Mid July, here we are. Second half of the year, here, too! Here is what I am currently loving this month:
1. Martha Stewart’s Blueberry Crisp Recipe
We went blueberry picking this week and picked over 12 pounds of blueberry. So I decided to make a blueberry crisp (and follow a recipe!) I made two of these crisps (used 6 pounds of blueberries) and found this recipe perfect — not too sweet, but light and refreshing.
I was first introduced to this Roasted Carrot Salad at one of my favorite NYC restaurants, ABC Kitchen. Although it has been years since I have last eaten there, I distinctively remember the salad — the rainbow colors, the mixture of elements, and most of all how delicious it is. Ever since I found the recipe (Thank you, NY Times!), I have made this salad 5 times (in 2 weeks). It is SOOOOOO GOOD! A perfect salad for summer (or winter) and alone (or for guests).
The perfect salad!
Hands down my favorite dessert is key lime pie –(remember last year when I ordered 13 pounds of key lime pies by accident). And so I decided to start off the week on a sweet note by making key lime pie — but not just any key lime pie, but FROZEN key lime pie. The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa and is so stinking easy that I hope I dont start making it every week just to have in the kitchen…..
(Pre frozen — I couldn’t stop myself, it is that good)
Ingredients:
Adapted from the NYTimes recipe, here is an egg salad. It is SO delicious — yes, decadent; not vegan: yes rich — and OH SO GOOD! You must try!
Ingredients:
* 4 hard boiled eggs
* 1 crispy slice of bacon
* 1 minced shallot
* sprouts or parsley
* mayonnaise (very personal how much)
* salt and pepper
Homemade Hummus! I have never made hummus before and in the last three days, this is the second batch. It is so easy and even better, so delicious! A must make!
Ingredients:
Ingredients
My kids take a really amazing (virtual) cooking class after school one day a week, where they cook dinner for the family. Although I am heavily involved in every aspect of the class, we all enjoy it thoroughly. I learn SO much and love all the food we have made thus far. This past week, we made ramen AND a carrot ginger dressing to go over iceberg lettuce. I loved the carrot ginger dressing so much that I basically drank it like water…..and am already on the second batch!
Ingredients:
Crunchy, refreshing, tasty, light, and nutty. So good, so good. The salad is great on its own, or combined with other Asian flavors. The creator of this salad, my-sister-from-another-mister, likes to add this with her miso salmon, rice, and scallions. I love it alone or with anything. And even better — it takes only a couple of minutes to make!
Mini cucumbers are delicious plain, but even better with this sesame asian dressing.
I have had the tab with this NY Times recipe open for months, so finally I decided to make it (COVID 19—- 19 pounds over normal weight here weeeeeeeee commmmmmmeeeeeee). Super easy, fun to make, and delicious. Randomly, it is vegan too (which just means no eggs in this cake recipe) so my dairy free friends can make this and love it. It is a great cake to make with kids and when you are sick of dishes.
Ingredients:
A month ago when I was in Los Angeles to run the marathon, I dined at Gjelina not once but twice. It quickly became my favorite restaurant with the most scrumptious veggies, pizzas, sides and desserts. Immediately upon returning to NYC, I bought the Gjelina cookbook. This past weekend, I decided to make the warm date cake and HOLY SHMOLY HOT DAMN this cake is amazing. It is sweet, moist, and oh so delicious. I highly recommend this cake and can’t wait to eat it all up (and to make it again shortly thereafter).
Ingredients:
This coffee recipe is fun, easy and super delicious! I read about it on the NYTimes and knew that I needed to make it — highly recommend this tasty treat. Dalgona coffee, also known as whipped coffee, is frothy, creamy, decadent and only requires instant coffee, milk, sugar and water.
LOOK! Final result — oh so delicious.
This past weekend (sadly) felt like Winter….so time to hibernate and cook. And that is exactly what we did. On Saturday night, we made chili, veggies and CORN BREAD. Years ago at our annual Sonoma trip, one of our friends made the most delicious and moist corn bread you have ever tasted. So that was the recipe I used — and it was just as good as I remember. Thank you, Katie Daly! Mind you — it is NOT healthy, but it is #WorthIt.
