Cinnassant Buns by Rachel

One of my favorite smells during the holiday season is that warm cinnamon baked-good smell.  I've made cinnamon buns many times, but this time, I wanted to change it up a little.

With all the fuss that's been made about cronuts over the last year, I've spent a lot of time perfecting my croissant dough recipe and I thought that pairing my croissant dough with my cinnamon bun know-how would make a delicious treat.  I was right!

Some of these instructions will look repetitive because it's about the same as making the dough for my fauxnut recipe, but I have posted the instructions here again for your convenience:

Croissant Dough Ingredients
1/2 cup cold milk (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3 cup all purpose flour, extra for dusting your surface to roll out the dough
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold and diced into small bits
1 tbsp all purpose flour for the butter

Cinnamon Bun Filling Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
lemon zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp melted butter

Orzo Stuffed Peppers by Heather

I've been making a lot of stuffed veggie recipes this fall.  Most stuffed veggie recipes are warm and hearty, and even if they are covered in cheese, well, you're still eating your vegetables!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mint, chiffonade
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano, plus 1/4 cup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini (or two medium) grated with a box grater
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
6 bell peppers (choose a few colors like red, orange, and yellow)

Butternut Squash and Yam Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter by Rachel

Hey guys!  I'm back!  It's been a while since I updated the blog, but I've been busy getting things ready for my wedding (I'm getting married in Thailand)!  Now that most of those things are finally settled, here I am!

This recipe was really born out of my needing to use up ingredients around my kitchen, but sometimes the best things happen when you're least expecting it!  Butternut squash is clearly a star ingredient when it comes to making fall favorites, so hopefully this recipe will become a favorite of yours.

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
1 large yam
1 egg
scant 2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp of nutmeg
olive oil for roasting

3 tbsp unsalted butter
4-5 leaves of fresh sage, diced finely
salt and pepper for taste
parmesan cheese to finish

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Lasagna by Heather

Even though September and October are apparently the "summer" months in SF, I'm ready for fall.  While this may be a pasta dish, it's still relatively healthy- there's mushrooms, squash, kale, and Greek yogurt!  I'd save this dish for a Sunday supper, though, as it does take some time to prepare, but trust me- it's worth it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped lengthwise (you could also use a blend of chantrelle and oyster mushrooms)
3 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and roughly chopped lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot (or 3 small), minced
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves separated and chopped
3 tbs. sage leaves, chiffonade
2 lbs (2 packages) chopped butternut squash
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup part-skim ricotta
5 oz. shredded parmesan
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 package no boil lasagna noodles
3 leaves kale, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (note: since butternut squash gets quite sweet when roasted, you'll have to add a good deal of salt.  The best rule of thumb is to taste as you go and season the squash mixture thoroughly once blended)

Ottolenghi's Fried Eggplant, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad by Heather

I love the August issue of Bon Appetit.  There are so many great summer recipes in this edition, and it's really inspired me!  There was an article on Ottolenghi, along with some of his recipes.  If you don't know who Ottolenghi is, he's an Israeli-born chef and owns some really great restaurants in London.  Most of his ingredients center around vegetables, and his recipes are basically magic.  I don't normally follow recipes down to every detail, with but his, I do.  He knows how to bring out the best in any vegetable- especially eggplant.  That being said, I haven't altered this recipe in any way.  It's great as-is, and I encourage you to try it!

Ingredients:
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
 ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves with tender stems 
1 clove garlic, chopped 
2 small green chiles, such as Thai, seeds removed, chopped, divided 
½ cup olive oil, divided 
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more 
¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt 
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
2 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds), cut into 1½” pieces
Vegetable oil (for frying; about 2 cups) (I ended up using about 4 cups because I used a large oval Dutch oven)
1 pound small tomatoes (about 8), cut into wedges 
½ pound Persian cucumbers (about 3), sliced thinly

Corn, Zucchini, and Feta Salad by Heather

I have so much zucchini and corn this week, I'm going to be serving them in everything this week!  This salad is super easy to put together and it makes a great side dish for the Mediterranean turkey burgers. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit- their recipe calls for basil and zucchini blossoms, which I couldn't find at the grocery store this week, but they'd make a lovely addition to this salad if you can find them!

