Something about Hawaii and Bacon

After following a strictly vegetarian diet for 10 years I am slowly reintroducing meat to my life.

My most recent rediscovery is bacon.

For the few weeks that followed my "first" bite of bacon I literally wanted nothing else.

My heart hates me.

Luckily having your bacon with a side of greens and fruit cancels out the unhealthy effects right?

Probably not.

BUT, this slightly adapted salad from The Kitchn is a good enough justification of that theory, and yes, if you get your Tupperware out you can even pack it up to make your co-workers drool!

Hawaiian Salad

(adapted from The Kitchn)

Ingredients (per salad)

• a few chunks of pineapple
• 2 T chopped red peppers
• 1/2 c chickpeas
• 2 T dressing, I used an lemon tahini dressing but ranch will work
• 1-2 slices of bacon
• 1 big handful of greens

Combine

1. Start by cooking your bacon by method of choice then setting it aside to let cool.
2. Toss the greens with your dressing of choice then sprinkle with pineapple, red pepper, and chickpeas,
3. Chop up bacon and sprinkle on top.
4. Note: this is a packable recipe, start by putting your dressing at the bottom of a tupperware, then layer in the chickpeas, pineapple, red pepper, bacon, and greens!

Fudgey Fronana Pops

A long, long time ago when my taste buds were very different and my metabolism much faster, I thought it was a great idea to live off of ice cream during the summer.

There are so many styles and flavors, how could anyone want to eat anything else?

Several cavities and increased pants sizes later - I understand.

When I stumbled across this recipe for "fro-nana" I once again thought to myself that eating "ice cream" each day would be possible.  No added sugars, low fat, lots of flavor, and refreshingly cold - this recipe is a must-make for summer.

Taste it for yourself, let yourself fall in love, then check back later for more adventures in popsicle making!

Fudgey Fro-nana Pops

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/3 c unsweetened 100% cocoa powder
• 2 T natural peanut butter (can substitute 1/4 c whole fat greek yogurt)
• 1/4 c unsweetened almond milk or light coconut milk

Combine

1. Peel and slice the bananas then throw into a Ziploc bag or parchment paper lined tupperware and freeze overnight.
2. Place the frozen bananas into a food processor, pulse a few times to break them up, then "crush" until small and grainy.
3. Add the cocoa powder, peanut butter, and almond milk, then blend again until smooth, creamy, and resembles the texture of frozen yogurt.  Note: you may need to add more peanut butter or almond milk as necessary.
4. Spoon into a popsicle mold and freeze until set, then enjoy!

Tips: I used a butter knife to press the mixture into the mold; also running the mold under hot water for a few seconds makes it easier to remove the popsicle when you are ready to enjoy it!

Beet the heat

Not long ago, in a little New England bistro, I got a surprise introduction to macerated beets.

Upon first bite it was obvious that something was different: they were too bright and fresh tasting to be roasted, retained a distinctive crunch that would be unobtainable from boiling, yet they are still softer than a raw beet would be...

I looked up at my friend, "How did you make this??"

Apparently soaking beets in vinegar, salt, or sugar (similar to how we sugar berries for a pie) will soften them up to the point that you can enjoy them on a salad without breaking your teeth and without turning on your oven in the mid-summer heat wave.

Sold?

So was I.

The bistro's method is to julienne (ie. match-stick) the beets, sprinkle them with sugar, salt, and pepper, then cover them in vinegar over night.  I omitted the sugar and included lemon juice and zest to add a little flavor but the overall product is the same - simple, edible, summery, heat-free.

Heat-Free Beet Salad

Ingredients (makes roughly 3 large salads)

• 1 large beet: peeled + grated or julienned (cut into matchstick sized pieces)
• 1 lemon, juiced + zested
• 1 t salt + pepper
• Apple cider vinegar as needed
• 2 small carrots, peeled + grated or juilienned
• 1 oz goat cheese, per salad
• 1 T pepitas, per salad
• 1 large handful of arugula, per salad

Garnish

• Olive oil
• Lemon zest
• Salt and pepper

Combine

1. To macerate the beets: dump them into a lidded container with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.  Cover them rest of the way with vinegar then shake well until the liquids are well combined.  Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours but not more than 8 (soaking them for too long will cause them to lose all their flavor and get too soft).
2. Sprinkle a bed of arugula with the beets, carrots, goat cheese crumbles, and pepitas.
3. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the leftover beet vinegar over the salad, then drizzle with a little olive oil, and garnish with lemon zest.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then enjoy!

