Mock Shrimp Slaw with Peanut Dressing

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 inch fresh ginger, grated 
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce 
2 tlbs honey or maple syrup 
1 tsp sesame oil 
Freshly ground pepper

Salad:
Red cabbage, grated
Green cabbage, grated
Carrots, grated
Mock shrimp or crab, shredded
Avocado, chopped
Nori, thinly sliced
Fresh mint, chopped 
Optional add ins: mango, pickled ginger, edamame, toasted Rice Krispies 
Garnish: black and white sesame seeds

Directions:
Mix together all dressing ingredients in a blender or mix well by hand. 
Toss together salad ingredients. 
Lightly dress salad. 
Garnish with sesame seeds. .
Note: you can prepare salad a bit in advance, but only cut up avocado just prior to serving.

Caramel Apple Halva Babka

Ingredients:
1 frozen raw challah, thawed (or enough challah dough for 1 challah) 
2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tbsp cornstarch 
3 tbsp brown sugar 
1/2 cup halva 
1/2 cup chopped pecans 
1-2 tbsp maple flakes (optional)
1/4 cup caramel (I used leftover date caramel from my previously posted chocolate caramel cups)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
In a saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Mix in maple syrup and let it start to bubble. Once it bubbles, mix in apples, cinnamon and vanilla. Allow to cook for about 5-8 minutes, until apples begin to soften. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp water until it has dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan. Cook for another few minutes until it has thickened. Allow to cook. 
In the meantime, on a floured work surface, roll out challah dough into a large rectangle. Sprinkle brown sugar over dough, then spread on cooled apple mixture, then spread on halva and pecans. Sprinkle on maple flakes if desired. 
Roll up and then cut in half to form 2 skinnier rolls with insides exposed. Twist the 2 rolls together and place into a greased loaf pan. 
Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with caramel. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.


Note: this recipe is likely delicious without the caramel – you can just brush with egg and sprinkle with some brown sugar and cinnamon.

Chili Lime Kale Shakshuka Nachos

This recipe doesn’t have amounts – but I don’t think it can be messed up!


Ingredients:
Tortilla chips
Kale – washed and dried well
Grated cheese (I used a cheddar mozzarella blend)
Chili lime seasoning (if you can’t find a seasoning blend, I’ve googled for online copycat versions)
Eggs (max 8)
Black beans
Canned corn 
Avocado, chopped 
Jalapeño, diced
Tomatoes, chopped 
Lime juice 
Fresh basil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Spray a sheet pan liberally with non stick cooking spray. 
Spread tortilla chips over pan. Top with kale and grated cheese. 
Sprinkle liberally with chili lime seasoning. 
Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese begins to melt. 
In the meantime, mix together black beans, corn, avocado, jalapeño and tomatoes. Top with lime juice, chili lime seasoning and fresh basil. Set aside. 
Now back to our sheet pan – the cheese has started melting. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Form wells in various spots over the tortilla chips. Crack eggs and pour each one into a well. 
Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until you start seeing egg white turn white – keep in mind, the egg will keep cooking slightly when removed from oven. 
Top with black bean and corn salsa. 
Drizzle on additional lime juice if desired. 
Enjoy!!

Oven Baked French Fries

The magic of this recipe is the cooking method, not the seasoning. Here I posted a basic version but you can jazz it up with whatever you’d like!

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, cut into fries that are 1/2” thick 
1 tbsp smoky paprika
1.5 tsp sea salt, divided
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Directions:
Pour 1/3-1/2 cup oil onto a metal baking sheet – it’s should cover the entire bottom of the pan in a single layer. 
Place in oven, preferably on rack that can slide out of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp oil, paprika and 1 tsp sea salt. 
Coat potatoes with mixture. 
Once oven is preheated, carefully open the door and slide tray out, place 1 potato onto the tray – if it sizzles, it’s ready. Add remaining potatoes to the tray in a single layer. Bake for about 25 minutes, flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 
Remove from oven and immediately season with remaining sea salt. 
Enjoy!

Savory Pesto French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:
5 cups cubed challah, packed 
7 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk (I used 3.25%)
2 cups grated mozzarella, divided 
1/4 cup Parmesan 
2 tbsp homemade or storebought pesto sauce

Directions:
Spray the bottom of a casserole dish (measuring approximately 7×12 or 8×11) with non stick cooking spray. 
Spread cubed challah throughout the pan. 
Mix together eggs, milk, 1.5 cups grated cheese, Parmesan and pesto. Pour oven challah. Mix with tongs to coat well. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes and mix again – try to make sure all pieces of challah are wet with egg mixture. 
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Once oven is heated, mix challah mixture one more time, trying to incorporate any egg mixture remaining at the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. 
Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until nicely browned.

Seared Tuna Sushi Bowls

The tuna in this recipe is inspired by @bowlofdelicious seared tuna.

Ingredients:
Tuna:
1 lb tuna, butterflied (can I use that term for fish?) if necessary so tuna is no more than 1.5” thick 
2 tbsp soy sauce 
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1-2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper 
Sesame seeds (~ 1/2 cup)
2 green onions


Sushi salad:
1.5 cups uncooked sushi rice, cooked according to package directions 
1/4 cup rice vinegar 
3 tbsp sugar 
1 tsp salt 
Grated carrots 
Grated purple cabbage 
Edamame beans 
1 green onion, sliced
Pickled ginger 
1-2 avocados 
1 sheet nori
1 cup Rice Krispies 
Spicy mayo (aka mayo mixed with sriracha hot sauce)
Hoisin sauce


Directions:
Mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Pour over tuna and allow to marinate for about an hour. 
In the meantime, prepare sushi rice. Bring vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over rice. Mix in carrots, cabbage, edamame, green onions and pickled ginger to cooked rice. 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast Rice Krispies in the oven for about 5 minutes, until golden. Set aside. 
Remove fish from marinade and coat generously in sesame seeds (I place the sesame seeds in a bowl and dipped the tuna into the seeds on both sides). Top with green onions. 
Heat oil over medium high heat. Sear tuna for 1.5-2.5 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. 
Allow tuna to cool for a few minutes and slice. 
In the meantime, mix Rice Krispies with a small amount of spicy mayo. 
Top sushi rice with tuna, Rice Krispies, avocado, additional spicy mayo and hoisin. 

