Spring Into Healthy
Springtime provides an opportunity for renewal after the winter. Along with longer, sunnier days, the human palette is connected to seasonal eating, having different cravings and bodily signals depending on what season one is in. Chef Becky has designed a spring dinner menu that works with the season, artistically and nourishingly. Her spring dinner menu provides an opportunity for surf and turf eating or excellently prepared vegetables for vegans and vegetarians.
Surf, Turf, and Lamb
The chicken dish is Chicken Paillard, a French-inspired concoction that is both a wonderful technique (pounded meat) and a dish in one. Interestingly, “paillard” is an older French culinary term that is synonymous with escalope, the “scallop” cut, but not to be confused with the fish dish scallops. By pounding out a boneless chicken breast, you expand the size of the meat and create a tender cut of meat that can be taken in pretty much any direction. Chef Becky keeps things classy and to its roots, utilizing a sauce that is savory and citrus-based, the time-honored gremolata, made with ground parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Gremolata literally means “to grind up what has grown,” referencing the burst of florals that occur when citrusy herbs are chopped up. And what is a more iconic meat dish for the spring than the Chef’s Herb-Stuffed Lamb Loin with Lamb Jus?
Chef’s Steak Diane is also a tried and true classic, a hearty affair that pairs a mushroom sauce with the tender cut of beef. The cognac-infused cream sauce lends a piquant taste to this rich dish. The Chef also uses other forest-y ingredients, the truffle, and shiitake, in the fish dish, seared salmon. Mushrooms provide nutrition, texture, and a savory taste whether paired with meat or without.
Think You Know Rice Cakes? Think Again
If the term “rice cake” scares you off or reminds you of an airy, crunchy vehicle to put peanut butter on, check out Chef Becky’s iteration: wild and brown kinds of rice provide nuttiness and grainy goodness while a mirepoix of vegetables team up with a root-based broth that coaxes flavors at every step, topped with a ragu sauce. The Chef builds the dish from the ground up with the classic mirepoix, the French “trinity” of onion, carrot, and celery that work so well together.
The ragu sauce comes originally from Italy and France but is in this case meatless and exploding with exploited vegetable flavors. It’s both healthy and nutritious and not the airy California rice cake you might conjecture – this is a sylvan, New Jersey rice cake done right. 
Spring into Simple, Healthy Eating
There are some wonderful sides available on the spring menu, including a Beet, Kale, Farro, and Pistachio salad. This superfecta of ingredients is exceedingly healthy and intermingles deliciously together. Kale has one of the highest ANDI (aggregate nutritional density index) scores, and Farro is one of the most ancient grains you can experience, as it dates back to Roman times or earlier. In a world of rapid culinary change, invention, and re-invention, sometimes a straightforward grain is all you need. Beets have high levels of folate and have been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure, and pistachios provide a cruciferous nuttiness. There is also a middle eastern-inspired tabouli salad, a rice pilaf, and roasted vegetables on the sides menu, so there are plenty of choices for that healthy side dish.
Whether you opt for a meat or non-meat dish, you can count on Bex Kitchen for a square meal made from honest ingredients with passion and professionalism. Happy Spring!
