Golden Door Cooks at Home
Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa
By Dean Rucker with Marah Stets
Golden Door Spa Recipes and Tips – the Perfect Gift to Kick-Start Healthy Living in the New Year!
With Easter and Spring right around the corner, it’s time to turn to the health and wellness experts at the Golden Door spa for the perfect gift idea to promote healthy living.Since the opening of the world-renowned Golden Door spa fifty years ago, guests have dined on an inspired collection of bold and innovative, yet healthy cuisine. The Golden Door chefs, eschewing food fads and fleeting diets, have always created an ever-evolving menu grounded in timelessly healthy and delicious whole foods — reminding guests that a healthy lifestyle can be a pleasurable choice. And now in Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa
(Clarkson Potter, April 2009; $40.00/hardcover), the spa’s executive chef Dean Rucker shares his most sought-after recipes and cooking tips.
(Clarkson Potter, April 2009; $40.00/hardcover), the spa’s executive chef Dean Rucker shares his most sought-after recipes and cooking tips. With a focus on lean proteins, whole grains, fresh vegetables, and other wholesome foods, the recipes in Golden Door Cooks at Home combine ingredients in remarkably delicious ways. After one bite of any of Chef Rucker’s dishes you’ll understand why his cuisine is a highlight of the Golden Door spa experience. These are just some of the creative recipes in the book:
· Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Caramelized Cauliflower
· Teriyaki Black Cod with Sticky Rice Cakes and Seared Baby Bok Choy
· Adobo-Marinated Grass-Fed Flank Steak
· Soft Rosemary-Lemon Polenta with Sweet Corn, Oyster Mushrooms, and Rainbow Chard
· Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with Orange Sauce
The Chief Blonde remarks: Oh, this book is jammed with yummy recipes. Pictures galore! So very healthy and tasty! I made the Garden Vegetable Soup with Pistou!!! Oh my goodness. It was beyond yum! Really! Take a look at picture below, the video of me making the soup and final–the recipe! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COOKBOOK! 
Check out this video that I created that tell you how to make this soup!
GOLDEN DOOR COOKS AT HOME, Garden Vegetable Soup Pistou
Garden Vegetable Soup with Pistou Made from basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, pistou is stirred into soups, stews, and pastas to add aromatic flavor and color. Ordinarily, that savory burst comes from a large amount of olive oil and cheese, but my version uses no oil and just a bit of Parmesan. The trick is to puree the pistou without the added fat.
Author: Reproduced with permission from Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa by Chef Dean Rucker with Marah Stets (Published by Clarkson Potter, April 2009, Hardcover, 288 pages.)
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried flageolet, great northern, or cannellini beans
- 6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock (pages 268 and 269) or store-bought low-sodium broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
- 2 celery ribs, diced (1 cup)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced (1 cup)
- 4 ounces green
- beans,
- cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
- ½ small leek, thinly sliced (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup packed coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- ½ cup sliced scallions (white and green parts)
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- ½ large ripe red tomato, seeded and diced (1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Rinse the beans in cold water and pick over them, discarding any stones or debris. Place them in a large bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand overnight.
- Drain the beans, discarding the water. Transfer the beans to a medium saucepan and add the stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer gently, partially covered, until the beans are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Stir in the carrot, celery, zucchini, green beans, leek, salt, and pepper and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Combine the basil, parsley, Parmesan, tomato paste, scallions, and garlic in a blender. Add 2 cups of the hot broth to the blender and process for 20 seconds, until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Pour the blended mixture into the soup and stir to combine. Stir in the diced tomato. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 8 Calories: 120 calories Fat: 1g Saturated fat: 0.5g Carbohydrates: 19g Sodium: 308mg Fiber: 6g Cholesterol: 10mg
Blog Note: Chief Blonde was provided a review copy for this Blog post. Opinions are the Chief Blonde’s alone.