Chicken Noodle Soup

The Ingredients

2 carrots

1 celery heart

1/2 white onion

1 lb chicken thighs

full ice tray of veggie stock cubes

salt

pepper

1/2 container egg noodles or pappardelle pasta

First, peel and dice two carrots. Set them aside. (I used multicolored organic ones from Trader Joe's to add some more color to the meal). Then, chop the celery heart into pieces that are similar in size to the carrots. Set this aside as well. Dice the onion and also set this aside. In a crockpot, add an entire ice tray of veggie stock cubes. Throw in the diced carrot, celery, and onion. Take one pound of chicken thighs and throw them into the mixture. Then, add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Your crockpot should be on high heat. Cover the mixture. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, take it out of the crockpot. (This should take 20 minutes if it is on high heat). The chicken was added to the mixture for an additional chicken broth taste, but it should be cubed up so that it is similar in size to the rest of the ingredients. The last thing you want is big chicken pieces and little to no veggies or vice versa! Throw the chicken cubes back in and add salt and pepper to taste. Then, add egg noodles and cook on high heat for another 10 minutes. Enjoy this hearty soup on a cold day!

Chopped mirepoix

Hearty and delicious.

Salad with Pomegranate & Dijon dressing

The Salad Ingredients

1 package baby spinach, kale, and chard mix (I used Trader Joe's organic mix)

arnils from one pomegranate

1/2 cup sliced almonds

The Dressing Ingredients

1 tbsp honey

juice of 1lemon

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp mayo

paprika

Here is this beauty:

Lemon Vanilla Chia Pudding

The Ingredients

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 1/2 cups almond milk (unsweetened)

1 tbsp honey

zest of half a lemon

lemon juice (from half a lemon)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The finished product will be of a tapioca pudding-like consistency. Enjoy!

NOM NOM

Here it is topped with some pomegranate seeds 

Mashed Peas

The Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 diced white onion

1/2 bag frozen peas

salt

coriander

cumin

red pepper chili flakes

I adore the mashed peas from Nando's Peri Peri and decided to make them myself. Here's my recipe:

First, thaw out the frozen peas by boiling them for a few minutes. Drain them and set them aside. Then, coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil. Dice 1/4 of a white onion and throw it into the oil. Let it caramelize and become translucent. Add salt and spices to taste. Use a masher to break the peas up. Delicious!



Pre-mashing



Post-mashing

Croque-Monsieur

The Ingredients

6 slices rustic French-style hearth bread

3 pieces of ham

1/2 bag shredded swiss/gruyère mix

2 cups milk

3 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp flour

salt

pepper

nutmeg

I owe the influence of this recipe to Ina Garten. I changed the cheese and decided to use a thicker version of the bechamel sauce. 

First, toast the bread for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. While this is going on, start your sauce. In a small pot, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter with 3 tbsp flour. This is the start of your rue and it will thicken the sauce. In another pot, heat up 2 cups of milk. When heated, add to the rue and stir. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Then, add 1/4 cup swiss/gruyère blend. Take out the bread and toast on the other side for 2-3 minutes. When the bread is completely toasted, spread the inside of 3 slices of bread with dijon mustard and top with a slice of ham, and add more of the swiss/gruyère cheese blend. Top the top bread slice with the sauce and add more shredded cheese blend. Compose into sandwiches and broil for 5 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy! 

The roux

The beginning of the sandwich process

Adding ham and cheese to the mix

The complete sandwich prior to broiling

The final product

A tasty close-up! 

Veggie Farro Soup

The Ingredients

1 cup farro

2 carrots

1/2 diced onion

1/2 bag pre-cut kale

8 veggie stock cubes

1 tbsp tomato paste
salt
pepper

First, rinse the farro to remove it of any grit. Peel and dice the carrots. Then, throw the veggie stock cubes into a crock pot. Add the farro, carrots, and kale. Dice onion and add to the mixture. Keep on low heat and cook for 4 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. I added mini turkey meatballs to mine and topped with some grated parmesan cheese for additional flavor. 

Delicious close-up

YUM!

Creamy Beet Soup

The Ingredients

2 beets

12 beet veggie stock cubes

1/4 diced red onion

1/2 container cream cheese

sea salt

I had beets, veggie stock, and cream cheese that I was determined to turn into a delicious recipe. 