Flakes of salt

I have never purchased pink Himalayan sea salt.

I do not own novelty sea salt grinders.

I love a good drink but I still don't even own rim salt for margaritas.

In general I dismiss bourgey food fads and let them pass by without a second thought.

But....the most recent salt craze is one I had to drop my guns and fall for.

Although salted caramels and chocolates are by no means new flavors, they are ones that have become more common over the years and the influx of tantalizing sweet-salty recipes on my Pinterest feed overwhelmed me until I caved...



I regained consciousness in Whole Foods scrutinizing containers of $15 salts until I finally settled for an $8 "knock-off" of Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.  The only thing I have to say in regards to my behavior is sorry, not sorry.  The recipe below ended up being a huge hit with everyone who tried it, which includes the pickiest eater I know who referred to the recipe as "genius".

Here's what you need to know about salt so you can try this recipe for yourself:

• Regular table salt is salty but has very fine crystals.
• Sea salt is also salty but has coarse crystals that can be teeth-shattering-ly hard - do not put this stuff on your cookies.
• Fleur de Sel is a French salt that is only harvested by hand, is expensive, and is sold wet.  Yes, wet.  Needless to say I took a pass on it.
• Maldon Sea Salt is also salty and takes the shape of hollow, thin walled pyramids making it literally beautiful to look at but also delicate enough to sprinkle on a baked good.  The downside is that it is also expensive, its sold in relatively large packages, and some pieces in the container are larger than you would want on a cookie.
• Cyprus Sea Salt looks the same as the Maldon pyramids so I assume the difference is that it is "harvested" in a different region.  Luckily it was sold in a smaller package than the Maldon so it is the winner mentioned above.

Salted Pistachio Dark Chocolate Chunkies

(recipe adapted from the inside of a Ghiradelli bag, flavors inspired by Two Peas)

Ingredients (makes ~3 dozen)

Wet

• 1 c butter, melted
• 2 lg. eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 c packed brown sugar

Dry

• 2 1/4 c flour (I used 1 1/4 c wheat, 1 c white)
• 1/2 t cardamom
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c pistachios (I used raw, but roasted/unsalted would also work)
• 1 c chocolate chunks (I used 76% chocolate)

Garnish

• Sea salt flakes

Combine

1. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Crack your eggs into a large mixing bowl then set aside while you melt your butter over very low heat in a pan.
3. In a separate mixing bowl whisk the dry ingredients together until they are well combined.
4. Using the same whisk beat the sugar into the eggs until light in color, then mix in the vanilla followed by the butter.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together until well combined - note: at this point you may question my sanity because this will look more like brownie batter than cookie dough.
6. Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for a few minutes the roll a tablespoon sized amount into a ball with your hands, place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart, then flatten the top of the ball with the back of the spoon and sprinkle with a little salt.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn brown, then transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Note: I only have one baking sheet to my name so I returned the dough to the freezer between batches.  By the last batch the dough should be firm enough that you can leave it on the counter.

Drunken Pasta

Adding veggies to booze covered pasta totally makes it okay to eat the booze covered pasta.


At least that's my mentality when I feast on this and although I don't eat pasta often, this is absolutely my most-made pasta dish.  Not only does it taste delicious while enjoyed on the couch in your pjs, but it tastes equally delicious when consumed at a dinner table with candles and wine and fancy stuff.


A lazy dinner that can double as a man-approved date night, what more can a girl ask for?

