Wednesday, May 30, 2012

It's gluten free! It's vegan! It's the newest menu from your favorite personal chef, for delivery to Boston and environs Tuesday, June 5!

Hello hello!

Can you believe it is almost June? This year has just been flying by! Let's take a little time this week to breathe deeply, relax, and re-center before we dive headfirst into summer. And what better way to take a break than to let me do all your cooking for you?

This wonderful new menu takes advantage of spring's bounty. I am so excited to bring you some favorite dishes and some brand new ones too! I'll deliver these delectable treats on Tuesday, June 5. Please try to have orders in by the end of Sunday night, though I also do my very best to accommodate orders that come in right through Monday!

Speaking of June 5, that is World Environment Day! Let's all do a little bit to help clean up the environment, whether it's to take the T, recycle more, or something really simple like letting me bring you lots of delicious, fresh, vegan treats (and then returning the containers for re-use.)

Looking forward to seeing everyone very soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary
rathercraftymary@gmail.com

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SOUP:

Spinach and Asparagus Soup! Mostly pureed, but with a few beautiful asparagus tips left whole. With a swirl of cultured cashew cream. So springy! So green! So delicious! (Yes, it can easily be nut free. Yes, a raw option will be available on request.) $8

PLATES:

Everyone's favorite! Black bean patties with sweet potato fries and homemade spicy ketchup. Served on brown rice "buns." $12

Raw "Mock Tuna" Salad: A delicately flavored pate of sprouted sunflower seeds with mild dulse seaweed, crunchy celery, carrots, cucumbers, and herbs over fresh greens. It doesn't taste fishy, I promise. It's just seasoned with a lot of the traditional tuna salad fixins. And it is so good you will swoon! $12

Baked plantain chips, served with a cumin and chili seasoned cheesy dip! Why is the sauce so darn creamy and delicious? Is it because of the cashews, veggies, and protein-rich nutritional yeast? Or maybe it's just magic! $11

Sesame Seaweed Salad with brown rice. The best comfort food! $10

BAKERY

Individual Raw Poppy Seed Tartlet in an Orange-Walnut Crust. $9

Cranberry Almond Muffins. Local cranberries from the Stash! $10 half dozen, $18 dozen

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Yums! Raw version will be available on request. $7 for a trio

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As always, everything is made from scratch. I do not use wheat or other gluten-containing grains. I do not use peanuts or soy. I do not use any GMO ingredients. I do use non-gluten grains, nuts, seeds, beans, cold-pressed oils, and fresh fruits and vegetables. I use local and/or organic ingredients when possible.

Please let me know before ordering if you have any allergies, sensitivities, or other special dietary needs! (Yes, even if they're listed below. I like to be super extra careful!)

Special dietary considerations:

GARLIC: None in the seaweed salad or bakery items. I can make a garlic-free batch of the soup and/or the mock tuna. There's a little in the cheesy dip and bean patties. Nothing is super crazy garlicky this week.
CASHEWS: Present in the cheesy dip. Can easily be omitted from the soup.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS: Present in the mock tuna.
SESAME: Present in the seaweed salad.
ALMONDS: Present in the mock tuna, muffins, and almond butter cups.
WALNUTS: In the crust of the tartlets.
CHOCOLATE: Only in the almond butter cups.
RAW: Choose the raw version of the soup, the mock tuna (I promise it doesn't taste fishy!), poppy seed tartlet, and raw version of chocolate almond butter cups.
ACD: Choose the fruit-sweetened tartlets or any of the savories, especially soup and mock tuna, but all work!
SCD: Choose soup, mock tuna, plantains and dip, tartlets, and the almond butter cups if you tolerate chocolate.

Thanks so much for ordering, and for returning containers in good condition for re-use!

See you soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary

Friday, May 25, 2012

A fresh new menu is here! Your favorite gluten free vegan personal chef delivers to Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and sometimes beyond!

Hello and Happy Memorial Day!

This weekend, we remember family and friends we have lost, especially those who served in the military. Many of you will celebrate on Monday by grilling up some veggie patties or having a picnic! Enjoy!

Please place orders by the end of Sunday, May 27 for delivery on Tuesday, May 29.

Thank you!

