April showers bring spring parties!
Vegan Roasted Cauliflower
Vegan Roasted Cauliflower
Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week. The world stays quieter a little bit longer, the vibe is more relaxed and leisure is a priority. As I laid in my bed this past Sunday I scrolled through my social media accounts and stopped at this Jamie Oliver post. A whole roasted cauliflower? I'm all in. I went to the store that evening and got the remaining ingredients I didn't have at home and the results were amazing. This is going to become a new staple in my home routine that I will continue to riff on. Try it, it's more delicious than you could imagine!
Click this link for the recipe!
Chocolate Antioxidant Bites
You know that feeling most of us have? The craving for something sweet and chocolatey but are trying to be "good?" Look no further, your dreams have been answered. Not only are these dark chocolate bites delicious and beautiful, they are chalk full of healthy antioxidants. Easy and fun to make, these are a new go to that are here to stay in my wheelhouse. Create as many combos as you like, the results will only be wonderful! I copied the link to a wonderful website where you can learn the basics for these treats to then make your own combination of toppings!
Follow the link here!
Harvest Lentil and Delicata Squash Salad/An Ode To Chicken
Anyone who knows me personally is aware of my struggle with chicken. Maybe it's too many videos and articles that have educated me on how poorly chicken is harvested in the U.S. but, I am constantly off chicken. The catch (because there always is one) is that I do love to make it at home. Buying a whole bird or pieces that have been locally sourced and bringing it home makes for a favorite moment in my kitchen. During the past few weeks of more overall healthful dishes chicken has begun to star in some moments. I prepared a harvest salad of lentils, Swiss chard and delicata squash with a piece of roasted chicken breast on top. The dish was better than I could have hoped for and I will try to not create the same thing every night for the next week. The recipe for the salad is below and perfect on its own. Prepare chicken, beef or a slice of pork if you desire.
1 cup of lentils (I used a blend to create a harvest look)
1 cup of Swiss chard clean, pulled off stem and torn into pieces
1/4 cup of olive oil (plus more for garnish)
The juice and zest from one lemon
One delecata squash roasted -see note below
Salt and pepper to taste
*follow the link to learn how to prepare delicata squash for this dish
Fill a saucepan with rinsed lentils and fill with water till lentils are covered about a quarter of an inch. Bring the pot to a boil, stir and reduce to a lower simmer for a two minutes. Stir again, turn off the heat and place a lid on top. The lentils will continue to cook for about 15 minutes.
While the lentils finish bring the olive oil to a medium heat. Add Swiss chard and toss. The chard will wilt while it cooks, reduce temperature to low until completely wilted then leave in pan and turn off heat.
If there is any remaining liquid in the lentils drain and then add to the chard. Toss till coated adding the lemon juice and zest. Place in serving dish and garnish with delicata squash, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Heirloom Caprese Salad
This caprese will be what I hold every other one to, it was perfection. You only need a handful of ingredients to enjoy this wonder.
2-3 Heirlooms of Different Colors
1 Large Ball of Mozzarella About 8oz
A Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
Olive Oil and Balsamic To Drizzle
Salt and Pepper To Garnish
Slice tomatoes and mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Get creative with how you arrange the tomatoes and cheese, you can alternate tomato colors, insert cheese slices and add the basil as you wish. I alternated the tomato slices then the cheese and the basil. The tomatoes were truly sweet like candy and fresh made mozzarella melted in our mouths, I need to make this again immediately.
My Ragu-Summer Style
When I was visiting my parents last month I only had time to make them one meal. They of course asked for my ragu since there was only time for one request. I lightened the version up by using ground turkey meat and fresh summer tomatoes, the results were delicious.
2 Pds Fresh tomatoes (Canned Whole San Marzano Work As A Substitute)
1 Yellow Onion Diced
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Pd Ground Turkey (I Prefer A Combination Of 20% Dark Meat to 80% Light)
A Handful Of Fresh Parsley Roughly Chopped
3 Large Fresh Basil Leaves Thinly Sliced
Salt and Pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano To Shave Over
Heat olive oil over medium heat until it begins to release its scent, add the diced onion. Sauté for until the onions become translucent about 8 minutes. Turn the heat up and add the turkey meat, you want to brown the meat just a bit. Reduce the heat after 2-3 minutes, stir and break up meat into the onions.
While the meat cooks through squeeze the fresh tomatoes into a separate bowl with your hands, seeds and all. Add the tomatoes to the meat and onions, begin to salt and pepper the contents about 2 tsp of each to start. I believe in seasoning throughout the cooking process, adjust to your preferred taste. Bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer, add parsley. Stir contents occasionally over the 20 minutes the sauce cooks. Add basil and stir through together.
Prepare the pasta noodle of your choice, top with sauce, garnish with fresh parmesan.