Ingredients:
2 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed
2 zucchini, sliced into very thin medalions
1/4 block feta
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tbs. chopped chives
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 dashes red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the zucchini, working in batches on a grill pan with a drizzle of olive oil, cooking for just two minutes on medium low heat.  No need to flip them, you just want them to become a little softer.

Combine the white wine vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper into a small bowl, whisking to combine.

Add the corn, zucchini, feta, parsley, and chives into a medium bowl, then add in the dressing, a little at a time.  Toss to combine.

Mediterranean Burgers with Tzatziki by Heather

I wanted to take advantage of all the great produce that's in season this month- especially zucchini and corn.  These burgers are so light and satisfying, especially topped with this tzatziki sauce.

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients for the burger:
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
3 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped (light and dark green parts)
2 tsp. oregano (preferably fresh)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 large cucumber, grated and squeezed of excess liquid
2 scallions, white and light green parts only
2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
2 tbs. chopped fresh mint
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half lemon
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Garnish suggestions:
Grilled bread (I used a sourdough rosemary loaf from Whole Foods, but grilled pita would be good, too)
heirloom tomato, sliced
microgreens

Combine all ingredients for the burger in a large bowl and combine with your hands until just combined.  Form into 4 patties and set aside on a plate.

Combine all ingredients for tzatziki in small bowl and set aside.



If using grilled bread, grill the bread before the turkey burgers.  Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread and grill on medium high heat, about 4 minutes per side, or until you see golden grill marks form.



Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a grill pan, and on medium high heat, cook the burgers for about 6 minutes on the first side, or until almost half of the burger looks cooked.  Take care to make sure the heat on the stove isn't too high so you aren't blackening the burgers.  Flip and cook for about 4.5 minutes longer, turning down the heat a little if necessary.

Serve with Garnishes and enjoy!

Ratatouille by Heather

The past few days have been filled with pasta, burgers, and a day of wine tasting in Sonoma (poor me, I know).  Since it's Sunday, and we usually make a heartier meal, I wanted to make something that was roasted and warm, but still healthy, so that's where the ratatouille comes in! I had an amazing ratatouille at The Little Prince in SoHo- it came with a poached egg on top, and it added a great richness to the dish.  I'm making mine a little more rich by adding some goat cheese, too.

Of course I couldn't make ratatouille without watching Ratatouille, and I suggest you do the same!

Ingredients:

1/2 large eggplant (I used a Chinese eggplant since it's similar in circumference to the zucchini)
3-4 Roma (plum) tomatoes
1-2 zucchini
1-2 yellow squash
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small can tomato paste or 8 oz. tomato sauce
2 sprigs rosemary
couple sprigs of thyme
2 eggs, poached (or 1 egg for each person)
goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs. white vinegar

To make this dish even more substantial you could serve the ratatouille over couscous or some rustic toasted bread.



Directions:

Saute onions in large Dutch oven until nearly translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic cloves and saute two minutes more.  Add in tomato paste, incorporating ingredients; smooth out the sauce into a thin layer, covering the bottom of the pan.



Slice veggies on a mandolin about 1/16 inches thick.  I found it hard to slice the eggplant on the mandolin, so I ended up slicing it by hand.  Start by laying a piece of eggplant on the outer perimeter of the pan, then lay down a piece of yellow squash, zucchini, then tomato.  Make sure you have about a 1/4 inch gap between each slice, but no more.  Repeat this pattern, making a concentric circle towards the center of the dish.  Season with salt and pepper, and some thyme leaves.

Place the Dutch oven on a piece of parchment paper, tracing the perimeter so that you have a piece that will fit perfectly on top of the ratatouille.  If the ends of the parchment paper roll up once you've placed the parchment paper on top, crinkle the paper into a ball and then unfold once again.



Bake the ratatouille in the oven for about 45-55 minutes, or until the slices are cooked, but not falling apart.



In the last 10 minutes or so, poach the eggs.  Bring about 2 cups of water to a gentle boil, along with 2 tbs. of white vinegar (it helps the eggs stay together).  It also helps to use really fresh eggs.  Crack each egg into a ramekin first, then slide each egg in the water one at a time, swirling the water to encourage the eggs to stay together.





Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and set aside for 5 minutes.  Remove each egg with a slotted spoon, and lay over an individual serving of the ratatouille.  Add some crumbles of goat cheese, and serve!

