Sopa de Ajo ~ Garlic Soup

The first time I had this was in 2005. While studying abroad in Granada Spain, my friend Laura and I took the bus to the Sierra Nevadas for a day of snowboarding. Unfortunately due to high winds, the lifts were closed, so we had nothing to do but hang out in the lodge and chow. I remember this was one of the the dishes we had, and I’ve been making it ever since!

It’s one of those meals where you can usually find everything you need in your fridge and cupboards; garlic, eggs, good olive oil, stale bread, stock, a few spices and some grated cheese. Cooks in 15 minutes too! The paprika, chili and garlic wake up the sinuses, so in addition to being a comfort food staple, it’s also “food as medicine.”

Ingredients:

• 6 large cloves garlic
• 4 slices day old bread
• 1/4c olive oil (you can use less if watching fats)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red chili
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups stock
• Grated cheese for serving
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Peel and slice the garlic cloves on the thinner side.
• Toast the bread slices in broiler or toaster, cut into cubes.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium and sauté sliced garlic for about 5 minutes until golden.
• Add your spices, toast for a minute, then add the cubed bread, letting it cook in the oil, spices and garlic for a few minutes.
• Pour in the stock, add hefty pinch of salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
• Crack each egg one at a time into a small bowl or ramekin and slide into the soup slowly, attempting to have the eggs sit on top of the bread- they usually fall down on me haha.
• Cover the pot and let the eggs simmer for 4-5 minutes until whites are set, yolk still a little raw.
• Ladle into bowls making sure to get an egg, and top with a drizzle of oil, pepper and perhaps some grated Romano or Parmesan. Enjoy 🌬✨

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Burrata Salad with Prosciutto, Strawberries, and Arugula ~ Fig Basil Balsamic Glaze

Here is a colorful, simple yet decadently flavorful salad that is perfect for Springtime. Takes minutes to put together and I guarantee if you serve this, or bring to your next party or potluck, it will be the first thing to go 😉

I originally made this with fresh sliced peaches, and that was the plan for Easter this past Sunday…. however that morning I cut into my seemingly perfectly ripe peaches, to find mold and rot. I did not panic, I did not run to the store to get more, I simply grabbed a pint of strawberries!

Went over well with the family, and I think I enjoyed it even more than with the peaches. Something about strawberries and cream, salty aged ham, peppery arugula, with the zingy herbal fruity glaze, makes my tastebuds sing.

Burrata Salad with Prosciutto, Strawberries, and Arugula ~ Basil, Fig, Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients for the Salad:

• 8oz Burrata
• 1/4 lb. Prosciutto sliced thin (I used Di Parma)
• 8oz Strawberries
• 4oz Arugula (about 4 cups)
• Handful of basil leaves

For the Glaze:

• 6 Basil Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Fig Jam
• 1/4c Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Hefty pinch Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Rinse arugula, strawberries, basil
• Retrieve your favorite platter and lay down half of the Prosciutto, gently pulling apart the slices so they don’t all clump together.
• Top with arugula.
• Delicately drape the rest of the Prosciutto on top, making little ribbon figure 8 patterns.
• Slice strawberries in half, and scatter around the edges.
• Drain the Burrata, being careful not to pierce the mozzarella skin- you don’t want any of the luscious tangy stracciatella oozing out just yet. Place in the center of the salad.
• To make the glaze, stack the basil leaves and roll up like a cigar, then cut into thin strips. This is chiffonade! Place in bowl with remaining dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork. Or you could shake in a jar, however be sure to break up the jam a bit with a fork before doing so or it will stay in a clump.
• Just before serving, drizzle glaze all over the salad, dash of salt and pepper too. Garnish with basil, I like to reserve the smaller leaves for this.
• Serve with salad spoons and a knife, cut into the burrata like a pie, taking a wedge, and a little of everything else onto your plate, and enjoy! You will I promise.

