Chef Rays Culinary Concepts

I have been working on Chef Ray-Rays personal Chef Services part time for a while now and I do apoligize for that.  I have been working on numorus projects, opening up successfull restauants and jumping on  the opprtunity to work beside some of our local promenant business owners. This has all kept me pretty busy. I am currently leaving all projects aside and focusing on my own. This will give me the time I need to gain new clientale and have more fun doing what I love.  Lots of new events comming soon, including olive oil tastings so stay in touch, and keep eating!!

I have recently relocated to the western slope of Colorado.  I am currently working with a wonderfully large certified organic farm.  Looking forward to getting to know them and having a lasting professional and personal friendship with them.

My good friend Laura at Life of Spice is a fountain of food wisdom and knowledge.  Working with her has been both fun and rewarding.  She has compiled a list of good eating and lots of other fun stuff to do in Boulder.  I recommend checking her website out and take a look around.  sites.google.com/site/laurafromboulder

Life of Spice,  Led by my list making, food article writing, global traveling, beer drinking and relleno munching friend. Laura

The brewery co-founder and co-brewery Chris Asher previously ran Redfish brewery in Boulder.  When Redfish closed their doors, Chris and fellow brewing buddy Steve Turner decided they were going to open their own brewery.  They wanted to go out on a limb and do something that has never been done with craft beer in Colorado.  They wanted to go ORGANIC!!

Working with these guys on a regular basis with Streat Chefs is fun and these guys are awesome craftsmen and all around wonderful people to be around. 

I am in love with The Green Monstah.  The beer is outstanding.  This beer is one of the best craft beers I have ever had.  The 9.2% alcohol by volume is perfectly accented with a smooth malty sweetness and tasty organic hops.  This is definately a big beer that goes down very very smooth. 

Also a very big fan of the Tree Hugger Amber.  A very smooth amber with awesome flavor.

Whatever you are doing I recomend stopping in the Gunbarrel area of Boulder and have a brew,  mmmm Tasty.

At Asher Brewing Company their mission is operate a successful brewery that produces world-class certified organic ales, while utilizing environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business practices. The wonderful brewery is run on 100% wind power!     Owners, Chris Asher and Steve Turner, decided that the Boulder market deserved to have locally brewed organic beers. After nearly a year of planning, research, and hard work building a brewery, Asher Brewing Company opened the doors for business on November 20th, 2009. 

On February 25th, 2010 organic certification was issued for all beers at Asher Brewing Company; making it the first all organic brewery in the state of Colorado. Organic ingredients are better for the consumer, better for the environment, and better for the beer. (Studies have shown that pesticides are detrimental to the shelf-life of beer.)

Asher Brewery is located at 4699 Nautilus Court, Suite 104.  Boulder, CO 80301

303-530-1381  Or you can find them at www.asherbrewing.com

This past Saturday I was able to go to the Longmont Farmers Market with the family and spend some time cruising around and looking at the wonderful display of foods and crafts.  I had the opportunity to spend a little time speaking with Jason Griffith, owner of Aspen Moon Farm.  I did a little research on Mr. Griffith and am very happy with what I found.  A graduate of Hanover College, Jason has a very strong work ethic and believes in biodynamic and organic farming practices. With over 15 years in the Landscaping business and industry leading innovative ideas about irrigation and green living, Jason not only believes in his work he lives it.  His own "Green Built" home was featured in the winter 2006 Boulder Home and Garden Magazine and his organic farm is a living testimonial to his techniques.

The produce that I bouht from Aspen Moon Farm were some wonderfully tasty heirloom salad greens. Which I bought the last of and to finish my ten ounce bag I filled with some spinach and ruby spinach.  When the family had dinner that night I tossed it with a little pomegranate vinagrette and had a wonderful salad.  Great work Jason and I look forward to stopping out at the farm sometime and tasting some more of your stuff. 

Aspen Moon Farms is located at

8020 Hygiene Rd.

Longmont, CO 80503

You can also contact them at 303-808-9583

Today was a great day.  I got to ride around the Boulder County countryside and spend time with my beautiful wife and family.  We first stopped at Ollin farms on the outskirts of Longmont.  Selection was low because it was already two in the afternoon and running behind we obviously were not the first ones to root through the veggies lol.  Nevertheless we found some awesome broccoli and turnips.  Which we are going to enjoy tonight for dinner on a salad with eggplant parm.  Ollin Farms is located at 8627 North 95th street, Longmont CO 80504  Telephone number is 303-717-0586.  I love this local farm and will be back pretty regularly this season and recommend it to everyone.  Thanks for the bok choy as well.  It was delicious. 