Coconut Bundt Cake by Rachel

Summer is here!  Hooray!!

One of my favorite types of desserts for the summer is anything with coconut.  I recently bought a brand-spanking-new bundt pan and I was so eager to test it out.  So I combined my love for coconut desserts with the bundt cake pan and decided to make a coconut bundt!  It was delicious.

The recipe is a little more complicated and requires ingredients to be combined in separate bowls, but I promise you that the result is a fluffy and moist coconut cake that is a real crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients
Bowl 1:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Bowl Two
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 can of un sweetened coconut milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bowl 3:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Toasted coconut topping:
1/2 cup of sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp water

Salmon, Kale, and Mascarpone Spaghetti by Heather

I haven't gone grocery shopping yet this week, so this dish came together by combining whatever I had left in the fridge.  Yesterday, I had a delicious salmon and creme fraiche tartine at Tartinery, which just opened up inside Hudson Eats.  I love the combination of anything creamy with salmon, and I had just picked up from Gravlax from my neighborhood bagel shop.  I also happened to have some mascarpone in the fridge- so an idea popped into my head to make a pasta dish inspired by that tartine!  I apologize that I didn't take any pictures of this dish while I was making it, but it comes together so quickly and easily, I don't think you'll need the pics!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (white wine is preferable if you have it)

zest and juice of 2 lemons

4 or 5 basil leaves, roughly torn

1/2 package spaghetti or linguine

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

2-3 slices Gravlax (smoked salmon)

1 cup of pasta water (reserve after the pasta is cooked and add to the pasta at the end if you need more moisture in the sauce)

4-5 tbs. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Californian Turkey Chili by Heather

Brandon and I made this chili over the weekend, and it was awesome.  Brandon recently moved to San Francisco, and I was in town visiting for the weekend.  We've started a tradition, where very time I visit, we cook a Sunday meal together.  It's normally a bigger meal, so that he can enjoy the leftovers during the week.  We hadn't made chili in a while, and we wanted to incorporate some fresh veggies and flavors from California to make this version extra special.  The spice mixtures below are based on our preference- if you like things more or less spicy, play around with the measurements to suit your taste buds!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
12 oz. can unsalted crushed tomatoes
12 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 ear corn, kernels removed
2 onions, diced (set aside 1/4 for garnish)
3 green onions, white and green parts diced
1/4 jalapeño, diced (you could also add a roasted poblano if you can find them)
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6 good shakes of Cholula or your hot sauce of choice

Spices:
4 tbs. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
at least 4 tbs.  chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
dollop of Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)
1/4 cup diced cilantro
diced raw onion
hot sauce (we prefer Cholula)
avocado

Apricot Upside Down Olive Oil Cake by Rachel

My parents are in town and when they came to visit my apartment they brought over some beautiful smelling apricots with them.  I'm not a big fan of eating plain apricots- I personally prefer peaches when it comes to eating straight fruit, but apricots are great for baking.  They become a little more tart and tangy after some time in the oven which makes them great for cakes and pies!

I've never made an upside down cake before, but I love how moist fresh fruit can be on top of those cakes so that's what brought me here!

The story with the olive oil is an interesting one.  Recently a little bakery opened near my apartment and the lady that owns the bakery had lived in Italy for some time.  She's imported the olive oil from that little town into her bakery and my fiance brought a liter home.  It smells amazing and has a slight spicy flavor. I thought it would be great with my apricots.  I hope you do, too!  See the recipe below.

Ingredients

Topping
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 fresh apricots, washed, dried and cut into wedges
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3 tbsp good, strong olive oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

White Bean and Feta Dip by Rachel

Another dip from me!  I know I've been lagging behind in the recipes, but Heather is about to embark on a journey to Japan for the next couple weeks so I'll be taking that time to catch up! :)  In the meantime, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can of cannellini beans
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Whole Wheat Linguine with Kale, Yellow Tomatoes, and Ricotta by Heather

I just got the Meatless Cookbook by Martha Stewart, and had to make a version of their linguine with kale and tomatoes- the picture was so pretty!  Normally I find Martha Stewart recipes to be a little lacking in flavor, so I amped up with recipe with lemon juice, white wine and added some Greek yogurt to the ricotta mixture.  This recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes, so it's a great weeknight dinner option.



Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh, whole wheat linguine
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 pint yellow tomatoes (also known as zima tomatoes)
3-4 large lancinato kale leaves, roughly chopped
4-5 stalks broccolini (you can add more if you like), roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
2 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup ricotta (I used goat ricotta)
pinch of red pepper flakes

Balaboosta's Fried Cauliflower Recipe by Heather

Balaboosta is a great Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Restaurant on Mulberry Street in Nolita.  If you haven't been, I highly recommend you go!  If you don't live in NYC, you can enjoy this recipe at home, and it's just as good as the original.  You'll make a cauliflower lover out of anyone with this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the crispy cauliflower:
1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 cup flour
5 cups canola oil
3 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the white wine vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbs. honey
1 tsp. dijon mustard
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 parsley, chopped

Special Ingredient: Ribeye Steaks with Blackberry and Red Wine Reduction

This month, our special ingredient is blackberries.  They're perfectly sweet and in season right now!  Since I don't do a ton of baking, I wanted to make a blackberry reduction, and the best thing to drizzle this over is a nice, juicy steak.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb. ribeye steaks, cut about 1 inch thick
2 tbs. butter
salt and pepper
1 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. red wine
parsley for garnish

Blackberry reduction:
3/4 cup red wine
1 sprig rosemary
couple of fresh blackberries
1/4 cup blackberry jam
2 shallots, minced
2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil

White Bean and Ramp Crostini by Heather

It's finally starting to feel like spring around NYC, and for Easter, I wanted to make an appetizer that took advantage of some seasonal ingredients.  Brandon and I have had some really good spring-y crostini around the city the past couple of weeks.  Locanda Verde's creamy ricotta crostini is to die for, and Cookshop's ramp salsa verde crostini is also excellent.  This crostini combines the best of both of these.  You'll have a ton of the white bean mixture left over, so it's also great to serve as a dip with some veggies or pita chips.

Ingredients:

For the white bean mixture:

2 cans cannellini beans

1/4 cup greek yogurt

2-3 tbs. basil oil or normal olive oil

1 tsp. chives

1/4 cup parsley

juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 tbs. goat ricotta or regular, whole milk ricotta

salt and pepper to taste

For the ramps:

1 tbs. butter

3-4 tbs. white wine

1 bunch of ramps, cleaned with ends removed

1 loaf bread, sliced

olive oil for drizzling

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos by Heather

I've been obsessed with tacos lately.  Maybe it's because it's finally starting to get warmer outside, and nothing sounds better than sitting outside with a margarita and some tacos.  Sadly, today it rained again and it's dipping into the 30's, but one can hope!  These tacos are really colorful and they pack a lot of punch from the chipotle peppers.

This recipe was adapted from this one at Tartine and Apron Strings, and this comes together so quickly, I didn't take a ton of photos, but it's super easy to make.

Ingredients:

For the shrimp and tequila lime marinade:
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbs. honey
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup tequila
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder

For the slaw dressing:
1/2 head red cabbage, finely sliced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup neutral oil like canola
salt and pepper to taste

For the chipotle crema:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce

Additional ingredients:
corn tortillas
1 lime, quartered
1 avocado, diced
hot sauce (optional)

Special Ingredient: Sweet Pea and Roasted Garlic Dip by Rachel

I'm so behind!

I've been doing a lot of cooking, but I've been bad about sharing them with you.  Sorry!

So I had some friends over for dinner this weekend and in thinking about what to make with the bag of peas that I had, I thought to make a dip.  It was a hit!

Ingredients:
10oz of good, frozen peas
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste

Special Ingredient: Marinated Lamb with Mint Pesto and Pea and Feta Salad by Heather

To celebrate the coming of spring, peas are the secret ingredient for March!  This dish is light enough to really bring out the flavors of the peas and mint, and I think these ingredients really complement the lamb.

Ingredients:

For the pea and feta salad:
8 oz. fresh English peas
1 cup parsley, chopped
about 5 oz. feta, diced
juice of half lemon
zest of 1 lemon

For the mint pesto:
1/2 cup fresh mint, leaves removed from stalks
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup olive oil- add this in increments until the pesto is runny
2 tbs. water or more depending on thickness
juice of 1 lemon

For the lamb + marinade:
1 lb. lamb, cubed (you could use lamb chops if you wanted)
2 tbs. cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. parsley, chopped
2 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped

Shiitake and Pea Shoot Salmon En Papillote by Heather

"En Papillote" is just a fancy French way to say that something was cooked within parchment paper.  The parchment paper is shaped into a little sealed bag to hold the salmon, which essentially steams it in the oven, so the end result is a flavored, juicy piece of salmon!  I served this dish with Rachel's bok choy recipe, which you can access here.



Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 6-8 oz. salmon filets
carton of fresh pea shoots (you only need about 8 shoots per fish)
1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs. grated ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
2 dashes red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
parchment paper

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes by Rachel

It's been a while since I baked because I've been sick, but now that I'm feeling much better I had to break out some chocolate and make something.

Cupcakes!  Of course!

For Christmas, my future mother-in-law bought me a frosting set, so it was time to break that out and practice.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz. strong espresso, room temperature
1 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, not melted
dark chocolate to taste (I used 1/2 a bar, crushed)

Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp whole milk

Shrimp Cakes by Rachel

I was inspired to make Thai food the other night and one thing that I love at Thai restaurants are the fish cakes, or "tod mun pla."  I didn't have fish, but I did have shrimp so I ad libbed and they dish came out great.  My shrimp cakes were gone in a matter of minutes.  They were really easy to make, too!

Ingredients (makes about 10-12 small cakes)
10 medium to large size shrimp, raw
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 pinches of salt (you can add an extra pinch if you're skipping the Sriracha sauce)
1/2 tsp white pepper
Oil, for frying

Special Ingredient: Citrus Tapenade with Chilean Sea Bass by Heather

This month, Rachel and I decided on citrus as the special ingredient since they're in season and help brighten a cold winter night.  This recipe combines lemons, limes and oranges.  You could put this tapenade on chicken or any other white fish, but I chose to use Chilean Sea Bass since it's a nice sturdy white fish.



Ingredients:

Citrus Tapenade:
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 tbs. capers, drained
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 anchovy, chopped (optional)
2 tbs. orange juice
juice of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1 lime
2 tbs. zest of an orange
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
segments of 1 orange, chopped (I used a Cara Cara orange but you could use any kind)
2 tbs. olive oil
sprinkle of red pepper flakes

2 6-8 oz. filets of chilean sea bass (or your protein of choice)
1 cup uncooked quinoa

Pork Loin Cutlets with Sage and Lemon Breadcrumbs by Heather

This is a really easy weeknight dish.  All things said and done, you can have this ready in about 25-30 minutes.  I serve this dish with a side of broccolini, which I've cut into 1 inch size pieces, and steamed in a bowl with a lid in the microwave for two minutes.  It doesn't get any easier than this.



Ingredients:

6 thin cut pork loin cutlets, trimmed of any fat around the edges
3 tbs. sage, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 14 oz. jar tomato sauce (I like using Muir Glen)

Cauliflower Risotto Cakes by Rachel

Having ordered too many vegetables all at once, rather than letting them go bad, I had to find creative ways to make use of them.  Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, but, unfortunately, my fiancé isn't crazy about it, so I had to find a way to work it into a dish that would be more appealing to him.

One thing that we both really love is risotto, which is where my idea started.  Inspired by polenta cakes, I thought that adding cauliflower to some risotto and shaping it into cakes would make hold together like polenta does and I was right!

While I love to fry things, I wanted to make a healthier dish, so I baked them and they were delicious and crispy.  With some fresh tomato sauce on the top, they were perfect.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup risotto
2 tbsp cornmeal
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cauliflower, chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

To batter:
1 egg
1 cup italian bread crumbs

Hot and Sour Soup by Heather

I went to a really great yoga class tonight, and was craving a warm, healthy soup afterwards, and this soup did the trick.



Ingredients:
1 carton low sodium organic vegetable broth
4 cups water
3.5 oz (1 carton) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3.5 oz. beech or enoki mushrooms
white parts of 3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. ginger, grated
2 heads baby bok choy, stalks diced
1/2 package firm tofu, diced
1 cup chinese cooking wine
3/4 cup to 1 cup rice vinegar (depends on your preference; I added 1 cup)
2-3 tbs. hot chili sauce
4-5 tbs. soy sauce (taste as you go and add more as needed)

Garnish:
1/2 carrot, julienne
leaves of the baby bok choy
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
green parts of the green onions, sliced
lime wedges
sriracha

Shrimp Pad Thai by Heather

Here's a healthy and quick version of one of my favorite takeout dishes, Pad Thai.  Admittedly, when I was making this dish, I didn't take a ton of pictures, but the recipe is easy to follow.  I used linguine instead of rice noodles, mostly because I don't like the texture of rice noodles, but you could use either.

