Raw Food Weekend in Santa Monica

Morning in Santa Monica

I travel to the Los Angeles area a lot for work and over the last few years, the west side of LA has become my second home. There are great hotels, a wide array of restaurants and just plenty to do and see. With average temperatures hovering at around 70 degrees, Santa Monica is simply an outdoor lover’s paradise. From surfing to sailing and biking to hiking – there is simply always something to do outdoors here.

My friend, Kirsten Gum lives and works here – so, I always have a real place to call home when I am in the area. Kirsten and I worked together on Cash and Treasures for Travel Channel. While Kirsten is great on-camera as the host of Cash and Treasures; what most people do not realize is that she is also a Raw Food Chef! Kirsten strives to live a completely green lifestyle in Santa Monica; getting around town by bike or bus (she does not own a car), composting her kitchen scraps and recycling wherever she can. So, whenever I come to visit she puts me through what she calls “K-Camp” where she coaches me on how to live a more healthful, green, and peaceful life. She called this weekend "Raw K-Camp" where she was going to teach me a few all-raw recipes that I can make at home.

Our first stop was over to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market to pick up some fresh ingredients to create an all raw Italian menu for dinner. Raw cuisine is all about preservation of the naturally occurring healthy nutrients found in foods. So, buying organic ingredients is key and there is no better place to find fresh, locally grown, organic produce than at your local farmers market. We walked through the stands and picked up some zucchini, fresh herbs, mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, spinach and a bushel of fresh flowers for the table before heading back to the kitchen.

In my family there has been a constant battle over whether or not to pre-boil your noodles before you build lasagna. There is also a discussion about whether or not to use ricotta – which I will firmly state that ricotta is a sure way to ruin a perfectly fabulous lasagna. I suggest using a béchamel sauce and layering that with a homemade red sauce that I simply call “gravy” (never a marinara). But alas, this is raw lasagna and there wasn’t a single noodle or a slice of cheese to be had.

We sliced the zucchini using a mandolin and then soaked the strips in a salt water brine to help with the drying process. The strips then get laid out on tea cloths for an hour or so to drain the remaining liquid. While the strips are dry, they are still flexible which will allow us to use them as our noodle in the dish.

Meanwhile, we prepared a quick raw pesto by tossing a bunch of fresh basil, some raw olive oil, pine nuts, miso paste ,some chopped garlic and a dash of Himalayan salt into a food processor. A few pumps on the processor and we have a vibrant green sauce that will tie this lasagna together.

Kirsten had already prepared a fresh raw marinara sauce and some pine nut paste for the dish. She told me that the pine nut paste will serve as our cheese. (I snickered to myself thinking about what my Italian Father-in-Law would say to that one!) We also marinated some fresh button mushrooms in some lemon juice and garlic and sliced up a few heirloom tomatoes for the build.

Using a small spring pan, we started by coating the bottom with a tablespoon of the pesto. We then placed the zucchini slices just as you would a pre-boiled lasagna noodle (notice that I will never give up on that fight). Then a little marinara, some mushrooms, a handful of fresh spinach and then the “cheese.” The pine nut paste is squeezed through a cheese cloth around the sides of the round pan to hold everything together.

We continue with the layering process, ending with a latticing of pine nut paste on top for presentation. Ok, so now you have what looks like a lasagna pie and since there is no cooking, I couldn’t help but ask, what’s next?

Kirsten walks me over to a dehydrator where she tells me that we will warm the lasagna to 105 degrees. Raw foodies believe that heating foods over 115 degrees is a sure fire way of cooking away all of those healthy enzymes that allow your body to absorb nutrients and aid in digestion. Kirsten sticks to 105 degrees to make sure that her foods never hit that dreaded 115 degree mark. An hour later, we are ready to eat. We made a few of the little lasagnas so we invited a bunch of friends over for a raw dinner party.

Raw Lasagna

Before everyone arrived, I dug a bamboo fork right into the center of one of those little lasagnas for a bite and I have to say… it was really good. Now, I will say that a pine nut paste is no replacement for any cheese let alone a nice mozzarella. However, if you just remind yourself that this is not traditional lasagna, you will be able to appreciate this nice healthy take on the original.

