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Smoothie Bowls

A hipster sensation on instagram, smoothie bowls are a aesthetically pleasing, vegan, a health junky obsession and are very easy to make. Here are several recipes for my favorites.

 The classic acaí bowl. Dedicated californian restaurants to, the acaí bowl is purple superfood magic and very easily customizable.

The link for a reachable brand that sells acai puree is below. You can find it at supermarkets such as Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, or Costco.

http://www.sambazon.com/products/

 Begin by breaking your frozen acai puree packs into smaller chunks for easy blending and combine with a fourth cup of a liquid of your choice (some suggestions are juices, coconut water, green tea, or milk). Add half a banana for a smoother, less icy texture. Blend until silky then pour your smoothie into a bowl and evenly spread the top with a spoon. Top with fruits, nuts, coconut shavings, cacao nibs, or any garnishes of your choice.

 Mango Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

Tropical and my personal favorite, the mango blends into a wonderful, ice cream texture and is a perfect healthy alternative to dessert for breakfast with just simple ingredients. However, if the mango is not ripe when frozen, the bowl will take on a chalky and rough texture making the brand important. Here is one I enjoy: https://www.citymarket.com/p/simple-truth-organic-mango-chunks/0001111091236

  Pour your mango into the blender and add the liquid of your choice to around half the height of the fruit. Once blended, the mango should create a thick and silky texture that emulates ice cream. Add generous amounts of pineapple slices until desired flavor has been reached and pour into a bowl. To top the smoothie bowl, some suggestions for a tropical delight are coconut shavings, goji berries, and passionfruit puree.

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Floral Drinks

Raspberry Rose Drink - Just try it. It’s good.

Raspberry Sorbet

Rose Water (fresh or from concentrate)

I recommend using concentrated rose water and then sparkling water or another bubbly drink of choice for a little bit of texture and kick to your drinks. It may also be very expensive to buy fresh roses and time consuming to allow the flavors to resonate.

Lemon juice to bring out the flavors

Add a scoop of raspberry sorbet to a blender and pour liquid of choice until it covers the scoop (sparkling water, prosecco, coconut water are options). Now add a splash of lemon juice and add rose water concentrate until you can smell the fragrance. Blend the ingredients till smooth and adjust the amounts of lemon juice or rose water as necessary to your liking.

Elderflower Cordial

To make cordial:

Create a classic cordial base by combining the heads of elderflowers into a large pot with several sliced lemons and desired amounts of sugar.

Pour boiling water on top and stir to dissolve the sugar

(Optional) Add fruits or herbs such as strawberries or  mint now to experiment with flavor combinations, add an element of surprise, and complexity to your drinks (if you are using spices such as ginger that are excessively pungent, wait to add until serving)

Cover with pan and let sit in a dark room for 3 days and stir at least twice a day

To serve:

Pour several tablespoons into champagne glasses and fill with either sparkling water or prosecco. Decorate the glass with the excess elderflowers, fruits used, or herbs such as basil

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Smoked Salmon and Pea Pesto Cheeseboard

Creating a cheeseboard around smoked salmon and pea pesto makes for a fresh and colorful appetizer or afternoon snack for the summer season. With the mildly sweet flavors of the pesto and strong and salty salmon, the platter is sure to please.

Pea Pesto Recipe: Create the base for a classic pesto sauce but replace basil with peas for a more mild and slightly sweet flavor. Combine desired amounts of peas, lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and garlic into a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust proportions as prefered.

Accompanying the salmon and pesto, spread a thin layer of butter on ciabatta or baguette slices, and lightly char on a grill to prevent them from becoming soggy, toast, or bake to create crispy edges. This will pair deliciously with the pesto or any jams you decide to serve.

Add hard cheeses such as aged gouda or parrano and dried fruits as desired to add sweetness and variety to the board and on the side, to add some crunchiness to the platter, are roasted garlic and herb seasoned almonds with some cookies.

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5 Things to Add To Your Guacamole

#1. Bacon

The combination of the rich, buttery bacon with the freshness of guacamole is delicious. Although not classic latin flavors, the pair feels immediately meant to be. Try either dipping bacon in guacamole or crumbling strips into your next bowl for comfort food to the extremes. If you haven’t added this to your repertoire already- do it as soon as possible.

#2 French Fries

Recognizable from dishes like Carne Asada Fries, eating french fries with guacamole is 1,000 times better than ketchup. The combination is a major upgrade from classic corn chips and adds a little extra intrigue to a regular American hamburger dinner. Try changing up your meal by topping your french fries with loads of cayenne guacamole and sour cream.