As mentioned above, each time I make this meal it's slightly different than the time before because this dinner is extremely adaptive and also is great for emptying out the odds and ends from of the fridge.  Here are some suggested changes:

• Sub red peppers for the mushrooms - this is best if you also sub two slightly spicy sausages for the chicken
• Use any green you like, just make sure there is lots of it.  My favs are kale, baby spinach, or swiss chard.
• Booze that works: white wine, summer beers, lagers.  I was drinking a Sam Summer while making this particular meal so in it went - lemoney and delicious!
• Any herbs will complement this dish, I usually try to keep it to one or two.  My favs are basil, oregano, or parsley.
• Bacon is also a great substitute or addition to the chicken (try to refrain from adding a whole pound, two slices per person works)

Some notes:  I usually leave my spices and oil right next to the stove so they are on hand when I need them.  Start by setting your water to boil, then prep your veggies followed by the chicken - this way everything is ready to toss together so you will have less running around to do.  It's also extremely helpful to keep a strainer handy so you can avoid over-cooking your pasta.

Drunken Pasta

Ingredients

• 3 servings of dry pasta of choice
• 1 small onion chopped (I use vidalia or sweet)
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 1/2 - 1 1/2 t crushed red pepper (if you don't like heat start small)
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4-5 T olive oil
• 8 mushrooms, sliced (or half a red pepper chopped)
• 1/2 c booze of choice
• 3-4 cups of greens roughly chopped (I used 3-4 large leaves of kale)

Optional

• 2-3 lemon slices or a squeeze of juice from half a lemon at the end
• cheese to garnish

Combine

1.  Fill a tall-sided pot 3/4 of the way with water and dump in a teaspoon/pinch of salt.  Place over a burner on high heat, once the water is at a rolling boil dump in the pasta and set a timer for the appropriate cook time.  Drain when ready and set aside.
2. While you wait for the water to boil prep all your veggies then set aside.
3. Cut any excess fat off your chicken then cut into 2-bite-sized pieces.  Rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or a large bottomed pot.
5. Cook the onion for 5-7 minutes until it starts turning clear.  Throw in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, keep your eye on it and stir often so the garlic doesn't brown.
6. Push the onions and garlic to the edges of the pan then place the pieces of chicken in the center and sprinkle with the herbs, red pepper, and optional lemon. When there is approximately one or two centimeters of "white" wrapping around the sides of the chicken you can flip each piece.
7. Dump in the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes until they start looking juicy, then pour in the booze and let cook for 1-2 more minutes until the alcohol has cooked off.
8. Toss in the cooked pasta and mix in the greens until they are just starting to soften.
9. Plate, garnish, and enjoy!

The Only Chicken You'll Ever Want to Eat

This recipe is SO good it's a struggle to not reach for this spice mix every time I make chicken.

As with most of the recipes I make this is super easy to put together so it's great for weeknights as a post-work, post-gym, protein-based meal.  I usually eat it over a bed of greens or with rice but this side of fresh mango added a nice complementary sweetness.

Note: the amounts of spice listed below create a medium spicy rub.  If you don't like spice just omit the red pepper flakes and you can still enjoy the overall product, or if you have a high spice tolerance you can try increasing it!

Paprika Chicken

Ingredients (2-4 s)

• 1 pound chicken breasts, cleaned
• 2 1/2 t smoked paprika
• 1 t pure onion powder
• 1 t pure garlic powder
• 1 t oregano or basil, dried
• 1/4 - 1/2 t crushed red pepper, leave out if you don't like spicy
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/8 t coriander
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T olive oil

Optional Sides

• 1 mango, diced
• 4 leaves of chopped kale
• 1 T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime, garnish

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the spices in a small mixing bowl.
3. Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of oil so it is lightly covered, then coat with spice rub.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is 160 degrees internally.
5. While waiting for the chicken to bake, lightly saute the kale with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and dice up a mango.
6. Serve with a squeeze of lime and enjoy!

Saturday Morning Banana Bread

Nothing makes a Saturday morning more complete than the smell of freshly baked goods filling your house, especially when the recipe is as easy to throw together as this one.

Some included perks of this recipe:

1. It's delicious.

2. It's literally foolproof.  (Even though it's Saturday and you are dying from a hangover)

3. It's super easy to manipulate, see below for suggestions!

4. It stays fresh on a counter for 5-7 days, so if you refrain from engulfing the entire loaf while binge-ing on Netflix in your pjs you'll be set with breakfasts for the week.