Much love,
Chef Mary

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SOUP:

Watermelon Ginger Soup $8

PLATES:

Pumpkin and Poppy Seed Rollups! Fresh veggies and sprouts, rolled up in nori with a wonderfully raw spread of pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, and just a touch of lemon. My new favorite! $12

Millet-veggie cakes. A classic! Warm them up and enjoy with fresh lemon-parsley-walnut pesto, served on the side. $11

Boston Baked Beans! Did you know we have an official state bean? It's true! The ever-popular, slow-simmered beans, served with Veg du Jour and a Sweet Potato Corn Muffin. $11

Masala Carrot Dip. A wonderfully vivid dip made from carrots, raw sesame tahini, and warm spices. Served with crunchy veggies, naturally! $10

BAKERY:

Sweet potato corn muffins! Yum! $10 half dozen, $18 dozen

Chocomole! There is nothing I love more than avocados, unless it's this raw vegan chocolate mousse made from avocados! With a dollop of agave vanilla cashew creme. $10

Maple walnut granola balls. The yummiest snack, breakfast, or dessert treat! Made with certified gluten free oats, of course. They freeze well, so keep extras on hand for road trips and snacking emergencies! $8

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I do not use soy, peanut, wheat, or any gluten containing ingredients. I do use nuts and seeds, along with fresh produce (local and/or organic when possible) and gluten free grains. Please inform me before ordering if you have any allergies or sensitivities.

Special dietary considerations:
 
RAW: Choose soup, chocomole, rollups, and carrot dip.
SCD: Choose soup, chocomole, rollups, carrot dip, and beans, minus the muffin.
ACD: All the plate items except beans (which contain molasses) are great choices! Soup is all fruit and spice, no added sweetening. Yum!
CASHEWS: Can be omitted from chocomole.
NUTS: Can be omitted from chocomole. Present in pesto (walnut), granola balls (almond and walnut), and muffins (almond milk).
SESAME: Present in dip.
GARLIC: More in pesto, less in other plates. Not present in soup or bakery items.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS: Absent this week.
CHOCOLATE: Present only in chocomole.

It helps me a lot if you return clean containers in good condition! It keeps costs reasonable and helps keep the Earth clean!

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Your GF vegan personal chef brings you a gorgeous, new menu! For delivery Tuesday, May 22!

Happy Sunny Thursday! What a glorious day it is today!

There are lots of exciting days coming up on the calendar. Tomorrow, Friday the 18th, is National Bike to Work Day! It's time to get back on your bike, buckle on your helmet, and ride! Please ride safely!

Tomorrow is also Endangered Species Day. It's not just the whales we have to worry about anymore; hundreds of species of plants and animals go extinct every day! You can learn about actions you and your family can take and activities teachers can incorporate into lessons here: http://www.stopextinction.org/esd.html

Next week, from sundown May 26 - 28, is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. On this day, it's traditional to eat lots of creamy foods, and lots of veggies to celebrate the harvest season in Israel. We always enjoy lots of veggies here in Craftyland, and we have lots of great ways to enjoy creamy delicious treats without dairy (especially this week's soup and cookies,) so you can enjoy your lactose-free Shavuot feast!

This menu is fresh, lively, and will be ready to deliver on Tuesday, May 22. Please order by the end of Sunday, May 20.

Thank you so much. Looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary

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SOUP:

Irie's Courgette and Fresh Coriander Soup! (That's zucchini and cilantro to the rest of us!) This lovely green raw soup is pureed with a dollop of cashew cream and chilled. Perfect for a sunny afternoon! $8

PLATES:

Quinoa Tabbouli! The traditional middle eastern grain salad gets a gluten free update with lovely red quinoa. Fresh parsley, lemon, cucumber, tomato, and quinoa make beautiful music together. High protein hemp seeds boost the nutrition even more! (Yes, I will make an all-raw, all-hemp-and-veggie version on request.) $12

Cassoulet! Yum! Another updated traditional dish, this time from France. A thick, nourishing stew-like dish of white beans and veggies, topped with homemade gluten free herbed breadcrumbs. Because even when the weather is lovely and springlike, you still need something to stick to your ribs! $12

Roasted Asparagus! Last week's asparagus was so amazing, I ordered extra this week. This slender asparagus has only travelled from Hadley, Massachusetts. It will be extra elegant drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and roasted up for you! With millet, sun dried tomatoes, and toasty almonds. $12

Guacamole! You may know that my favorite fruit is avocado. Okay, there aren't any fruits I don't like, but avocado is the best! Served with crunchy veggies to dip. (And check below for some awesome crackers that would make the best healthy dippin' chips!) $10

BAKERY:

Carrot Flax Crackers! Crunchy, delicious, and great with guacamole, hummus, or whatever you please! Yes, they are raw - they're crunchy from the dehydrator, not the oven. $8

Banana Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Muffins! One of the most popular muffins yet, and for so many good reasons! They're made with 100% whole grain buckwheat flour and plenty of fresh bananas. Chocolate-free available on request. $10 half dozen, $18 dozen

Carrot Cake Cookies with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting! I am so excited about these date-sweetened treasures, and you will be too! $9

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Please let me know before ordering if you have any allergies or sensitivities! I do not use soy, peanut, wheat, or any gluten-containing ingredients. I do not use dairy, egg, shellfish, meat, or any other animal-derived ingredients, with the occasional exception of honey. When honey is used, it is clearly marked in the dish description! (There's none this week.)