I suggest everyone to take a peek in this place on your way back and forth from Boulder and Longmont.  Lovely produce, great staff and very informative.  They are willing to answer any questions you have. Ollin Farms believes in the principle of sustainable agriculture.  They are going above and beyond to limit their use of natural resouces such as water, fossil fuels, and electricity.  All this hard work is very much appreciated and I salute you for your efforts.

Next on our journey, we found our way to Cure Organic Farm.  They have a wonderful self serve farm stand that is down to Earth it makes me feel like stepping back into time onto my grandfathers farm as a small boy.  I picked up our salad greens that we are going to eat tonight and an heirloom tomato plant.  I am teaching my step daughters about growing our own food (well as much as we can on a patio in an apartment.lol) so I got the seedling to go with the couple other items we have sprouting at home.  The salad greens are so crisp and fresh I could not help munching a few on our drive back to Longmont.  MMM tasty stuff.  Cure Organic Farm can be found at 7416 Valmont Rd.  Boulder, CO.  Near the corner of 75th and Valmont.  Next to Treehouse Nursery.  Phone number is 303-666-6397.  This is another must stop. Self serve farm stand and when drive up you can see thousands of bees buzzing around the hives and lets you know that this farm is organic and believes in the principles of self sustainability. 

Well spring is here and the planting is started and those pesky "weeds" that most people find bothersome and spend countless hours in vain trying to remove.  No matter what they do year after year they keep coming back.  I say stop trying to poison them and start actually getting some use out of them.  I say EAT them.  Thats right eat them.... For one they are a FREE food.  Thats right absoluetly free.  You dont even need to water them, tend them or even feed them.  All you need to do to enjoy them is to go outside and enjoy the sunshine.  How cool is that?

The health benefits of dandelion include relief from liver disorders, diabetes, urinary disorders, acne, jaundice, cancer and anemia. It also helps in maintaining bone health, skin care and weight loss.

Perhaps Dandelion is more popular as an ornamental flowering plant than as a medicine and it is justified. The flowers of dandelion look brilliant. There are many varieties of dandelion, but the common dandelion is scientifically known as Taraxacum Officinale. Dandelion is rich in vitamin-A, C, iron and calcium and detoxifiers which explains its use in medicines.

The health benefits of dandelion include the following:

Bone Health: Dandelion is rich in calcium, which is essential for growth and strength of bones, and is rich is anti oxidants like vitamin-C and Luteolin, which protect bones from age related damages due to free radicals, such as weakening and loss in density.

Liver Disorders: Dandelion can help liver in many ways. While its anti oxidants such as vitamin-C and Luteolin keeps it functioning in full gear and protect it from aging, other compounds in it help treating hemorrhage in liver, maintaining proper flow of bile etc. It also stimulates liver and promotes digestion.

Diabetes: Dandelion juice can help diabetic patients by stimulating production of insulin from pancreas and thus help keeping low the blood sugar level. Since it diuretic in nature, it makes the diabetic patients urinate frequently which too helps remove the extra sugar from the body. Moreover, diabetics are prone to renal problems. The diuretic properties of dandelion can help removing the sugar deposition in the kidneys through urine. Moreover, dandelion juice is slightly bitter to taste, which also effectively lowers sugar level in the blood, as all bitter substances do.

Urinary Disorders: Dandelion is highly diuretic in nature. In fact, its French name literally means “urinate in bed”. Thereby it helps clean deposits of toxic substances in the kidneys and the urinary system. Moreover, its disinfectant properties inhibit microbial growth in the urinary system.

Skin Care: Dandelion sap, also known as dandelion milk, is useful in treating skin diseases which are caused due to microbial and fungal infection, as this sap is highly alkaline and have germicidal, insecticidal and fungicidal properties. Care should be taken while using this sap as to avoid its contact with eyes. This sap can be used on itches, ringworm, eczema etc. without risk.

Acne: Dandelion juice is a good detoxifier, diuretic, stimulant and anti oxidant. These four properties make it a good treatment for acne. Before we know how it treats acne, we must know what causes it. Acne is caused mainly during teens, when the body undergoes many physiological and hormonal changes. The hormones, which bring about changes in the body, if do not maintain proper ratio among themselves or are not regulated properly, tend to deposit as toxic substances in the body which tend to come out with sweat through the sweat glands or sebaceous glands on the skin. Now, during these changes, these glands secret more oils which, mixed with dead skin, block the pores and the secretion is obstructed. Due to this, these toxic substances cannot escape and result in acne. This is further worsened by the microbial infections on the effected places. Dandelion juice, being a stimulant, diuretic and detoxifier in nature, can help regulate proper secretion of hormones, increases sweating and widens up the pores facilitating removal of toxics through sweat and also through urine, as it is diuretic too. Its sap, if externally applied on acne, can inhibit microbial infection.

