The almonds!

What makes these muffins (or cake/bread if you choose to do that instead) so great for you is the almond factor. Instead of refined flours we use almond meal, which is very easy to make just by pulsing your almonds in the food processor a few times. There are just tons of health benefits linked to eating almonds (like lowering cholesterol), and almonds are loaded with vitamin E, antioxidants and monounsaturated fats (the same fats found in olive oil). By the way, go ahead and use almonds with the skin on because the flavonoids found in almond skins paired with the vitamin E in the their meat have been shown to more than double antioxidant power in the body. More on that here.

The eggs and almonds pack a good amount of protein, and then paired with the sugars in the banana, these muffins give you a nice boost of long lasting energy. Really nice for the morning.

So this recipe is pretty much brilliant, and I can say that because it’s not originally mine. It came from Jules over at the Stone Soup who is committed to cooking using 5 ingredients or less. Love that. (I did add to the recipe a little here and there so it’s not as simple as the original, but whatever.)

It just blows my mind when baking is so simple, successful and so guiltless too! One important thing to watch out for though is that you don’t pulse the almond meal too long in the food processor or you’ll end up with almond butter. Just stop when it gets like couscous. And if you can, also use a food processor to beat the eggs together with the banana so the mixture gets really really fluffy – this will help with the overall texture. If you can handle these two steps, you’ll find this recipe pretty no fail. I’ve made several variations of this same core recipe many times. It works great as bread or muffins, and feel free to add in more cinnamon and even some raisins. For today though, I’ve added cocoa powder to half the batter to give it a chocolaty center!

Everyone loves a little chocolaty surprise. It’s super easy to do this. You just mix some unsweetened cocoa powder into 1/3 of your batter. Then you do a scoop of original batter, followed by a small scoop of the chocolaty batter, followed by another scoop of the original batter. The result is a subtle hit of cocoa goodness at the center of each muffin that nobody will know about until they take a bite! (If you’re doing bread, just follow the same idea using your bread pan.)

Topping it off with some thinly sliced bananas & almonds and a few dots of coarse sea salt is a nice touch too. Oh yes, that salty + sweet.

All that healthy mint does the trick!

I worked on this recipe with Andy (chef friend and biz partner on the La Empanada Food Truck .) one beautiful Friday evening. We followed it up with a nice dessert of dark chocolate and red wine, and I’m going to go ahead and recommend you do the same! (Today happens to be Friday too, so go for it!)

This dish merges the always-lovely combo of peas and mint with another classic, pasta alla carbonara. Traditionally, pasta alla carbonara uses cheese, olive oil, pasta water and egg yolk to create a nice, creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Of course, you can stir it all together in the pot, but better yet is to present the egg yolk in a nest of piping hot pasta to be stirred in and cooked right there in your bowl for an even creamier version!

We decided to prep and season the egg yolks in their own little bowls so they would be closer to room temp and ready for adding on top of the pasta just before serving.

Little gems…

We wanted to go fresh peas all the way but couldn’t find large enough snap peas so the compromise was half frozen and half fresh. The frozen peas are sautéed with olive oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and shallots, but the fresh peas are left raw and just stirred in at the very end. The two different pea textures – the crisp, raw snap peas with the more supple and sweet frozen ones – ended up working really nicely together.

Another little extra touch was the addition of thinly shaved smoked tuna that I brought back from Spain. It resembles cured ham a little in color, but instead has a much saltier and smokier flavor…well, and it obviously tastes like fish, not ham. It’s pretty strong so you only need a little. I know there are some specialty food shops that sell it in the states, but I’d suggest substituting with a little prosciutto or even a couple diced anchovies. Or just leave it out all together.

What I enjoy most about this dish is it’s many layers, each representing a very different flavor profile, and each complimenting the other, oh so nicely.
1. Our canvas of linguini
2. Two different kinds of peas (one soft and sweet one raw and snappy).
3. Creamy and rich egg yolk
4. Palate cleansing mint
5. Sharp pecorino romano cheese
6. Smokey cured tuna (or prosuttio or even anchovies depending on what you’re into)
7. A little heat from red pepper flakes.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

I topped each mini empanada with thin slice of tomato before baking to give you a little something extra to feast your eyes on. You can bake on a thin slice of veggie, fruit or even some fresh herbs to go with whatever they’re filled with.

My dear friends and biz partners, Andy and Janelle of, black bean deli, taught me everything I need to know about the art of making empanadas. Together we’ve been dreaming up all kinds of fillings and testing them on our friends and at caterings. Mainly we’ve been pumping them out in such high numbers for catering gigs, but also to test recipes for a new food venture we’re developing (wink,wink…tell ya later). We’ve been making empanadas like mad lately, and as a result, have probably eaten more of them in the last few months than a 10-year-old eats bowls of cereal in a year. And we’re still not sick of them!

