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How to re-create this recipe:

Ingredients:

(Yields 2 Quarts)

• 1 Quart of of Organic Vegetable Broth
• 6 Cups of Frozen Sweet Peas
• 1 Sweet Vidalia Onion
• 1/2 a cup of Curly Parsley
• 1/2 a cup of Mint
• 3 Tbsp’s of unsalted Butter
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbsp of Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt to taste
• Chives for garnish (optional)
• Crumbled Feta Cheese for garnish (optional)

Putting it together:

1. Prep your veggies and herbs first by small dicing your onion and rough chopping your herbs (except your chives). Set aside.
2. In a medium sized stock pot, melt the butter on medium high heat, add your onions,    Bay Leaves and garlic powder and saute on medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes until the onions are translucent and the flavors meld together. Do not brown your onions, stir as often as possible or lower your heat to prevent this from happening.
3. Add your quart of Vegetable Broth and bring to a boil. At this point remove your 3 Bay Leaves with a set of tongs. Add your peas and bring back up to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Add your chopped herbs and some salt . Turn the heat off and with a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup until all the peas are pulverized. Adjust salt to taste. 
5. Garnish with Chopped Chives and Feta Cheese Crumbles and enjoy!

Nourishment for your body: Peas have a good amount of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, Iron, Folate, Thiamin (B-1 responsible for converting Carbohydrates to energy), and Manganese  (A mineral that plays a role in bone formation, reduces blood clotting and inflammation and helps to metabolize necessary amino acids in the body).

Tips when cooking: This soup is very herbaceous and the flavors are bright! The Feta Cheese adds a nice salty and creamy bite. I prefer to make this soup rustic; I enjoy the mouthfeel of biting down on the herbs in the soup as I’m eating it. If you prefer a smoother and more velvety consistency I suggest Pureeing the soup in a blender. Other cheeses to consider instead of Feta can be Goat cheese, Ricotta Salata, and Wensleydale. 

How to re-create the recipe:

Ingredients:

(Serves 1-2)

• 1 – 6 ounce tin of Cod Liver (See picture below for the one I purchased)
• Handful of Everything Bagel Spiced Cashews (about 10)
• 2 Thin Wasa Crackers
• Chives for garnish (optional) 

Putting it together:

1. Strain the Cod Liver and mash it well with a fork. Spread about 2 Tbsp’s worth on each cracker.  
2. Rough chop your Cashew Nuts and garnish your crackers with them. 
3. Garnish with some chopped Chives and Enjoy! 

Nourishment for your body: For centuries Cod Liver was considered a delicacy in countries like Scotland, Norway and Iceland. During a trip to a Museum, when I had the pleasure of visiting Iceland a few years ago, I saw a photograph of a school teacher giving her students a supplement of Cod Liver Oil.  Growing up as a kid, there was always tins of Cod Liver in my pantry but I didn’t develop an appreciation for it until I became an adult. Cod Liver since then has become popular for boosting the immune system and is a good source of vitamin D. It also contains concentrated amounts of Omega 3 Oils. Today, you can find Cod Liver Oil capsules in any pharmacy. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Cod Liver is a good source of Polyunsaturated fatty acids. 

Tips when making: If you are wondering what Cod Liver tastes like, it’s similar to Sardines but with a nicer mouthfeel. It is creamy and smooth with a Pate like consistency. There are many different ways of canning Cod Liver. Some brands will brine the liver, smoke it and can it with various spices. I recommend mashing it because if you buy canned Cod Liver that is spiced with Whole Black peppercorns (like the one I’m recommending), you don’t want to bite down on a peppercorn, it won’t be pleasant. It tastes quite rich and the seasoning in the Everything Bagel spice mix seems to complement the flavor well. The Caraway, Poppy Seeds and Cashews adds nice crunchiness to the spread. 

How to re-create this recipe:

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw Cauliflower Crumbles
• 1 Red Pepper (small diced)
• 1 Orange Pepper
• 3 Shallots sliced thinly
• 4 Garlic cloves (Minced)
• 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp of Furikake Seasoning as a garnish (optional )
• 1.5 Tbsp of Low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp of Lemongrass Stir in paste
• 1 Tsp of Sriracha Hot Sauce
• 1/4th Tsp of Fish Sauce

Putting it together:

1. Using a stir fry pan or cast iron skillet, pre-heat your Coconut oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scorching the garlic.
2. Add your Cauliflower Crumbles and saute on high heat for another 5 minutes or so until the Cauliflower  and shallots begins to look like their getting dark and Fried.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until all the flavors meld together.
4. Garnish with the Furikake seasoning and enjoy!

Nourishment for your body: Cauliflower is considered a super food. It is rich in Anti-oxidants and considered an anti-inflammatory vegetable. Cauliflower is packed with vitamins C and K and promotes healthy digestion. Research has shown that a diet high in cruciferous vegetables can lower your risk of certain type of cancers. 