Try it with the peaches too, or figs, or plums, or whatever fruit you feel like experimenting with 🙂

Food Intention: Color ~ The Smoothie Edition

This week started a bit hungover.  Instead of my usual routine of hibernating, self care, and cooking, I spent Sunday afternoon at East Boston Oysters Support Your Local Girl Gang themed Pop Up event.  Epsom baths and meal prep, were replaced with slurping back all you can eat oysters, gourmet brunch foods, walls full of art eye candy, and of course, often dipping my glass into fountains steady streaming rosé.  Also did a couple rounds of oyster gimlet shots on the ice luge, one with my MOTHER, while Cardi B was blasting, lol.   It was well worth the slight hangover; only a wee one, probably because I have been eating more of a wholefoods diet lately and working out 2-3 times per week.

Monday morning still came quick, and with lots of work commitments and a long to do list, the thought of meal prep was overwhelming.  Stomach grumbling I opened the fridge to find a half pint of blueberries I forgot about, which sparked a memory of my mother once bringing to our attention that “blueberries are the only blue colored food in the world!”  Ha!  All of a sudden I decided that color would be a fun “theme” to work around when making food choices this week.  Not too big a commitment, and would surely get me eating the fruits and the veggies.

I made a colorful (purple) blueberry banana smoothie, headed out for an oil change, and with time to kill, hit the grocery store.  When I got home, naturally, spent half an hour positioning the produce into colorful piles and taking pictures.

Waste of time you might say, but I think the colors sparked a creative nerve in my brain because… as the days went by, I ended up coming up with a whole week’s worth of colorful delicious nutrition packed smoothies.

I posted pictures in real-time on Instagram, and decided to take it a step further and catalog the recipes here.  These are rough measurement estimates, because I am definitely an eyeballer when it comes to the blender, so please take these with a grain of salt and play around.  Also feel free to substitute any milks, nuts, fruits or veggies on hand, if you don’t have exactly what I list here.  It takes a little more time to blend the layers separately, but can freshen up a boring smoothie routine, and the contrasting flavors are fun for the taste buds.  The layered ones are best served with a straw so you can taste the bottom layers too.  Enjoy!

*These recipes make two smoothies each*

MONDAY: BLUE/PURPLE

BLUEBERRY BANANA BASIC

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 frozen banana
• 12oz almond milk

Blend until smooth, pour into glasses, sip at home, or like me, balance it on top of your head while running out the door.

TUESDAY: YELLOW

ORANGE CREAMSICLE

• 2 oranges peeled and frozen
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp cashews
• 8oz water/ice

Blend until smooth, pour into glasses, as you sip you will feel the vitamin C pumping into your being.

WEDNESDAY: GREEN/PINK

Recipe adapted from: https://totallythebomb.com/strawberry-kiwi-layered-smoothie

STRAWBERRY KIWI MELON

Bottom Layer:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp strawberry jam
• 2 oz water

Top Layer:

• 2 frozen cut up kiwi
• 1/2 cup frozen honeydew melon
• 3oz raw baby spinach (about 2 cups)
• 4 oz water

Blend ingredients for bottom layer, pour into two large glasses, give the blender a rinse, then blend up all ingredients for the top layer.   If you’re going for aesthetics, you’ll want to spoon the green layer on top slowly, pouring down the inside edges of the glass, to keep it from mixing into the strawberry layer.   I garnished with fresh mint, a strawberry and tsp of chia seeds to give a watermelon visual effect 🙂

THURSDAY: BROWN/BEIGE

PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHOCOLATE PROTEIN SHAKE WITH MACA

Okay, so this isn’t super colorful BUT the different layers make it resemble a peanut butter cup, so, I say it fits into this color theme.

Peanut Butter layer:

• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3 ice cubes
• 6 oz almond milk

Chocolate layer:

• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3 ice cubes
• 6 oz almond milk
• 2 tsp maca powder
• 1 tsp dark chocolate chips *optional

Blend ingredients for peanut butter layer, and pour into a large measuring cup or glass.  No need to clean out the blender, just add in the ingredients for the chocolate layer, and blend til smooth.  Pour into glasses, alternating pb/choc/pb/choc, again spooning along the inside glass edges if you want the layers to appear separate.  I had this as a post workout meal after Body Pump class, and it was perfection.

