Stir It 28 - A Food Blogger Benefit for Haiti Taking Place In Three Cities on Februrary 21st!

We're still in the planning stages, but I wanted to let the cat out of the bag so you can mark your calendars for this event!

On Sunday, February 21st, Stir It 28 will host fundraisers for Haiti that will be held on the same day in several different cities (right now Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago), featuring food and drinks donated by chefs, restaurants, home cooks and food bloggers.  The fabulous Chrystal of Duo Dishes  is organizing the Los Angeles portion of the fundraiser where I'll be donating my services (menu to be announced!).  So this would be a great night to support a good cause and chow down on my sure to be delicious grub at the same time. 

If you can't make the event, as the moniker suggests, there are plenty of other ways to give all 28 days of February than just this fundraiser (just click here).

Here are the event details as they stand:

STIR IT 28 FUNDRAISER
Each one of us will be hosting a food fundraising event on Sunday, February 21st in our respective cities–Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. We’re asking chefs, restaurants, home cooks and food bloggers to participate by donating 2-3 dishes that will feed 15-20 people each. The events will be open to the public with advanced tickets or limited ticket sales at the door. You can tell your friends and colleagues to purchase tickets from Bren or Courtney’s blogs. Click the image that says “Purchase Tickets For STIR IT 28 Culinary Event-Feb. 21st”. Be sure to indicate the city’s event that you plan to attend. Of course, if you are part of the volunteer team (that includes making food or working the event), you will not have to purchase a ticket. We’re still formulating our respective evening’s details, but here’s what we have so far:

Atlanta
Where: SPACE Atlanta: 1310 White St., Atlanta, GA 30310 (historic West End)
When: 4-7 PM
*DJ Rev Lee will make you shake your rump to each food station! Special surprise live performance by popular Atlanta-based artist!
*Complimentary wine courtesy of Montaluce Winery!
*Cash bar
$30 in advance
$40 at the door

Chicago
Where: Three Peas Art Lounge, 75 E. 16th Street (Between Michigan and Wabash), Chicago, IL 60616
When: 3-6 pm
$30 in advance
$35 at the door
*Cash bar and delicious house cupcakes for sale

Los Angeles
Where: Private Residence, 6602 Cahuenga Terrace, Los Angeles, CA, 90068
When: 4-7 pm
$30 in advance
$35 at the door
*Complimentary Valet will be available for first 50 attendees!

Washington, DC
* Details TBD. If you are in DC, and are interested, please email Stirit28@gmail.com with the subject: STIR IT DC

Click here to view more details about Stir It 28 on Duo Dishes' great blog!

Meatless Monday: Risotto With Walnuts And Winter Greens (Plus Music On Tap Featuring Camera Obscura)

It's all about risotto.

It's the first serious dish I learned to cook from Jaime Oliver in fact, right after I'd moved to Los Angeles.  When I was younger, I acquired a taste for it after my mother, The Original Diva, returned from a trip to Italy with a recipe for beet risotto in tow.  Obviously, it had a big impact on us kids, as risotto is one of my favorite dishes to make and a specialty in my Top Chef brother's restaurant (they do risotto fresh on the half hour).  And actually, it's at his urging that I've been blogging more risottos for Meatless Monday.

The great thing about this creamy rice dish is that it's one of the most versatile things you could possibly learn to cook, and once you have a basic recipe down pat, the variations are literally endless.  If you ask me, it's a must have in every divas repertoire!

This special meatless risotto utilizes a vegetable that's currently peaking in season: winter greens!  Right now, winter greens are all over the markets from kale to collard greens to rainbow chard, which is what I used in this recipe.  But any variety will work!  Then to add some protein and nuttiness to this recipe, I finished the risotto by whipping in roasted walnuts, parmesan reggiano and roasted walnut oil (instead of butter as is used in most restaurants).

Umm... delicious doesn't begin to describe it!  The nuttiness of the walnuts pairs superbly with the other flavors in the dish, making this a hearty, rich, but also nutrient dense meal (both winter greens and walnuts are considered superfoods with a stunning array of health benefits).

So try this risotto!  You won't miss the meat.  I promise.

Also, don't forget to click click click away on my blog!  In conjunction with Blog Away Hunger, I'm donating 100% of my January ad revenue to the World Food Program's disaster relief efforts in Haiti.  So browse through my archives - the more you view, the more money gets donated.

Risotto with Walnuts and Winter Greens
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1 bunch rainbow chard or other winter green such as kale (about 4 cups), chopped
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 shallot, chopped or half small Spanish onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
2 tablespoons walnut oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To cook the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer in a pie pan or other oven proof dish.  Toast them in the oven until golden, about 4 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Then, chop them.

To make the risotto, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the shallots or onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Then add the rice and stir for another two minutes. Pour in the white wine and stir until absorbed. Once the wine has been absorbed, slowly add the vegetable stock 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more stock.

Once the rice is almost cooked (you've used about 1/2 to 3/4 of the stock), stir in the chopped greens.  Continue adding stock and cooking until the rice is al dente and the greens are tender (note: you may not use all of the stock).  Finish the risotto by stirring in the walnuts, parmesan and walnut oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, either serve family style or spoon some risotto into the center of a plate.  Top with a little fresh chopped parsley.  Enjoy!

Source for ingredients
organic rainbow chard, organic shallots, organic garlic, walnuts and walnut oil from the Hollywood Farmers Market

arborio rice, organic olive oil, parmesan reggiano and organic vegetable broth from Whole Foods 

Music On Tap

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

My current favorite album which I'm blaring on heavy rotation while I cook, this Scottish band brings fellow Scots Belle & Sebastian to mind as well as indie favorites The Smiths.  I simply LOVE it.

Click here to check out Camera Obscura!

Read My Blog - Support Haiti!

I have an exciting announcement to make!

Inspired by Cathy of Gastronomy who also organized Eat My Blog, I've joined my fellow food bloggers in Blog Away Hunger by donating all of my January ad revenue toward the World Food Program's Haiti disaster relief efforts.  Blog Away Hunger is the brainchild of Marc Matsumoto of No Recipes  and was founded to raise awareness for the World Food Program. 

"The World Food Program is a global aid organization dedicated to end world hunger; providing food to those who need it most, while building long term solutions that enable people to provide for themselves. Last year they helped 102 million people in 78 countries with 3.9 million tons of food. They are the only U.N. agency that does not receive regular allocations from the U.N. budget and so they need help from everyone to continue their work."

So to aid me in this cause, click click click away on my pages!  Now is a great time to browse through my recipe archives.  This will drive up my revenue!  Also, if you wish to donate directly, here's a link.  Be sure you select “Haiti Disaster” under Donor Designations.

Click here to donate directly to the World Food Program!

Together we can make the world a better place, one meal at a time.

Here's a list of other participating bloggers!