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??

Baked Potato Chips by Rachel

Yes, potato chips are generally not the healthiest snack choice, but I think that if you make them at home and control the amount of salt you use, they are definitely a lot healthier than store-bought ones!  My version of potato chips are made from real potatoes that I hand-cut, baked in the oven (not fried!) and lightly salted.  Real potato chips actually don't need much seasoning because fresh potatoes have more flavor, in my opinion.

Anyway, here's the very easy recipe!

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes, as many as you want, but it only takes about 1 potato per person 

Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper to taste