catching up + fresh starts

CATCHING UP + FRESH STARTS

First, I’ll play catch up with some dishes I never got around to posting.

Sweet Pea-tato Dumplings in Carrot Greens Broth

Excuse my constant making up of words on this blog, but I’ve got another one for you!  My sweet pea-tato dumplings are made of sweet potatoes and sweet peas.  When it comes to spring, I seriously crave peas, and this is a fun + innovative way to use them up.  I’m also a big fan of using all parts of the vegetable, so I made a broth featuring carrot tops.  The slight bitterness of carrot greens pairs perfectly with the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes and sweet peas.  A whole ‘lotta sweet going on your taste buds will thank you for.

Whole Grain Porridge

Once in a blue moon, I get this awful canker sore in the very back corner of my mouth.  The pain is so intense that it hurts to swallow, smile, eat, drink, you name it.  Not to mention the awful metallic taste in your mouth (bleh).  I got one a few weeks back which put me out of solid foods for five miserable days.  If you’re anything like me, you’ll get sick of liquids pretty quick and your body will just naturally crave texture.. crunch.. something that doesn’t have to come out of a straw.  I found that I could somehow, slowly (but still painfully) eat soft vegetables and grains which meant one thing – porridge!

I made big batches, changing it up slightly each day.  The very first day is basic and as the week goes on, you tweak it and add to it so that eventually you’re left with a heaping marriage of flavors.  This dish also ensures that you pack in plenty of vitamins/nutrients/etc. that your body so desperately needs in a time of healing.

Dressed Up Cannellini Bean Salad w/ Braised Apples + Onions

Take any ordinary bean salad to the next level quickly and easily by incorporating some extra love.  In this case, I braised apples and red onions in a mixture of dijon mustard, balsamic, and maple syrup.  Pour this braised goodness directly over the beans/chopped cherry tomatoes/peppery arugula to create a wonderful steam bath of flavor that disseminates throughout.  Also, by keeping the tomatoes and arugula raw, the comforting nature of braised apples + onions are complemented with a nice touch of freshness.

Raw Broccoli Stem + Carrot Slaw w/ Almond Vinaigrette

Don’t toss those broccoli stems!  They make great raw slaws given their crunchiness.  I paired the broccoli stems with carrots, and lovingly smothered them in an almond vinaigrette.  Almonds (and any nuts, really) are secret weapons for producing healthy renditions of creamy dressings without dairy (like mayo or cream).  Soft tofu and avocados are great dairy substitutes too, but I think nuts produce the brightest and creamiest vegan dressings of the bunch.

Sweet Potato + Black Eyed Pea Kale Salad

If you ever catch yourself at a loss over what to make for dinner with limited ingredients, here is a great solution.  Think deconstructed veggie burger meets salad where the sweet potatoes and black eyed peas fill you right up.  These ingredients also soak in vinaigrettes very well, so you’re guaranteed to pull together a flavorful dish.  What more, you don’t need to douse your salad greens (in this case kale) with extra dressing because there’s already so much going on!  Try a bright, zesty vinaigrette for this one.  Great served warm or cold and perfect for picnics too.

Tri-Color Saffron Infused Quinoa w/ BBQ Marinated Vegetables

Did you really think I was going to leave out quinoa?  lol.  In this dish, while quinoa sits proudly in the middle, the gold star goes to the beautifully marinated vegetables!  My marinade was a bit of a play on BBQ sauce (think sweet, smoky, & tangy).  I let the vegetables marinade all day long so they were just fireworks of flavor by the time we ate them.  Kitchen smells amazing, your family will think you’re amazing, and you’ll feel amazing because it’s all just a bowl full of heart healthy goods.

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And now, for a word on fresh starts coming my (and therefore your) way!

