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Healthy Gourmet Kitchen

Out of the frying pan and into the Instant Pot

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By Madeline McCarthy

Healthy Gourmet Kitchen, photo provided

“What are we having for dinner?” This daily asked question requires a different answer each time, but the response must always sound delicious, nutritious, and most of all, be easy to make.

These exact requirements crossed Mary Song’s mind before she started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen. Prior to opening her business, Song worked as a business analyst designing large scale computer applications. She helped improve life for people around the world, but she never met any of them. She was working long hours and found it challenging to cook healthy dinners. This inspired Song to create her business selling packaged seasoning blends, dips, soup mixes, and meal starters that can be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or simmered in a saucepan for those who are too busy to spend much time cooking.

“I’ve loved to cook my entire life,” says Song, recalling how living in the Middle East and France influenced her cooking style. In the Middle East, she lived in an international expat community, where cooking was “like an art with a lot of heart.” While in France, she was taught traditional French cuisine and to use the freshest ingredients, stating that the process was “a bit fussy – but this was the 1980s after all!”

Healthy Gourmet Kitchen, photo provided

Song learned to combine the Middle Eastern and French food cultures and not to be afraid of spices, herbs, and flavor. She advises her customers to step outside their comfort zone when it comes to food, so rather than offering bland mixes, Healthy Gourmet Kitchen invites you to make flavorful and exciting dishes like a “Coconut Curry Chickpea Stew” or “Chicken Marengo”.

Everything is blended and mixed by hand and packed into clear packaging so customers are able to see the ingredients they are buying. Plus, there are no unnecessary added ingredients like you find in store-bought mixes. “When I first started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen there were few or no low sodium, low-fat options that also tasted great,” says Song, “I felt there was an opportunity to create healthy, delicious meal starters that didn’t rely on salt, sugar or chemicals for flavor.”

When she created her business, Song knew she wanted to participate in the Saratoga Farmers’ Market to finally be able to meet the people she helps. Healthy Gourmet Kitchen attends the market on Saturdays and will be back at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on July 11!

This week’s recipe: Instant Pot Bolognese

Instant Pot Bolognese

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Recipe by Healthy Gourmet Kitchen
Makes: 8 servings
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 lb. ground meat of choice (beef*, lamb*, pork*, turkey, or plant-based)
● 1 package Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter kit*
● 1 onion diced*
● 2 lb. tomatoes* OR 1, 28 oz. can whole or diced plum tomatoes
● 1 cup white wine
● 1 cup milk*
● 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter*
● 12 ounces penne pasta

Directions
1. Turn Instant Pot to saute medium. Add butter and allow it to melt slightly. Add chopped onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add ground meat and break it up so that it crumbles. Continue to saute until the meat is brown.
2. After meat is browned, add white wine and the Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter pack on top of the meat.
3. Add milk and tomatoes. If you are using fresh, whole tomatoes, squish them or chop them up. Add pasta and push so that it is submerged under the liquid.
4. Secure the lid on the Instant pot and close the vent. Press manual for 4 minutes.
5. When the cooking time is complete, allow 5 minutes to pass for natural release, then move the vent to remove the rest of the steam. Remove the lid, top with grated cheese, and enjoy!

Mulled Apple Cider

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Adapted from the recipe by The Pioneer Woman, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 1¼ gallons

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

Mulled cider, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

● 1 gallon apple cider*
● 3 granny smith apples*
● 1 orange
● 1 Tablespoon allspice berries
● 5-7 cinnamon sticks
● ½ cup fresh cranberries
● ½ cup sugar
● 1 cup apple brandy* or other preferred alcohol beverage* (optional)
OR USE
● 1 packet Mulling Spices mix from Healthy Gourmet Kitchen or Muddy Trail Jerky*

Instructions
1. Pour the apple cider into a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Dice the apples and toss them into the cider.
3. Peel the rind off the orange in large pieces and toss them in the cider.
4. Add the allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, and the cranberries.
5. Add sugar and stir it around to dissolve.
6. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to
1 hour. Add the brandy if using, then simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.