First, dice the beets and onion. Throw them into a crock pot with the veggie stock cubes. Then, add cream cheese and sea salt. Stir occasionally. Leave on high heat for about one hour. Then, purée using an immersion blender. The final product ends up being a lovely magenta color. Enjoy!

1 Person Buttery Waffle

The Ingredients

1 egg

3 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

3 tbsp white sugar

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients into a bowl and use a waffle iron to cook. I topped it with butter and organic maple syrup. 

Enjoy! 

Italian-Style Marinated Eggplant

The Ingredients

6 Italian or Japanese eggplants (they are skinny and FULL of flavor)

1 cup red wine vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves

3 sprigs of parsley

sea salt

red chili flakes

Warning: this is a long process to preserve eggplants. Only do this if you have a lot of time to spare.

First, peel the eggplants. Then, cut off the top and bottom. Slice eggplants into thin quarters. Then, place a heavy bowl/weight on them to remove excess water for at least one hour. Doing this will allow you to infuse them with a lot of flavor. Then, throw the eggplants (they should be somewhat mushy at this point) into a pot with water and 1 cup of red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil. Then, squeeze out excess water out of the eggplant and keep in the pot for 15 minutes. Keep squeezing so they are all dente and removed of the excess liquid. Then, place the eggplant into a jar with parsley, hot pepper, garlic cloves, and olive oil. Submerge the eggplant and keep them there for at least a week to completely be infused with the flavors in the jar. They will be good for at least two weeks...if they last that long! They are a delicious condiment on sandwiches, great with small plates and wine, and also delicious on crackers. 

The eggplants

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

The oil

What they should look like prior to adding to the olive oil mixture

 In the jar

Final product! 

Carrot Soup

The Ingredients

9 carrots

3 parsnips

2 potatoes

1 container veggie stock

3 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cups water

4 bay leaves

ginger

cumin

coriander

black pepper

sea salt

chili flakes

thyme

Peel carrots and parsnips and chop into small pieces. Peel the potatoes and dice. Throw the veggie stock into the crock pot with diced vegetables. Then, dice some garlic and onion and throw into the mixture on low hear. Add olive oil, bay leaves, water, and spices to taste. Cook on low heat for 1-2 hours. Then, purée. Enjoy! 

Onion Tomato Veggie Broth

The Ingredients

1/4 white onion

1/4 red onion

skins of 4 potatoes

3 scallions

1/2 baby leek

skins from 4 carrots

parsley

20 peppercorns

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp tomato paste

thyme

rosemary

sea kelp salt

Throw all ingredients into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer. The whole process should take about 30-40 minutes. The broth should be a nice orange color. Freeze in an ice tray to preserve. 

Enjoy! 

Veggie Bean Soup/Sauce

The Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 can peeled tomatoes with sauce

1/2 diced onion

optional: juice pulp from baby spinach, 2 carrots, 1 tomato, and 2 celery stalks

parsley

2 veggie stock cubes

Drain the black beans and throw into a crockpot with tomatoes. Dice 1/2 a white onion and throw it in. Use leftover juice pulp to add some flavor, thickness, and veggies to the mixture. I use my own veggie stock cubes, but 1 cup of regular veggie stock can also work. Then, add just enough water to gently coat the mixture. Also, since I already flavor my veggie stock with a lot of salt and spices, I don't add any to the mixture. You can add salt, pepper, and spices to taste. Cook on low heat for 4 hours. Then, purée. You can add extra water if you want to turn the mixture into a sauce. 

Bean sauce over sunnyside up eggs. 

Honey Vanilla Waffle

The Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup soy milk

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3 tbsp melted butter

1/4 ground flax seeds

Mix all ingredients into a bowl and use a waffle iron to cook. Enjoy! 

Serious nom noms. 

Yummy Juice

The Ingredients

2 golden beets

4 celery stalks

1 Bosc pear

1/2 bundle of parsley

Yum! 

Asiago Parmesan Thins

The Ingredients

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup asiago cheese

Grate cheeses into circles and bake for 3-5 minutes at 325 degrees. Make sure they don't turn too brown, or they will be bitter. When done just right, they are crunchy and a delicious snack. 

YUM!