#talkin snack

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After Workout Salad - Kale Salad with Golden Curried Chickpeas

2 handfuls of laminate kale, washed and dried

1 handful of snap peas

1/2 avocado

1 tablespoon of pepitas

lemon, juice from about 1/2

extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Golden Curried Chickpeas

1/2 of an 8oz can of chick peas

1 teaspoons of curry powder

couple dashes of cayenne powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

extra virgin olive oil

This is a great after workout salad. It’s filled with nutrients, and packed with flavor and I can’t get enough of it. This salad has actually motivated me to work out more knowing this will be my treat for myself after. It’s a little pat on the shoulder saying “good job.” 

You can make the chickpeas a couple hours before making the salad if you want to save time. But they’re best when they’ve just been cooked. I like to dress the salad first then add the chickpeas as to not have the chickpeas get soggy. Also, cook the second half of the chickpeas the next day the same way, because you will want this salad two days in a row. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain, rinse and dry the chick peas. Place on the baking sheet and season with curry powder, cayenne powder, salt,  and olive oil. Mix everything together using your hands. Taste a chickpea and adjust seasoning if necessary. Place in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and a little crisp. 

While the chickpeas are roasting prep the rest of the salad. Remove the thick stem from the kale and cut into shredded pieces. Place in a salad bowl. 

Slice the snap peas at an angle, thinly and add to the kale. Cut up half of your avocado and add to the bowl along with the pepita seeds. Season with salt and pepper, and dress with lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil. Toss. 

Once chickpeas are cooked wait a few minutes to cool down before adding to the salad. Enjoy!

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Heirloom Tomatoes, and Radishes with Carrot top, Garlic Scape Pesto

heirloom tomatoes

radishes (I used french breakfast radishes)

carrot top, garlic scape pesto

extra virgin olive oil

maldon salt

basil for garnish

As promised, a recipe using my carrot top, garlic scape pesto. Heirloom tomato season approaches, and simple recipes like this are key. I personally could eat an heirloom tomato like an apple, but this makes things a little more exciting, and how freakin pretty are those colors! The colors!!

Slice the tomato/tomatoes a ¼ inch thick. Slice up the radishes paper thin. Spread the tomato slices on a plate with the radishes on top. Drizzle some pesto over the tomatoes and radishes,as well as a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you’d like. Season with some maldon salt, and garnish with some small basil leaves. 

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Carrot Top Greens, and Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup of carrot top greens

3 scapes

1 sprig of basil

1/2 cup parmesan

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper 

Tis the season for one of my favs. Garlic Scapes. These are the flower stems that grow from hard-neck garlic. And yes, they taste like garlic. I wish they were around all year long, but now’s the time, so go out there and get some. 

I love using them in pesto. They’re also fantastic grilled and served with a steak. The choice is yours. And a note on carrot greens; yes, you can eat them, and they’re delicious. They’re greens with a hint taste of carrots. Never throw these out. This pesto is a great way to use them, they also do really well in salads or used as a garnish. They’re also very good for you, packed with vitamin C, potassium, and protein. Prrrretty cool huh?

In a food processor, puree all the ingredients together until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice or olive oil if the pesto is too thick. 

More recipes to come using this pesto. Until then, find your self some garlic scapes, and meet me back here.I got mine from Good Eggs. 

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Beet Wheat Berry Risotto

1 cup wheat berries

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium beet

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 quarts of vegetable stock

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Lately I’ve been trying to find ways in making my favorite comfort foods a little healthier. I’m at a loss as to what replaces pasta. No, spaghetti squash does not replace pasta! But risotto being one of my favorite things to cook, is amazing made with different grains. I usually use farro, but when I couldn’t find it at my food market one day I decided to try it out with wheat berries and it was just as good. Try replacing arborio rice with either farro or wheat berries the next time you make risotto, and I think you’ll find you won’t miss the rice at all. Here’s one of the ways I’ve been making risotto, and it’s delicious. Pasta though! <3

In a strainer rinse the wheat berries well with water. Set aside to strain.

Peel and rinse the beet. Cut into quarters and place in a food processor. Puree the beet until you have medium to small chunks. Set aside. 

In a large pot, on medium heat keep the vegetable warm and steaming, not boiling.

In a large pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter along with the extra virgin olive oil. Once butter is melted, add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent and golden. About 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wheat berries and stir allowing the wheat berries to toast a bit. Add the beets and stir, cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and let it cook until wine is almost absorbed. 