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
bean sprouts (if you can find them; I never can!)
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
6 oz. linguine or rice noodles
lime wedges
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 block of firm tofu, diced (you can skip this if you want to just stick with shrimp)
2 tbs. canola oil

sauce:
3 tbs. soy sauce
3 tbs. tomato paste
1 tbs. honey
juice of one lime
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tbs. almond or peanut butter

Chicken Pot Pie by Rachel

While I can appreciate a person size pot pie, I think pot pie is a great thing to make family style.  You can really put anything you want in a pot pie, but the most common ingredients that most people would use are probably chicken and veggies.  

Chicken pot pie is a crowd pleaser and really easy to make (don't be intimidated by pie crust)!  If you have a potluck coming up, I would recommend making a pot pie- it's just the kind of food that gives your tummy a nice, warm hug in this cold winter weather.

so crispy and delicious!

I like to make my crust from scratch, but you can use store bought pie crust if you want. 

Crust

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp cold water

Egg wash

1 egg

1 tbsp water

Sicilian Shrimp Pasta by Heather

I'm trying to channel the warm, sunny weather of Sicily with dish.  It was another cold, snowy day in New York and I'm definitely looking forward to spring!  This dish is light and spicy, and comes together in about 20 minutes.



Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp, deveined, and peeled
3 garlic cloves
1 shallot
1/2 cup wine
6 tbs. toasted almond slivers
7-8 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 box whole wheat rigatoni
3/4 cup parsley, chopped

Smokey Beet Burgers by Heather

I made these last weekend and they were a huge hit with Brandon.  The combination of walnuts, lentils, and beets give this a nice meaty texture.



Ingredients:
1 cup cooked beets, grated
1 cup cooked green lentils
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 eggs
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. olive oil

For the feta spread:
8 oz. feta, crumbled into cubes
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Garnishes:
arugula micro greens
mesquite BBQ or sriracha
avocado, sliced

Soy Ginger Scallion Fish by Rachel

One of the easiest things to make is steamed fish with soy sauce, ginger, and scallions.  Growing up, I used to watch my mom make this all the time, but for some reason, I never really took note of how she did it.  Well now I know and it couldn't be easier.  It's really just a few steps!

Ingredients

1 whole fish about 1lb, cleaned with head and tail on (make sure its scales are removed also)- I used branzino

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp fresh ginger, diced

2 tbsp fresh scallions, shredded

1/4 cup oil, canola or olive

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp soy sauce

Indian Spiced Swiss Chard Wraps by Heather

It's still very cold in NYC, so I wanted something warm and hearty for dinner.  These Swiss chard wraps deliver just that with a nice amount of spice.



Ingredients:
1 cup cooked green lentils
1 carrot, finely diced
1 package shiitake mushrooms, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 package of extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 in. piece ginger, skinned and grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bundles Swiss chard (I used rainbow chard)
28 oz. carton diced tomatoes
1/2 can coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Fish Nuggets by Rachel

Fish is always an easy weeknight dish.  It cooks quickly and is really easy to season.  To spice things up, I thought I'd give our friendly tilapia a little frying and they came out great.  The thing I like most about doing tilapia this way is that it keeps a flaky, white fish very moist because all the juices get contained in the shell.

Ingredients
about 1 lb of tilapia, filleted
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 - 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of paprika
1 egg
1 tsbp water
canola oil for frying

Shiitake and Lentil Tacos by Heather

I love this recipe.  It's packed with flavor and comes together quickly. This recipe is from Sprouted Kitchen, and I don't change a thing because it's perfect the way it is.  You'll have leftover sauce and you can use it on a quinoa bowl with a fried egg in the morning or as a salad dressing.  This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could easily add chicken or salmon instead of the lentils if you wanted to add meat.

