Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Sesame Seeds

This simple yet elegant dish adds some classy sophistication to any meal, even if your main course is something as delicious as mac and cheese out of a box.

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, fresh, ends trimmed, washed

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper as desired

Directions

In a saute pan, add olive oil. Heat on medium heat for a minute or so. Add the beans, and top with the lemon juice and minced garlic. Cook for 6-10 minutes, keeping an eye on the beans. They should still have some crunch by the time you are through but also be slighty crispy on the sides. Top with sea salt and black pepper as desired.

 

xx

R

How to Make Hummus – Cheat Sheet

Blueberry Kale Superfood Smoothie

A perfect workout drink or green smoothie to power through your morning. With fun superfoods like cocao powder and ground flaxseed and coconut oil, you will be sipping goodness in no time. Feel free to sub for whatever milk you desire but if you are using sweetened nut milks, the smoothie may be too sweet since the pineapple and blueberries add a nice sweetness.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil, melted **

1 cup kale, finely chopped, tough stems removed

1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon ground flaxeed

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk

2 pineapple rings, chopped, or 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

Directions

Blend until all ingredients are mixed well.

** You may want to omit this if you are trying to lose weight. I personally have not noticed weight gain from coconut oil and it is a dose of heart healthy fats, but I have read that it is a high calorie food that may not be suited for everyone.

xx

R

Apple Honey PB Sandwich

A healthy update on a classic.

Reminds you of childhood right?

Ingredients

1/2 apple. sliced thin

1 teaspoon raw honey

2 slices toasted Eziekel bread

2 tablespoons Bettern natural peanut butter

Cinnamon, to taste

Directions

Toast bread, spread peanut butter on hot slices. Drizzle honey, add apple slices and press down, top with cinnamon if desired.

xx

R

Berry Green Smoothie with Cashew Milk

Check out an awesome cashew milk tutorial like Kate’s from Cookie and Kate to have some cashew milk on hand in the fridge!

This keeps cold for hours too so this is even better for me who is always on the go!

Ingredients

1 cup frozen berries, I usually use mixed or blueberry

5 spinach ice cubes (just add some water to spinach and freeze in ice cube trays for always easy green smoothie making)

1/2 cup unsweetened unflavored almond milk,or more if you want a thinner smoothie

1/4 cup cashew milk

1 tablespoon natural organic nut butter, I usually use almond or peanut

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon organic cacao powder

Directions

Blend and love.

xx

R

How to Make Your Own Cashew Milk, No Draining Necessary

I wish i had a fun tutorial for you guys with some crisp pictures, but all I have is my iPhone which does the job pretty well, and is so portable. I found the perfect cashew milk tutorial from Cookie and Kate and it came out perfect for smoothies and the like. Try it and let me know how you guys like making your own nut milk! No nut bag necessary.

 

You can say that again.

 

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad with Mustard and Dill

Be good to yourself. If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live? Kobi Yamada

This week has been a blur (when hasn’t my life been a blur lately?) but a pleasant blur. The weekend was fun and pretty packed. I watched Pitch Perfect with my best friend and we had some awesome cheeses (a pretty smooth mushroomy brie, the world’s oldest cheddar, and a strong blue cheese) from Di Bruno Bros, fresh summer fruits (gorgeous kiwi, ripe mango , and some awesome Cinnamon Olive Oil Chocolate Torte. It was a much needed break from the week with refreshing wine and laughs. Her beautiful cats always make me smile and so does she.

I went to Farmacia again on Saturday, for brunch this time, which is by far their better meal. so if you are in Olde City and want to have a great brunch, they have it. I had the crabmeat omelet with spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and a side of aged cheddar grits with some hearty multigrain bread. The Farmacia brunch deal is pretty spectacular because there is half off drinks for the whole brunch menu, so it is a great time to get a five dollar mimosa, or in my case a Bloody Mary. Guys, I cannot stress to you how delicious this Bloody Mary was. It is not one of those drinks I order often so it was even more of a unexpected delight. I love savory drinks, and their signature Bloody Mary was the perfect blend of savory with spices and acidity. Sorry I didn’t take a photo before I gulped half of it down! I could not control myself, it was that good.

This egg salad recipe is fabulous. I made in in 5 minutes after a long day of yoga classes and feeling sore. I start strength training this week so I am upping my protein. This has the perfect tang from the Greek yogurt and the salty, fresh taste from the fresh dill herbs, and the kick from the mustard. Perfectly easy to make on a Sunday to make lunch for the week, easy to take to work or to the park, and no heating! Perfect for summer weather. How is it June?!

Ingredients

Serves 2

4 hardboiled eggs

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons or more, to taste of horseradish mustard, or mustard of your choice (Dijon would be oh so nice)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pink himalyan salt, about 1 teaspoon

3 or 4 sprigs of dill. chopped

Directions

Chop hardboiled eggs finely or roughly, depending on how you like your egg salad. Top with yogurt and ACV. Add mustard and mix well. Top with spices and mix well. Spread on crackers or sprouted bread like I have featured here or great with romaine leaves.

xx

R

 

 

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic Olive Oil and Pink Himalayan Salt

This past week has been a complete blur. I had an incredible night with two of my best friends last week where we had wine and cheese and glorious French bread and meats from DiBruno’s. We discussed life and raw milk cheese. If you are in Philadelphia or visit, I highly suggest visiting The DiBruno Brothers! They are knowledgable and lovely. They always have free samples and the most delicious of foods in their quaint store. Lactose sensitivity or not, I look forward to our traditional wine and cheese nights. If it didn’t make me sick when I eat too much, I would have pounds of cheese and bread everyday.

