A few nights ago I wanted to tryout a recipe that I had in my brain for awhile, so I made it and it was a success. Polenta with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes in a white wine sauce. It’s funny I am not a fan of white wine, but I do love cooking with it especially with mushrooms it adds a great depth. Plus the polenta absorbs the sauce making it extra tasty. It is really easy to make you can even improvise and add any kind of veggies you have. Again I eyeballed this dish, you can easily visualize how much to make for one person. I really need to start writing everything down. 

INGREDIENTS

• quick cook polenta 
• olive oil
• onion, diced
• button mushrooms, cut in half
• cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• garlic, minced
• white wine
• little vegetable broth
• salt & pepper to taste
• Italian parsley

Cook the polenta based on directions. Meanwhile in a pan heat olive oil add onions, mushrooms, pinch of salt and pepper and saute until brown. Add cherry tomatoes and garlic and cook until tomatoes are soft. Add enough white wine that coats the pan and then add some vegetable broth. Scarp any bits off the pan. Cover and cook until the alcohol has burned off about 20 minutes depending on how much liquid is used. 

Add polenta to a dish put mushroom mixture on top and garnish with Italian parsley. 

Enjoy!

{photos by me, recipe by me}

I have been trying out a lot of new recipes lately so here is another I have been making quite a bit. It is super easy and really healthy. It tastes like vacation with the mix of coconut oil and lime. I also love the raw spinach because when you place the hot fish on top it slowly wilts the leaves. 

INGREDIENTS

• Zest of 3 limes
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil, melted, divided
• 4 tilapia fillets (5 oz each)
• 8 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup + t tbsp lime juice

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine lime zest, garlic, salt, pepper and 4 tsp coconut oil. 

Coat tilapia fillets with the oil mixture on both sides. Place fillets, two at a time, in the frying pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and crisp.

In a large bowl toss spinach with the remaining tbsp of coconut oil and tbsp lime juice. Divide among four serving plates. To serve, top each plate with a fillet and drizzle with lime juice.

Enjoy!

{photos by me, recipe from Women’s Health March 2013}

Looking back on all the food I have made this year, a majority of them were my very own creations. I have been cooking and baking for so long, that I finally started to feel comfortable enough to really experiment in the kitchen. My top 5 recipes surprisingly enough are some of my own creations that I still make on a regular basis. Enjoy!

• 1: Jackfruit Tostadas
• 2: Kale Salad
• 3: Caprese Salad
• 4: Mushrooms with Polenta
• 5: Vegan Blueberry Muffins

{photos by me}

I know if I am posting what I have made I liked it in some way. This dish from Women’s Health Magazine is hands down one of the best dishes I have made. I love all the veggies and adding the chickpeas makes it a great hearty dinner. I loved this dish so much I think I ate the leftovers two days in a row. This recipe is a great weekday meal, because you cut up everything and throw it in the oven. I also switched up some of the veggies based on the amount I wanted to make. The recipe serves 6, so I cut it in half. I used Japanese eggplant instead of regular eggplant strictly based on size. I also had no thyme, but I had Italian seasoning so I used that and worked just as well.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cans (14oz each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 8 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 1/2 tsp sherry wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Heat oven 450 degrees. In a bowl, toss zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper and onion with thyme, rosemary, 3/4 tsp salt. Coast a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray. Spread veggies in a pan in a single layer; roast, stirring once. 25 minutes. In same bowl, combine chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Add to pan with veggies in a single layer; roast 10 to 12 minutes more. Toss veggies with vinegar, divide among 6 bowls, sprinkle with basil.

Enjoy!

{photos by me, recipe: Women’s Health Magazine, December 2012}

Keeping with the theme of fall I finally made the first soup of the season, barley stew with leeks, mushrooms and kale. Soup is seriously the best because you have at least 4 meals for the week. This recipe is via epicurious, my mom also make a yummy barley soup and I always forget to get the recipe from her, so mom when you read this please send it over. 

{photos by me, recipe here}

Tar & Roses is where we ended my Saturday birthday celebration, this place is amazing. I like how the menu is set up, you first start off with a snack, then ease into the small plates and continue with the large and veggie plates. The great thing about the large plates is they have two options a meat and fish that can be shared. I rarely see this on menus. 

So we started off with the popped corn with bacon, brown sugar and chili. Now I know I don’t eat meat, but I couldn’t say no to popcorn. It was so good. We also tried the squid ink tagliatelle and octopus, I love anything with octopus. We then ordered the rib eye for two and the fried red snapper for two. We accompanied them with Jerusalem cauliflower (those were my favorite) and Brussels sprouts. It is rare when you get an entire fish served at the table, so it was a little shocking at first but you just dive in. It was cooked perfectly, nice and crispy outside and nice soft on the inside. 

Every meal needs to end with a fantastic dessert, and they didn’t disappoint. I ordered the strawberry ricotta with honeycomb ice cream. Hands one of the best desserts I have had in awhile. The honeycomb ice cream was amazing, I have never had it before it had such great flavor. 