5. It's freezable: after letting the loaf cool, slice it up, place it in an airtight container, and freeze.  Microwave or toast slices when you are ready to enjoy them!  Quick tip: when I freeze baked goods I usually place parchment paper in between each piece so they don't freeze together.

6.  You don't have to wait until the weekend to make it so get baking!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

Dry

• 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 c flour (I used 1 c wheat and 3/4 white but any all-purpose flour will work)
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t cardamom

Wet

• 3 ripe medium bananas
• 2 lg eggs, beaten
• 1/2 c sugar, I use dark brown but white also works.
• 1/2 c melted or browned butter or whole fat greek yogurt
• 1 t vanilla

Combine

1. Preheat the oven t 350 degrees and line a 9x5x3 pan with parchment paper.  Note: due to the shape of the pan you will have to crease the corners to make the paper stay put.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, peel and mash the ripe bananas, beat in the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, butter, and vanilla.
4. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until fully combined and pour into pan.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Enjoy!

Glazed

Weekdays are seriously hard enough already without having to also stress about how to put together a tasty, nutritious, filling, dinner.

Usually when I tell my friends what I made for dinner their first question is "how long did that take you though?"  The answer: not that long!

Slaving away in the kitchen is overrated regardless of whether or not you've had a long day; here is a fool proof recipe and some tips on how to get it on the table!

I usually toss my protein in the fridge then put everything else I need on the counter.  Start by prepping your cooking utensils, in this case turn on the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper/foil.  It's super inconvenient to do this at the last second so doing it first gets it out of the way.

Next I prep my spices.  In this case you are whisking together your glaze and  keeping some oil, salt, and pepper handy.

For this dinner I chose a side of asparagus, beets, and an arugula salad.  Grab a cutting board, a knife, and a veggie peeler.  First rinse and peel your beets, then slice them up, pour a little olive oil into your hands then hand toss the beets over your cutting board.  Scatter them around the edges of baking sheet and give them a 5 minute head start in the oven.

Meanwhile, rinse your asparagus, then chop off the woody end parts, and hand toss them in olive oil. Scatter your asparagus around the edges of the same baking sheet - its okay that they will over lap the beets.

Place your salmon in the center of the baking sheet and cover generously with glaze.  Bake for 15-20 more minutes depending on the size of your salmon and how cooked you prefer it.

While you wait for the salmon to cook toss your side salad in a dressing of choice: I usually make a quick and dirty balsamic by tossing some Dijon with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Use a meat thermometer to check the temp on your salmon then plate up and enjoy!

Apricot Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

For the Asparagus and Beets

• Asparagus spears, rinsed
• 1 medium beet, rinsed, peeled, sliced
• 2 T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Salmon

• 1 1/2 T all natural, unsweetend Apricot preserves
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 t pure onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad

• 1 handful fresh Arugula
• 1-2 t dijon
• blue cheese crumbles

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree.
2. Whisk the apricot preserves, balsamic, onion powder, salt and pepper together.  Taste the glaze and adjust the spices to your liking.
3. Toss the beets in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread around the edges of a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving a space in the center where you will place the salmon.  Give these a baking head-start while you prep the asparagus and salmon.
4. Chop the root-ends of the asparagus off then toss the spears in the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
5. Spread the asparagus around the edges of the baking sheet on top of the beets.
6. Place the salmon in the center of the sheet and spoon the glaze all over the top of the salmon.
7. Bake everything for 15-25 minutes until cooked throughout.
8. While you wait for the salmon, toss arugula with a few teaspoons of dijon and top with crumbled blue cheese.
9. Enjoy!

Seven Sisters Summer Salad

Weather in Massachusetts has been influencing my meals in a weird sort of way.

Summer weather was here last week with an unbearable heat wave that inspired me to cut carbs and douse everything I was putting in my mouth with balsamic.  One week later freezing temperatures rolled through that had me pulling out my winter blanket and craving warmer flavors.

