Recipe: Kale and Apple Salad

My boyfriend has started his annual garden. Filled with herbs and growing vegetables. This year we are trying tuscan kale. Right now, we had enough to harvest to make this amazing salad. Is it weird that fresh vegetables from the garden taste so much better?!

This recipe is so simple, yet so flavorful!

Direction/Ingredients

1 medium granny smith apple, stripped with a mandolin or julienne peeler
10-15 kale leaves, sliced long (medium sized)
1 handful of roughly diced walnuts or pecans

Dressing

2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 small lemon, juiced

Add the kale and apple in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix. Add all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, mix with a whisk, and add to the salad. Toss and then add some freshly cracked pepper! Top with pecans and/or walnuts. I love the extra crunch it gives!

Recipe: Avocado Chicken Salad in Romaine Cups

I'm not the healthiest eater, but when I go to the gym, I need to eat something healthy to feel that my workout made a difference. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make today, but saw my rotisserie chicken in the fridge and decided on avocado chicken salad.

A lot of people ask me if it's as creamy as mayo and/or yogurt. If you get a well ripened avocado, you should have no problem reaching that consistency.

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients - makes about 8 romaine cups

1/2 avocado
1 1/2 cup of chopped rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 handful of cilantro
1/2 lime
1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1/2 tsp of red onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced small
Dash of salt and pepper to taste
8 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions

Add all of these ingredients (sans romaine) in a bowl and mix well! I tend to use my hands to get all the avocado mixed in well with the chicken. Lay out each romaine lettuce leaf and add a spoonful of chicken salad. I rolled my lettuce to eat like a wrap. Way less messy!

Easter Sunday: Deviled Eggs

Easter always makes me crave deviled eggs! I like to keep mine healthy with very little mayo and have other spices accentuate the flavor.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can really do anything as long as you have your two major ingredients, yolks and mayo. If you want a healthier alternative, I recommend using avocado instead. You still get that creaminess, but it's less fat!

Other options: sriracha, bacon, and/or jalapeños :)

Recipe

4 eggs

Boil these eggs for 15 minutes and let sit for another 15 to cool. Once cooled, peel and slice in half to take out the yolks. Put the whites nicely on a plate into the fridge to harden. I like to harden my eggs before I put the mixture in it so everything sits nicely.

Mixture

4 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbs of light mayo
1/8 tsp of paprika
1/2 of a small lemon, juice
1/2 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp smoked spanish chorizo spice - can be bought at wholespice.com (or any asado seasoning)
freshly cracked pepper
1 green onion stalk, diced small
1/8 tsp roasted red bell pepper powder - can be bought on wholespice.com

Mix the mixture in a small bowl and then move into a small ziplock bag. Make the ziplock into a piping bag while cutting a small hole at the edge. Take the eggs out of the fridge and put the mixture in each shell.

Top with some extra green onions and/or paprika

Chill for another 15-20 minutes before serving.

Weekend Soup: Roasted Red Pepper & Smoked Mozzarella Soup

My current obsession is making soup with my hand blender. I love it. It's such a quick process and I have a gourmet meal within minutes. I found this roasted red pepper soup recipe on Taste of Home and modified to make it healthier and my own.

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Mozzarella Soup

4 red peppers, charred on the grill
1 32 oz of chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup of fresh basil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and diced
1 tbs herb de provence
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs of heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, shredded fine with a grater (add more if you want)

Directions

With a tbs of coconut oil, cook the shallots and onions till browned.

Add the the herb the provence, pepper and jalapeño.

Mix in the broth and simmer for about 1-2 minute then add the can of tomatoes and basil. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Once you have the red pepper charred on the grilled, chop in half and add to the soup. Use a hand blender (or transfer soup to any blender) till smooth. Then mix in the cream and mozzarella. Let the soup sit for 1-2 minutes so the the mozzarella will melt and garnish with sliced basil leaves.

Sunday Dinner: Giada's Potato Crusted Tilapia, Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad & Green Beans

It's Sunday Dinner! I decided to try something I saw on Giada's show (Everyday Italian) on Food Network. It's her purple potato crusted tilapia. Healthy eating is incredibly costly sometimes, which is why I love tilapia filets. Super inexpensive, healthy and delicious! Now I didn't have purple potatoes, so I just used regular Russet Potatoes and it tasted great! For a side I had a Japanese Ginger dressing salad and oven baked green beans.

Green Beans

Toss green beans in olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Baked on 350 for about 10-15 minutes.


Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 roma tomatoes sliced length-wise
1/2 english cucumber sliced length-wise
1/2 carrot grated
3 tbs of TonTon Japanese Dressing - Can be bought at Costco (amazing) - add more if you like!

Potato Crusted Tilapia

Recipe link: Giada's Potato Crusted Tilapia

Rainy Day Soup Recipe: Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Soup

I am so obsessed with soup during the fall. One of my favorite recipes is the Ina Garten Tomato and Basil Soup. So delicious, healthy and easy to make. A perfect weeknight dinner for me and my boyfriend. It has so much flavor that I eventually eat 2-3 bowls. See below for the recipe. Keep warm!

Recipe Ina Garten Roasted Tomato Soup

Recipe: Quinoa Salad

Superfoods has been a term that has been thrown around a lot these days. Kale is probably the most popular "superfood" but I'm partial to quinoa. 

Quinoa is a grain that is gluten free and high in protein. It's a germinated grain that has excellent nutritional value. A great alternative to rice, barley, etc... 

Recipe

1 cup quinoa 

2 cups water

1 tomato, diced

1/2 english cucumber, diced

1/2 tbs red onions, chopped

1 cup arugula, stemmed removed and chopped fine

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tbs olive oil

1/2 lemon juiced

Cook the quinoa in the two cups water with a 1 tsp salt. This should cook high for 15 minutes. Once completed, sit aside to cool

Once cooled, mix the remaining ingredients and toss. Add more salt while tasting. As I always say, it's all based on preference. 

Weeknight Dinner: Stuffed Sweet Potato

Another easy weeknight with my rotisserie chicken. This is so quick to make, tastes delicious and is healthy!

Recipe

1 large sweet potato, microwaved for 15 minutes
1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp salt (add more as you cook and taste)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp of coconut oil

Fire up your pan and add the coconut oil (start with 1 tsp but add more if the pan starts getting dry). Add the onion and cook till transparent and browned. Add the shredded chicken and all the seasonings for about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

Once the sweet potato is done, slice in the middle and make room for all the filling. Serve and enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend Grill Feast: Red Snapper with Veggies on a bed of Quinoa

Happy Labor Day Weekend all!

Since the warm days are about to turn chillier, we wanted to use our grill to make a Labor Day Weekend Grill Feast. It's a very simple and easy dinner. Grilled red snapper and corn with sautéed zucchini and baby broccoli on a bed of quinoa. Now a lot of my recipes, especially this one, doesn't really give step by step instructions, just a general guide. Everyone has their own preference and some my recipes don't call for exact measurements because I just like going rogue! Makes cooking more fun.

Recipe

1.3 lbs fillet of red snapper
1 bunch of baby broccoli
2 zucchinis cut into circles
1/2 cup of quinoa
1.5 cups of water
Seasonings (your choice)

I first seasoned the fillet of red snapper with a bunch of difference whole foods seasoning from their seafood isle (they have everything!) Put it on the grill for 15-20 minutes.

Baby Broccoli - chop up some garlic in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Put the broccoli in with some lemon juice with the pan cover on. Let it steam for 10 minutes. Soggy vegetables are the worst, so keep an eye on how high the stove is set.

Zucchini - Toss it in olive oil, seasonings of your choice, salt, pepper and cook in a pan for 10 minutes. You want it to remain crispy so make sure it doesn't start getting brown ... it's a sign that it's now overcooked. No bueno!

Quinoa - Boil 1.5 cups of water and 1/2 cup of quinoa. Quinoa to me isn't very good seasoned, so I avoid seasonings.. Don't worry, the other flavors in this meal will compensate. Let it cook for 5 minutes on high, and when the water is bubbling, put the stove on low and let sit. The quinoa will seep up the water and become fluffy.

Corn - Season with your favorite seasonings (I used paprika, dill, garlic&herb, Betts seasoning (all time favorite) and Morton's all purpose seasoning) Cover in foil and grill for 10-12 minutes.

Quick Kale Salad Recipe

I love an easy weeknight salad! I had some kale at home and decided to make a quick salad for dinner. It's healthy and low-carb!

Recipe

1 bunch of kale thinly sliced
1 granny smith chopped lengthwise
1/2 cup of walnuts, pistachios or pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs lemon zest
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pepper

If you don't have time to make a dressing, the Dean and Deluca Pear Vinaigrette is an amazing alternative! I use that if I have a long night at work. However, I do advocate making your own since it eliminates preservatives.

Mix all ingredients together, serve immediately.

*** You can add some fresh grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano to the salad. I'm just not a huge pungent cheese fan since it diminishes some of the healthiness of the salad but it's all preference.

