Eat healthy
Stephanie Hoban's Ripe Cuisine blog highlights fresh, seasonal vegan recipes
Stephanie Hoban is a natural in the kitchen.Photo by Kelli Elizabeth
Spring Orzo RisottoPhoto by Kelli Elizabeth
Gingered Rhubarb-Strawberry CrumblePhoto by Kelli Elizabeth
Hoban tries to cook with as much locally-sourced, seasonal produce as possible.Photo by Kelli Elizabeth
Between her days spent as a registered dietitian at Snap Kitchen, and her evenings as a line cook at farm-to-table restaurant, Haven, Houston resident Stephanie Hoban stays quite busy.
But in her personal time, she keeps up a blog — Ripe Cuisine — to record and share her fresh, seasonal vegan recipes.
"I'm like Paula Deen, minus the butter," laughed Hoban, who "fell into" a vegan lifestyle in high school before studying nutrition at NYU.
In the kitchen, Hoban moved with the grace of a chef as she rattled off numbers and facts — listing the grams of fiber and protein in each vegetable and grain and explaining, like a scientist, how the body processes each.
Hoban told CultureMap that she selected her degree "because of the food, not because of the science."
After culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute and externing at a restaurant in Spain, Hoban returned to Houston to pursue a master's in dietetics. Now she balances her skills and her passions with this assortment of part-time jobs and side projects.
In the kitchen, Hoban moved with the grace of a chef as she rattled off numbers and facts — listing the grams of fiber and protein in each vegetable and grain and explaining, like a scientist, how the body processes each.
Before I knew it, Hoban was plating a bright, light lunch of Spring Orzo Risotto and a Gingered Rhubarb-Strawberry Crumble.
The delicious orzo (creamy and fresh, made with local veggies from the Urban Harvest Farmers Market) seemed approachable, even with my low level of cooking skills.
And the crumble (oh, the crumble!) incorporated the perfect balance of sweet, tart and zing — offset, of course, by a scoop of ice cream. The quintessential summer dessert.
Find the recipes here, and more fresh fare on Hoban's blog.