Dinner with Kirsten and friends in her backyard in Santa Monica

As I stepped on the flight back to the East Coast on Sunday afternoon, I was inspired to bring my new raw food education home with me. In a way that’s exactly what happens every time I travel. I take home bits and pieces of a destination and bring it home with me. Will I now argue with my family that we should use pine nut paste instead of mozzarella in lasagna? Probably not. But it’s not really about having to change anything; its about opening your mind to new ideas and flavors to inspire your taste buds and your cooking.

Travel On.
Lori

All About the Travel in 2009

TREASURE HUNTER: KIRSTEN GUM

ALL NEW PREMIERES STARTS SATURDAY, JAN 3RD AT 9PM

only on the TRAVEL CHANNEL

I was sitting at New Year Eve dinner the other night with my husband at one of our local Italian restaurants when this blog started to take shape. I could not decide how to start my 2009 without the old standby cliches... out with the old, in with the new stuff. As I was sitting there eating a 5 course meal, my husband and I could not stop complaining. The service was slow... they did take our order fast enough, the first course was too skimpy, the second was fine, the third was undercooked... it went on and on. I was so irritated that I was actually excited about making a nasty blog about the place. So, I came home and started to write and the more I wrote, the more I deleted. Was I really going to write a travel blog about my five course dinner out with my husband that had gone bad? It became apparent to me that the fact that my husband and I could afford a nice dinner after a very fun (and expensive) Christmas vacation in Florida with our family was more of a blog than the little scallop and overly seasoned cabernet reduction.

So, after a year of bad news and non-perfect hotel stays ... I offer you this.. a look ahead to what I think is going to be the major travel trends of '09.

(1) Business Travel will be cut significantly. What does that mean for you? Business travel is where the airlines make their cash. These are the travelers who do not have any flexibility in their travel schedules and they end up paying dearly for that. It could mean that airlines cut flights even more creating less seats per route. Your best bet... book early and search my fave sites to get the best deals.

(2) Vacation Rentals instead of hotels. Watch out Marriott! Local homeowners are coming to the table to pull even more travelers out of your hotels. With business travel cut backs and the growing vacation rental market you may very well see those hotel rates drop to fill their beds.

(3) American's are going to continue to Staycation this year as the economy tightens even more in 2009. We also see a lot more "Family Reunion" type travels coming in 2009 where families vacation together and save on everything from nightly rates, meals and attractions.

As I look ahead to 2009, I see many paths unfolding that will change my future forever. My daughter starts preschool this month... I have a new position at Travel Channel where I have been given the opportunity to work on shaping a new world of online video for the network. I am also responsible for the Travel Channel Academy and all of the graduates who are out there making travel video for us.

Here are a few new pictures from our family trip to Florida. We hit Disney the day after Christmas and WOW that place was packed! I mean wall to wall people. Loads of "family reunion" t-shirts walking around. I feel good about that trend...

Enjoy 2009 and stay with me this year... I'm about to blow out TravelChannel online with some amazing new travel content including a style web series with my close friend, Sammy B's stylist, and total hottie Christina Burns. (Coming in March)

Talking about hotties... be sure to catch all new episodes of Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum coming tomorrow night at 9pm on Travel Channel! This season is all about adventure and Kirsten is one adventurous chick. Check it out.

BIG SHOUT OUT to Kirsten Gum and the entire Treasure Hunter crew at Indigo Films who literally risked their lives shooting this show. You are my rock stars!

Travel On,

Lori

China... a Year Later...