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

Recipe (serves 2)

4 vine-ripen juicy tomatoes (the juicier the better!)
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 buffalo mozzarella ball (or any type of mozzarella)
1 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs of fine balsamic vinegar
Balsamic glaze drizzle on top
Dash of freshly grounded pepper and salt

Instructions: Dice up your tomatoes and mozzarella. Toss everything together (except the balsamic glaze). Drizzle the glaze at the end.

Fairly simple recipe! The balsamic glaze is sweet and really binds the whole salad together but it's all preference. You can purchase it at any World Market, Whole Foods and/or regular/specialty grocery store.

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

So my parents are coming to town tomorrow and I wanted to whip up something for "tea time" (yes, we really do that). I found this awesome recipe from a blog called Hearts of Delight for this blueberry lemon loaf (recipe hyperlinked with blog). My mom and I love lemon, so I added some extra zest than the recipe intends. I also add a handful of chopped walnuts for that crunch.

Had to cook it for about 30 minutes longer because my oven is older but it turned out excellent!

If you run in to that issue and need longer to bake, make sure you cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn but remains a nice golden color.

Note: I stated healthy "kinda" only because it still contains a TON of sugar. All in all, there is no butter, so I consider this a tea time success.

My Favorite Green Juice

So I'm still not a juice connoisseur and I really am a novice to this. However, there is one green juice that I like and will share my recipe. I had something similar during one my travels but had to figure out the recipe through taste. The excessive amount of vegetables in juices are not my thing... yet...

Below is my favorite green juice recipe. I used a regular juicer, but be aware, I used a ton of kale and and it only amounted to this much juice.

Recipe 

1 bunch of kale leaves (stalk removed)
1 chopped apple
4 strawberries
1 tbs of fresh grated ginger
1/4 of a lemon

Detox Tuesday - Grilled Turkey Salad with Salmon

So I'm still detoxing and decided to post my recipe for this grilled turkey salad with salmon. I know.. salmon again... I just made a ton, its healthy and tastes delicious!

Recipe

1 piece of grilled Alaskan Salmon (6 oz) - I used about half for the salad
1 grilled turkey burger sliced
4 bunches of romaine lettuce leaves (chopped)
1/4 of an english cucumber (sliced thick)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon
1 tbs Coleman's Mint Sauce
Dash of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup of grilled onions
1 small vine ripen tomato diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
4 piece of blanched asparagus spears

Dressing

1 tsp hummus
1 tsp roasted red pepper spread (I used the Trader Joes version)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Coleman's Mint Sauce (I purchased it from Amazon - Coleman)

Please refer to my previous post for cooking and seasoning the salmon.

Turkey Burger: I would season the heck out of it just like the salmon. I added one tbs of panko crumbs and one egg to bind it all together but I really just added every herb (rosemary, parsley, oregano, sage) in my garden and every seasoning I own. I also added a dash of cinnamon and cumin to help enhance the flavor, but other than than, go crazy!

Boiling the Eggs: The best trick I have found is to boil the water and then toss in the eggs for about 9-10 minutes to get the perfect yellow yolk!

Asparagus Spears: To blanche asparagus spears, boil your water and add in the spears for 2 minutes. You want that bright green color but for it to remain crispy as well.

Once you have all the ingredients above prepared, mix it all together before adding the dressing. Once tossed, add the small amount of dressing and mix (it may seem as if there is not enough dressing but the flavors from everything else will enhance the salad). Add more pepper if you would like and serve immediately.

Detox Monday - Salmon Salad with a Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette

It's Detox Monday! After eating pizza and pasta during my business trip, it's time to get healthy! This recipe is very easy and fast for those long work weeks!

Recipe

1 piece of grilled Alaskan Salmon (6 oz) - I used about half for the salad
4 bunches of romaine lettuce leaves (chopped)
1/4 of an english cucumber (sliced thick)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon
Dash of fresh ground pepper

Get a large piece of salmon and season with all your favorite seasonings. The salad itself is pretty plain mainly because the flavors will come from your cooked salmon. I do overdo my seasonings since salmon can still be fishy! I added cumin, crushed red pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and some of my favorite Whole Foods seasoning mixes (post soon to follow). I also added some sliced lemons on top and fresh dill.


Grilling - (on a cedar plank) Takes about 15 minutes (just make sure you can flake off the salmon which to me ensures that it is cooked thoroughly)

Bake - Put the seasoned salmon on a baking dish with aluminum foil on the bottom. Seal the dish with additional aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for about 35-45 minutes until the salmon flakes with a fork.

Mix all the ingredients together and serve, chilled!