Brined Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Goat Cheese and Thyme Mashed Cauliflower

Brined Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Goat Cheese and Thyme Mashed Cauliflower

I am a big roasted grape fan! Given some heat from the oven, the grapes start to burst, concentrate in flavor, and obtain a jammy sweetness. They go perfectly with pork. The pork chop is simply brined in leftover brine from some fermented veggies I made. You can use any pickle juice or juice leftover [...]

Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Dates, Walnuts, Blue Cheese, and Shallot-Sherry Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Dates, Walnuts, Blue Cheese, and Shallot-Sherry Vinaigrette

Big salads are my favorite way to eat tons of greens! Aside from the nutritional benefits, it is fun to make salads because they are so customizable with virtually limitless combinations of flavors. This salad is made with a base of baby spinach. Roasted sweet potatoes, chopped dates, walnuts, and blue cheese are piled on [...]

Grapefruit, Beet, and Rosemary Agua Fresca

Grapefruit, Beet, and Rosemary Agua Fresca

Grapefruit and beets go so well together - give this combo a try with this grapefruit, beet, and rosemary agua fresca! No juicer needed ๐Ÿ˜Š. Have you ever tried agua fresca? It translates to 'fresh water' and is a popular drink in Central America. There are numerous renditions with a variety of ingredients from fruits, [...]

Veggie Summer Rolls with Raw Mango Wasabi Sauce

Veggie Summer Rolls with Raw Mango Wasabi Sauce

Summer might be ending, but summer rolls are forever! ๐Ÿ˜‰ These veggie summer rolls with mango wasabi sauce are here to bring some brightness to your day! They are entirely customizable. I used avocado, cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, pea sprouts, and green onions. You can mix and match with anything you like. Rolling these is [...]

Crispy Chicken and Potatoes with Preserved Lemon Compound Butter and Salsa Verde

Crispy Chicken and Potatoes with Preserved Lemon Compound Butter and Salsa Verde

This, folks, is one of my top favorite meals of all time! I have been making some rendition of it for a while BUT I consider this the best way to make it by far. Why? The chicken skin and potatoes get perfectly browned and crispy. In this best-ever version, preserved lemon compound butter is [...]

Chipotle-Cheddar Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

Chipotle-Cheddar Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

Ease into fall with this chipotle-cheddar butternut squash and leek soup. The world around me seems ready for the cold weather, what about you? It is already pumpkin spice everything! I seem to be a lagger - the cold, crisp mornings are surprising still to me. The falling and brown leaves seem almost out of [...]

Creamed Kale, Lentil, and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Blue Cheese

Creamed Kale, Lentil, and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Blue Cheese

These stuffed mushrooms might not be the food models of the century. BUT they are damn good. And that is good enough for me. ๐Ÿ˜‹ The inspo behind these is a fancy steak dinner! You got the creamed kale (standing in for spinach because kale is in season), the caramelized onions and blue cheese (both amazing [...]

Kale, Sweet Potato, White Bean, Avocado, and Kraut Bowl with Lime Maple-Mustard Miso Sauce

Kale, Sweet Potato, White Bean, Avocado, and Kraut Bowl with Lime Maple-Mustard Miso Sauce

How do you like your bowls? I like mine with extra greens ๐Ÿ˜Š. This Kale, Sweet Potato, White Bean, Avocado, and Kraut Bowl with Lime Maple-Mustard Miso Sauce is basically a macro bowl minus the grains. Here I have subbed extra kale in place of grains. Feel free to modify that if you want! It [...]

The Funky Monkey: Coffee, Cacao, Banana, Date and Peanut Butter Smoothie

The Funky Monkey: Coffee, Cacao, Banana, Date and Peanut Butter Smoothie

For an easy and delicious breakfast (or lunch) give this Coffee, Cacao, Banana, Date and Peanut Butter Smoothie a try! This smoothie is modeled after a drink I had in Tucson, Arizona at a cafe a block from my apartment called the Funky Money. An ode to the magic that happens when you combine banana and [...]