I just realized that the Beijing episode of Passport to China premieres tonight on Travel Channel and it reminded me of that trip to the other side of the world. It was almost a year ago since I made the journey and the entire experience still has a profound effect on me. China held a lot of firsts for me (no, I had already peed outside in Costa Rica)... it was my first time to Asia, the first time I held a Panda, the first time I felt like a minority and the first time I used a "hole" toilet. It was also the first time that I realized how lucky we are to be Americans.... where we are free to come and go as we wish... we are free to think as individuals and respect any religion we choose. We are free to have as many children as we like... and we are free to study and research the truth of our history (good or bad). I came home a changed person. I was no longer afraid of trying new things and I was eager to conquer my existing fears. Yes, going to the bathroom outside is now fine for me... but, I also went camping and took a ride on a jetski this summer... things that I would never consider doing only a year ago. This past weekend, I took my daughter to the beach with friends and I was able to confidently take her into the water (almost to my knees) and I was fine and enjoying it (NOTE the shark stories that came out this weekend in Smyrna Beach... ) This morning, as I write this entry I realize that a lot has happened this year. My father took sick and is currently back in the hospital after suffering a heart attack this past weekend. There was a major earthquake in Chengdu where this picture with the panda was taken. Luckily the panda reserve was not harmed, but tens of thousands of people are still homeless in that area. It reminds me how important it is to get out there and see the world. This planet was made for exploration. Not just for you to go to a new restaurant or stay in a fancy hotel. It is about exposing yourself to other ways of life... understanding that we are all humans living on the same planet in very different ways... and how much we can learn from each other. Please try to tune in to Passport tonight... and leave a comment to let me and Sam know what you think. Travel On.. Lori

Pittsburgh! WHO KNEW?

When I was asked to participate as a panelist at the Public Relations Society of America's annual Travel and Tourism conference, I was thrilled but a little unimpressed with the location. Pittsburgh, PA. Huh? You are inviting travel and culinary journalists from around the country and you take them to Pittsburgh? OK.

I received my travel information and to be honest... I was just so busy with my other projects that I forgot to do my usual research on a new city. I have my new Sam Brown show premiering this week, the Cash and Treasures crew is out in the field and I am preparing for a (hold your breath...) a personal vacation! (I know, I know... I travel for a living... but this is our annual family trip to the Adirondacks and it is the only time all year that I will NOT be available. (Unless I find a good cyber cafe and get inspired...)

So, for my trip to Pittsburgh... I decided to wing it. The day before I left, my boss... who worked for WQED in Pittsburgh for years came into my office for a chat and I told him that I was heading to Pittsburgh for a conference. He quickly replied, "I love that city!" Now, LOVE is a very strong word and in my book reserved for places like Florence, Italy. A city name that immediately has my mouth watering for fresh Buffalo Mozzarella. I had to know how he could be in love with Pittsburgh. Admittedly, I was a little glazed over as he started to tell me about the ride trough the Pitt Tunnel, the bridges, the confluence of rivers and the incline to Mt Washington. Yeah, yeah.. sounds great.

I arrived into Pittsburgh the morning of the conference and was greeted by a large and very modern International Airport. I almost stopped at Godiva Chocolates as I made my way through the mall-like atmosphere to the baggage claim area. The conference arranged a car to pick me up and drive me to the hotel and I was quickly greeted by a man named Oscar who had a sign with my name on it. We walked over to get my bag and he asked me if I liked Washington, DC and all of the politics right now. I told him that I try to follow it as much as I can... but, my background and beliefs were a bit mixed. I call myself a deep purple... a fair mix of red and blue. However, a little more red because of my religious beliefs and the fact that I could never forget what happened on 9/11. Oscar, a retired Marine and Vietnam Vet, was a true Republican and opened a spirited conversation about the benefits of McCain over Obama. I was taken back by his background... raised on welfare and was forced to be the man of the house at an early age; he then joined the Marines and served in Vietnam before returning to the States. The images and sounds in his head never went away and he went through a hard time before marrying his wife and settling into a good job with nice pay. He told me about his struggles as an American black man. He also explained to me how naive people can be about the security of our country.

We were deep in conversation when I looked up and realized that we were about the enter the Pitt Tunnel. OK... it looked like a tunnel... nothing too spectacular. And suddenly, it ended and POW... Pittsburgh! The view of the city almost pushes you over as you drive over the Fort Pitt bridge over the beautiful Monongahela River. The bridge gives you a great view of how the river below you meets up with the Allegheny right up to the north to form the Ohio River. Beautiful. Oscar took me on a brief scenic drive up Fort Duquesne Boulevard so that I could see the beautiful new PNC Stadium where their Pittsburgh Pirates play. We also drove past the home of the Steelers. I was amazed by the number of bridges that straddle both the Monongahela and the Allegheny all around this city. It is beautiful... almost an American version of Stockholm.