Weight Loss: Our urine contains up to 4% of fats. So, more we urinate, more water and fats are lost from the body. Dandelion, being diuretic in nature, promotes urinating and thereby helping lose weight without side effects.

Cancer: Dandelion is high in anti oxidants such as vitamin-C and Luteolin which reduce the free radicals (very much responsible for causing cancer) in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. It also detoxifies the body, which also helps protect from cancer.

Jaundice: Jaundice is primarily a disorder of the liver in which it starts over producing bile, which ultimately gets into the blood stream damaging the whole metabolism. The excess of bile is also reflected through color of the skin, eyes etc. The treatment of jaundice includes three main steps. First, checking production of bile; second, removal of excess bile from the body and third, fighting the viral infection. Dandelion is very helpful in all of these. It promotes liver health and regulates bile production. Being diuretic in nature, it promotes urination through which the excess bile is removed. Finally, being anti oxidant and disinfectant in nature due to presence of vitamin-C and Luteolin, it fights viral infection too. It is more beneficial if taken with sugarcane juice, since it replaces the sugar in the body which is very much lowered due to action of bile, causing extreme fatigue and weakness.

Gall Bladder Disorders: Dandelion is very beneficial for gall bladder and liver, as it improves their functioning, protects them from ill effects of oxidants and infections and regulates secretions from them.

Anemia: Dandelion has pretty good iron, vitamin and protein content. While iron is the integral part of hemoglobin in the blood, vitamins (particularly vitamin-B) and protein are essential for formation of red blood cells and certain other components of the blood. This way dandelion can help anemic people.

High Blood Pressure: Urinating is an effective way of lowering blood pressure. In fact, most of the modern drugs for lowering blood pressure are based on this phenomenon. Dandelion juice, being diuretic in nature, increases urinating, both in quantity and frequency and thus helps lower high blood pressure. The fiber in dandelion is also helpful in reducing cholesterol and thereby assists lowering of blood pressure, since cholesterol is one of the factors which make blood pressure high. Then there is potassium, which is in plenty in dandelion juice and is very effective in lowering blood pressure by replacing sodium.

Other Benefits: Dandelion can also be used as a vegetable and is a good source of fiber. It promotes digestion. In old days it was also used to treat scurvy, due to presence of vitamin-C in it. It also has healing effects on dyspepsia, infections in the stomach, intestines and urinary system.

This info can be found at

http://www.organicfacts.net

Keep an eye on my recipe section for a few tasty looking ideas for some dandelion uses. 

Well,  its March in Colorado, you know what that means right.  Snow snow and more snow.  I love the spring snows, it means a good start for plants once its time to plant.  Oh, and everything is all white and sparkles in the sunlight.  You got to love it when you wake up in the morning and you got that fresh mountain air and you look out your front door and the entire front range is covered in the white stuff.  It does not get much better than that.

Once it melts and it is time to plant the real work begins.  The farmers are gearing up now and anticipating the growing season and I personally cant wait until I can acquire some of the wonderful fruits and vegetables we have around here.  Man I love being a chef in this state we call Colorado. 

Boulder County farmers be prepared to see this 6ft  tall, big bald man stalking around your roadside stands snooping through your bounty.  Maybe even indulging in a sample or two.

“Pasteurized milk gradually induces infantile scurvy, unless antiscorbutic diet is given in addition. This disorder quickly yielded to the substitution of raw for pasteurized milk.”

Quote taken from the Raw Milk Association of Colorado website.

I grew up on a farm where we drank raw unpasturized milk.  If handled properly and if the cattle are fed correctly it will be the best milk you can find.  Not to mention the cheese.  MMM

What ever happened to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Why does the government tell me that I HAVE to drink only pasturized milk.  Is it ironic that Dr Royal Lee, Dr. Weston A. Price, Frances Pottinger, Melvin Page, Agnes Fay Morgan and others, made the prediction that if we as a nation adopt the "fake foods of commerce"(foods that lack intrinsic nutritional content as a result of processing), instead of whole nourishing food, then we will suffer from what has become  known as the diseases of modern civilization: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, immune deficiency and more.   These predictions were made pre WWII.  Dr. Price  was called the "Charles Darwin" of nutrition.(http://www.rawmilkcolorado.org/about_Raw_Milk.php)

In the early 1920’s, America faced a new health threat: coronary heart disease. Dr. Lee knew that the vitamins and other nutrients were removed from flour and rice by commercial milling, and he believed that this had a bearing on the subject of heart disease. At about this same time, the scientific community was able to isolate vitamins and standardize them as drugs. In effect, the food manufacturers altered and removed the health-sustaining components from the grains they were milling and then “fortified” the product by adding synthetic, inert vitamins. thus, the public was fooled into thinking they were getting the real thing.

(http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/sprocess/166/)