I have forgotten how good chicken soup is. I came across a super easy recipe from A Cup Of Joe. The only time consuming part is cutting up all the veggies. If you have a food processor I recommend using it, just throw everything in there and let it spin. I think one of the reasons why I like this recipe is because it is packed with veggies. This time since I have so much leftover I put individual servings in plastic baggies and froze it. It is perfect right after a good workout!

{photos by me}

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}

So last night, as usual I had a craving for Mexican food. I had a bunch of veggies I needed to use but didn’t want the usual tostada or taco. So I decided to whip up a spanish style red quinoa salad, oh man was it good

It is so easy just cut up everything and throw it together, how can you not make this dish. I basically eyeballed everything, since it’s a salad go nuts. I didn’t put a dressing on it, because the lime juice was enough. I wanted to add a little dollop of greek yogurt but didn’t have any, I think this would be a nice added touch. I also made some tortilla chips for some crunchy texture. 

INGREDIENTS

• Red quinoa
• avocado, cut into 1/2 pieces
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• black beans, rinsed and drained
• onion, diced
• roasted corn (I used frozen)
• salt & pepper
• cayenne (optional)
• lime juice

Cook the red quinoa as directed. While that’s cooking combine the avocado, cherry tomatoes, black beans, onion, roasted corn, salt, pepper and cayenne. Toss gentely to combine. Once quinoa is cooked and cooled add to veggies, add lime juice toss again and enjoy!   

{photos by me}

For whatever reason my mailbox was inundated with Women’s Health magazines this month. I always enjoy their recipes because one they are super healthy and two they are usually pretty easy to make. Of course when I came across another soup recipe I had to try it. This is probably the fastest soup I have ever made. Since I have introduced meat back into my diet I thought this was a perfect baby step in cooking meat at home. This soup can easily be made vegan, just use vegan sausage and vegetable broth. My only callout is to add a little salt, the soup tasted a little bland without it. 

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

MEATBALLS

• 8 oz mild Italian pork sausage (remove from casing)
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

SOUP

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups (packed) chopped escarole
• 1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 6 tsp olive oil

1. Form sausage into 30 teaspoon size balls. In a soup pot, brown the meatballs in olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove to a plate.

2. Saute onion and fennel in the drippings for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add escarole, reserving a handful. Increase the heat to medium-high and toss for 2 minutes, until leaves wilt.

3. Return meatballs to the pot. Add beans, broth, pepper and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved escarole. Divide among bowls and drizzle each with olive oil. 

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

I am happy to share a dish that I was dying to make ever since I got the Fresh and Easy cookbook, seafood risotto. I went all out for this recipe, I went to the Santa Monica seafood market and picked up the freshest prawns (they were alive when I bought them…yikes!) clams and squid.

I think the best part about this recipe was the fresh fish broth. I have never made my own broth and surprisingly enough it was super easy. Working with such fresh ingredients really elevates any dish, and this holds true when using the freshest seafood. 

I love visiting the seafood market, I have never had a bad piece of seafood. I think the prawns were the best. It is definitely worth the money to try them out on special occasions. 

{photos by me}

I know I have mentioned many times before I love soup. So when I came across this kale white bean soup via Love and Lemons, I knew I had to try it. I love bean soups, because it adds a great hearty texture, and the addition of the sherry vinegar adds nice flavor to the overall dish. I am also love cooking with mushrooms and white wine, its a match made in heaven. My only suggestion is to add a few more cups of vegetable broth, the recipe calls for 3 cups. Another super easy and yummy dish, perfect for a chilly winter evening. Enjoy!

{photos by me}

First up on the fresh & easy cookbook series, is the salmon with dill pickles and new potatoes. I cannot stress enough on how easy and tasty this dish is. I really love the dill pickles, I might make this as a yummy side salad. I am not a fan of using the broiler, but surprisingly enough I like the taste of the salmon much better when cooked this way.

{photos by me}

I love cookbooks, especially when they are designed and photographed really well. It is no surprised that when I got this book “How to Cook & How to Cook it: Fresh and Easy,” by Jane Hornby for Christmas I was instantly in love. The photographs are really simple, clean and extremely easy to follow. I love the clean grid all the food is photographed on, I have seen this style a lot in the past few years. This book is so loved that it does not live in the kitchen it actual has a home on my coffee table. 

This entire week I will be sharing the recipes I have made from this book, I warn you now they are extremely easy and really tasty. First up is Salmon with Dill Pickle and New Potatoes!

{photos by me}