Blog: Food and Drink

+ Blog Categories

By Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RD For this month’s Well Being Challenge, we encourage you to replace an unhealthy saturated fat or refined carbohydrate with a healthy unsaturated fat source once a day for one week. Demonstrate your commitment to embracing healthy fats in your diet by posting photos or comments about your healthy fat substitutions on our Facebook page wall. Here’s a recipe to get you started.  Cod with Braised Celery and Tomato

For a special fundraiser for the Seattle Art Museum on Friday, November 4, Bon Appétit’s TASTE Restaurant team worked with internationally renowned chef Mario Batali. Projected to raise $300,000 for the Seattle Art Museum, this extraordinary epicurean event featured a family-style dinner with Batali as well as a panel discussion among Batali; Thierry Rautureau, The Chef in the Hat™; and Steve Pool of KOMO News. Guests enjoyed signature Batali dinner platters, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts. TASTE’s menu was designed to bring Batali back to the Northwest, where he grew up, drawing ingredients from farms close by.

  • Blog

On October 17, 2011, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Research Helene York delivered the keynote at the State of the Plate conference in Washington, DC, an event designed to bring meat producers and the culinary community together to engage in discussion about sustainable and humane meat production practices.

By Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RD For this month’s well being challenge, we encourage you to replace an unhealthy saturated fat or refined carbohydrate with a healthy  unsaturated fat source once a day for one week. Demonstrate your commitment toembracing healthy fats in your diet by posting photos or comments about your healthy fat substitutions on our Facebook page wall. Here’s a recipe to get you started.  Chocolate and Avocado Brownies Makes one 9×13’’ pan Ingredients 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed avocado 3/4 cup lowfat cow’s milk or soymilk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil, plus more for greasing baking dish 1 teaspoon vanilla extract To Prepare 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish with oil. 2. Mix together the flour, […]

  How local can you go — food wise? That was the challenge taken up by dozens of Bon Appétit Management Company chefs in 31 states for the seventh annual Eat Local Challenge on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. Some cooked a meal from 99.9% local ingredients, with salt as the only allowable non-local ingredient. A few went 100% local — meaning they even foraged for salt from within 150 miles of the café. Others focused on serving one excellent local meal. The reasons to source local ingredients are simple but important if you care about sustainability: it tastes better, is more nutritious, encourages biodiversity, preserves open space, and protects the environment, just to name a few. The companywide Farm to Fork program has helped Bon Appétit accounts learn about what’s available in their area throughout the year, and how to use […]

By Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RD For this month’s Well Being Challenge, we encourage you to provide your body with more nutrients and fiber and decrease your carbon footprint by enjoying more plant- based proteins. Demonstrate your commitment to increasing vegetable proteins in your diet by posting photos or comments about your plant-based protein meals and experiences on our Facebook page wall. Here’s a recipe to get you started.  Linguine with Kale and Walnuts

By Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RD For this month’s well being challenge, we encourage you to provide your body with more nutrients and fiber and decrease your carbon footprint by enjoying more plant- based proteins. Demonstrate your commitment to increasing vegetable proteins in your diet by posting photos or comments about your plant-based protein meals and experiences on our Facebook page wall. Here’s a delicious, unique recipe for you to try. Black Bean and Beet Burgers

The Eat Local Challenge has become one of my favorite celebrations each year. While many of our usual holidays come with prescribed dishes, such as turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving, brisket and matzoh ball soup for Passover, and cookies topped with red and green sprinkles for Christmas, the Eat Local Challenge menu is always different — year to year, chef to chef, and region by region. The challenge is to create an whole menu where every ingredient (except for salt) comes from within 150 miles. While this is no easy task, I also find the challenge to be encouraging. Whether a chef or an eater, it encourages everyone to explore unusual flavors – found on our local farm and range lands and in our forests, lakes, and oceans, to learn about new producers, and tap into our inner creative spirit.

By Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RD For this month’s well being challenge, we encourage you to provide your body with more nutrients and fiber and decrease your carbon footprint by enjoying more plant- based proteins. Demonstrate your commitment to increasing vegetable proteins in your diet by posting photos or comments about your plant-based protein meals and experiences on our Facebook page wall. This white bean hummus recipe s a great way to get started.  White Bean Hummus with Oregano 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed* 3-4 tablespoons tahini 1-2 tablespoons olive oil Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/2 -1 teaspoon salt 3 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano *In Bon Appétit kitchens, menu items containing beans are made with cooked dry beans. You can substitute cooked dry beans for canned beans in your home as well. They may take longer to prepare, but have fresher […]