Category: Recipes

Crunchy Af Asian Persuasion Farmers Market Salad

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Summer is made for salads…at least for the two of us. With the fluctuating and confusing weather going from hot to crazy hot to randomly Fall like, we’ve kept it simple. Basically, less cooked foods besides the occasional roasted veg that happens on those below 70 degree days. I mean, I’m going to have my roasted sweet potato because that crunchiness is not replicated on the stovetop. It’s not the same!!!

To get creative and eat outside the box, salads have become entire meals loaded with everything you could possibly need. Protein, check. Healthy fats, check. Crunchy things, check. Greens, check. Delicious dressing, check check and check. Basically any REAAAAALLLY good salad needs at least something crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet and it needs a really freakin good dressing. It’s a must!

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Hubby and I really love that miso ginger dressing that coats every crevice of lettuce at a sushi spot or Hibachi grill. Besides the actually hibachi veggies, the starter salad is WHERE IT’S AT!

If you don’t feel like making your dressing (it’s okay, this is normal human-ness, sometimes I’m lazy af too), there is a creamy miso ginger dressing over by the sushi section at Whole Foods (it’s so damn good). It’s going to run you about 5-6 bucks but it’s worth it if you’re feeling lazy. Or you can give that Newman’s branded sesame ginger dressing a shot. Easy to find. Easy on that budget too 😉

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Farmers Market Goddess Salad

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Summer is in full swing the moment you start to see peaches. Last year we suffered a bit over here in NYC. There were some Jersey peaches but New York State did not get blessed with the juiciness of peaches. It almost felt like it wasn’t quite summer but I didn’t really notice, I was in the midst of wedding planning. This summer I’m giddy and just full blown ecstatic about the arrival of peaches, plums and nectarines. And my friends, they are juicy and ready for your salads and salsas.

I haven’t really gotten creative in the kitchen lately. I’ve been fine with making similar things over and over – if it can be made into a taco I’m going to have it (Siete foods has an amazing Almond Flour tortilla, gluten free AND vegan).   But the emergence of peaches inspires me to experiment a bit  I’m trying to push the envelope with food combos.

Peach and corn are an awesome combo, same with peach and blueberry, peach and tomato even, but I really haven’t gone beyond until this amazing salad.

I kid you not my husband Matt practically inhaled this salad- I even got the happy grumble in between each bite (if that’s what we’re calling it).  I’d call that WINNING!

This salad has everything the farmers market has to offer in the summer: heirloom tomatoes, blueberries, micro greens, fresh peaches, cucumbers, fresh sheeps milk feta. I, of course, add in a few extra things to make it a filling, nourishing salad.

So, what are you waiting for? Get off your butt, go to the farmers market and eat this salad for days and feel awesome!

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Superfood Chocolate Coconut Butter Cups

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An upgrade to your favorite nut butter cup jam packed with superfoods to make you feel extra sexy and indulgent with every bite.

Happy Summer friends! I’m probably alone in my love for the heat, but I really do love the summer. Give me the 100 degree day with a slight breeze, even if it’s humid, I’m cool as a cucumber. I know, I’m a weirdo. I also really thrive on the awesome produce in season right now. Blueberries, black raspberries, cucumbers, cherries, snap peas, broccoli, (want to know more click here) I can go on and on. It’s so freakin’ awesome that nature brings all this deliciousness forth and miraculously cools us down. Yup, everything that comes into season has a purpose. Winter has heartier veggies and fruits that warm us up while summer has lighter, refreshing veggies and fruits to cool us down and flush the system from the winter sludge. Hello to feeling sexy in the summer and glowing in and out.

Now, I’m a fan of sucking down smoothies and eating cooling salads but I’m really not big on doing too much with dessert (I’ll do a yogified “ice cream” on here soon) especially when it’s hot. But my weird self decided making nut butter cups on a hot a** day was a brilliant idea. I mean, I keep them in the fridge so they’re nice and cold with a little chew action going on.

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I mean, come on, what’s not to love?! I made these babies a little more interesting by turning the insides green! Yes! I added matcha to the coconut butter that just gave it a slight earthiness that my husband didn’t even notice. I think he actually ate way more than I did! I def snuck in some collagen, MCT oil and chaga mushroom to the melted chocolate to enhance the benefits of this good for you dessert (or ahem treat).

These superpowered cups are:

  • finger licking good (sorry KFC)
  • a natural aphrodisiac (thank you to the raw cacao)
  • loaded with healthy fats (helloooo MCT oil and coconut butter)
  • great for your hair, skin, nails and gut health (thanks to the collagen)
  • awesome for balancing those PMS-y moments (thank you chaga + cacao)
  • just pretty dang good so go make them…like…now!

