Melinda Holland Photography

03/22/2010

Banana Apricot Muffin with Walnuts

Filed under: Food — Tags: , , , , — Melinda @ 5:03 pm

Couldn’t choose between the dark version of the photo vs. the lighter version…so I posted both.

Had some old banana’s I needed to get rid of so I looked up this Banana Apricot Muffin recipe from Whole Foods (one of my favorite stores) and whipped up some hearty muffins. The recipe calls for almond flour and 2 bananas, but I threw in ultragrain flour since I didn’t have any almond flour, 3 bananas and chopped walnuts. I should’ve put a splash of almond milk in to make them a bit lighter and fluffy, but they were still good. Had I made them exactly as the recipe called, I’m sure they would’ve looked more like the photo they provide next to the recipe.

Anywho. The dried apricot pieces and bits of moist banana were awesome. It was good overall. Probably even better if I’d used almond flour. Quite a healthy recipe with no sugar (honey instead), no oil/butter, and no milk. These muffins would be gluten-free if made with almond flour. The recipe does call for 2 eggs so an egg substitute would be needed if you want to go the vegan route.

Me & Banana Apricot Walnut MuffinLeft: A closer look at the chewy apricot goodness embedded in the muffin. Right: Getting my first taste. Not too shabby.

03/15/2010

Vegan Cheesecake from Toukies Restaurant

Filed under: Food — Tags: , , , , , , — Melinda @ 12:55 am
Toukies Vegan Cheesecake

Toukies Vegan Cheesecake

When I was a kid, my aunt would make little cupcake-sized cheesecakes quite often with fresh raspberries on top. She’d bring them over and I’d wolf them down lickety-split. I ate a lot of them. Like, A LOT. Oh how I loved them. Such a treat.

And then. One day. I ate a bunch of cupcake-sized cheesecakes. Got sick.

And vomited.

I didn’t eat cheesecake for many years. As I got older, I’d try a bite here and there, but never a whole piece. The last whole piece I had was a few years ago at a birthday gathering for me at, well…The Cheesecake Factory. So of course the server came out with a slice of cheesecake complete with a lit sparkler on top. I ate most of it, sharing some with my sister and Jon. It wasn’t bad. It was fine. But it wasn’t anything special.

But the vegan cheesecake from Toukies? Whew! It’s now one of my new favorite desserts. It’s incredibly creamy, absolutely moist, delicious and completely vegan! Although Toukies reveals some recipes, their vegan cheesecake is not a recipe they give out. Boo! Ah well. Guess I’ll just have to buy one the next time I crave it. 😉

Toukies serves heart-healthy vegan food that’s quite tasty. Check it out if you’re ever in California’s gold country.

Me at Toukies with a fantastic slice of cheesecake!Me at Toukies with a fantastic slice of cheesecake (loaded with strawberry & blueberry glaze just for the shoot.)

Go to Toukies! The bright, happy decor is positively invigorating!

03/03/2010

Featured on Tasting Table, LA

Filed under: Food,Press — Tags: , , , — Melinda @ 5:22 pm

Well, it was a pleasant surprise today to see a photo of mine, with the proper credits, featured today on a nice site like Tasting Table.

Monkey bread photo featured on Tasting Table LA

02/25/2010

Minestrone Soup – Cold days call for tasty soup…

Filed under: Food — Tags: , — Melinda @ 5:03 pm
Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

Though today is a beautiful day with gorgeous sunlight, it’s been drizzly and dreary around here lately. What to do when the weather’s icky? Eat delicious, hot soup and make a fire!

This minestrone soup has been a crowd-pleaser in the past and is a wonderfully aromatic soup that’s also scrumptious to the palate. Everytime I cook it, I get a, “Oo! Something smells good!”

Recipe:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic (but I usually use about 8 cloves. Or –hey!– why not the whole bulb?!) We’re garlic lovers over here.

1 large onion, diced

1 small potato, cubed (one cup cubed should suffice)

4 stalks celery

4 medium carrots

1 (15 oz) can diced or stewed tomatoes (Whichever you prefer. It’s such a forgiving recipe)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dried oregano

8-9 cups vegetable broth

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can of unsalted, unsweetened corn, drained

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1.5″ pieces

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Heat olive oil, garlic and onion in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute until onion is soft. Add potato, celery and carrots, saute for about five minutes.

Add entire can of diced or stewed tomatoes, salt, oregano and vegetable broth. Cover and simmer for about 30 mins.

Add kidney beans, corn and green beans and simmer for about 5 mins more or until green beans are tender and cooked, but not mushy.

Get a nice, deep soup spoon and enjoy!

01/18/2010

Chef Chris Goossen

Filed under: Food,People — Tags: , , — Melinda @ 9:42 pm

Chef Goossen - TCW

I was just beside myself with the beautiful food styling of Chef Chris Goossen this past December. When shooting food, a great food stylist makes all the difference and I must say that Chef Goossen has incredible skills when it comes to food. Not only can he whip up a fantastic tasting gourmet meal, he makes it look incredible on the way out to the table.

Chef Goossen, thank you for working with such care on the following dishes. Your artistry and skill is very much appreciated!

Roasted Tomato Soup, Wild Arugula Salad, Arancini

Roasted Tomato Soup, Wild Arugula Salad, Arancini

Tuscan Hummos with Pizza Bread, Grilled Italian Sausage with White Beans and Escarole, Berkshire Pork Chops with Homemade Apple Sauce, Proscuitto Crostini with Brown Butter and Sage

Tuscan Hummos with Pizza Bread, Grilled Italian Sausage with White Beans and Escarole, Berkshire Pork Chops with Homemade Apple Sauce, Proscuitto Crostini with Brown Butter and Sage

Look at the carefully placed pieces! Oh the perfection! And those PERFECT grill marks!

See how the cheese is melted just so on the Crostini! The sheer beauty of every dish is MAGNIFICENT!

Chef Goossen prepares a beautiful table for a holiday party in Dec 2009

- Chef Goossen preparing a beautiful spread for a holiday party -

Below: Two of my favorite shots from the table above. I love good cheese and fruit!

This was my first experience with the science of pairing dried fruits with cheese and the melding of flavors was DIVINE!!!

Brie

Cheese Plate

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