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I am currently tapering (Chicago marathon is this Sunday!) and so I am not doing my normal workouts which means I have even MORE time on my hands…..so baking healthy concoctions it is! Healthy and delicious energy balls!
Aren’t they pretty?
Earlier this week, we went peach picking (one of my favorite pastimes in Oregon…. fun, beautiful, and super inexpensive. WIN WIN all around). In 20 minutes, we gathered 35 pounds of delicious and perfect peaches. As much as I love peaches, that is a WHOLE lot of peaches to eat….especially since they go bad very quickly. So within minutes, I made two crisps (a little bit of oatmeal, a little bit of butter, a little bit of sugar and VOILA). But there was still 30 plus pounds left….so we decided to dehydrate them and they are oh so good.
Me and my partner in crime. She weighs just slightly more than the peaches.
The other day, my mom made the most incredible pesto — the typical basil, pine nut, parmesan combination. It was so delicious, I found excuses to eat it (chip, carrot, spoon, you name it). But because everyone KNOWS how to make pesto, I decided to find a more creative (and cost effective) vegan pesto. Instead of pine nuts and parmesan, hellloooo cashews. Instead of basil, welcome cilantro and jalapeno. It is green, healthy, and has just a minor kick to it (next time, I want to add more jalapeno). Enjoy!
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My new favorite complement to any meat, fish, or veggie is a chimichurri sauce. It is green (and I love anything green), healthy, and oh so delicious. Here is the recipe, enjoy!
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Creamy and oh so dreamy. This salad dressing from my new favorite cookbook “Eat Clean Play Dirty,” is great to make for the week ahead and drizzle on crudites or any salad. It was so good that immediately after I made the first batch, I QUADRUPLED the recipe to have more to grab for any and every salad!
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My new favorite dessert from Gwyneth Paltrow’s most recent cookbook “The Clean Plate”: apricot coconut cashew truffles! Super easy to make, delicious to eat, and ever so healthy.
No bake, no sugar, oh so YUM truffles.
SO easy, so simple, and oh so good. Roasted miso sweet potatoes! Great as a side dish, perfect for leftovers!
Who doesn’t love the color orange?
I am (once again) on a Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook kick. Everything in her new cookbook (The Clean Plate) is delicious and a current go-to. These turkey burgers are so easy, super delicious, and a hit with everyone (such as me, myself, and I).
It is exactly what it sounds like it would be: peanut butter stuffed dates. And basically, you just stuff peanut butter in to a date and VOILA you have the perfect bite sized dessert. Of course, to make it even better, you add some chocolate and sea salt. So simple, so easy, and oh so delicious.
They are as good as they look.
For Cruzzie’s birthday last week, a friend gifted him this box set of cookbooks (Cooking and Baking Class Box Set) and we have had so much fun exploring kid friendly recipes!
My new favorite ingredient to add to salads / bowls / anything / everything ….pickled onions! They are sweet, tangy, and not too pungent. And super easy to make!
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I have always been a Peanut Butter Princess, devouring spoonfuls of peanut butter by the gallons. Especially during marathon training, I crave the richness and fattiness of peanut butter, almond butter and any nut butter even more. So when I came across “Chai Cashew Butter” in the new Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow cookbook, I knew that it was something I was going to fall in love with. And sure enough, once I made it, I could not stop eating it. It is rich, full of protein and good fats, sweet and filling. The perfect snack before a run, or to keep me going on a given day. Creamy, smooth, and tasty. A must eat and a must make!
Final product. I could sell this on the street and people would line up for it — that good!
Now that I am back to NYC, I am all about fast, easy dinners. I like simple, delicious, and healthy meals that do not require much thought but are still tasty and good for you. So when I came across Haven’s Kitchen Sauces on Fresh Direct, I jumped especially because my friend Katie Carey, happens to be the brains and beauty behind these delicious sauces! Can you believe how small this world is? TINY! And can you believe how amazing these sauces are? INCREDIBLE.
So good. So good. So good. Worth repeating and eating more and more and more of them.
My (and everyone else’s) summer drink, the Aperol Spritz, has been consumed in many different ways. But I think I have found my favorite… the slushee. I may never drink anything else again: this slushee is the most incredible, light, fruity, delicious, buzzing, refreshing, oh-so-good drink. It is truly perfection.
It is even better than it looks. SERIOUSLY, so good.