Salted Chocolate Caramel Tahini Cups

Ingredients:
1 cup medjool dates (the softer the better)
2 tbsp tahini 
6 tbsp almond milk (you can likely use coconut cream or soy milk or even the water you use to plump up the dates)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt plus additional to sprinkle on top
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp honey


Directions:
Prepare muffin tins with liners – this recipe yielded 12 regular and 12 small chocolates. I imagine that it would make 15-16 regular sized chocolates.

Cover dates with warm water and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to plump up. 
In a food processor, process dates, tahini, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Use a rubber spatula to push down mixture that goes up the sides. Keep processing until smooth and creamy – this may take a few minutes. 
In the meantime, place chocolate in a heat safe bowl. Place bowl over pot filled with about 1-2 inches of water (water should not touch bottom of bowl). Melt chocolate by bringing water in pot to a simmer. (Don’t allow chocolate to get wet!)
Once chocolate is smooth and melted, remove from heat and mix in honey. 
Spread about 1 tbsp of chocolate mixture at the bottom of each muffin cup. Next, drop approximately 1/2 tbsp of date caramel into the center of the chocolate. 
Top each with 1 tbsp of chocolate. Give the pan a gentle shake to try to even out the chocolate. 
Sprinkle a drop of sea salt (preferably coarse) over each chocolate. 
Refrigerate until set. 
This can be stored in an airtight container on the counter. I’m fairly certain it’ll freeze well (although I never tried).

Homemade Baked Falafel

Although this recipe is baked, it tastes fried because of the way the oil is heated up! Best of both worlds!


Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas (540ml)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 tbsp cumin 
1/2 cup parsley
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Lay on a kitchen towel to completely dry. 
In the meantime, add garlic and shallot to food processor. Pulse to mince. 
Next add in remaining ingredients, except for oil. Pulse – do not let it become a paste. It should look crumbly but you should be able to squish it in your hands to form a patty and it should maintain the shape. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for an hour. 
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Pour oil onto a baking sheet and carefully place into oven while oven is preheating (preferably on a rack that slides out). Once preheated, wait an additional 5 minutes before adding the patties to the pan. 
In the meantime, form falafel mixture into individual patties (using about 2 tbsp per patty). Very carefully, open the oven and slide rack out. Drop patties into oil and return to oven. 
Bake for 15 minutes and then flip for an additional 15 minutes.

Miso Broccoli and Tofu Stir Fry

I first made this recipe just with broccoli as a side dish and it was so delicious, I figured I should make as an entire meal. While I haven’t tried it, I imagine this would work beautifully with boneless chicken as well.

Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
3 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp soy sauce or GF tamari 
1-2 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp almond milk (alternatively use regular milk or water)
Oil to fry (I used grapeseed)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 head broccoli, washed and cut into florets 
Handful (or more) sugar snap peas, trimmed
Drizzle of honey

Directions:
Cut tofu block into 3 lengthwise. Place each block onto a kitchen towel and wrap. Put a plate on top, in order to squeeze out liquid. Let sit for about half an hour. 
Cut tofu into cubes. Mix together 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp miso and some fresh ginger. Use mixture to coat tofu. Let marinate for an hour. Remove any excess marinade from tofu. 
Dissolve cornstarch in almond milk and pour over tofu, coating well. 
Heat about 2-3 tbsp oil over medium high heat on a large pan. Add tofu to pan and allow to crisp up before turning. 
Once tofu is crisp on at least 2 sides, remove from pan. 
Next add broccoli to the pan. When color starts to brighten, add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp miso and remaining ginger. Mix well, allowing miso to coat all of broccoli. 
Add snap peas and sauté for another minute or two. 
Finally, add tofu back to the pan, along with remaining miso and soy sauce. Mix to incorporate and until miso is coated over everything. Drizzle with a tiny bit of honey and sesame oil. 
Serve with rice. 

Peruvian Chicken with Spicy Avocado Dipping Sauce

This recipe is inspired by @skinnytasteand the delicious Peruvian chicken on her website!

Ingredients:
1 cup beer
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp honey 
1-2 tbsp fresh basil (or mint, parsley or cilantro), chopped 
2 whole chickens, spatchcocked 
Smoky paprika


Dipping sauce:
2 whole avocados 
2 tbsp mayo
Juice 1/2 lemon 
1/2 tsp cumin 
1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (to taste)
1 tbsp basil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients from beer to basil to create a marinate. 
Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Let marinate overnight. I made sure to flip the bag over before I went to sleep and again right when I woke up to be sure both sides of chicken get to sit in the marinade. 
Preheat oven to 425°F. 
Remove chicken from marinade (I tried my best to scoop out all the garlic and herbs) and place on baking sheet, skin side up. 
Sprinkle generously with smoky paprika. 
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Test for doneness with meat thermometer. 
In the meantime, prepare the dipping sauce, by mixing together all the ingredients.