Well from all the feedback we got last week, our recipe inspiration round up was a hit. I think we will keep going with all the fun ideas involving cooking with lavender. Hope you enjoy!

Lavender Goat Cheese with Honey from Tea Cup Tea found HERE just looks like something I want to dive right into. 

How fun do these Lavender Lolipops from the Technicolor Kitchen found HERE look? 

Lavender & Honey Raw Cheese Cake from by Roost on Foodily found HERE

If you ever need culinary lavender you know where to find us! www.lavenderapple.com

I kind of have an obsession with lavender salt these days. Its just upped the anti for me in my culinary game. Seriously. If you haven't tried this magic stuff, you've gotta go for it. Basically any dish you make and season with regular salt, can actually be enhanced in flavor by lavender salt. Its my little secret weapon that gives all of my dishes that extra little oomph. 

Ways to cook with lavender salt: making ice-cream, seasoning potatoes, homemade chocolate, seasoning proteins (lamb especially), salad seasoning, on fresh fruit or vegetables, the options really are pretty limitless. 

The other day I made one of my go to meals and it just wasn't as good as it normally is. I was wondering what my issue was when I suddenly realized I had just used regular old kosher salt rather than my lavender salt! What a huge different one tiny tweak made! 

Well I could go on and on. If you're interested in trying your own lavender salt, you can grab some here. http://www.lavenderapple.com/culinaryproducts.php?products_d_exhibit=3

Enjoy! Let us know how it goes! 

There is nothing better than a slightly warmed through piece of fresh Ahi Tuna in my book. The refreshing ocean taste, the melt in your mouth texture, nothing is better. Today we wanted to share with you a super simple cooking technique for your ahi. This hearty fish is rich in protein and low in fat, so becoming an ahi grill master will serve you well. 

Heat your grill to high about 30 minutes prior to you being ready to cook your fish. This way your grill has plenty of time to heat up so your fish will sear on the outside while the inside will remain rare. 

Pat your tuna dry with a paper towel. 
Coat with freshly ground pepper. 
Cover with a thin coat of sesame seeds. 
Spray with olive oil or melted butter. 
Grill on each side until the outside has a slight crust, but the middle is barley warmed through. This should only take 2 minutes or less per side. 

And here is the secret to this easy meal, once done, cover the steak with Trader Joe's Ming's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. This is a delicious sauce that has a lovely asian ginger flair, but none of the processed or MSG ingredients that many of its counterparts include. Its great on salads, or as we are using it here, on grilled meats. We serve our ahi with fresh mango and brown rice, but feel free to add whatever accouterments are in season and available in your area. 

What is your favorite way to serve Ahi? We'd love to hear from you!

Sometimes you are in the mood for a little something sweet. And I mean little literally. In order to keep our waistlines in check, we really should watch our portions, especially when it comes to desert. I know for me personally I often crave a sweet morsel after every meal in order to feel satisfied. Well these chocolate covered frozen banana bites are the perfect solution for that. They are much smaller than a huge icecream treat. You are satisfying that sweet tooth craving with fruit, but because its dipped in healthful dark chocolate and frozen, you can almost trick yourself into feeling like you are eating an ice-cream desert. All the good, none of the bad. 

Ingredients: 

3 ripe bananas 

12 ounce bag Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers

chopped nuts (optional)

Directions: 

Chop your bananas into bite sized slices. Melt your wafers in a double boiler. Dip your bananas in the melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet. (Add chopped nuts such as peanuts, almonds, or cashews while still warm.) Freeze on baking sheet. Once the chocolate has hardened you can add them all into a zip lock back and keep in your freezer for a sweet treat whenever the craving hits. 

An easy guilt less treat that couldn't be easier. 
Enjoy!