I’m so glad to have my friend and colleague Chef Jesse Layman on my Plant Chat today. Jesse has helped coordinate the Harvest of Hope farm to table nutrition education events for the past two years. He is VP of Sales and Marketing for the artisan vinegar company Sparrow Lane, as well as a consultant for many product innovators and new startups. In addition, he creates healthy recipes that use vinegar as an ingredient to enhance the true flavor of food. Jesse also blogs at Mind Body Kitchen, where he shares great recipes and tips on how to live a healthy plant-based lifestyle. This is a space where all the aspects of life come together as one, through the combined practices of mindfulness, body movement and healthy eating. Chef Jesse also has a weekly podcast and vlog along with his YouTube channel and cooking videos. And it is no longer a rumor that his book will be released by mid-2019!
Jesse’s love of food has been key to much of his success, yet it is also directly related to his love of people and helping them find better healthy alternatives for food while creating a lifestyle that encourages movement and full expression in their daily lives. To better understand the diet, trends and food philosophies, he graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2011. When he takes time out, you will probably find him on his bicycle riding through the local foothills or mountain biking along the coast. Continue reading to learn more about Jesse’s journey.
What was the inspiration for creating Sparrow Lane?
Sparrow Lane is over 20 years old and started as a winery back in 96’. Today we are just artisan vinegars and oil that are all natural and barrel aged in the traditional Orleans method.
What makes your vinegars and olive oils special?
Using the Orleans method is not only the purest way to make vinegar, but it is all natural. Meaning there are no added colors, flavors or sugars added to enhance the perfect process of Mother Nature. We also only use quality wines sourced from Napa and Sonoma. All of our fruits and herbs are sourced from within less than 500 miles. Chefs want to use local products, but when there are little choices you want to make certain you are getting the best and that is what we ensure our chefs and consumers, consistently.
Tell us about your personal journey into the culinary world.
Wow, that started a long time ago. I grew up as a restaurant brat in my father’s restaurants back in the 70’s. I always wanted to own restaurants, but I just didn’t know how to cook. So, it was truly trial by fire, blood, sweat, and tears, literally. I had the opportunity to work many of the early great chefs who pioneered the infamous California cuisine through much of the Bay Area and around the country.
As a young chef I used to get irritated at vegan and special dietary request. Then when I took the helm of a then major health club in LA I began to better understand nutrition, health and dietary needs as they truly applied and why. From that point forward, I made an effort to incorporate health conscience dish or preparations into my menus so that it if you requested this type of dish you didn’t feel out of place or weird. I later had an owner of an Italian restaurant (where I was the chef) find out he was celiac. His whole diet of pasta, bread, beer and pizza was disrupted. It became my job to create dishes that he could eat like he used to, that he didn’t feel like he was “eating cardboard”. It was then that I became certified in health and nutrition so that I had a broader and deeper understanding of the diverse diet world, their nuisances’, what was and wasn’t working from them and why. Today I have gone to the next level to educate people on how to cook with quality fresh ingredients that can be adapted to any “diet” and get away from processed foods.
What is your personal food and wellness philosophy?
It’s not about being on the latest diets, it is about creating a lifestyle of health and well-being. And learning to be as consistent as possible, and when you aren’t being able to know its OK.
What are some of your best tips for getting people to cook more healthful, plant-based meals?
Be willing to try new things, it’s amazing how good vegetables can be when cooked properly.
Any “cave-man” can cook meat, but it is an art to bring out the beauty and true taste of vegetables in a way that you never miss the meat.
Start simple, use fresh first (when available), cook to the season, have fun experimenting
It’s easy, but try not to just buy the so-called healthy pre-prepared stuff in the groceries. Remember the healthiest food in the market doesn’t have labels on it!
What are 5 plant foods you can’t live without?
Spinach, a must for salad, smoothies, great added color. If you can’t use it all, freeze it for your smoothie later.
Mushrooms, all types but always shitake, crimini, and porcini. Great texture add-ins, and porcini gives beautiful flavor. Good mixed in, chopped, sautéed or grilled
Beans; garbanzos, lentils, kidneys… good source of protein and iron. Add nice texture and color.
Fennel is so versatile and such a pleasant surprise of crunch and flavor
Avocado, I eat at least 3 a week, whole or as an ingredient. Great taste, versatile, and just all around good for you
What are some of your favorite, go-to, healthy, delicious meals?
I travel a lot and it is not always easy to find good healthy food, let alone plant-based options. Even when I am home in the Central Valley, there are very few really good plant based-restaurants, so these are a few of my favorite easy prep, easy travel recipes:
Tomato cucumber avocado; slice or chop everything together, mix gently with favorite Sparrow Lane vinegar, enjoy.
Cauliflower tacos; grill, roast, or go raw with the cauliflower, toss with pico di gallo, spinach, blue corn tortillas, maybe black beans and avocado. Ola!
Homemade nut butter protein bites; great all-day snack.
Morning Green Thing, or anytime pick-er-upper.
Just good veggies cut up instead of chips (OMG my kryptonite).
Here is one of Chef Jesse’s favorite plant-based recipes.
optional: 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/4 cup water
Instructions
In a blender (or large tumbler if you’re using an immersion blender) layer the spinach, banana, mango, pumpkin seeds, and hemp hearts. Add the almond milk and blend until the pumpkin seeds are smooth.