I DO use lots of fresh fruits and veggies, local and/or organic when possible! I use non-gluten whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I use non-hydrogenated oils, mostly olive and a few other heart-healthy, cold-pressed, hexane-free oils.

I DO reuse clean containers! Please return the containers in good condition the next time I see you, so I can use them again.

Thanks so much, and have a beautiful day!

Love,
Chef Mary

P.S. Here's specific allergy and special diet info!

CHOCOLATE: in the muffins, may be omitted easily.
GARLIC: a tiny bit in the soup, a little in the guacamole and the tabbouli, considerably more in the cassoulet.
CASHEW: In the soup and the frosting on the cookies.
TREE NUTS: In addition to cashews (above) there are also almonds on the asparagus (may be subbed with pepitas or just omitted) and walnuts in the cookies.
ACD: Cookies are sweetened with only fruit, frosting contains a very modest splash of agave. Muffins are sweeter, not ACD. Breadcrumbs on the cassoulet are made with a yeasted bread; use your judgement.
SCD: Choose soup, guac, hemp variation on tabbouli, and crackers.
RAW: Enjoy the soup, guac, tabbouli with hemp variation, crackers, and cookies. Jackpot!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

A fantabulous new menu for delivery from your favorite GF vegan personal chef!

Hello hello!

May is an exciting time for foodies as more and more local produce becomes available to us, and we turn to refreshing, veggie-filled dishes. We all start to eat more salads and more cooling foods as the weather heats up (and as it gets more humid as it has been this week.) I am especially excited to be able to bring you fresh local asparagus and ramps this week! Yum!

Some of you are gearing up for graduations and end of year celebrations, whether for your own studies or those of your students or your family members. Congratulations! This is such a busy time that it is the the perfect moment to get a little help with meal preparation. Here I am to save the day! Here's a fantabulous new menu to help you get through the end of the school year crunch time!

Please place orders by Sunday night for delivery on Tuesday, May 15.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary

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SOUP:

Southwestern black bean soup $8

PLATES:

Asparagus quinoa salad with a brightly flavored ramp pesto vinaigrette. With crunchy pepitas on top! $12

Green hummus! Our delectable raw hummus takes a fresh springy turn with broccoli, zucchini, and a pinch of cumin blended right in. With crunchy veggies to dip! $11

Lasagna with sauteed crimini mushrooms, red sauce, cashew ricotta, and GF brown rice pasta of course. Baked to bubbly perfection. Scrumptious! $12

Acorn Squash stuffed with Dirty Rice! You asked for it, so I brought it back. Long grain brown rice mixed with veggies, seasonings, and rice-oat crumbles, stuffed into a baked acorn squash half for a very satisfying, energizing meal! $12

BAKERY:

Morning Glory Muffins! Carrots, Fruits, Nuts, Spices, these muffins have it all! (I can make some tree nut free on request, but they will contain coconut!) $10 half dozen, $18 dozen

Raw sweet potato mousse. Sweet potatoes, dates, nuts, and delicious spices combine to make this an amazing, healthy, and vitamin-rich treat! Note: yes, you can eat sweet potatoes raw! They may look a lot like potatoes, but they are not closely related and do not contain the compounds that make regular potatoes unwise to eat raw. Enjoy! $9

I Can't Believe They're Raw Onion Rolls. Great as a side with the green hummus or to sop up the last of your soup, these little rolls are nourishing, filling, and very rich in healthy fiber. They look, taste, and even feel a lot like baked rolls, but they really are 100% raw! $8

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As always, the vast majority of my ingredients are organic and/or local. I use fresh ingredients, free of meat, egg, dairy, soy, peanut, wheat, and gluten. I DO use nuts and seeds. Please let me know if you have any food allergies or sensitivities!

It helps me and the Earth if you return containers and ice packs after you are finished with them.

Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Here's a rundown of some specific sensitivities and preferences. More allergies exist than these, of course, so please remind me of yours!

SPECIAL DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS:

GARLIC: Soup, lasagna, dirty rice, and raw onion bread contain some garlic.

CASHEWS: Present in lasagna.

TREE NUTS: Lasagna, raw onion rolls, and sweet potato souffle contain nuts. Muffins can be nut free on request.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS: Not present this week. There is SESAME in the hummus, though!

