Gameday Party Plan

Playoffs & Gameday Party Plan

chefgeorgehirsch.com

With this weekends playoffs + Super Bowl XLV is a couple weeks away at Cowboy's Stadium in Arlington Texas, it's time to plan your GameDay party. With the biggest sporting event of the year in Texas - Why not plan an authentic smok'n cowboy style party as fun way to entertain this year's playoffs + Super Bowl. 

In Texas they sure love the flavor of smoke; so whether your party is indoors or out, plan a menu with a little Texan style hickory or mesquite smoke for ultimate flavor! 

A good game plan to consider is serving finger foods such as Mexican Calzones, Pork Sliders and steaming bowls of chili. But, don’t forget to honor the host city with my viewer favorite Crock of Beer Chili. I’ve served it myself in Texas – so you know it’s got to be good. 

Gameday party plan here.

Winter Pesto

It's freezing outside and I’m still six plus months away from fresh basil from my garden. But, I'm not waiting until then to make one of my favorite dishes made with pesto. Solution? My Winter version of pesto. A robust flavored style pesto made with arugula + spinach mix. The peppery flavor makes a nice and welcome flavor and a more bold way to serve an ingredient commonly available year round. 

Winter Pesto

Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes one cup

1 cup packed arugula, washed and dried 
1 cup fresh spinach, washed and dried
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled 
2 Tablespoon pine nuts, chopped 
1 ice cube
3 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese 
6 Tablespoon olive oil 

Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor or blender. Pulse gently. Add ice cube, arugula, spinach and slightly pulse. Do not over grind too long, or you will actually be cooking the tender leaves. Add the olive oil and cheese and process until it makes a paste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps about a week in refrigerator.

Use for more than pasta. Pesto is a great addition to salad dressing, poultry, seafood and vegetables. 

Meal Monday

Getting your oatmeal is a wee bit easier these days. The term Meal Monday originated in old-school Scotland to allow university students to return to their families farms and collect more oats for food. Today, it's as easy as a trip to the market and then the thirty minutes for it to cook. I'd say well worth the time and effort to make a good-for-you breakfast, starting a chilly Monday morning off on the right foot. Oatmeal, not just limited to Mondays.

Steel-Cut Oats are freshly milled from high protein oats and cut into neat little pieces on a steel buhr mill. Steel Cut Oats are one of the healthiest foods you can eat and they make a delightful, full-bodied hot cereal with an appealing texture. Bob's Red Mill

Power Foods

Winter is a good time to literally take inventory of how many of these power foods you have on hand, restock and reminds you to incorporate them into your daily diet. I also take this as a good opportunity to go through non perishables + canned goods to give to my local food pantry.

Almonds: good fiber, protein good for your heart. Go ahead and go nuts!

Apples: Vitamin C and soluble fiber and helps keep the doctor away.

Beets: rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters; save fresh stems for salads for a double bonus.

Blueberries: big plant compounds to prevent chronic diseases. Toss in cereal and yogurt to get your day started right.

Broccoli: missed your O.J. today? Have a glass of broccoli; it’s powerhouse of calcium, potassium, folate, fiber, Vitamins A & C. 

Red Beans: excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, thiamin, and copper, low fat low cal source of protein and fiber. A complete meal with steamed brown rice.

Spinach: Vitamin A and C folate. Good source of riboflavin, vitamin B-6, calcium iron and magnesium. Boost your immune system and keep hair and skin healthy. Seemed to work for Popeye.

Salmon: Omega-3 fatty acids, aids in keeping blood from clotting, good source of protein. Need more reason, just try this tasty recipe for Cedar Planked Salmon.

Sweet Potatoes: high in antioxidant beta-carotene which can slow the aging process. Good fiber, fat free, and under 60 calories per tuber.

Swiss chard: a leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes. Sorry, the DMV still requires an eye test for drivers license even if you eat your Swiss chard.

Pumpkin seeds: the most nutritious part of the pumpkin. Full of magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death. Helpful in the dugout during a Game Day too.

Sardines: high in omega-3’s, loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins. Enough said.

Turmeric: more than just a yellow color to paella, it contains anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

Wheat Germ: great boost to your immune system and cardio health. Go ahead treat yourself to an ice cream topped with wheat germ, you are doing yourself good. 

Vegetable Juice: when choosing, select a low sodium version because it’s filled with lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces risk of heart attack and prostate cancer. 

Source: 'Recipes for a Healthy Active Life', by George Hirsch, Living it UP! TV series companion cookbook

Full Moon

What happens when you harvest olives is Spain during October's full moon? (Well, besides creating a brilliant marketing hook?) Spain's Pago Baldios San Carlos will say "absolutely the best olive oil pressed from Spain's arbequina and cornicabra olives." The Pago Baldios San Carlos Family has been in the agricultural biz since the 17th century, so they might have the hang of the pressing thing by now. Their view of their products continues to come from a more holistic or living well driven lifestyle + necessity, rather than desire for a luxury product to market. They have many years of evidence that their pressed oil is good for you too. Focus is on quality yielded and not quantity; acknowledging olive oil is only 3% of the world's vegetable oil consumption. A calming reality, I guess.

This award winning oil is also making it's way to the finest Michelin Chef kitchens around world. ImPRESSive. Pun intended.