FRIDAY: GREEN/BROWN

MACA MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP PROTEIN SHAKE

Mint layer:

• 10 large mint leaves
• 1.5 oz spinach (about 1 cup)
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 4 oz almond milk
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 4 ice cubes

Chocolate layer:

• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3 ice cubes
• 8 oz almond milk
• 2 tsp maca powder
• 1 tsp dark chocolate chips *optional

Blend all items for mint layer until smooth, then pour into a large measuring cup or glass.  Rinse out the blender, and blend ingredients for chocolate layer.  Pour chocolate layer into glasses, and spoon the green mint mixture on top.  Garnish with mint and chocolate chips.

SATURDAY: PINK/YELLOW

STRAWBERRY MANGO PINEAPPLE

Strawberry layer:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp strawberry jam
• 2 oz water

Mango layer:

• 1 mango cut up frozen
• 1 tbsp cashews
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 6 oz almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pineapple layer:

• 1/4 pineapple, cut up frozen (about 1 cup)
• 2 oz water

Get the hang of this thing yet?  Hehe blend all items for strawberry layer, pour into glasses.  Repeat with the mango layer, then the pineapple layer.  DEVOUR.

On the 7th day, she rested.  Or maybe she made a smoothie, but you’ll have to peep my Instagram to find out, cuz I’m shutting the computer and setting this post to go live in the morning 😉

I hope you like the smoothies as much as I did.  My next mission in the blending world, is to incorporate more veggies, protein, and antioxidant superfoods into the mix.  On a hunt for a good vegan protein, perhaps I will do a taste test and report back.

Also, I did make some tasty stuff this week with the colorful veggies I bought, stay tuned for future posts featuring those recipes 🙂

Thank you for reading!

Thick and Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burgers

Zucchini Turkey Burgers were a go-to for me when counting macros, in attempts to eat more nutritiously, fuel my muscles pre/post workout, and lose some weight. Though I am not currently tracking, I am making a conscious effort to incorporate healthier versions of the foods I love into the mix, aiming for a more “intuitive eating” plan.

This recipe not only gives more volume to your meal, but also, helps keep the burgers from drying out, which happens easily with lean turkey meat. I used a 93% lean free range style and the batch came out perfect.

I also experimented with almond meal and panko, splitting up the batch, and honestly could not really tell the difference when tasting. The aromatics used give the burgers a smoky Mediterranean flare.

Made these as part of a meal prep endeavor last weekend, storing RAW in glass containers with parchment between the Burgers- 6 for the fridge and threw 4 in the freezer for later.

Tried out one sautéed in a pan with olive oil. Yeah don’t do that, I learned quick! Much better on a parchment lined tray, baked in the oven at 400F for 20ish min ✨

Served them open faced on Ezekiel bread with avocado cream and a quick purple cabbage slaw.

Thick and Juicy Turkey Zucchini Burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 small zucchini grated water squeezed out *ab 2 Cups
• 20oz ground Turkey *I used 93% lean
• 2 Tbsp minced red onion
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Large pinch salt and pepper
• 2/3 Cup almond meal or panko *or like me, split mix in half and try 1/3 Almond Meal on one half and 1/3 Panko on the other 😉

Method:

Easiest thing in the world!

Preheat oven to 400F

Prep your ingredients as noted above.

Mix everything together in a large bowl, using clean hands, adding panko/almond meal last.

Line a baking tray with parchment.

Grab gobs of mixture the size of a tangerine, form into 10 burgers, flattening out a bit, and place on tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. You can also add cheese on top and pop them back in for 2 minutes or so 🙂

Avocado cream I made quick with leftover guac on its last leg, added a spoonful of yogurt, yum!

The slaw is just shredded purple cabbage, rough chopped parsley, sliced scallion, lemon juice and zest, black sesame seed, olive oil, salt and pepper. I bet you could make something similar with whatever you have in the fridge 😉

Other Quick Slaw Ideas:

• cilantro, lime, slivered almonds, chili
• cucumber, mint, basil, lime, peanut, sesame
• red onion, parsley, red wine vinegar, capers

I hope you enjoy, let me know how they turn out! ✨

My Favorite *Sweet*Treat*Smoothies

There was a time in my life when I enjoyed drinking green smoothies on the regular, but lately I’ve preferred my veggies closer to their natural state; side dishes, salads, raw snacks, stews, curries, sheet pan roasts, etc.