I cannot wait to go back.

{photos by me}

The other night I made a dish that is hands down AMAZING!! It is a recipe from my friend Jessica, steamed kale with roasted chickpeas, pico de gallo and guacamole. Now I know it is a bunch of components, but they are so easy to put together. I think the best part is the roasted chickpeas. I have already declared my love for roasted chickpeas in a past post. Once you make this dish you will wonder how you lived without it.

While putting together this post, it got me thinking about doing an in the kitchen with my friends section. I love sharing food, that is one of the reasons why I started this blog. So why not share what my amazing friends are cooking up in their kitchens. So stay tuned for some amazing recipes from my pals.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of kale, cut into small pieces

• 1 can of chickpeas (drained)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper (you can also use curry powder, garlic salt, or nothing)

PICO DE GALLO (this makes a good amount so you will have leftovers for chips and salsa)

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced 
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lime juice
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Dash of salt and pepper

GUACAMOLE  (this I made for one serving so you can just double if you want to make more)

• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash of garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Hot sauce

Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 450. Blot the chickpeas with a paper towel remove any excess moisture. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl combine the chickpeas, olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper (I just eyeball these ingredients, just make sure everything is coated evenly) toss to coat. Spread them evenly on the parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes until brown and crunchy. You will need to watch them around the last 5 minutes because they can start to burn.

Kale: Place the kale in a steamer and steam for a couple minutes, just to get rid of some of the bitterness about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Pico de gallo: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Guacamole: Mash up the avocado and combine all the other ingredients, set aside

Once the chickpeas have been cooled, combine all the ingredient except for the guacamole. Toss to coat everything, place it in a dish and put a nice amount of guacamole on top. Enjoy!

{photo by me}

I have been on a fresh taco kick lately. This one in particular is a favorite of mine. All fresh ingredient with a great mix of textures. I think the reason why I love tacos is because they are so easy to change up, use just black beans, shrimp, fish its so versatile. This recipe is all eyeballed because I made only 3. It is pretty easy to determine how much more you need if making more than 3.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 avocado, cut into small pieces
• 2 tomatoes, cut into small pieces
• Onion, diced I eyeballed the amount
• Cilantro, eyeballed the amount, chopped and some for garnish
• Fresh lime juice you can use half or the entire lime
• Dash of olive oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce (I love cholula)
• Extra firm tofu half a cube, pat dry and cut into cubes
• 1-2 tbs of coconut oil, depending on how much tofu you are using
• Tortillas

Combine the first 6 ingredients into a medium bowl mix and set aside. In a saucepan add the coconut oil and let it get hot. Once oil is hot add the tofu and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the sides are lightly brown about 10 minutes. Once tofu is brown, put them on a paper towel and remove any excess oil. Combine the tofu in the salsa bowl to coat the tofu. Add the mixture on top of the tortillas, add some cilantro and enjoy!

{photos and recipe by me}

A couple weekends ago I had a craving for seafood, it never fails that I would have a craving for crab in the Summer time. I decided I wanted to test my cooking skills and make my own seafood boil. To my surprise it was the easiest thing ever! All you do is boil water in a large pot, add the seasoning then toss in all the ingredients (one at a time). After trying out this easy dinner, I know want to through my very own seafood boil party. It would be so much fun to have a table full of friends cracking open some yummy crab legs. 

INGREDIENTS

• Red potatoes
• Sweet corn on the cob, cut into halves
• 1 pound sausage cut into 2 inch pieces, I used vegetarian sausage
• 1 pound, uncooked shrimp
• 2 pounds, crab legs
• 1 to 2 boxes of Seafood boil seasoning 
• Lemons, optional

Bringing 6 to 8 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add seafood boil seasoning and red potatoes and cook for about 15 minutes.

Next add sausage and sweet corn to the boiling water and cook for another 10 minutes until the red potatoes are tender.

Using a slotted spoon remove the sweet corn on the cob, red potatoes and sausage from the boiling water and place on a large serving platter.

Next add shrimp and snow crab legs and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Be sure not to over cook the crab legs and shrimp. Remove the cooked shrimp and crab legs from boiling water.

Place them on a platter, or table lined with newspaper and enjoy!

{photos by me}

This dish was inspired by one of my favorite salads from Lemonade curry cauliflower with almonds. I love the combination of textures and spices. This is another super easy recipe, and the best part is you can eat it the next day (it almost tastes better the next day). 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus 1/2 tsp

Preheat the oven 450. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, curry powder, salt, cayenne and 1 tbsp lemon juice whisk together until curry dissolves. Add cauliflower and almonds toss to coat. Transfer to a baking dish and roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until tender and brown. Periodically rotate the pan so the almonds don’t burn.

Serve hot or cold, its great both ways. If you are feeling extra fancy garnish with some fresh cilantro. Enjoy! 

{photos and recipe by me}