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How to re-create this recipe:

Ingredients:

(Makes 1.5 Quarts)

• 4 small Sweet Potatoes
• 2 cups of Chicken broth 
• 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil 
• 1 14oz can of Coconut Milk (reserve some for garnish)
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 Tsp of Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp of Ground Ginger
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Star Anise
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Putting it together:

1. Peel your Sweet Potatoes, halve them and then cut them across into small chunks. Set aside. 
2. In a medium sized stock pot, on medium heat add the Coconut Oil and add the onions. Saute for about 5-8 minutes until they are translucent and add some salt and black pepper. 
3. Add the Sweet potatoes and saute for about 8 minutes until they have slightly softened. Add the Cinnamon and Ginger and saute for another 2 minutes. Give the Potatoes a good stir. 
4. Pour in the Chicken Broth and Coconut Milk. Add the Bay Leaves and Star Anise and stir everything well. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. 
5. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. 
6. Using a hand-held immersion blender, VERY CAREFULLY blend until all the ingredients are pureed and the soup has a nice viscosity. 
7. To serve, pour in a bowl and drizzle some of the reserved coconut milk on top

Nourishment for your body: Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber and contain a good mix of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium and most B vitamins. They are particularly high in beta-carotene which gets converted into vitamin A. Coconut Milk is believed to lower cholesterol and promote weight loss if eaten in moderate amounts. It contains something called MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which aids in stimulating energy. It is a great alternative to using milk or heavy cream when making a creamy soup. 

Tips when cooking:  This is a great soup to have this time of year when it gets cold and blustery out. The soup is comforting and decadent. If you want to make this soup a little lighter and/or vegan, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken broth. If you can’t find star anise you can substitute with any licorice flavored spice such as fennel or cloves. Make sure that you take out the bay leaves and star anise (or cloves) before pureeing the soup. 

How to re-create this recipe:

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

• 8 oz of thinly sliced Smoked Sturgeon
• 2 Focaccia Breads
• 2 Hard boiled eggs
• 2 Heirloom Tomatoes (1 Red, 1 Yellow)
• Old Bay Seasoning (Optional)
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• Good quality Olive Oil for drizzling

Putting it together:

1. Boil your eggs for 10 minutes. Cool the eggs, peel them and cut in half lengthwise.
2. Thinly slice your Tomatoes.
3. Using a nice serving platter, arrange your ingredients using the picture above for some inspiration. Drizzle some Olive Oil over your tomatoes and sprinkle Sea Salt and Black pepper over them. Sprinkle some Old Bay seasoning over your eggs or use salt and pepper.

Nourishment for your body: Smoked Sturgeon has a plethora of vitamins (A and multiple B vitamins), magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. As well as Omega 3 fatty acids. Smoked fish also has a longer shelf life without negatively affecting the nutritional content. 

Tips when cooking: I like to use 2 different colored tomatoes because it adds a nice color contrast on the platter. Old Bay Seasoning is a wonderful spice mix to have handy in your pantry. It is made with a combo of celery salt, red and black pepper and paprika. You can pretty much use it to season whatever meat or seafood your making. I like to use it whenever I make eggs. If you cannot find Smoked Sturgeon, you can use smoked Sablefish ( a.k.a Black Cod).  If you happen to be passing through or shop at a Decicco and  Sons, I recommend this product. 

How to re-create this recipe:

(Serves 5-6)

Ingredients:

• 1 Acorn Squash
• 1 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp of Honey
• 1/4 Tsp of Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp of Ground Ginger
• 1/4 Tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup of Walnut Oil (or Olive Oil) 
• 1/4 Cup of crushed Pecans 
• 1 Tbsp of Sea Salt 

How to re-create this recipe:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a small sheet tray with parchment paper.
2. Wash the outside of your Squash, quarter it and with a spoon (ideally a grapefruit spoon) scrape the seeds out. 
3. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, honey, cinnamon , ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir in the Walnut Oil. It can be quite thick so you may want to use a fork instead of a small whisk. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture onto the squash, making sure to coat them all over. 
4. Sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt all over them and top them with the crushed pecans. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Don’t forget to take in the aromas, they can be quite intoxicating! 

Nourishment for your body: Acorn Squash has carotenoid antioxidants, which is good for the immune system and eye heath. Acorn Squash also contains fiber, potassium, vitamin C and magnesium. 

Tips when cooking: If you don’t have pecans or don’t prefer how they taste, use whatever nuts you like. For a quick way to crush your nuts, stick them in a small ziplock bag and hit them with a meat cleaver or rolling pin. The nice thing about Acorn Squash is that it is available year round. With the holidays around the corner, this makes for an excellent sweet and savory side dish. The best way to have this dish is at room temperature. 