So when it comes to smoothies, I have them more as a treat, a way to get my fruit, when I’m in a hurry as pre/post workout meal or running out the door to work (usually paired with a few cold bites of whatever lean protein leftovers I have in the fridge😂)

Here are some of my favorite combinations lately:

BANANA ALMOND COOKIE SHAKE

• 1 Banana frozen
• 1 Tbsp Almond Butter
• 1 Pitted Medjool Date
• 4-8oz Almond Milk*depending how thick you like it
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌

CHOCOLATE MACA PEANUT BUTTER CUP

• 1 Banana Frozen
• 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder
• 1 tsp Maca Powder
• 4-8oz Almond Milk

*higher protein/lower fat adaptation: Add 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, sub powdered peanut butter for PB, Use only 1/4-1/2 Banana

ORANGE CREAMSICLE

• 1 Orange Frozen
• 1/2 Banana Frozen
• 1 Tbsp Cashews (ab 5 cashews)
• 4-8oz Almond or Cashew Milk
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

*Peach or Mango works well in this too!

PURPLE BERRY POM

• 1/4 Cup Frozen Blueberries
• 1/4 Cup Frozen Blackberries
• 1/2 Frozen Banana
• 2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
• 2-4oz. Water/Ice

If you are into juicing and green smoothies, check out my post Juice for a handful of ideas. You may also find some salad inspiration over at Salad*Bowls

Happy Blending ✨💜

Balanced Baked Mac n Cheese with Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Panko

This recipe was born preparing for a potluck. The plan was to make a cauliflower “Mac n Cheese” with broccoli and no pasta. Welp, after washing and breaking the head of cauliflower into florets, I panicked and thought “will it be enough?!” So decided to incorporate some pasta shells into the mix and it came out sooooooooo good. Actually was enough for 2 pans so this is quite a large recipe! Feel free to cut in half.

Quick to make, decadent, but with more fiber, vitamins, and protein than regular Mac n cheese 😉

Also I must shout out Ree Drummond, as this recipe is really a twist on hers- I added panko, broccoli, Dijon, and pasta- though hers is equally delicious. I think it’s the GOAT CHEESE that makes the cheesy sauce taste so good https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese-4608962

Balanced Baked Mac n Cheese with Cauliflower, Broccoli and Panko

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta, I used medium shells
• 1 Head cauliflower
• 1 Head broccoli
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp Butter + more for greasing pan
• 1 1/2 cups milk, half and half, or cream *how decadent are you feeling🤔
• 2 cups shredded cheese *I used cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, pecorino Romano
• 4oz goat cheese
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• Hot sauce
• Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F

Prepare a large baking dish or two smaller (think:meal prep!) by rubbing it with some butter

Get a pot of water boiling with a steamer on top, while you break up the cauliflower into small florets. Steam for 5-7 minutes until soft but not mushy. Lay out on a paper towel to drain and cool, give a squeeze to get rid of some of the water.

Refill the same pot with water and get it boiling for the pasta, cook pasta super al dente, a couple minutes less than suggested cooking time, as we’re baking this!

Break the broccoli into florets and set aside

In another saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the milk or cream. Bring to a simmer, turn down to low, then whisk in the mustard powder, Dijon, hot sauce, half the shredded cheese, the goat cheese, and pinch of salt and pepper.

Once cheese is melted, turn off the heat and mix in the cauliflower, broccoli, and al dente cooked pasta.

Pour into prepared baking dish, then top with the remaining shredded cheese, the Panko breadcrumbs, and final dash of salt and pepper.