Ingredients:

Green sauce:
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbs. white miso
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Tbs. OJ
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 packed cups basil leaves
1 packed cup cilantro
3 Tbs. sesame oil

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
half yellow onion, diced
6 oz. (2 cartons) shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
salt to taste

avocado, diced
1/2 carrot, shredded
micro greens or sprouts
corn tortillas or cabbage leaves
1 lime, quartered
Sriracha

Lemon Cheese Crumb Cake by Rachel

Well, I made a mistake and ordered way too many lemons from Fresh Direct.  So, with all those lemons staring me in the face and the snow keeping me inside, I decided to do something about them.  I wanted a moist cake with plenty of lemony punch and this crumb cake did the trick.

Ingredients

For the Cheese filling

8 oz of Cream Cheese, softened

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

For the Cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

For the Crumble

2/3 cup flour

2 tbsp butter, softened, not melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

zest of half a lemon

Olive oil for your pan

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding by Heather

If you want a quick and easy but healthy chocolate-y dessert, look no farther!  This dish takes just about 5 minutes to make, and you probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry.  If you've never had chia seed pudding before, it's kind of like eating tapioca pudding, but crunchier.

Ingredients for 1 Ramekin:
2 Tbs. chia seeds (or enough to generously cover the bottom of the ramekin)
3 Tbs. almond milk (you can use any other type of milk you have on hand)
1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
dash cinnamon
small dash cardamom
1/2 tsp. honey, plus more for drizzling
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 almonds
a couple of frozen berries of your choice
sprig of mint for garnish

Asian Turkey Cabbage Rolls by Heather

It's very snowy and cold here in NYC, so I wanted to make something warm for dinner.  These cabbage rolls are easy to make and definitely do the trick!

Ingredients:
1 head napa cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (you can also use rice)
1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Sauce:
2 Tbs. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2-1 tsp. sriracha or other chili sauce to taste

Chocobites by Rachel

I've developed this terrible habit of really wanting to have something sweet after every meal so, naturally, I needed to find something healthier to have for dessert rather than cookies and cakes all the time.  Well, I think I've found just the thing!

Dark chocolate has just enough sweetness and fruit and nuts have just the right texture.  Combining the two make a delicious dessert!

Ingredients
100 grams of dark chocolate (1 bar of Lindt)
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of almonds
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/4 cup halved peanuts
1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

Fluffy White Bread by Rachel

Bread always seems like such a daunting recipe to tackle, but really most of it is just waiting time.  I'll admit that it took me two tries to get this bread right, but the recipe is actually really simple and the first time I tried it, I added too much salt.  Before making bread, there are a few things that you should know:

1) Don't oversalt- this will kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.
2) Don't use boiling water- this will kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.
3) Wait.  Don't get anxious.  Give you bread the appropriate amount of time to rise.

Now, to start your journey...!

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 cup warm water (must not be over 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2 cups all purpose flour, then another 2 cups all purpose flour (total 4 cups)
- olive oil to oil your bowl and loaf pan

That's it!  Those are all the ingredients!

Thai Turkey Burgers and Brussels Sprouts by Heather

Brandon and I spent the weekend in a cozy house in upstate New York, and even though it was very cold out, we decided to do some grilling since the house had a nice grill.  It was 3 degrees outside, and the pipes in the house were frozen, but that didn't stop us from having a great weekend curled up enjoying each other's company by the cozy fireplace.

Thai Turkey Burgers:
whole wheat buns
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
1 tbs. Greek yogurt
1/4 Jalapeño (I removed the seeds and ribs, but if you want more spice, keep them on)
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 dashes of soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (besides buns) in a medium bowl and mix together with your hands.  Form the mixture into 5 patties, using your thumb to make an imprint on one side of the patty so that it doesn't puff up into a ball while cooking on the grill.  Heat the grill up to a medium high temperature and cook for 7-8 minutes on the first side, and about 3-4 minutes on the other side.

While the burgers are cooking on the second side, toast the buns on the grill until slightly browned.  Take burgers off the grill and assemble with some or all of the toppings below.

Suggested Burger Toppings:
Avocado
Sriracha
Greek yogurt
Pickled radishes
Cilantro
Sprinkle of lime juice

Brussles Sprouts:
1 1b. brussels sprouts outer leaves removed and quartered
couple of slices of hard sausage
5 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbs. sriracha
1 tbs. fish sauce

Roast at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until crispy on edges

Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend in this cute little house??