How to re-create this recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 Pampano Fish (gutted)
• 3 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp of Honey
• 1 Tsp of ground Ginger
• 1/4th of a cup of Soy Sauce
• 3 Lemon Wedges
• 4 Sprigs of Lemon Thyme (or regular Thyme stems)
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Leek Stem (with green top discarded)
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tbsp of Red Palm Oil
• Salt and Black pepper to taste
• Leftover toasted Bread Crumbs (optional)

Putting it together:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Have a oven proof dish large enough to fit the Pompano and a large saute pan handy.
2. Make your fish marinade first by whisking together the Coconut Oil, Honey, Ground Ginger and Soy Sauce in a small bowl. Pour the marinade in the dish you bake your fish in. Slice 3 lemon wedges and stuff the cavity of the fish with them along with your sprigs of Thyme. Score the flesh of the fish, place the fish in the dish and turn over once so the entire fish is coated with the marinade. Cover with foil paper and bake for 20 minutes.
3. While the fish is baking you can prepare your side dish. After washing your Leek well (it can be gritty) and your zucchini, Slice your leek in half and slice it into thin strips. Set aside.
4. Mince your 2 Garlic cloves, add the palm oil into your saute pan and after the oil heats up on medium heat add the garlic and let that infuse into the oil for about 3 minutes.
5. Slice your Zucchini in half and then cut the halved part into 3-4 strips (depending on how thick the Zucchini is)  and cube it into small chunks. Set aside.
6. Add the Leeks to the saute pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes until caramelized and browned, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add your zucchini and cook until softened (about 5 more minutes). Add Salt and black  pepper to taste. To finish this dish top with toasted bread crumbs.
7. When the 20 minutes are up on your fish, take the foil off and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. To serve the fish, halve it and spoon the delicious sauce all over the filet.
9. Don’t forget to enjoy the incredible aromas that fill your kitchen from just the smell of the fish sauce you made !

Nourishment for your body: Pompano fish is incredibly moist when you cook it whole. The flesh has a mild and subtle sweet flavor and literally falls off the bone. The meat is firm but finely flaked. This fish has a beautiful silver skin and is typically sourced from Florida. They are high in vitamins, minerals , and protein. Pompanos also have a low mercury content. 

Tips when cooking: Besides baking this fish, you can fry, poach, or steam it. In case your wondering why this fish tends to be more expensive then other varieties it is because it’s in high demand, both recreationally and commercially and due to fishing restrictions of it.  If you cannot find Pompano other fish you can substitute for it are Flounder, Snapper and Mahi Mahi. 

How to re-create this recipe:

Ingredients:

(Serves 1-3)

• 1 Pound of Hanger Steak
• 1 Sweet Potato
• 3 garlic cloves (smashed)
• 2 Tbsp of Worcestershire
• 2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp of Rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/2 a tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped Rosemary
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped Parsley
• 2 Tbsp Walnut Oil
• 1 Tbsp Herbs De Provence
• Salt and Black Pepper

Putting it together:

1. Make your marinade by combining the garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, black pepper and your herbs and whisk together. Pour the marinade over the steak and make sure it is completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
2. About an hour before you plan on grilling your steak, you can prep your Sweet Potato. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Peel your Sweet Potato and cut it into 1/4 inch rounds.
3. Place the Potatoes on your sheet tray and pour the 2 Tbsp’s of Walnut oil all over them. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of Herbs De Provence over them with a generous amount of Salt and Black Pepper. Make sure your potatoes are evenly coated.
4. Bake the potatoes for 15-18 minutes, turning them over after about 10 minutes.
5. When you are ready to grill your steak, pre-heat a grill pan on high heat, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees again and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Place your steak on your grill pan and grill for 3 minutes on each side. Afterwards place the steak in the oven for 10 minutes. When it is done let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Nourishment for your body: Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber and contain a good mix of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium and most B vitamins. They are particularly high in beta-carotene which gets converted into vitamin A.

Tips when cooking:  Cooking the steak as instructed above will get you to a medium-rare steak. If you like your steak more well done cook it for an extra 5-8 minutes. I paired this dish with my Red Quinoa salad. It has a nice refreshing taste and the acid in the salad pairs well with the steak because the steak has a rich and buttery flavor so the salad helps to balance some of that richness. This is a great hearty meal but you won’t feel weighed down as the ingredients are filling but healthy. You can make the Red Quinoa salad days in advance. The salad actually tastes better the longer it sits in the dressing.