SO, the cool thing about empanadas is that they’re the kind of thing you can eat anytime of the day. Stuff them with a tofu or egg and cheese scramble for breakfast. Maybe spicy BBQ chicken or grilled veggies and cheese for lunch or dinner. You can even do all kinds of dessert empanadas — spiced pear, chocolate peanut butter crunch, pumpkin pie…and on and on. All the possibilities are what make them so much fun to play around with. I’ve found that an empanada with a salad or some soup is a perfect little meal.

Empanadas first appeared in a Catalan cookbook back in the 1500s and it’s believed that they originated in Spain and Portugal, and like the Italian calzone, it’s thought that empanadas were derived from Arabic meat-filled pies (samosas). Traditionally, empanadas were filled with meat (pork loin or chorizo) or fish (cod, tuna or sardines) in a tomato garlic type sauce and became popular in those medieval days because they made such great portable meals for working people and travelers. The proliferation of empanadas eventually spread to Latin America, where each country has a regionally specific take on them – different dough recipes (made with flour, corn or yuca) and various traditional fillings.

But, the fillings we’ve been working on are all but traditional. Cured ham, cheese and melon. Crab and green tomato salad. Vegetarian sausage and peppers. Roasted beets and goat cheese. Pumpkin pie. S’mores. Truffle mac and cheese! Pretty much anything across the sweet to savory spectrum goes so you can really get creative.

Like here, we did peanut butter and jelly! Scoop of peanut butter, spoonful of strawberry preserves and little pile of sliced grapes. Each one is topped each with a sliced strawberry for ultimate cuteness.

One tip I will give you, is to make sure the fillings you choose aren’t runny by nature (like certain sauces) and don’t sweat too much during cooking (like raw veggies…or certain cheeses). This is because the filling will start to seep out and mush up the dough during baking. So if you’re using cheese, just don’t go too heavy on it. And of course, when it comes to meats and such, you need to pre-cook and season them! Think of it like toppings on a pizza – certain ones will work when placed raw (like herbs and cheese) and some would be retchid (like, uh, raw chicken). Also, fillings you can scoop with a spoon tend to work best. And you want your filling to be room temperature so it holds a form when scooped and placed in the center of the dough. Oh yea, and try not to overfill or you’ll end up with a mess no matter what.

See, here I did creamed corn and roasted cherry tomatoes as mini empanadas and spinach & feta full-size ones. The creamed corn is seasoned with thyme and thickened with flour during cooking. Then it’s cooled to room temp to reach its thickest state. The spinach was cooked with red onion and seasoned with some garlic, salt/pepper, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and lemon juice. I added some feta and cottage cheese and let some of the moisture cook out before adding an egg white to help hold it all together. Also cooled to room temp, and excess moisture poured out before adding to dough.

Of course, there are all kinds of dough recipes out there too so if you’re gluten free or want whole wheat you can definitely make it work. We haven’t come upon a recipe that we like (or that reacts) better than the dough we get from a Cuban bakery we work with out of Miami, so for now we’re sticking with that…though we do plan to experiment with some whole wheat recipes in the future. Empanada dough is similar to most savory pastry doughs, and you can find a million recipes for it online. The pre-made and cut empanada dough is actually pretty good and authentic and can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores and all Latin American supermarkets. Choose a brand with a short ingredient list (La Cubanita and Goya make good ones without all the preservatives and junk). Just check the labels to make sure you’re not getting a dough with lard in it if you’re vegetarian. Some use lard, some palm oil.

Now, you can totally just place you filling in the middle and seal the edges of the dough using a fork (that’s how most people do it at home). But, you can also find these handy little presses at Latin supermarkets and restaurant supply stores. The press we use for the mini empanadas is actually just a dumpling press, which you should be able to get at your local Asian market. The presses make the job a ton easier when you’re doing large numbers, but you won’t miss out not using one if you’re just making a few at home. You’ll want your dough close to room temp before placing the fillings and should wet the rim of the dough before closing to help seal.

Once you’ve got all your guys filled, you can lightly grease a pan and apply and even egg wash to each empanada (back and front).

Then just bake them until they’re golden and crispy along the edges.

I’m giving you the recipe for the spinach ones because they’re by far the household favorite!

My windowsill, on the other hand, is more alive than ever- with lentil sprouts galore!

Tricking yourself into thinking its springtime is one way of looking at it, but sprouting lentils is also a great way to add a super fresh, nutrient packed component to a meal or salad.

Lentils help cleanse and stimulate the kidneys and adrenal system, strengthen the heart and circulation and increase energy and vitality. When lentils are sprouted, their nutrients become more easily digestible, and after just 3-4 days of sprouting, their soluble fiber, which helps lower LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and regulate insulin levels, increases 300 percent!

The sprouting process is super easy, and though today we’re talking about lentil sprouts, you can use this process to sprout many other seeds and beans (alfalfa, clover, mung, garbanzo, lentil, sunflower). They all have very unique and wonderful flavors, but right now it’s the peppery crunch of these little lentil guys that I can’t get enough of.

You can choose any variety of lentils you want – brown, green or red – but just make sure they are whole, not split or in “dahl” form. The first thing you’ll want to do measure out about a cup of lentils and inspect them for stones or damaged beans. Then rinse them really well in cool water and place them in a large bowl of water to soak overnight (8-12 hours).