Not knowing what change in tastes the next week would bring I decided to clash my cravings and create a summer salad with hints of winter flavors.  Arugula, feta, and balsamic bring the light, bright flavors of summer weather but here they welcomed the warmer flavors of roasted red peppers, carmeley onions, and olives to bring a meal that won't throw you off the summer diet while shaking off the chill settling in your apartment.

Bonus: if you pack the ingredients upside down in a tupperware, it also packs as a great prepped lunch!  I layer mine: balsamic + oil, chickpeas, olives, capers, peppers, onions, cheese, arugula.

Seven Sisters Salad

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

• 1/2 large vidalia or sweet onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 3-4 big handfuls of arugula
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 T capers
• 1/2 can black pitted olives, chopped
• Olive oil as needed
• 2 T Balsamic vinegar per salad
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 T feta per salad, crumbled

Combine:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
2. Core the bell pepper then slice into 1/2 inch strips.  Brush with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Slice the onion into 1/3 - 1/2 inch strips, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Scatter the pepper and onions around the baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes until the onions are turning clear and the peppers are starting to blacken around the edges.  Every 15-20 minutes flip the veggies so that they don't burn, and rotate the baking sheet when you return it to the oven.
5. Toss the arugula with balsamic and a little olive oil until coated.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss again with the chickpeas, olives, capers, and veggies.
7. Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!

The 9 o'clock salmon dinner

More often than not I start my days at 6:30 in the morning but don't see them end until 8:00 at night.  And I don't mean I spent 14 hours having the time of my life, I'm talking about the days we spend 14 hours dragging ourselves around.

Waking up, commuting to work, being at work, going to the gym, running errands, etc, etc.

To do lists seem like they make time evaporate and the most exhausting part is crossing every task off only to realize you don't even have enough energy left to unwind.

In these moments I am often tempted to go home and eat a PB&J or bowl of cereal accompanied by a bottle of red wine before dragging my butt to bed, but I have found that ditching the late night sammy for a great dinner like this one not only matches the wine much better but also helps dramatically when you know you have to wake up in 8 hours to start dragging again.

Weeknight dinners should be super, super easy and good enough to make the day's weight on your shoulders melt right off.  This salmon takes about 10 minutes to throw together and all you need is a cutting board, a knife, and a baking sheet.

I always start by turning on the oven and getting my cooking supplies ready, in this case I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper then left it out of the way on top of the stove.  The things I prep first are the most annoying: peel and chop your garlic before you do anything else unless you want the stupid paper-skin-stuff to get stuck all over your hands!  A great way to get this done is to peel off the excess skin then place the clove on a cutting board, use your palm to crush the flat side of a knife against it, pick off the rest of the skin, then chop it up.

Rinse the garlic off your hands and wash the asparagus off while you're at it.  Chop the tough root ends off the spears, pour a drizzle of olive oil into your palm, then rub the spears thoroughly with oil before scattering them along the outer edges of the baking sheet and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Unwrap the salmon and place it in the center of the sheet.  Sprinkle or brush with a little balsamic, so the salmon is just coated but not drenched and overflowing.  Rub the minced garlic, a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper, and a small sprinkle of salt on the salmon then toss in the oven. 

Pop open a bottle of wine while you wait for the timer to ring and stir some dill, horseradish, and feta into greek yogurt.  Fifteen minutes and one glass of wine later, your fancy weeknight dinner is ready to be enjoyed!

Garlic Salmon with Asparagus and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

For the Salmon

• 8 ounces of salmon
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/4 - 1/2 t pure garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• asparagus spears
• 1 T olive oil

For the Yogurt Sauce

• 2 T Greek yogurt
• 1 t horseradish
• 1 t dill, dried
• 1 t feta

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Coat the asparagus spears with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread around the edges of the baking sheet leaving a space for the salmon.
3. Place the salmon in the center of the sheet and slowly drizzle balsamic on the fillet, coating it completely.  Sprinkle the fillet with the garlic powder, salt and pepper, then cover the top with the fresh garlic.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked throughout.
5. Whisk together the ingredients for the yogurt sauce and spoon onto the asparagus before enjoying!