Into the 375F oven for 30 minutes. Let sit a few minutes and serve ✨💜

Twice Baked Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Do you always read the blurbs written as an intro to a recipe? Sometimes I’m in the mood, other times I’m just there for the food.  When googling recipes in the midst of a cooking endeavor, I’ll pull up a few, and with food covered fingers, skim down to the meat of the post, speed reading for tips and tricks.  On that note, let’s cut to the chase today 🙂

Twice Baked Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 medium/large spaghetti squash or two small
• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast butterflied
• 2 ribs celery sliced thin
• 1 jalepeno minced
• 1/2 cup diced poblano pepper
• 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 scallions sliced
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• handful fresh cilantro rough chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1-2 cups shredded cheese (depending how cheesey you like it 😉  I used Clothbound Cheddar, Jack, and Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz blue cheese (optional)
• 1/4 c. Franks Red Hot sauce
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Cumin
• Olive oil, Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and discard.   Rub with a little olive oil salt and pepper and lay open side down on a baking sheet.  Into the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on size of your squash, until the outer skin starts to give a bit.   Take out to cool.

While that’s in the oven season your chicken breast with salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika, then get it into a skillet with olive oil.  Cook about 6 minutes on each side on medium, removing to cool.

Meanwhile, chop up all your veg, on the smaller thin side as we won’t be sauteing before baking, and add to a big bowl with the yogurt, egg, lime zest and juice, cilantro, half the cheese, blue cheese if using, salt, pepper.

Now you shred the cooled chicken breast using two forks, and add that to the bowl.  Using a spoon scoop out the cooled spaghetti squash shreds into the bowl- making sure to keep the skin of the squash in tact, so it can serve as a bowl.

Pop 2 Tbsp butter into the microwave for 30 seconds til melted, add the franks red hot, brown sugar *I also added a splash of local hot sauce Chelsea Fire* mix and drizzle all over everything, giving it a stir, before scooping the mixture into the empty squash halves.  Top with remaining cheese, a drizzle of oil oil and final dash of salt and pepper.

Pop into that 375 degree oven for around 30 minutes- I tented with foil for first half and then removed so cheese could get all bubbly.     When I made this with 2 smaller squash 25 min did the trick, with one larger, I left it in the oven more like 35/40 min, so you be the judge!

Serve as is, or some topping ideas: sour cream, yogurt, avocado slices, fresh lime, hot sauce, fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Oat Bars

This recipe, like most dessert recipes I come up with, was born in realtime about 10pm on a weeknight, surrendering to my sweet tooth, though attempting to “make something a little healthier”, I peer through the cupboards thinking about what can be done with, like, a half cup of chocolate chips, the bottom of a bag of oats, no eggs, only enough cream left for morning coffee… you get the idea.

After a couple Google searches I stumble on choc peanut butter cups, open up a dozen recipes, can’t decide on one, so since I’ve gotten “the jist” trust my instinct, abandon the phone, and just start throwing things in bowls and rolling with.   Oh, and I DID use this with only the microwave because I WANTED MY DESSERT NOW, but you could def do in saucepan or even more shmancy- double boiler.

I won’t get all health nut on ya cuz this isn’t low fat low sugar, but def less cwappp, than a Reeses, certainly full of healthier fats, more fiber, no chemicals, and gluten and dairy free and vegan. ENJOY

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Oat Bars

Ingredients:

Bottom:

• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Quick Oats
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Top:

• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder
• 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

Instructions:

Tear off some parchment and line a baking dish, I’ve used 8×8 and a 9×6 both worked for this recipe.

Mix all ingredients for bottom, sans Oats, in a microwave safe bowl, zap it for about 30 seconds, take out give it a stir, and zap it another 10-30 seconds until warm and starting to bubble.  Then mix in the oats, and pour mixture into pan.

Then clean out the bowl you just used with a rubber spatula, and throw in all the ingredients for the top, zap for 20 seconds, take out, give a stir, if chocolate hasn’t melted yet, give it 5-10 more seconds- don’t over cook or it will lose it’s spreadable texture.  You can add a little more maple syrup to thin it out too.

Spread evenly and patiently on top of first layer, and pan goes into the fridge for an hour (or if you’re impatient like me, 20 min in the freezer did the trick ;))  Cut into squares, and devour. 🌬✨🍽

Update: Had more patience when making these the other day and left at room temp for an hour to solidify- this way the oats softened a bit, made for less raw oat getting stuck in the teeth 😉 Hey, patience is a virtue, honesty is divine 💜

Your Breakfast Bucket List

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day!  9 times out of 10 for me, it consists of a piece of fruit or a Luna Bar running out the door, but a couple times a month I go all out and make something colorful and tasty to start the day.   We also have breakfast for lunch or dinner sometimes as well-on account these recipes tend to be quick and affordable!