My recent rejuvena-cation and bouts of downward dogs are soul-cleansing (yes) but also meant to open up new paths and shine a light of contentment back into my life.  Why back into my life?  Because for much too long, I admit to living by the rules and for the rules of how the outside world portrays happiness, success, and purpose.  I have been my own hypocrite when it comes to things like status, hierarchy, progression, materialism, and money.

A few months back, one door closed (that’s a nice way of saying my company shut down and I was let go) and instead of stepping through the next door that opened (taking a tempting new job offer), I made what feels like the scariest decision of my life to do something for me.

An entrepreneur at heart, I have many dreams.  Small dreams, big dreams, dreams that give back to the community and environment.  Right now, those dreams are in the form of pages and pages of bustling ideas.  I hope to bring those ideas to fruition in the coming months and years with the inkling that maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to call one or more of them a dream come true.

But before I can do any of that, I need to be in the right mindset and that’s what I’m working on now.  I refer to it as my detox phase from the corporate world where yoga has been a huge help in re-teaching me how to just be present and content with where I am.  Re-learning to breathe again.  Re-discovering what it’s like to wake up on a Monday morning happy and to have a consistent stream of energy throughout the entire week.

I look forward to sharing my new ventures with all of you!  I know many of you are in a similar situation or know someone who is.  Feel free to reach out at anytime.  Happy to have a chat with anyone .

“Smile at the world, and it will smile back.”

on the menu : marinated red bell peppers w/ simple stuffing

MARINATED RED BELL PEPPERS W/ SIMPLE STUFFING

When I first started seriously cooking, I would make lots of stuffed peppers because they were in almost every cookbook, easy to make, and looked cool (ha).  After a while though, I stopped because I got bored with the concept and taste.

The other day I realized I had not made a stuffed pepper dish in, well, forever!  And so I did.  I used to just make the stuffing, stuff the peppers, and bake them.  This time I decided to marinate the peppers in advance to take care of my biggest complaint – the peppers always being kinda ‘eh, boring.’

That did the trick.  Dancing flavors, no more bland peppers, and no need to get all fancy with the stuffing.  As you know, you can pretty much stuff peppers with anything (be it rice, just vegetables, maybe you like chicken or meat in there), so that’s totally your personal preference but I highly recommend marinating the peppers first for the most flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

• Red Bell Pepper
• Marinade
  • Hungarian Paprika
  • Fennel Pollen
  • Herbes de Provence
  • Organic Ketchup
  • Lemon
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Salt + Pepper
• Stuffing/Filling
  • Quinoa
  • Tuna
  • Red Onion
  • Peas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and whisk together.
2. Cut off the tops of your bell peppers, remove the seeds and inner linings.  Brush the marinade on your peppers (inside + out, tops too) so every inch is covered.  Place in the fridge to marinate over night for the most flavor (but less is fine too!).  Reserve the leftover marinade.
3. Once the peppers have marinated, make the stuffing/filling.  Cook quinoa according to package.
4. Finely chop up the red onion.  Drizzle some oil into a sauté pan and add the red onions.  Raise the heat to medium and cook the onions.  Season with salt + pepper.
5. Add the tuna (canned is fine – make sure you drain + rinse) to the onions.  Pour in the reserved marinade and continue to sauté.  Also add the green peas.  Season with salt + pepper as necessary.
6. Once the quinoa has cooked, give it a nice fluff, season with salt + pepper, and add the sautéed ingredients.  Mix well.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.  Roast the peppers to your liking (some like it more raw, some prefer them more charred).  Once they’ve roasted, fill them up, and serve!

on the menu : mock no dairy shrimp alfredo

MOCK NO DAIRY SHRIMP ALFREDO

Hands up – are you a sucker for cream-based pasta dishes??  In the US, American-Italian establishments are known for adding heavy cream to some of their most popular pasta sauces.  I think they do this partly because cream is cheaper than, say, mounds of cheese (likely more popular in Italy).