Tips when cooking: I love making this dish as a healthy alternative to traditional fried rice. Between the condiments and the texture you will hardly notice you are eating Cauliflower instead of rice ! If you like making Asian dishes, these condiments are wonderful additions for really authentic seasoning. Each of them adds a depth of flavor and have a stable long shelf life. Furikake seasoning is a Japanese seasoning blend made with Nori Seaweed, white and black sesame seeds. It is perfect to sprinkle on chicken or seafood. If you cannot find raw cauliflower rice in your grocery store, simply buy a whole head of cauliflower , cut it into florets and pulverize them in a food processor until it reaches the desired size.

How to re-create this recipe:

(Yields 40 cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Cups of room temperature unsalted Butter 
• 1/2 a cup of sifted powdered Sugar 
• 2 cups of All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 a cup of pulverized almonds
• 1 Tbsp of Hazelnut flavored extract 

Putting it together:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 large sheet trays with parchment paper.
2. Using a standing mixer, cream together the soft butter and sugar until it’s creamy looking and ingredients seem well incorporated. Add the Hazelnut extract and mix for 30 more seconds or so.
3. Add the all Purpose Flour, continue mixing until the dough just about comes together. Add the almonds and continue to mix for about a minute or so until the dough adheres to itself nicely and sticks together easily. 
4. Turn the dough out onto a counter that is dusted with some of the powdered sugar. Divide the dough in half and roll it into a log about 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. 
5. wrap the cookie dough in plaster wrap and place the logs in the fridge for 30 minutes so they can firm up. 
6. After 30 minutes, slice the logs into 3/4th inch round slices and place them on the sheet trays, making 4 rows of 5 cookies. 
7. Bake them for 18-20 minutes and make sure to place them on a wire rack or clean cool surface to cool afterwards. Enjoy!

Nourishment for your body: Almonds contain an array of important nutrients for our bodies. Just 1 ounce serving of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber, healthy types of fat, high amount of vitamin E , Manganese and Magnesium. 

Tips when cooking: Toasting the almonds for about 10 minutes in a 300 degree oven before pulverizing them will enhance their flavor. I love making shortbread cookies because they are relatively simple and easy to make, are a crowd pleaser and go great with a cup of tea or coffee. I also love these cookies because I can experiment with different flavor profiles. Instead of using Hazelnut extract, you can consider the following extracts; Orange Blossom, Amaretto, Chocolate, Lavender, Vanilla. 

How to re-create this recipe:

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 Wood Skewers
• 4 Corn on the Cob
• 1 Lemon or Lime cut into 4 wedges
• Cotija Cheese (about 1 cup worth/finely grated)
• 3/4th of  a cup of Mayonnaise
• Vegetable Oil as needed
• Mesa Rosa Chipotle Seasoning as needed
• Fresh chopped Cilantro for garnish

Putting it together:

1. Pre-heat a grill pan on high heat and set up a little station for yourself by putting down a piece of parchment paper and setting the grated cheese, Mayonnaise , Chipotle Seasoning and chopped Cilantro next to it.
2. Insert a wood skewer about 1-2 inches deep into the bottom of each corn ( you may have to cut the the skewer if it’s too long so the weight of the corn doesn’t snap it off). Using a pastry brush, brush each corn with a generous amount of  vegetable oil and grill them for 15 minutes, turning them occasionally so all the sides could be seared with grill marks.
3. When corn is done, coat them with the Mayonnaise using your pastry brush over your parchment paper. Season each piece with as much Chipotle seasoning and as much Cotija cheese as you like. Set on a platter and garnish them with the chopped Cilantro. Squeeze some Lemon or Lime juice on them for added flavor and enjoy!

Nourishment for your body: Corn contains vitamins and fiber. Although it’s higher in carbohydrates then other veggies, it has a slow-to-digest type of carbohydrate which can help with weight control. It is naturally sweet (in fact contains less sugar then bananas and apples) and should not be confused with high fructose corn syrup or an inedible commodity crop that is used for highly processed sweeteners.

Tips when cooking: I absolutely love Mexican street corn! Clearly, I couldn’t wait till the summertime grilling season, when the corn is at it’s peak of season to enjoy this ! It tastes like pure creamy goodness with a flavor profile that takes traditional sweet corn on the cob to a whole other level! Growing up in a Ukrainian household,  Mayonnaise was a standard condiment. When I came across Mexican street corn garnished with Mayonnaise I was blown away the first time I tried it. Prepared this way, the corn is sweet, smoky, savory, tangy and with the hit of the lime juice it will make you feel like there’s one big party happening in your mouth!  Cotija cheese is a salty cow’s milk cheese from Mexico. It’s texture is firm and crumbly. It’s other uses are for grating on salads, tacos, into soups, and casseroles. The ‘Mesa Rosa’ chipotle spice blend is one I definitely recommend buying. It is just a combination of chipotle pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic and salt. If you don’t come across it, seasoning with smoked paprika or chili powder is typically the way to go !