata got things off to a fresh and colorful start. Chris blanched the asparagus tips ahead of time and then livened them up on our grill, giving them a slight char. Always blanch your vegetables, especially when meal prepping. If you aren’t familiar with blanching, it is the process of quickly cooking vegetables in boiling water and then shocking them in an ice bath. Blanching your vegetables will preserve their vibrant color. Another benefit of blanching your vegetables ahead of time is that when you are ready to consume them or add them to a dish, they will be mostly cooked, and therefore will only need a quick sauté or grill to revive them. Another trick to add flavor to your meal quickly is to use herb-infused oil. Chris made tarragon oil ahead of time so that he would only need to drizzle a bit over the gazpacho right before serving. If you’d like to make your own tarragon oil, Chris said to simmer together equal parts neutral oil, such as canola, and tarragon and then strain out the tarragon. Be sure you don’t fry the tarragon in the oil as it will cause it to lose its green color. The oil will last in your refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Cutting the salmon for the sprouted quinoa salad dish

Using cured salmon and quinoa, Chef Chris composed a balanced salad that embodied his cooking philosophy: nutritious AND delicious. “At the end of the day it has to taste good” stated Chris, a sentiment Leigh-Ann shares. COOK guests watched Chris demonstrate salt-curing the fish first-hand, so that they could add this no-cook protein into their diet at home. Leigh-Ann embraced her inner David Attenborough and explained that when salmon are spawning they don’t eat, which causes nutrients to go into their fat reserves. Chris added that everyone wants to buy wild caught salmon, but that simply isn’t sustainable. Conversely, while farm-raised salmon is sustainable, the crowded environment can cause the fish to become contaminated and harmful to ingest. Chris suggested watching out for labels saying “farm-raised” or “sustainably raised” and instead look for bay raised salmon. Essentially, bay raising fish means that the wild fish are contained in a large body of ocean or bay water. “It’s wild, but not” said Chris, a happy medium, so to speak.

Leigh-Ann passed around the ramps for guests to see up close and personal

The couple’s entrée course showcased local ingredients including ramps, black walnuts and seasonal mushrooms that you can harvest yourself! One example Leigh-Ann shared was, if you’ve ever seen the green tennis ball looking nuts on trees, those are black walnuts. Leigh-Ann encouraged people to go out foraging as it yields the freshest possible food and can be quite fun. A word of caution – she did stress the importance of bringing someone knowledgable or having the proper information before harvesting or eating anything found in the wild. When Leigh-Ann went mushroom foraging she was accompanied by an expert. The Pauls like to use locally-sourced products for their Everything We Eat meals, even the tortillas they get are from Green Meadows Farm. Also from Green Meadows were the ramps. Guests absolutely loved the vibrant ramp risotto that accompanied the citrus poached sea bass. Chris noted that if you are cooking risotto ahead of time you should stop cooking it when it’s about 90% of the way done. Chill the mostly cooked risotto and when you are ready to enjoy it just stir in some boiling broth one ladleful at a time to finish it.

Incorporate these meal prep tips to make dinner after a long day of work much easier on yourself. Or take the shortest of shortcuts by ordering professionally crafted and cooked meals from Chris and Leigh-Ann Paul at EverythingWeEat.com. Place your orders by Friday at 12 AM and they will be delivered on your choice of either Sunday 4-6 PM or Monday 12-2 PM. You can also email them at info@everythingweeat.com for more information or for alternative delivery times on Monday. Eating healthy just got a whole lot easier!