#3 Pineapple or Mango

Adding a touch of sweetness to guacamole with tropical fruits like pineapple and mango make for a refreshing afternoon snack. Delicious with more than just classic corn chips as well, the pairing is excellent with anything from french fries to topping your huevos rancheros. Try adding small, chopped pieces of either or both the next time you want to spice up your guacamole.

#4 Cajun Seasoned Shrimp

Who knew mixing cajun and mexican flavors would work so flawlessly? Using similar, spicy flavors like cayenne pepper and garlic, the combination passes beautifully and is simply a healthy, delicious snack.

#5 Crickets

Having more protein per pound than salmon, crickets are incredibly healthy and practically ecologically traceless. The bugs have no flavor but add a texture and crunch to the dish while supplementing protein intake and leaving virtually no contribution to climate change. Although controversial, you can find cricket guacamole in some Mexican restaurants and the dish is quite satisfactory.

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Eggs sunny side up bathed in a white wine scampi sauce on top of an avocado slice tower

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Champagne Truffles

From valentine’s day propaganda to cheesy chick flicks, chocolate truffles may be the most romanticized item of food, you can buy. With a delectable, fluffy consistency, the rich chocolate flavor combined with the champagne of these truffles, make a customizable, treat, impossible to pass up.

1. Whip Cream to create a smooth and fluffy consistency. By whipping the cream on low speeds the cream will become more aerated and have a more workable, soft texture.

2. Melt chocolate based upon preference of darkness (adding extra cocoa later is always an option)

3. Pour melted Chocolate into whipped cream and whisk to combine. Continue adding chocolate until it reaches desired sweetness

4. Add teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt for complexity of flavor.

5. Start  by adding 2 tablespoons of champagne and continue to add as you deem appropriate, strength preference varies.

6. (Optional Add in chopped Strawberries, chocolate chunks, or toffee)

7. Either set in fridge to chill over overnight and then roll into teaspoon sized balls and then coat in cocoa powder or melt pre-tempered chocolate and mold into casts to fill with the champagne cream

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Eggs With Avocado

Widely popular on Instagram, baked avocado eggs are cardiovascular genius. Packed with potassium and fatty acids from the avocado, the combination is a jump start in the morning with a superfood and a protein. But although incredibly healthy, it has a major downfall: plain eggs and avocado together have absolutely no flavor.  So to make the eggs less morbidly boring, I dressed them with several classic dinner flavor combinations.

Sunny Side Up Bathed in a White Wine Scampi Broth

Ingredients per egg:

Half an avocado

A splash of Pinot Grigio

1 tbs butter

1 clove garlic

A pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan to taste

Parsley as desired

1. Melt the butter onto a medium saucepan then pour in a splash of Pinot Grigio.

2. In the meantime as the alcohol content simmers away, peel the avocado and diagonally slice it into pieces to arrange a tower by stacking slices in overlapping layers.

3. Next, return to the saucepan and add diced garlic and simmer until it becomes fragrant.

4. Add the lemon juice, and crack eggs into the pan. As the eggs begin to cook, grate fresh parmesan on top as desired  

5. Cover the pan with a lid to allow the flavors and aroma to encompass the eggs and cook until the whites are entirely solid, yet the yolk in the center remains slightly wobbly.

6. Thus remove the eggs from the pan and place them on top of the avocado towers and top with chopped parsley.

Truffle Havarti Baked Avocado

Ingredients per egg:

Half an avocado

Havarti to taste

A pinch of truffle salt

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. and lining a pan with parchment paper.

2. Slice your avocados into halves and with a spoon, scoop out the flesh to deepen the well created by the seed.

3. Crack your eggs into the well sprinkle some freshly shredded havarti on top.

4. Bake for 15-18 mins, or until the egg has settled except for a wobbly yolk and add pepper and truffle salt on top to taste.

Caramelized Onion Gruyere Sunny Side Up

Ingredients per egg:

Half an avocado

2 tbs chopped onions

1 tbs butter

1 tsp thyme

Gruyere as desired

1. Begin by melting your butter into a medium saucepan and sprinkle in the chopped onions. Allow the chopped onions to sit until they become robustly fragrant, their harsh shapes soften, and they have color.

2. Meanwhile peel the avocado halves and diagonally slice it into thin pieces to arrange a tower by stacking slices in overlapping layers.

3. Next, add a teaspoon or so of thyme, or until the aroma is detectable yet not overpowering and stir.

4. With a spoon, gather the onions and remove from the heat into a separate bowl.

5. With the remains of the flavorful butter, crack your eggs into the pan and top with grated gruyere.

6. Now cover the pan with a lid to allow the aroma to encompass the eggs and cook until the whites are completely solid yet the yolk remains slightly wobbly.

7.Place the eggs onto the avocado towers, sprinkle the onions on top, and serve.