Meet Beatrice – you may have seen her around the club or sitting on the mat next to you in Pilates or Yoga. What you may not know about her is that she is a Personal Chef. I knew Beatrice from my classes but then we started following each other on Instagram and I discovered a whole new side and dimension to her! In addition to being a Personal Chef she also takes gorgeous pictures of her food with only her iPhone. I asked her to share some of her recipes with you and she graciously accepted! Here is a little bit about Beatrice and her first recipe! Also, follow her on Instagram at bmerry!
First up, a little bio about myself:
I was born and raised in Italy (not too far from Venice or Venezia), I grew up watching my grandma whip up meals as if it was nothing, everything fresh, everything from scratch…but it wasn’t until I moved to the US that I realized the importance of food, the importance of real food that is, because I couldn’t rely on my (Italian) neighborhood grocery store anymore for what I needed. I had to make lots of things from scratch (yes just like grandma!) and also go the extra mile to find organically grown produce.
In order to improve my cooking skills (and also to find a way to make a living) I enrolled in Tante Marie’s Cooking School, and for six months I learned and trained. At the end of this semester I started working at Tante Marie’s Cooking School as a teachers’ assistant and then moved on to real cooking, working for a personal chef who was based in SF. I then moved on and became my own employer. I cook for families on a weekly basis, making meals that clients just need to reheat in the comfort of their home.
I specialize in gluten free (since unfortunately I have an allergy to wheat myself!) and vegetarian cooking.
Recipe: “Quinoatmeal” with fresh seasonal fruit and nuts (inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe)
It’s important to boost up your energy in the morning and be ready for the busy hours ahead. So load up on fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals!
Ingredients (for 1 serving):
1/4 cup quinoa (any varietal)
1/4 cup steel-cut oats (gluten free available)
1/2 cup almond milk, plus more for serving
2 tbsp slivered (toasted) almond
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 plum/pluot cut into 4 slices
1/2 nectarine (or peach) cut into 4 slices
pinch of salt
1-2 tsp of honey/maple syrup/agave blue
Preparation
The night before cooking, combine oats and quinoa in a medium saucepan and cover with 1 cup boiling water (rinse quinoa beforehand).
In the morning, bring oats and quinoa to a boil. Stir in almond milk, pinch of salt and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until quinoa grains are tender, 8–10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, toast almonds, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 4 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Top quinoatmeal with fruit, almonds, hemp seeds and sweetener of choice (if desired). Add more almond milk if needed.