On Friday, we went to Farmacia on 3rd and Market, close to Chestnut for their fabulous Happy Hour and some fresh salads. Happy 23rd Birthday Essence! It was fun to relax after work and try out a new place. for those who have not gone to Farmacia yet, they have charming tonics and cocktails, and the Happy Hour is one of the best in the City when it comes to price. We had some rhubarb crisp, crispy calamari with a spicy sauce, beet salads, and french lentil salads with plenty of drinks of course! They had Pimm’s and I was nostalgic about my days in London.

Saturday was for lounging and on Sunday, I had a great time at my yoga shift as per usual. Look at one of the fellow yogini’s shirts! I need one in my life!

I headed with one of my best friends to the Italian Market and had a well deserved brunch at Sabrina’s Cafe with some delicious Florentine Eggs Benedict, but the real star of the brunch was Melissa’s Mel’s Chicken Cutlet, which was incredible on amazing bread and the perfect combination of crispy and satisfying. We both bought incredible cannolis and perused the festival, where there were also incredible stands of jewelry, endless food, and a great turnout despite the not so perfect weather.

Roasting is the easiest, most delicious thing. I have already showed you guys how to roast garlic, and I hope that comes in handy for you! These roasted tomatoes are so easy and ridiculously addicting. You might have to play around with the oven timing because my oven gets ridiculously hot and then burns thin slices of tomato. I suggest doing a test batch first because the recipe I based it off of said they need 3 hours to completely cook.

I based it off of Gwyneth Paltrow’s roasted tomato recipe, and I didn’t alter it much. I added roasted garlic olive oil for roasting instead of extra virgin for more flavor. I am also obsessed with garlic flavors. I suggest roasting a whole bunch after you have the technique down (the amount of time it takes in your oven for your desired roast).

Ingredients

2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil

5 big roma tomatoes, sliced to a medium thickness or whatever tomato you love using, I hear cherry tomatoes make the most pleasant roasted snack as well

Pink Himalayan salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Arrange slices on a baking sheet or parchment paper. Top with a few drops of garlic olive oil or whatever olive oil you wish. Top with a few grinds of pink Himalayan salt and roast for 2 hours, or less, in my case they were ready after a hour).

Enjoy! They are great on top of salads or with polenta like I did or quinoa or any grain. I bet they won’t even make it to your next dish because they are so good coming off of the baking sheet. Stays fresh in a tupperware container for a week in the fridge.

xx

R

Beet Chips with Coconut Oil

Trader Joe’s sells coconut oil in a can spray form. Needless to say it is now my go to spray item when it comes to cooking with oil. These beet chips are incredible. I ate two whole beets mindlessly even though it would be possible to eat more than that. These are incredibly easy with a mandolin slicer or a grater with a slicing attachment, which is what I have. It is no fancy thing, just a simple slicer I saw on sale at a Ross a couple years back. This is one of those tools that really give you value in your kitchen and since they are so inexpensive, I recommend picking up one that you will use through moves, through your twenties, through being a better cook. Even though I have only steadily been cooking for a couple months for myself, I have always had a deep love for all things edible. These were made on Sunday, my go to cooking day because usually time stops for me on a Sunday. I get maybe one day a week to sleep in and I usually choose Saturdays. This weekend is a different story though since I am upping up my yoga sessions and running for the 5k I have in June. I am not worried about the distance but it would be nice to run steadily. Running outside is a different matter and it takes some time for my knees to get used to concrete impact. I have a good friend’s early birthday on Friday so I will be spending some time at Franklin Mortgage and some other fabulous places in Philly, and the planner is filled to the brim with tasks to accomplish. I will be happy to breathe after these couple weeks are done and over with, which will be here faster than I know it. Here is the fabulous, easy recipe for you guys!

Ingredients

2 whole beets, cleaned well, dirt scraped off and the greens cut (save them for a smoothie or a juice!)

Coconut oil for spraying

Freshly cracked black pepper

Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Parchment paper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice beets with a mandolin slicer or thin slicer for thin slicers (these cook the best and are the most crispy). Lay the thinly sliced beets in a layer on parchment paper in a baking pan or cookie sheet. Lightly spray the beet chips with coconut oil or if you don’t have a spray lightly paint them with coconut oil. Top with pepper and salt and bake for 15 minutes or less depending on your oven. Keep an eye on these because they can burn easily!

x

R

Black Quinoa Trail Mix with Dark Chocolate Chunks

Awesome work/school/outdoors snack, and it’s a party in your mouth. And as you can see from this awesome list, there are some nutritional superstars in this vegan mix. Not to mention it keeps fresh for a pretty long time in an airtight container!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 black/red/regular quinoa, uncooked and unwashed

1 teaspoon agave

3 tablespoons sliced almonds, or whole raw almonds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped

1/4 cup steel cut oats

2 teaspoons sunflower seeds, unsalted

The smallest pinch of pink himalyan sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Dried unsweetened cranberries (optional, add at the end of baking if using)

1/8 cup chopped dried figs (optional, add at the end of baking if using)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything in a mixing bowl except the dark chocolate pieces. Toast dry quinoa, coconut, chia seeds, oats, and sunflower seed mixture on a baking pan sprayed with PAM or another nonstick cooking spray. This should only take about 12 minutes, keep an eye on this as it can burn easily depending on your oven! Cook completely and add dark chocolate pieces to mixture. Keeps well in a ziplock bag or airtight container for two weeks.

xx

R