Here is a collaboration of dishes I put together.   Hopefully this will inspire you to make something special this Saturday morning 🙂

Egg White French Toast with Berries, Maple Syrup, and Cloumage

Quinoa Broccoli Egg Muffins with Cheese and Scallion

Banana Pancakes, we had with the Egg Muffins

Shashouska, eggs Simmered in Tomtaos

Smoked Salmon on Ezekiel Bread with Goat Cheese, Cucumber and Black Sesame Seeds

Salmon, Cheese, Scallion Omelette with mini Bagels and Cream Cheese

Green Smoothies!

Blueberry, Spinach, Cuke, Hemp Hearts

English Muffin with Fried Egg, Salmon, Tomato, and Cream Cheese

Waffles with Fresh Fruit

Clean out the Fridge Quiches!

Peach Mango Raspberry, Avocado, Hemp Smoothie

Omelettes!

More eggs! with Avocado, Tomato and Shiitake Mushrooms

Roasted Veggie Scramble with Goat Cheese

Fresh Squeezed Carrot Orange Ginger Juice

Egg + eggwhite + allllll the veggies!

Turkey Links, Mushroom Onion Omelette

Oatmeal with Blueberries, Almonds, Cloumage and Maple Syrup

Salmon Leek Frittata with Mushrooms and Kale Inspired by: Post Massage ZEN

Today I share with you a simple recipe that is full of nutrition with a touch of decadence. Eggs for a boost of Vitamin D during these rainy stretch of days, Superfoods Kale and Salmon cuz superfoods,  and of course the cream and Gruyere to, well, live a little and make it a ‘treat’.

As I write and begin to cook I’m setting up little bowls and boards with all the ingredients to take pictures and stuff, it’s quite pleasant and enjoyable today 🙂

Salmon Leek Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1 leek
• ½ Onion
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 3 stalks kale
• handful cilantro
• 8oz salmon filet
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup half and half
• 2oz cheese  (I used gruyere) 
• 1 TBSP Olive oil
• 1 TBSP Butter

Gather and wash your ingredients.

Rinse salmon, pat dry and get it in a pan with a little olive oil, skin side down, over medium heat. While that cooks slice leeks, onions and mushrooms thin, giving the kale a rough chop into smaller pieces.

Flip the salmon after about 5 minutes and let it cook a few more minutes on the other side. You want it to be on the rare side, still pink in the middle as it will cook more later on inside the frittata. Remove from pan and let cool a bit on a plate.

I rinsed out the same pan quick and got it back on medium with the butter and a little more olive oil.  Throw in leeks and onion and let cook 5 minutes until they start to caramelize a bit. 

While they cook you can get the eggs cracked in a bowl and beat them with the half and half (or milk or cream, whatever you have) and some salt and pepper.

Add mushrooms to the onions and cook a few more minutes.  This is when I added a special touch- splash of Sherry wine. Let it cook off for a minute then add the chopped kale, and salt and pepper. Lower the heat and shred the salmon over the pan, give it a stir.

Now make sure the heat is on low, and pour the beaten egg mixture into the pan, and then grate some cheese over the top. Cover and let simmer until set, about 25 minutes. I have an electric stove and had the knob between 1 and 2 and it came out perfect!

Cut and serve,

We had it for lunch today with some leftover jasmine rice that Dave made yesterday in the oven with potato, black beans, onions and spices-  it turned out great and was overall very healthful, oh and gluten free without even trying.

 

Are you curious what drew me out of the woodwork to bring you this recipe today?  Might have a little something to do with the killer massage I received last night,  courtesy of my sister Brittany Smith✨   She is the absolute best and I am not just saying that because she is my sister!  As a Physical Therapist  Massage Therapist hybrid, she delivers theeeeee beeeessstttt deep tissue massage.  Click here for more info on her and to book a session:  https://www.brittsmithmassage.com  Stay tuned for a future post dedicated to her.  And maybe some about my latest obsession- beauty and skincare 🙃 And you can always count on my posting about what I know best- FOOD ! Thanks for reading 🙂