Hands up – are you a sucker for cream-based pasta dishes and looking for a way to make them leaner and better for you??  Look no further, friends!  The secret is quite simple.  If you think about non-dairy “milks,” they’re primarily nut-based, right?  Soy, almond, cashew, etc. etc.  Take that same concept and apply it to your sauce!  By puréeing nuts (pine nuts, in this case), with wet ingredients (see below), you’re able to create the base for a mock cream sauce with a whole lot more depth and flavor than cream itself AND – of course – the health factor.  Win win win.

For this dish, I’ve added a few veggies (onions + celery), herbs (parsley), spices (saffron + dried red chile), AND flax seeds.  When you blend flax seeds into the nut-based sauce, it almost acts as a bind.  Pretty cool and you won’t even know they’re in there.

INGREDIENTS:

• Celery (3 stalks)
• Parsley (Bunch)
• Pine Nuts (1/2 cup)
• Flax Seeds (1 tbsp)
• Balsamic Vinegar (2 tsp)
• Dried Red Chile (1 tbsp)
• Garlic Clove (2-3)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Saffron (Pinch)
• Mirin (1/4 cup)
• Shrimp (Optional)
• Brown Rice Spiral Pasta (16 oz)
• Sun Dried Tomato (Optional – for topping)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drizzle some oil into a large sauté pan.  Cook the shrimp over medium heat (should only take a few minutes).  Spoon out the shrimp and set aside.
2. Finely chop up the yellow onion.  Add the chopped onions, turn the heat on medium low and sauté the onions with some salt + pepper.
3. As the onions start to turn glassy, add the saffron threads.  Pour in the mirin, raise the hat to medium to cook out some of the alcohol, then reduce the heat back to low.
4. Chop up the garlic cloves and add to the sauté pan.  Also add back in the shrimp and stir everything together.
5. Place in a food processor the celery, parsley, pine nuts, flax seeds, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt + pepper.  Blend until relatively smooth but not completely blended.
6. Spoon in the blended mixture to the sauté pan as you meld it into a sauce.  Use a slotted spoon to do so.  Season with salt + pepper as necessary.
7. Bring a pot of water up to a boil and salt it generously once boiled.  Cook the pasta to just under al denté.  Spoon some of the pasta cooking water into your sauté pan and mix into the sauce.  Drain the pasta and transfer directly to the sauté pan.
8. Raise the heat on the sauté pan to medium to give it once last blast, do a final seasoning (if needed), and serve immediately.

on the side : tri-color quinoa w/ almonds, oranges, + grapes

TRI-COLOR QUINOA W/ ALMONDS, ORANGES + GRAPES

I feel almost silly posting a “recipe” for this dish.  It’s literally just quinoa with a few ingredients I had on hand at the end of the week.  As you know, you can add all kinds of stuff to quinoa to make it a more substantial dish.  I went a bit more sweet over savory with this one with the addition of fruit.  Feel free to add.. well.. anything you want!  lol.

Seriously though, I’ve been a huge advocate of quinoa for years thanks to its (a) health benefits, (b) versatility, (c) quick cooking-ness, (d) yumminess.  I saw this article a few months ago on the uncertain sustainability of quinoa; the future of which could depend on diversifying where this beautiful crop is grown (i.e. outside of Bolivia).  Just some ‘food for thought’ worth sharing as we start to hear more about this topic.

INGREDIENTS:

• Tri-Color Quinoa (1 cup)
• Carrot Greens (Bunch)
• Raw Sliced Almonds (Handful)
• Red Seedless Grapes (Handful)
• Orange (1)
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package.
2. Roughly chop up the carrot greens and sauté in a pan with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt + pepper.  Cook until wilted.
3. In a bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with sautéed carrot greens, raw sliced almonds, red seedless grapes, and orange slices.  Season with salt + pepper (as needed) and mix well until fully combined.

on the side : red cabbage slaw salad w/ zesty, creamy (vegan!) green dressing

RED CABBAGE SLAW SALAD W/ ZESTY, CREAMY (VEGAN!) GREEN DRESSING

First of all – HELLOOOO SPRING!  I’m taking full advantage of the beaming sunshine and warm temps.  After soaking in all of that vitamin D, I find myself yearning for something fresh and light.  Hmmm.. what to make.  What to make.

