The Farm-Fresh Meal That’s Good for Your Skin
Summer Farm Fresh Fruit Salad with Bee Pollen Granola and ElderFlower Vinaigrette. (Photo: Bonbite)
It’s back-to-school and back-to-work (and general just back-to-reality) season, and that means it’s also time to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon. We tapped Kyley Cheever and Winston Chiu, co-founders of ultra-popular NYC-based lunchbox delivery service (and now bonafide catering business for the likes of Vogue, too) Bonbite to give us some good-for-you food ideas that you’ll actually want to eat. As an added bonus. their recipes are packed with ultra-potent beauty superfoods. Who doesn’t want their salad with a side of glowy skin? Read on for their insider tips to shopping the farmers market and the beauty food recipes you should be cooking up right now. But first, a little background on our experts.
Institute of Culinary Education-trained Chiu and design-minded Cheever (she comes from a background in photo production) launched Bonbite in 2014 as a lunchbox delivery service. The idea: to bring food to desk-bound New Yorkers that was both good-for-you and ridiculously delicious too. “We’ve always aimed to create food that both a foodie and a health nut could enjoy,” says Cheever.
Chiu and Cheever scour the city’s farmer’s markets, scooping up fresh produce for the day’s menus. Their goal: To source as many locally grown and organic goods as possible for their food. But, they also understand the importance of balance. “Eating organic and local is definitely important for all the reasons we’re always told,” says Chiu. “But eating healthy and one hundred percent organic all the time isn’t sustainable.”
Instead, they subscribe to a mentality that basically amounts to don’t sweat the small stuff. “Everyone should be allowed to look forward to food without feeling guilty about it,” says Cheever. “Which is why when we create menus at Bonbite, the dishes are full of fresh ingredients that nourish, but we’re not afraid to throw something in there like a slow-braised short rib slider!”
Pan Seared Lamb Loin and Roasted Sunchokes with Goji Berries, Parsnip Puree and Delfino. (Photo: Bonbite)
And while the co-founders are now friends with pretty much every farmer at the weekly Union Square market, they understand how intimidating a first trip to a crowded farmer’s market can be. Here, a few of their tips for navigating the madness:
Shop early. “A lot of farmers start setting up around 7:30am or earlier,” advises Cheever. “Many restaurants who source locally can be seen picking up their ingredients in the early hours and many times they take the cream of the crop — pun intended. Watch what they’re picking and do the same!”
Try things! “If you see something unusual that you don’t recognize — like Tatsoi, Delfino, or Sorrel — pick up a little piece and try it. Most vendors don’t mind and it’s fun to experiment with all the flavors at the market.”
Ask questions. “Don’t be afraid to talk to the vendors about what’s in season. Often, the farmers themselves are there and happy to help.”
Once you’ve landed your bounty of fresh, seasonal ingredients, it’s time to get into the kitchen. Here are two Bonbite-approved recipes (full of ingredients you can find at the market right now) to try. Note the beauty hero ingredients like bee pollen (antimicrobial, immune-building), elderflower (anti-inflammatory, balancing) and goji berries (packed with antioxidants).
Summer Farm Fresh Fruit Salad with Bee Pollen Granola and ElderFlower Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 frog hollow peach, sliced
½ pint white raspberries, lightly rinsed
¼ cup edamame de shelled
1 C sunflower sprouts1 bunch Elder flower
¼ cup Japanese rice vinegar
1 c light olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup bee pollen
½ cup dry oats
6 T flour
¼ c honey
Yields: 4 servings
Method:
Slice peaches into wedges and grill on one side, set aside to cool. Lightly rinse the white raspberries and let dry on a paper towel. Quickly blanch the de-shelled edamame for 10 seconds and shock in ice cold water. Removed when completely chilled.
For vinaigrette, heat rice vinegar till warm and pour over rinsed elderflower to steep until fragrant, let it cool completely. (This can be done 1-2 days prior.) Strain flowers. Whisking quickly, slowly pour oil until vinaigrette emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper to taste, reserve for dressing salad.
For crumble, mix all ingredients together. Preheat oven to 325 F, on a parched tray, spray with nonstick spray and spread mixture into an even layer. Bake until golden brown, set aside to cool and crumble granola when completely cooled.
For assembly, lightly dress all ingredients except granola in a bowl. Crumble granola over salad.
Pan Seared Lamb Loin and Roasted Sunchokes with Goji Berries, Parsnip Puree and Delfino
Ingredients:
8 oz lamb loin
5 ea Sunchokes
¼ c goji berries
3 ea parsnips
1/4 c nutritional yeast
Method:
Salt lamb loin and set aside to temper for 15 mins. Sear loin until brown and finish in 425F oven until desired wellness.
Wash and scrub sunchokes while soaking goji berries in water. Toss sunchokes in extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper and roast until golden brown. Take soaked goji berries and toss in bowl with sunchokes, set aside for plating.
Cook parsnips in pot of boiling water until cooked, purée with nutritional yeast, plate and serve.
Related:
Avocado Toast with Radish, Mint, and Coconut Mayonnaise
