Artichoke Chicken

The Ingredients

4 chicken cutlets

1 bag of frozen artichokes

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

lemon juice from one lemon

parsley

salt

I lucked out and was able to use some pre-made all-natural cutlets that my father prepared for his restaurant. However, you can alternate with dipping the cutlets in egg, then flour, then egg again, and breadcrumbs. Gluten-free and wheat flour are great alternatives to making the cutlets healthier. Fry with olive oil and set aside. Use paper towels to absorb the oil. 

In a pan, add olive oil and chop the garlic. Lightly brown and add the artichokes and cherry tomatoes to the pan. Sautée and add mixture to the chicken cutlets. Top with lemon juice, parsley, and salt to taste. Yum! 

The finished product! 

Italian-style Codfish

The Ingredients

2 codfish filets 

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup of white wine

2 garlic cloves

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

several sprigs of parsley

kalamata olives

capers

Chop garlic into small pieces. In a pot, add olive oil and lightly sautée the garlic until a caramel color. Then, add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they soften. Add the white wine. Then, add the filets. Add just enough water to fully cover the fish. Let cook for around 15 minutes and cover. Then, add capers, olives, and parsley. Enjoy! 

Smoked Salmon Yogurt Dip

The Ingredients

2 cups Greek yogurt

3 sprigs of dill

several pieces of smoked salmon

juice from half a lemon

Blend all ingredients and enjoy! Super tasty with some crunchy crackers. 

Avocado Monster Salad

Last night, I wanted to eat something filling. I had a ton of produce and didn't want anything to do to waste, so I made a so-called "Monster Salad" (not to be confused with monster ballads).

The Salad

4 cups spinach/kale mix (Earthbound, from Costco)

heirloom tomatoes

3 multicolored carrots

2 tbsp watermelon radish (a Whole Foods purchase)

2 avocados

1 scallion

1/2 cup cashews

The Dressing

juice of one lemon

2 tbsp miso

splash of Mirin

rice wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

The colors and the contrasting textures and flavors made for such a unique and delicious vegan treat. 

Vegan Stuffed Poblano Pepper

The Ingredients

2 poblano peppers

1 cup of brown rice

1 package of firm tofu

1 cup of mixed bag of spinach/kale

two tomatoes

1/4 cup red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

cumin

coriander

salt

red chili flakes

First, clean the poblano peppers and scoop out the seeds from the inside. Set them aside on a baking sheet. Then, bring two cups of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add the cup of brown rice and let cook thoroughly. This should take about twenty minutes, so you can do your filling prep work in the meantime. 

Lightly coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil. Chop some red onion and add to pan on medium heat, so it sizzles and the onions slightly caramelize. Dice the tofu and let it sautée with the onions. When slightly beige in color, add the cup of spinach and kale and keep on medium heat. Dice two tomatoes (I used tomatoes on the vine). Add them to the mixture and stir so everything gets evenly cooked. Add salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander to taste. I love cumin and coriander and didn't want something super spicy, so I went more heavily on those things than I did the red pepper. The mixture should look like this:

Once rice has thoroughly cooked, you can add it to the mixture. Continue to stir and season so everything is evenly spiced and cooked. You may now stuff your peppers!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook the peppers for 20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Celery Root + Leek Purée

I got a little fancy at Whole Foods! I saw they had celery root, something I had been wanting to cook for quite some time, so I went for it. It's a great alternative to potatoes. Quite the struggle to clean, peel, and cook, but worth it. Here is a recipe of mine that I tried out:

The Ingredients

2 celery roots

1 12 oz. bag of frozen leeks

2 cups of cashew cream

1/4 cup red onion

1 tbsp olive oil 

salt

pepper

First, clean the heck out of the celery root. It can be hairy and twisty at the bottom, so make sure you get out all the dirt and chop the knobby ends off. Once you have done this, you can peel away. You want to keep peeling until you only see white (this takes a while). Place the celery root into a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. It will take around 25 minutes to cook two roots. 

While the celery root is cooking, chop up 1/4 cup of red onion and set aside. Gently coat a pan with olive oil. Bring up to medium heat and add the bag of frozen leeks (mine were from Trader Joe's). Let them sauté for a bit, until their texture changes. They should be soft and sort of fall apart a bit. 

Next, add the cashew cream. I made my own from the night before. Just take a standard bowl and fill it with raw, unsalted cashews. Cover them completely with water and let them absorb the water overnight. They will soften enough that when you blend them for two minutes they become a beautiful, thick cream.  

At this point, the celery root should be cooked. Chop it into smaller chunks and add it to the leek mixture. Then, use an immersion blender to turn it all into a purée. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! It's a great side dish option.

Cranberry Almond Maca Truffles

The Ingredients

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup sliced raw almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp maca powder

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp raspberry jelly

juice of one large lemon

cocoa powder 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor but the cocoa powder. It will thicken up and will be easy to mold into little balls. 

I formed mine like so:

Roll the balls into the cocoa powder or dust them with it. 

The finished product should look like this. I leave mine in the freezer and enjoy a sweet and cool snack!