I saw a pretty red head of cabbage sitting in the fridge and my taste buds immediately told me to go with a slaw/salad.  I added some sweet (apples + raisins), texture (cashews + black sesame seeds), color and zest galore (see dressing).  The secret to my creamy yet super refreshing dressing is frozen green peas.

So easy, so delish, and leftovers the next day will be even better as the flavors fully marry into each other.

INGREDIENTS:

• Red Cabbage (1 head)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Apple (1)
• Raw Cashews (Handful – chopped/crushed)
• Raisins (2 tbsp)
• Black Sesame Seeds (1 tbsp)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper
• Dressing
  • Frozen Green Peas (1/2 cup)
  • Jalepeño Pepper (1/2)
  • Lime (1/2)
  • Meyer Lemon (1)
  • Honey (1 tbsp)
  • Vinegar (1 tbsp)
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Shred up red cabbage and place in a large salad bowl.
2. Finely chop up the yellow onion.
3. Drizzle some oil into a small sauté pan and add the chopped onions.  Turn the heat on medium low, season with salt + pepper, and allow the onions to caramelize.  Once done, remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, make the salad dressing by puréeing all ingredients in a food processor (remove the seeds from the jalepeño pepper prior to blending unless you’re yearning for heat).  Add a little water to thin out the consistency (your preference).
5. Cut up your apple into bite-sized pieces.  I peeled mine but feel free to leave the peel on if you so desire.  Add to the red cabbage and immediately spoon in some dressing to bring in acidity so the apples don’t turn brown.
6. Also add to the salad bowl the remaining ingredients – chopped cashews, raisins, black sesame seeds.  Toss together as you spoon in almost all of the dressing (leave a few spoonfuls for topping).

on the menu : vegan chickpea patties

VEGAN CHICKPEA PATTIES

Do y’all like the Ellen Degeneres show?  I can’t get enough it.  I’ve been a huge fan of hers since she first came on air and love her ability to penetrate laughter and joy through a screen.  All you 8-5ers should DVR her pronto .

Anyway, the other day, Ellen had chef Fabio Viviani (re: Top Chef) as a guest to demonstrate vegan chickpea patties (yum!).  I was instantly inspired to make my own.  So here they are.

I don’t know exactly what Fabio put in his patties but the ingredients looked minimal.  In my rendition, I added some gluten free oats (for better binding) and spices (like smoked Paprika to give vegan/vegetarian patties the elusion that ‘smoky-but-no-meat’ elusion).  Instead of serving these patties on a bun, I created a salad – arugula, cherry tomatoes, mangoes (thanks Whole Foods for 10 for $5 sale), and avocados with a honey lime vinaigrette.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chickpeas (1 cup)
• Gluten Free Oats (1/2 cup)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Celery (1 stalk)
• Carrot (1)
• Mushrooms (1 cup)
• Garlic Clove (1)
• Fresh Parsley (1 cup – chopped)
• Smoked Paprika (1 tbsp)
• Cumin (1 tsp)
• Organic Ketchup
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prep the chickpeas in advance.  If using dried beans, cook them fully.  If using canned/pre-cooked, rinse WELL and drain.  Set aside.
2. Chop up your vegetables – onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, garlic.
3. Drizzle some oil into a sauté pan and add the chopped onions.  Turn the heat on medium low and allow the onions to sweat out a bit in some salt + pepper.
4. Add the rest of the chopped vegetables to the pan and sauté with the onions.  Once cooked, remove from the stove.
5. Place in your food processor the chickpeas, oats, sautéed vegetables, spices, chopped parsley, ketchup (about 2 squirts), olive oil, salt + pepper.  Blend until combined and dough-y.
6. Form patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes to let them set.
7. Get your grill or griddle pan ready and cook the patties!  Serve over salad greens or in a bun.

on the menu : black trumpet mushroom pasta

BLACK TRUMPET MUSHROOM PASTA

My local Whole Foods dons an annual early spring mixer… of mushrooms!  The most glorious, luxurious (literally – not easy on the wallet) party ever.

