quinoa bean and feta burgers

val and i attempted to make these quinoa burgers. instead of kidney beans i decided to use white beans. they were incredibly delicious and full of flavor. the only problem? they fell apart quite a bit white they were cooking. the recipe calls for 2 egg whites... not sure why. next time i'll definitely be using the whole eggs and possibly some flour or bread crumbs to hold them together. it obviously didn't make a different in flavor, they were just falling apart while we ate them. 

we also made an arugula, tomato, parmesan salad. 

and truffle parmesan potatoes!

and our burger was green style. 

and of course a cocktail. 

shrimp 'n polenta grits.

shrimp 'n polenta grits

recipe serves 2:


-polenta(1/2 cup polenta to 1 1/2 cups of water)
-cream cheese with added chives 
-half 'n half
-butter
-coconut oil
-2 garlic cloves chopped
-1 shallot chopped
-1 chili pepper
-white wine
-sprig of thyme chopped
-smoked paprika
-salt & pepper
-1/2 lb of peeled&deveined shrimp(about 20 small-medium)

-tbs of parsley chopped

directions:

• make polenta to package directions, add half n half, a tab of butter and a spoonful of chive cream cheese
• sautee garlic, shallots, and chili pepper in butter and coconut oil 
• add a little white wine, let reduce for a minute
• add in spices and shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes making sure both sides of the shrimp are cooked.
• there should be a bit of sauce in the pan... if not add more butter(and maybe wine)
• pour shrimp mixture over polenta grits and top with parsley!

found some ideas from this blog post. 

a little drinky drink

over the past week, val and i decided to save some money by staying in and making our own cocktails. she knows her shit! i've been learning a few tricks here and there from her. first off, vodka. she got absolut elderflow tea and absolut ginger apple. 

this one consisted of:

muddled blackberries with agave
lemon juice
club soda
elderflower tea vodka

 

the following had:

wild blueberry simple syrup(with agave not sugar)

organic lemonade 

elderflower tea vodka

sunday jewish brunch

           when i have sundays off i know that i must take advantage of it by doing something different. this past sunday christalyn and i decided to make a jewish brunch for my nanny at my dad's house. we did a big shop at the boy's market in delray for the lox, schmear, fruits, and veggies. we got the bagels at bagels with! which is also in delray. 

i found these beautiful chive flowers at the boy's market(although they're not exactly in full bloom) and couldn't help but get them. they're so intense with flavor and are so beautiful. 

sometimes the best way to cook is by taking advice from someone that has been cooking for almost a century. my 95 year old nanny taught us how to make potato latkes. they're quite simple to make, really. yes, yes they are. 

we peeled 6 idaho potatoes and grated them. we squeezed out as much liquid as possible. then grated a sweet onion, added that to the potatoes, a few tablespoons of flour, 2 eggs, and salt and pepper. that's it. then we fried them for about 4 minutes on each side in olive oil. any questions? ask me. i swear to you these are delicious as hell served with sour cream and/or apple sauce. 

i think the best way to eat a bagel is to top it high with scallion cream cheese, smoked salmon(lox), cucumber, tomato, onion, and sprouts. 

brunch was a definite success. everyone came together(even val!) and enjoyed the lox and latkes. 

super fresh salad

after my workout this morning, all i wanted was something healthy and fresh... with some protein. i wasn't feeling in the breakfast mood whatsoever, so i threw together this mostly all organic salad in about 10 minutes;

• mixed greens
• arugula 
• sunflower sprouts 
• white beans
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• fresh dill
• feta cheese
• hardboiled egg

dressing:

• olive oil
• tamari
• balsamic
• lemon juice
• celery salt, pepper, garlic powder
• fresh dill
• pressed garlic juice

                                                                  

international delight

i could tell you right now, my top foods are as follows, in no particular order...

• mussels and frites(BELGIUM)
• udon soup(JAPAN)
• sushi(JAPAN)
• thom ka gai soup(THAILAND)
• pho(VIETNAM) 

i had the pleasure of spending some quality food time with scotty's(mani's boyfriend) parents this past week. they were down in florida during my sister's visit, and i got invited along to enjoy the tastings by maria. she came over to my moms on mothers day, went out on the porch and starting frying up homemade eggrolls, grilling up some korean bbq bulgogi, and brought over 2 big jars of marinated kimchee. after scarfing down 2 of the hot as hell eggrolls, and taking seconds of the bulgogi and kimchee.... i realized i needed to learn how to cook these different cuisines. 

i was lucky enough to have been invited over to have some pho with mani and scotty... not once, but twice! 

let. me. tell. you. 