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Very Cherry Coconut Smoothie {Hydrate yo self}

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Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies

After nearly a 2 month hiatus, I’m back ya’ll. It’s hard not to feel guilty for not being consistent posting on the blog but I’m trying not to make this a “chore.” Cooking is not a chore for me and neither is sharing my recipes. I want this to be fun, enjoyable and share some random stories I have for you. I have intentionally created time and space (I got da power!) for, well, recipe creation. I’ve been focusing on simplifying my life even though it seems there are more things filling the space from the things I’ve released. Does that make sense?

Okay, I’ll explain teehee. I recently resigned from my job as a nutrition educator at an elementary school. Around the same time (like less than a month ago) I started my work as a Doula (a birth worker, advocate for mamas) and now I’m working towards completing requirements for certification. I get to nerd out on everything about prenatal, birth and postpartum care. I’m literally reading ALL the time and have hit up the library weekly for books on books on books. While researching up the wazoo (as my husband would say), I’m finding different ways to tie all my passions together. Writing. Cooking. Holistic Wellness. Self Care. Birth. I mean, who said we have to CHOOSE ONE THING. We can do it all without having to do it all, right?

Anywhoooo…even while my brain is on overload, I’m ready for a summer of adventures (and hopefully some births, if ya’ll need a doula holler over here). After a week of weird October feeling weather, it finally feels like June and that heat, is absolutely delicious. Any other heat lovers out there? Or am I alone?

A common theme for me in the glorious heat is to sip on smoothies. I’m really not too big on heavy eating when it’s hot, so anything slurpable and grabable (yes I just made up 2 words) is da bomb dot com. And I don’t know about you but I like things that taste good and keep me feeling AMAZEBALLS as I attempt to get shit done. AMIRIGHT?! lol

Fresh strawberries (they’re in season right now and so damn good) combined with dark sweet cherries and coconut butter, this very cherry coconut smoothie is cooling, hydrating and rejuvenating with high antioxidants (from the berries, YAAAS) collagen (check out Further Food, Vital Proteins or Reserveage), and healthy fats for a gorgeous glow from the inside out.

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Overnight Super Matcha Chia Pudding

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I love breakfast foods but I don’t have a HUGE desire to change things up all the time. I could probably eat one of two things every day for breakfast and be perfectly okay with that. Avocado toast and granola with yogurt. I used to be big on oatmeal but that really changed after a few years of eating that almost everyday (as an alternative to cereal).

I’m at a point where if I’m not hungry after drinking a hot cup of chai with almond milk or some type of crazy a** elixir I make in the morning, I just could go without breakfast altogether. Then there are mornings where I wake up famished wondering if I ran out of my millet bread for avocado toast or if I should pop open a new bag of granola.

I’ve had a pretty serious matcha obsession since giving up coffee in January and I’m always looking for new ways to make it even better besides whizzing it with almond milk, butter, and coconut oil. I mean, it’s a pretty badass way to consume it and it’s rather flawless. If it’s not broke don’t fix it 😉 But a wave of inspiration led me to give this recipe a try.

Matcha, is actually powdered green tea (the green tea leaves are dried then ground into a sexy powder). This super powered powder is loaded with L-Theanine, an amino acid that helps balance the caffeine content. L-Theanine is known to provide a sense of calm (I can dig that). It’s a great source of antioxidants, improve focuses and concentration while also supporting sexy skin.

When combined with chia (a superpowered superfood all by its bad self) you get a happy, healthy dose of Omega 3’s, high fiber, protein and is a natural mood booster (hello glow) throughout your cycle (if you’re a lady). I’m all about them good mood foods and the combination of calm and clear, matcha with mood-boosting chia is a match made in breakfast heaven.

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The best part of this recipe is you can make it overnight and just grab and go in the morning. Well, I like to add a few things as toppings to make it a little more exciting 😉

Overnight Super Matcha Chia Pudding

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Total time: 1-8 hours (the longer you leave it the better)
Serves 1 hungry human

What you need:

  • 1 heaping teaspoon of matcha powder
  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup coconut milk (full fat)
  • 1/2 cup almond/macadamia/rice/soy/cashew milk (your choice)
  • For sweetness: 1 teaspoon coconut nectar or 1 teaspoon of grade B maple syrup
  • Optional add-ins: maca, moringa powder (for an added green boost), coconut oil (best if warmed up and added in after being refrigerated)
  • Toppings: mixed berries, goji berries, coconut flakes, pepitas (the options are truly endless)

How you make it:

  1. Combine coconut milk and other nut milk of choice with matcha (and sweetener/add in’s) in a blender. Blend until incorporated and frothy.
  2. Whisk chia into your mixture and place in a container. Pop in your fridge and let the mixture get acquainted overnight.
  3. Before you indulge, stir your superpowered chia pudding and add a little more nut milk or coconut milk to achieve your desired texture. The sweet spot for me seems to be about 2-4 tablespoons 😉
  4. Top with a few of your favorite things and feel glorious and full.

How do you take your matcha?

Peace, love and NO Beef!

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