One of my favorites is the black trumpet variety.  Black trumpets are über earthy with deep, musky tones.  A little goes a long way in terms of flavor with these guys.  They impart balance among ingredients and are the perfect star of pasta dishes.  In this particular dish, I’ve added some vibrant little sweet peas as well to reign in spring.

A good friend of mine described cooking in spring as ‘frustrating.’  I concur, because you’re not quite ready to part with your dutch oven but are ready to purée some gazpacho, but don’t have the produce yet to do so.  In the meantime, you can ease your way into the transition from brrr to birds chirping with dishes like this.  Enjoy, and here’s hoping for a happy spring.

INGREDIENTS:

• Black Trumpet Mushrooms (~1 cup)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Garlic Clove (2)
• Capers (1 tbsp)
• Parsley (2 tbsp chopped)
• Dried Red Chile (1 tsp)
• Mirin (2 tbsp)
• Brown Rice Spiral Pasta (16 oz)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Finely slice up the onion and garlic.
2. Drizzle some oil into a large pan and add the sliced onions and garlic.  Turn the heat on low and allow the onions to slowly cook up.  Season with salt + pepper.
3. After about 10 minutes, slice up the mushrooms and add.
4. Once the onions have turned completely glassy, add the capers, dried red chile, and mirin.  Raise the heat to medium, then back down to a low simmer while you cook the pasta.
5. Bring a pot of water up to a boil.  Salt the water once boiled and cook the pasta according to package (right under al dente).
6. Once the pasta has cooked, ladle a scoop of the pasta water into the pan with your vegetables.
7. Drain the pasta, transfer directly to the large pan, raise the heat up to medium-high and sauté with the vegetables.  Toss in your chopped parsley and stir well.  Do a final season of salt + pepper as necessary.

on the menu : savory carrot loaf atop carrot greens paired w/ balsamic mole sauce

SAVORY CARROT LOAF ATOP CARROT GREENS PAIRED W/ BALSAMIC MOLE SAUCE

This dish is all about building flavors on top of flavors; the best way to tie a dish together.  The star?  Carrots!  Given their natural sweetness, I thought a spicy mole sauce would pair perfectly as well as a tangy yogurt to brighten up all of the flavors.

I realized as I was typing up the recipe that it comes across much more complex than I thought it was.  In my head, I was just creating a carrot loaf over some sautéed carrot greens with a simple sauce and some yogurt.  As with any dish I make, this one came together as I went along and sometimes I get carried away and excited… so I won’t be offended if you don’t recreate this one .

However, I will say, at least try the carrot loaf!  It’s light and fluffy and perfect for weekend brunch!

INGREDIENTS:

• Savory Carrot Loaf (Gluten Free)
  • Carrots (6 – Peeled & Grated)
  • Chickpea Flour (1/4 cup)
  • Ancho Chili Powder (1 tsp)
  • Eggs (2)
  • Greek Yogurt (2 tbsp)
  • Honey (1 tsp)
  • Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
  • Water (1 tbsp)
  • Salt + Pepper
• Carrot Leaf Sauté
  • Carrot Leaves (From 6 carrots)
  • Red Onion (1)
  • Pepitas (1 tbsp)
  • Vegetable Broth (1/2 cup)
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper
• Balsamic Mole Sauce
  • Mole Seasoning (3 tbsp)
  • Balsamic Vinegar (1 tsp)
  • Maple Syrup (1 tbsp)
  • Tomato Paste (2 tsp)
  • Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
  • Water (1 tbsp)
  • Salt + Pepper
• Lime Zest + Honey Infused Greek Yogurt
  • Greek Yogurt (4 big tbsp)
  • Lime Zest (of 1 lime)
  • Honey (1 tbsp)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.
2. Peel + grate 6 carrots into a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, yogurt, honey, water, salt + pepper until combined.  Add the chickpea flour and ancho chili powder and whisk until you form your batter.
4. Add the grated carrots to your batter and mix with a spoon until completely combined.
5. Pour the carrot loaf batter into a non-stick or silicone loaf pan (I used an 8″ x 4″).  Place the pan into the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onion.  Roughly chop up the carrot leaves/stems.
7. Drizzle some olive oil into a large sauté pan and add the sliced onions.  Place the pan over your stove and turn the heat on medium low.  Season with salt + pepper.
8. Once the onions have sweated out, add the pepitas and carrot leaves/stems.  Allow the greens to slowly sauté with the onions.
9. Once the greens start to wilt, raise the heat to medium and pour in the vegetable broth.  Season with salt + pepper and continue to stir.
10. Lower the heat to a simmer while the carrot loaf finishes cooking in the oven.
11. Create the Balsamic Mole Sauce by whisking together all ingredients (see above for list).
12. Create the Lime Zest + Honey Infused Greek Yogurt by mixing together all ingredients (see above for list).  Place in freezer for 20 minutes.
13. When all components are ready to be plated, start off with the carrot leaf sauté.  Spoon in some of the broth too!  Then slice up the carrot loaf and place atop the sauté.  Quenelle the yogurt and gently place atop the carrot loaf.  Finish off with a drizzle of your Balsamic Mole Sauce.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

onto baking : no flour + no knead nut bread

NO FLOUR + NO KNEAD NUT BREAD

Have you ever walked into a bakery and closed your eyes just to marvel in the smell of freshly baked bread?  No?  Oh…  Well, I love that feeling because you immediately envision a warm loaf with the perfect crust and steaming, fluffy interior.  #carbheaven

**SPOILER ALERT** This bread is not THAT bread.  But don’t give up on me yet!  This bread is one that any non-bread monger can handle.  Seriously.  The recipe is virtually hassle-free.  And let’s talk health benefits.  Sometimes I just want a slice of bread (because I’m weird).  At that moment, it doesn’t really matter what type of bread I put in my mouth, I just have this desire to pop a slice in the toaster and munch away.  THIS bread makes for delicious toast (with jam, hummus, whatever) and the best part – completely made up of whole grains, nuts, and seeds.  In other words, you get to milk the benefits of fiber, protein.

What else can I say… it’s gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, blah blah blah.  Oh!  It’s mighty tasty

And last but not least, a big huge shout-out to fellow blogger Sarah Britton who inspired this awesomeness to begin with.

INGREDIENTS:

• Sunflower Seeds (1 cup)
• Flax Seeds (½ cup)
• Hazelnuts or Almonds (½ cup)
• GF Rolled Oats (1 ½ cups)
• Chia Seeds (2 tbsp)
• Psyllium Seed Husks (4 tbsp OR 3 tbsp if using the powder)
• Fine Grain Sea Salt (1 tsp)
• Maple Syrup or Honey (1 tbsp)
• Coconut Oil (3 tbsp melted)
• Water (1 ½ cups)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan (or non-stick loaf pan) combine all dry ingredients, stirring well.
2. Whisk together maple syrup (or honey), oil and water in a separate bowl (or straight in the measuring cup).
3. Add this whisked mixture to the dry ingredients and combine very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable).
4. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
5. Let the dough sit out on your counter for at least 2 hours, all day or overnight.  To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
6. When the dough is ready, pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
7. Place loaf pan onto the middle rack of your oven and bake for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the middle rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
9. You’ll know the bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Let cool completely before slicing.