Oscar dropped me off at the Westin Pittsburgh, which is also attached to the convention center where the conference was being held. I checked in and went right up to my room. Overall, the hotel is fine... it definitely could use a makeover... but it is a Westin, so it smells good and it is a Starwood which is great for us collecting points. My room was fine... heavenly bed, heavenly bath, Starbucks coffee... and a great view. Nice.

I decided to order some lunch from their room service menu. The menu was very elaborate and I was impressed with the amount of choices available. I chose the Ahi Tuna salad that was over a bed of mixed greens with haricot verts, green beans, artichokes and a hard boiled egg. It was delish... I mean ... lick the bowl yummy. A very nice surprise.

My panel was taking place at 3:30, so I headed down to the ballroom at 3:15 to meet up with the organizer and the rest of the panelists. When I went down, I found out that one of the gentleman that was speaking with me was John Mariani. THE John Mariani. If you do not know who he is... he is one of the best food critics/ writers in the country. I love reading his work and I was a bit star struck when I was seated next to him. The panel was a fascinating discussion about what we look for when researching our next story or concept. We talked about authentic experiences, the effects of social media in our industry and the powerful word... GREEN. It was great to listen to all of the different perspectives and to hear others talk about what their audience is looking for. I also will say that it was an honor to be seated up there with the other panelists.

After the conference, I was invited to go to the Pirates game with some of the other speakers and guests. How exciting... all this and a baseball game hotdog! Fab! We walked from our hotel over the Roberto Clemente bridge to PNC park. I noted the clean streets, the new lounges and restaurants that lined the side streets. What is going on here? Is this a scene??

Our group had a suite (LUX #1) at PNC park and WOW... what a way to see a baseball game! We had a huge suite with two rows that felt like they were part of the park. The behind the two rows was a glass enclosed living room with couches, a fully-stocked bar, bathroom and a huge spread of food. (Yup... grilled hotdogs with sauerkraut ready for the taking!) Other dinner choices included rosemary chicken, and steak sandwiches with plenty of sides to choose from. The highlight of the night was the dessert cart that my mother would have called a "Viennese table." One of the suite attendants came around with the cart to all of the suites. It had at least a half dozen multi-layer cakes, ice cream, brownies, candy, and cookies. One word... heaven.

One entire wall of the suite was lined with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Allegheny River to the south and the beautiful skyline of Pittsburgh. (Did I just say beautiful?) At the end of the game, the baseball team put on a fireworks show that was choreographed to summer themed music... "summertime", "Summer Lov'n"...you get the idea. It was amazing and probably the best fireworks display I have ever witnessed outside of "Wishes" at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. (It's my favorite... and a must-see if you are there.)

After the fireworks, we all walked over the Pirates Club on the other side of the park for a nightcap. We heard that a group called Bon Journey was playing and nobody could resist a little 80's kitch. It was awesome and a great way to end my first night in Pittsburgh.

The next day, I was up at the crack of dawn for the car to take me back to the airport. I checked out of the hotel and was really sad that I did not have a few more hours in this new place. As we made out way back into the Pitt Tunnel, I looked out through the back window of the car and watched as the best kept city in America faded back into its hiding place. I really loved Pittsburgh. Who knew?

Do you have a secret American city that you want to tell me about? Send me a comment.

ALSO - my new VLOG will launch on TravelChannel.com in a few weeks! Stay tuned!!

*L*

Emmys and Fathers Day in NYC

It's true... I am a full week behind in my blogging. So, I am going to give you two this weekend. Can you handle it? I know you are just biting your nails waiting for this next installment! Just lie to me and let me think you are up at night wonderding where I am and what I am doing. OK, so let me take you back to New York City and the Emmys.

I left you all in Manhattan at The Benjamin Hotel . Peter, Eva and I took a walk in the morning down Lexington Avenue from 50th street to 26th. It was a perfect morning in the city... not too hot, no humidity and you could smell the dirty water dogs being loaded into their carts for the busy day ahead. I was in the market for a spray tan... a fake and bake... I needed to look "goddess" for the evening ahead and I found a place down on 26th that had California Tanning for $15! I pay $24 at home... so, I wanted the bargain. Peter took Eva to a nearby park to play while I stood naked being sprayed with self tanner. (Good visual... huh?) I have to say... the results were amazing. The only problem was that unlike Mystic Tan, this one was sticky and I could feel it seeping onto my clothes. Oh, well.. at least I was not staining good clothes!