CHOCOLATE: Not present this week.

RAW: Onion bread, hummus, and sweet potato mousse are all raw! I can also make an awesome raw version of the asparagus salad, with extra veggies and seeds instead of the quinoa.

ACD: Muffins contain some refined sugar, but nothing else does. Sweet potato mousse is sweetened with fruit, not refined sugar; use your own judgment. Everything else is suitable for stage 2 and beyond!

SCD: Grains or pseudograins are present in morning glory muffins, quinoa asparagus salad, lasagna, and dirty rice. Not present in anything else!

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Thanks so much for reading all the way to the bottom!
Love,
Chef Mary

Thursday, May 3, 2012

It's new menu day! Hurrah! Vegan personal chef delights for delivery to Boston and beyond, Tuesday May 8

Good morning, and happy Thursday to all!

May is full of great holidays! Next week is National Nurses Week, and Wednesday, May 9 is School Nurses Day. Nurses are some of the hardest working folks around, so don't forget to take some time to remember the nurses in your life, including the nurses at your kids' schools!

Next weekend, on Sunday May 13, we will celebrate Mother's Day. Some of you are moms, and get to be the center of attention. Others of us will call our mothers, or remember the moms and grandmoms who were important in our lives. That afternoon, you can enjoy a fantastic afternoon tea in Cambridge. It's a historic event, literally! I'll be working on it with my other job. We are recapturing heirloom recipes and methods from the 1890 - 1927 time period. It is going to be a hoot! http://www.cuisineenlocale.com/home/39-general/155-once-in-barre-1890-1927

The same day is Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum. Check it out! http://arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/lilac-sunday/ Yet another celebration that day is my sister's birthday. Happy birthday, Jane!

And now, a springy menu! Please scroll down to check out the new section at the bottom, with more specific info for those with additional allergies, sensitivities, and special diets. Enjoy!

Love,
Chef Mary

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SOUP

Roasted Beet Soup! Fresh and springy, and such an amazing shade of fuchsia. $8

PLATES:

Agave-Cinnamon Plantains over Amaranth with Pecans. A hearty breakfast or a yummy lunch! $11

Spring bento! Bento are the ideal take-along lunch because they are super delicious, and do not need to be reheated. Onigiri (Japanese rice balls) are filled with a delectable spinach and sesame filling. Served with carrot parsley salad and other seasonal fruits and veg. $12

Butternut squash pasta! Roasted butternut squash, herbs, and sun dried tomatoes in a creamy sauce, tossed with GF brown rice pasta. Yum! (special diet variations are available; please scroll down.) $12

Tuscan style white bean dip with lemon and herbs. With crunchy veggies to dip. $10

BAKERY

Pumpkin seed and raisin cookie balls! A chewy, nut-free treat. $8

Lemon poppy seed muffins! $10 half dozen, $18 dozen

Pumpkin chocolate chip almond butter brownies. Decadent! $8

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Please inform me before ordering if you have any allergies or sensitivities! I do not use wheat, rye, barley, or any other gluten-containing foods. I do not use peanuts, soy,  dairy, egg, seafood, poultry, or any meat ingredients. Everything is vegan with the occasional addition of honey; if honey is present I will note it in the dish description.

I use fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole (non-gluten) grains. I use organic and/or local when possible.

For the extra sensitive, here is a rundown on this week's potential allergens and special diets. More potential allergies exist than those listed so please keep me informed about yours! Nuts and seeds are used in my kitchen, but I do make an effort to keep potential allergens separate. Please use your own judgment.

NUTS:  Pumpkin seed balls, bento, and bean dip are all nut free (and sunflower seed free!) With slight variations, amaranth with plantains, beet soup, and pasta can all become nut free. The muffins and brownies contain almonds, so are not safe for the nut-allergic!

CASHEWS: Can be omitted from the soup and the pasta. Everything else is free of cashews.

FLAX: Present only in the muffins.

RAW: Pumpkin seed cookie balls are raw. Pasta dish can be raw, with squash "noodles" and raw cashew, sun dried tomato, and herb sauce instead of the rice pasta with cooked squash.

ACD: Soup, pasta, and bean dip are the best choices for all stages. Bento and amaranth are suitable for stage 3 and beyond.

SCD: Pumpkin seed balls, soup, bean dip, and raw version of pasta dish are SCD legal.

CHOCOLATE: only present in the brownies

GARLIC: There is no garlic in the amaranth or any of the bakery items. There's a little garlic in the savory dishes, but the soup and bento only have a tiny amount. The bean dip can be done without garlic on request.

SESAME: There is sesame in the bento, but nowhere else this week.

Thank you all so much, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Much love,
Chef Mary