(Store bread in a tightly sealed container for ~5 days or slice up and freeze)

on the menu : weekly recipe round-up part… who knows?

WEEKLY RECIPE ROUND-UP PART… WHO KNOWS?

Welcome to another batch of home cooked meals, bundled up into one big post (aka I openly admit to procrastination in posting these when I made them).  Alas, enjoy .

WASABI SHOYU RAMEN

Inspired by a semi-recent trip to Ippudo in NYC, I made a healthier version of their only vegetarian ramen – wasabi shoyu ramen.  The broth is not overbearing in wasabi heat, but has just the right amount of kick to keep you going in for more.  I used brown rice noodles instead of traditional ramen noodles, added lots of vegetables, scallions, ginger, and sesame seeds for a no-guilt “ramen” dish.

KALE SALAD W/ BAKED MUNG-A-LAFELS, APPLES, + RAISINS

My go-to detox beans – mung beans make great imitation falafels.  I sautéed some onions and mixed them into the mung bean “batter” to add another layer of flavor, but these guys taste great with just their mung bean selves.  This time around I’ve added mung-a-lafels to some nutrition-packed kale (found aplenty this time of the year), crispy apples, and raisins.  The vinaigrette with a lemon juice base plays double duty by brightening up the dish and keeping the apples from browning.  Fun, colorful, playful, forkfuls of vitamins/nutrients/minerals/etc. = add this to your dinner menu now.

LEEK MUSHROOM + SPINACH QUICHE

A gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian quiche held together by silken tofu.  You don’t taste any tofu thanks to the fragrant leeks, earthy mushrooms, and leafy spinach.  Quiche is often associated with breakfast or brunch, but I find it makes a perfectly fitting dinner as well.  Minimal prep time, leave it alone while it cooks in the oven, all sorts of deliciousness and goodness packed in each bite.

THAI BASIL COCONUT RED LENTIL CURRY

I obsess over Thai basil – it’s crazy how the aromatics in this herb almost get amplified with heat.  This curry came together with a few simple ingredients – onion, scallions, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, red lentils (which turn orange/yellow when cooked) – all dancing in a smooth coconut milk base.  This is a nice, light curry that can easily be enjoyed on its own or with a side of brown rice.

DRESSED UP DOSAS

A lover of Indian food, I took the concept of dosas but gave it my own twist.  The sauce is a purée of beets, chickpeas, and lots of spices.  To combat the heat, I made a simple cucumber and tomato salad dressed with a little lemon juice and scallions.  I used a mixture of chickpea flour and water to create the dosas and dinner turned into ‘dosa night.’  You know, kinda like taco night, but with dosas.  We live on the edge .

CITRUS + AVOCADO ZEN SALAD

What makes a salad ‘zen?’  Nothing… really.  It’s just a marketing ploy, but hey, got me!  The zen mixture has some Asian salad greens mixed with traditional herb greens.  Sitting atop the zen greens are some pretty winter grapefruit, oranges, avocado, and lightly toasted pine nuts.  The vinaigrette is an emulsion of the citrus juices, balsamic, a little honey, a little mustard, salt + pepper.  This is a great way to take advantage of those bulk citrus sales at your local store.  Citrus pairs beautifully with avocado and will keep them bright green.  #namaste

PASTA CON LE SARDE ALLA PALERMITANA

My guess is that many of you are not huge fans of sardines or anchovies.  I’ll admit, growing up, I associated anchovies with anchovy pizza and that’s not the most attractive means of enjoying those omega 3 and calcium-packed guys.  I highly encourage you to ease into cooking with anchovies or sardines because they’re divine.  They don’t taste as fishy as they smell, they add a natural infusion of salt, and impart a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

This pasta is an inspiration from Palermo, Italy.  Primary ingredients aside from the anchovies and sardines are fennel tops, golden raisins, onion, saffron, dried red chile, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt + pepper.  Super simple, right?  And so delicious.  A true Palermian party in your mouth.