Summer sweet pea & white bean soup!

Y’all… this may be the best soup I have ever made! I mean, shoutout to my @vitamix blender because damn she was so smooth and velvety! 😍 Ingredients: 1 tbsp. avocado oil 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas 1 …

Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo Salad

I’m currently loving this bright pasta salad for a meal prep situation this week! It’s packed with bold flavors and lots of zest! Its also perfect for a picnic date or dinner side dish! Ingredients: ½ cup orzo pasta 5 …

Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates, Dipped in Chocolate

I made these delicious fancy treats for my family this Ramadan! I grew up eating dates but they weren’t my favorite. Now I love them, especially dipped in dark chocolate! This is the ultimate healthy sweet treat and I’m so …

Spring Chickpea & Quinoa Salad

A beautiful spring recipe

Veggie & Tofu Rice Bowl

This is the perfect filling and healthy option for lunch or dinner! I used a ton of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, cilantro and scallions! I took this with me for lunch to work one day! It was so delicious with …

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies

Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup of spelt flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1. tsp. sea salt 1 cup coconut sugar 1 cup organic butter 1 organic egg 2 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 cup of (mini) chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375 …

Cherry Chia Jam

Over the Summer I went to the St. Paul farmers market and saw some beautiful tart cherries. I talked to the farmer about his product and what he suggested to do with them – he said they were great for …

The Best Guacamole Recipe!!

Ingredients: 2 ripe avocado 1 roasted garlic clove 1/4 cup diced cherry tomatoes 1/2 small red onion freshly squeezed lime juice roughly chopped cilantro sea salt & black pepper Mash avocado in a medium sized bowl, add garlic, tomatoes, onion, …

How to Make a Salad that Doesn’t Suck

We get it. You think salads are boring, unsatisfying and the epitome of diet food. But munching on greens doesn’t have to suck! If you don’t like salad, you probably don’t know how to make a good one. Delicious salads (or any food) should be colorful, vibrant and fresh with lots of interesting components. I promise you won’t feel the need to eat pizza after you make one of these amazing salads. They will keep you full and help you get in more veggies in your diet!

How to Make a badass Salad:

1) Use an Array of Greens!

Ditch the lettuce! Your salad will be infinitely better with other delicious and nutritious greens. Experiment and find a mix that you like.  Try kale, spinach, and arugula or even add some herbs!

2) Add Textures and Color

Make your salad interesting by adding something crunchy. Good quality croutons, nuts and seeds are what I like best. You can even add other crunchy veggies like celery, cabbage or shredded carrots. The options are endless!

3) Add protein & Healthy Fats

This will keep you full and make the salad satisfying. If you eat meat, try add some chicken, steak or seafood. I almost always add cheese because, well, everything is better with cheese!

More options:

• Avocado
• Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans
• Hummus
• Chickpeas
• Hard-boiled egg

 4) Add Fruit or Additional Veggies!

Use whatever you have in the house! Don’t overcomplicate it by adding too many ingredients. Maybe some strawberries or dried cranberries? Olives? Radishes? Use what you like and make it work for you! One of my favorite summer combinations is: Spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts and lemon vinaigrette! Don’t be afraid of adding fruit!

5) Make your own Dressing!

It’s always going to be easy to buy a bottle of salad dressing from the grocery store, but making your own is so simple and more beneficial. You can control all the amounts and ingredients. Lots of processed salad dressings can contain unnecessary ingredients and emulsifiers. Try sticking to an oil & vinegar based dressing rather than a creamy one.  A good salad always needs some type of acid – lemons, limes, balsamic or apple cider vinegar is the way to go.

 

Here are some of my favorite go-to dressings!

Methods: Use a whisk and a small bowl to combine ingredients or find a small mason jar and shake until the oil and vinegar everything is emulsified.

The most simple Lemon Vinaigrette: ½ lemon squeezed, 2 tbsp. olive oil, sea salt & black pepper

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette: 1 clove of crushed garlic, 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. raw honey, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, sea salt & black pepper

Maple Tahini Dressing: 2 tbsp. tahini paste, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. organic maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon or vinegar, sea salt & black pepper

Herb Vinaigrette: ½ lemon squeezed, 2 tbsp. chopped herbs (basil, parsley or thyme), 1 tbsp. raw honey, 2 tbsp. olive oil, sea salt & black pepper

Easy Seafood Paella

I was inspired from my trip to Spain to make this amazing regional dish! Full of bold flavors, spices and the most amazing rice you will ever taste!  Paella is definitely my new favorite food and I was so excited to come home and attempt to make it myself. The concept is very simple – just rice, veggies and any meat or seafood. It turned out so amazing and I am happy to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Arborio rice
• 2 cups approx. chicken or veggie broth
• 1 cup red and green bell peppers
• ¼ cup frozen green peas
• ¼ cup artichokes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. black pepper or cayenne pepper
• Sea salt to taste
• Your choice of seafood: I used shrimp & mussels
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley

Method:

1. Prep rice, seafood and broth ahead of time – cut peppers and veggies into bite sized pieces
2. In a cast iron pan or deep skillet, cook peppers in olive oil for 4-5 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add rice and “toast” for 2 minutes
4. Add peas, garlic and any other vegetable, stir for 1 minute. Artichokes and green beans are also common.
5. Add broth to the mixture and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes until rice is cooked. Cover and stir occasionally. Add more broth or water as needed.
6. During this time you can cook the seafood separately or add it on top of the rice 5-10 minutes before it is done. The heat from the pan will cook the seafood. Be sure to cover with lid.
7. Top with parsley and serve

Cook peppers for in olive oil, add rice and “toast” for 2 minutes

Add peas and any other vegetables you’d like! Cook for 1 minute

Add chicken or veggie broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes

Final product w/ fresh parsley! Enjoy

Pro Tips:

• Saffron is usually used to give the rice a golden color. Since it is the most expensive spice in the world, I used turmeric as a substitute. Real Paella uses saffron! If you can find it, use it!
• Traditionally, Arborio rice is used for paella, but I used a combination of short grain brown rice and Arborio. Use what you have! Any rice will work.
• Make your own chicken or veggie broth! If you have leftover chicken or old veggies you need to use up, there’s no excuse not to make one! I made my own veggie broth using leftover carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, basil, oregano, bell peppers, and zucchini. I simply sautéed the veggies in some olive oil and poured in 2 ½ cups of water once the veggies had cooked for 6-7 minutes. I let is simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
• Adjust amounts of broth and rice accordingly. If you like your rice more tender, add more broth.
• Add any seafood, meat, or keep it vegetarian! In Spain I had both chicken paella and seafood paella. Use what you have and make it work for you!
• If you like your veggies to keep more texture in the dish, saute them less time in the beginning of the recipe. I like my peas and peppers to keep their color (and nutritional value!)