My cousin, Melissa hooked me up with a girl from her work to babysit Eva while Peter and I went to the Emmys. We dressed and headed over to The W Hotel on Lexington and met my friend Dov for a little pre-game cocktail. We then hopped in a car and headed to Jazz at Lincoln Center for the main event.

We were first ushered into a room for a cocktail reception and light dinner. The room was amazing with floor to ceiling windows with great views of the Park and Central Park South. We all mingled and had another few drinks before making our way to the theater. It was fun to see who was there... Alex Trebec, Christopher Llyod, the guy from Cash Cab and Oscar the Grouch. You heard me right... Oscar the freak'n grouch was there! (Which might be one of the coolest star spottings of my career)

We were nominated in three categories and we lost all three. Kind of a bummer... but it was super cool to be there again. I think when you start to expect a nomination or if you take any part of this business for granted... is when you start to lose sight of things. I still have one of the coolest jobs on the face of the earth and it affords me a ton of opportunities and plenty of cool travel and things to do. Who am I to be bummed? (And did I tell you about my shoes!!! Diane Von Firstenberg... gold... to channel the Emmy gods. They did not work... but, they looked good.)After the Emmys we went out for a few drinks and snacks and then Peter and I turned into pumpkins to relieve our babysitter back at the hotel.

The next morning, we all got up bright and early and grabbed some Starbucks as we made out way to Central Park. Eva and I planned to take Peter on a carriage ride through Central Park for Father's Day... and it was special! I highly reccomend it... its just one of those quintessential New York Experiences. It cost me $40 and the ride was around 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes you are really done and ready to walk on your own.

After the ride, we took Eva into the park to ride the carousel. Another true NY experience.. and I am so glad that she is getting these opportunities to experience New York.

After a bit more playtime, we decided to walk over to 74th street for a little pizza at Patsy's on the upper west side. We love this place because it has great pizza and it is family friendly. (Translation... big enough to sit at a table and enjoy some air conditioning and a clean bathroom) We ordered a yummy cheese pizza that came bubbly with fresh mozzarella and dark green basil leaves. Peter and I ate the entire thing... what did I care? The Emmys were yesterday!

That night we met my Uncle Art, Aunt Jill and cousins Melissa and Adam for dinner to celebrate HER Emmy win! Yes, my cousin's show beat MY show in the Special Class category. She works on MADE and I have to say... its a great show. If you have not seen it... check it out on MTV. We all met at TAO on 58th between Park and Madison. I have to say... YUM-mmm-MY! I think we ordered EVRYTHING on the menu! The girls all ordered Lychee Martinis which were awesome. We also had ... well, seriously everything. We ordered a ton of food and not one bite was not delish. I highly reccomend it. Another great part about Tao is the ambiance. This place is just huge and Eva loved watching the fish in the koi pond under the giant buddha in the back of the place. Just amazing... and totally worth the splurge.

The next morning, we took the subway up to 77th Street and took a walk over to EAT on Madison. This cafe is new from the owners of Zabars on the upper west side and for our last meal in NYC... we wanted real home cooking ... Long Island Jewish Princess style! I ordered bagels lox and cream cheese that cost me $24! Peter had blintzes and we took a couple of cookies home with us (including the best cookie in the world... the black and white). My bagel came with a side order of cucmbers in a dill dressing that were so fresh and yummy... I almost forgot that I was eating a $24 bagel!!

We decided to walk back to the hotel and we stopped into my favorite hotel for a sniff of the good life. When we walked in, we found that they have a Madeline Brunch for kids every Sunday morning in Bemelman's Bar! Bemelman's is named after the artist who drew Madeline and Eva has one of the videos and she just loves her! So, we made a point of stopping in to see what was going on. The place was empty... but they had a woman playing kids songs on a piano and they had a full brunch display with a cupcake bar! Very fun and it will definitely be on my list for our next Sunday in New York.

On our way out of the city that afternoon, Eva said to us from the backseat of the car... "Mommy and Daddy, are we going to the big city now?", and we replied, "This is the big city, Ev. We are going home now." To which she replied, " I want to stay in the big city!" That's my kid.