Now, a ladle full at a time add the broth. Stir, and allow each ladle of broth to absorb before adding more broth. Keep stirring occasionally. Do this until the wheat berries are tender, about an hour. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Turn of the heat, mix in a tablespoon of butter and parmesan cheese. Mix and allow to melt. Serve with more parmesan and parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

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Chickpea Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing

1 15oz can of chickpeas

large handful of arugula

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons of minced red onion

Dressing

1 tablespoon of tahini

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

salt 

freshly cracked black pepper

Strain the chickpeas from the liquid in the can and rinse well with water. Place the chickpeas in a medium sized pot and fill with enough water to cover the chickpeas. Put on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, boil for about 2 minutes then strain and let chickpeas cool to room temp in a large mixing bowl. 

While chickpeas are cooling, in a small mixing bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lemon if necessary. Set aside. 

To the chickpeas, add the tomatoes, and red onion. Then add the dressing and mix it all together until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Add the arugula last and give it a light toss. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Enjoy!

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Minestrone

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion

1 leek

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 celery stalk, cut into small cubes

1 potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

5 cups of vegetable broth or water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

15 oz can of cannelloni beans

1 angel hair nest, or short pasta of your choice

2 tablespoons of minced cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Serves 4-6

Update: It's still cold. My apartment is still cold. Soup is still everything.

Peel and mince the onion, set aside. Clean the leek, cut into quarters lengthwise and slice. In a medium pot heat up the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and leeks when oil is hot enough. Sauté till translucent and turning pretty golden. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the carrots, celery, potatoes, and a good pinch of salt and continue sautéing for another 3 minutes.

Add the broth or water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, mix in the tomato paste and beans, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Crumble the angel hair nest into the soup and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. If using a different kind of pasta, cook the pasta in the soup until al dente. 

Turn off heat, and mix in the minced cilantro. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!

*top the soup with grated parmesan or a squeeze of lemon.

*I usually use zucchini to this recipe as well, but I didn't have any. If you're using zucchini, add it when you add the carrot celery and potatoes. 

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Lentil Soup

1 cup french lentil, cleaned

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into pea size

1 celery stalk, chopped into pea size

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 cups of water, or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup of kale, shredded

It's freezing in NYC right now and we had our first official snow fall yesterday. I live in a pretty lofty apartment that is impossible to heat up so curling up with a bowl of soup is totally my jam right now. That along with wrapping myself in as many scarves and blankets I can find around the apartment.

I've been playing around making many different kinds of soups, and I hope to share a few with you, but I'm going to start off with sharing my lentil soup. The best thing about soup is most soup recipes are extremely easy to prepare. For the most part its throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot with broth and letting it do its thing. Just leaves you with more time to knit a wool full body jumpsuit, yeah know? This soup in particular is very easy. It doesn't have too many ingredients, and you most likely already have those ingredients laying around. It's extremely flavorful and filling, and it makes the ultimate cozy, snowy day soup. 

Serves 4-6

In a medium pot, heat of the olive oil on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent and pretty golden, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté with the onions for another 5 minutes, or until the veggies are evenly coated with the oil and are becoming golden.

Throw in the lentil with the veggies and mix everything together using a wooden spoon and let cook for another minute. Add the water or broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let cook for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked all the way through. 

Once lentils are cooked, add the cumin and kale and let cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Take of the heat, serve, and enjoy!

*if you don't have broth on hand, it's totally fine to just use water. You'll still get a lot of flavor from everything that is cooking together

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Turmeric Tea

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon raw honey

hot water

freshly cracked black pepper

So it's happening. I'm getting old. I was recently making my bed and the saddest thing happened…I pulled my lower back like a true old lady. And let me tell you, it sucked. As a makeup artist, I'm always on my feet, bending down to do someone's makeup, carrying my heavy kit around town, and having my back in the state that it was in made my job impossible.

I always used to roll my eyes at my mom whenever she'd complain about having back pains, mainly because I never experienced them myself, and now that I have, it is totally something to complain about! It makes things that you do on a daily basis impossible. For example, putting on shoes. Yes, putting on your shoes, I couldn't do it without a major struggle and 20 minutes to spare. The worst part was I couldn't even get myself out of bed. I had to have my boyfriend pull me out, and as a 28 year old it's really troubling that these "back pains" are starting now. More than anything I realized how important it is to sometimes take a step back and chill and not over do it. That's exactly what I did, and the thing that truly helped me the most was drinking turmeric tea. Honestly. Turmeric is a magical thing. It's used in a lot of Indian food, and it's what gives curry it's color. It's slightly peppery and bitter and it's extremely good for you. It helps with inflammations, muscle pains (cough cough), it's good for your eyes, even your brain! The list goes on, and everyone should introduce turmeric into their diet!

In a small bowl mix together the honey and ground turmeric into a paste using a spoon. Put the paste in a mug, and fill the mug with hot water. Mix the paste into the water until dissolved. Crack some black pepper into the tea for some extra spice and warmth for these cold days, and sip away! Make sure to stir the tea here and there, as the turmeric tends to rest at the bottom. Enjoy!

*my awesome mug is from http://smallspells.com, I know you were wondering...