zing! amazing. this woman loves to feed you. there's just nothing better to me than a big bowl of soup filled with rice noodles and meat topped with fresh herbs, scallions, bean sprouts, and siracha. maria invited me to come up to visit her so she can teach me her skills. :) i am so excited!

bean sprouts

rice noodles

basil

hoison sauce and siracha 

amazing eggrolls

cilantro, scallions, onions, lime

bulgogi- korean bbq

fuhhhhhh :) 

scotty with his mom and dad :) 

salmon cakes

salmon cakes:

1 tall can of wild salmon 
1 egg
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
a few shakes of worchestire sauce 
old bay seasoning
siracha
tbs of vegenaise 
zest of half a lemon
juice from half a lemon
3 scallions 
sauteed celery, red bell pepper, and garlic

just mix all the ingredients together with the salmon, make into patties, and saute on medium heat in butter and coconut oil for about 4 minutes on each side or until browned. we also made a dipping sauce made of just vegenaise and siracha and served them with a salad.  (these make about 6 cakes. )

i thank my nanny and mom for making these while i grew up.

chicken udon noodle soup

i always seem to have cravings for noodle soup... wether it's thai or japanese. i finally made some of my own.

ingredients:

• organic chicken tenders
• chopped ginger(2-3 tbsp)
• chopped garlic(2-3 big cloves)
• 1 chili pepper chopped
• 1 big shallot chopped
• herb salt seasoning by a. vogel("herbamare asian blend" found at whole foods)
• 1 box of chicken stock plus half of another box
• half a head of cut up brocolli 
• 1 bell pepper cut up
• 1 package of udon noodles(pre cooked)
• tamari(soy sauce)
• sake(maybe 1/4 cup)
• fish sauce(8 shakes, depending on your liking)
• juice from half a lime
• miso paste 1 tbsp(i used brown) 

toppings:

• scallions
• cilantro
• siracha

-first i sauteed the chicken tenders for a few minutes in coconut oil and once i flipped them i added the ginger, garlic, chili pepper, and shallot
-i added herb salt seasoning to taste. once the chicken was cooked through, i set it aside and cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
-then i boiled the chicken stock and added brocolli and green pepper until they were tender but not too soft.
-set aside veggies
-boiled noodles 2 mins(that's all they take), turned the heat to low and added the tamari, fish sauce, sake, lime juice and miso paste(you have to take some of the broth in a small bowl and whisk the miso paste until it dissolves and add back into the pot)
-then i threw the chicken mixture into the pot and served
-top with scallions, cilantro, and siracha(til my nose runs)
SOOOO GOOD.

root beer float pops!

these are pretty much.... a treat. 

just make sure that the root beer is super cold before you make these. i put it in the freezer until it got slushy like. then i poured the root beer(eli's!) in the molds a 3rd of the way up, spooned in some vanilla bean hagan daaz and topped it off with rootbeer. leave half an inch on the top or else the mixture will overflow when they expand while they freeze. 

we ate these on our walk to the beach :) 

skillet chicken fajitas

ingredients; 

1 sweet onion

1 pepper

1 chili pepper

1 jalopeno pepper

organic chicken(i used tenderloins)

2 avocados 

1 lime

chopped cilantro

3 garlic cloves 

cumin, chili powder, s&p

coconut oil 

shredded raw cheddar

sour cream

jalopeno hot sauce

tortillas  

1- saute the chicken for a few minutes in coconut oil with chili powder, salt, and pepper. then set aside.

2- saute garlic, onions, and the peppers until a little soft, then add chicken back into warm.

3- for the guacamole- mash avocados with lime, garlic, cilantro, jalopeno, s&p, and cumin 

4- warm tortillas, shred cheese, and put together your fajitas! 

simple, simple, simple. 

strawberry lemonade basil pops

tried another popsicle recipe;

made a simple syrup with basil

once the sugar melted i added lemon zest and steeped it with the basil simple syrup(using an organic lemon is best when you zest.( it could taste like chemicals otherwise.)

pureed strawberries and added it to the strained lemonade mixture

                                             

topped the pops off with basil

refreshing :) 

with the leftover pureed strawberry basil lemonade i added vodka after a crappys day of work. :)

buffalo burger green style

we made buffalo burgers the other day(added chopped up garlic and shallots to all natural ground buffalo meat and made them into patties with a finger dip in the middle, cooked them in the cast iron about 4 minutes each side) topped with gorgonzola cheese, thin slices of onion, and jalapenos. we decided to stuff them into lettuce instead of a bun. healthier and less filling.

and for a side we made a salad with;

arugula

basil

yellow cherry tomatoes

shaved parmesan 

and a shallot vinaigrette(shallots, lemon, rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, s/p)