The next morning your beans will be nice and plump. You can strain out the excess water, rinse and strain again and then transfer the seeds into a large jar, filling it no more than 1/3 of the way with seeds so that there’s adequate space for growth.

Now, cover the opening of the jar with some cheesecloth and hold it in place with a snug rubber band. For the next few days all you’ll have to do is rinse the seeds with fresh water by filling the jar and draining through the cheesecloth twice a day.

After each rinse, give the jar a few firm shakes and turns upside down to get all the water out of there. You want it moist in there, but you don’t want a puddle of water at the bottom where slime can build up and potentially spoil your sprouts. If you start to notice any slime, just give a few extra rinses and get it all out.

After 24 hours in the jar, you’ll start to see the beans split open and may even see some tails forming. Just keep monitoring the lentils growth and keep giving them the fresh rinses + draining for 4-5 days. Once that green leaf pokes out and starts to unfold, they’re ready to harvest.

You’ll notice that they’ll be very tightly packed in their jar(s) so you’ll have to use a little force to get them out. I like to use tongs and grab from as far down as possible.

Once they’re out of the jar, I like to place them in a strainer and give them one last rinse and shake. Then I line an airtight container with a couple paper towels and spread them evenly across the bottom. They’ll stay good like that in the fridge for a week or so. If you’ve sprouted way more than you can eat, just give some away in plastic baggies lined with paper towels!

There are a million ways to eat them.

Soups or salads: (lettuce, arugula, pink unripe tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, lentil sprouts)

Curries or stir-fry dishes: (lentil sprouts sautéed in sesame oil, garlic and tamari. Served with wilted spinach and wild rice and topped with sesame seeds.)

Spreads and dips…like this guacamole: (puréed avocado & lentil sprouts with lemon juice, red onion, salt, pepper, jalapeño and topped with extra sprouts and scallions.)

They’re also a fantastic crunchy element in sandwiches or even on pizza. However you choose to eat them, I think it’s worth doing if only to add a little extra green to your windowsill. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Please note the obscenely large container of it sitting on the counter. (I can conveniently fit my entire arm in there.)

I get on crazy kicks like this from time to time. For a while there it was rice cakes with smashed avocado, arugula and sriracha chili sauce. Then there was the Green Smoothie Obsession. Now we’re on to muesli. I’ve been eating it plain, with soy milk and over yogurt. Join me?

Muesli isn’t a new discovery for me though – what’s going on here is that I’ve just discovered the perfect recipe. Rolled oats, raw sunflower seeds, shaved almonds, flax seeds, dried dates and figs, golden raisins, cinnamon, salt.

Another secret to this muesli is the order in which you combine things. First, I like to toss the oats with the cinnamon, salt and flax evenly to avoid any of it sticking to the fruit. Then I add chopped dates, a few pieces at a time, and toss with each new addition. It’s important to add the dates this way (and before the other fruit and nuts) because they are really sticky and will clump to themselves if added all at once and bind to everything else if added along with the other fruit. When you add them first, they get coated in the oat dust and basically become invincible.  Another little tip about the dates: To make them easier to handle, I like to put them in the freezer for a few minutes before chopping. Otherwise I find that they get mashed and stick to your fingers.  Anyway, once the dates have been tossed in the oats, you’re good to add the rest of the ingredients. I like to store it a jar so I can shake it up nice and good before eating cause the smaller stuff (like cinnamon, salt and flax) tends to settle at the bottom.

It’s like a healthy, deconstructed cookie. The dates are nature’s caramel. And with no added sugar or oil, it’s SO much better for you than granola. I wasn’t actually going to do a post about this (thought it might be boring), but my love for it has grown so much lately, that I couldn’t really hide it anymore. Plus, I’ve been handing it out left and right and have got some pretty good responses so hopefully you’ll like it too!

ps.  The oats get such a nice texture if you let stand in the milk for a minute or two to absorb some moisture before eating.

Side note: You can totally substitute for the scallops with shrimp or just omit the protein altogether because it’s got such great flavor on its own!

I decided to roast a couple long sweet red peppers to eat along with the pasta and it all came together really beautifully. The red pepper bleeds into everything so nicely as you work your way through the dish. (the red pepper juices are a sauce of there own)

There are many varieties of long red peppers so don’t worry too much about what kind you get so long as you get a sweet one (even if it’s a yellow or orange one). I just baked them with a little olive oil and salt until soft and charred around the edges.

The sauce/broth was super easy. I basically just sautéed the shallots, garlic, salt/pepper, some dried tarragon and fresh oregano and thyme in some olive oil and butter until just soft. While that cooked, I patted my scallops dry to prevent them from sweating too much or becoming rubbery during cooking. Then I added the scallops, turned the burner off and tossed them around just a moment before adding the pasta to the pan directly from the pot of water (using tongs and incorporating into sauce between each tong full).

The reason I do this is because it keeps the magical salty, starchy water on the pasta, which really helps the sauce and flavor stick. The wet pasta also keeps the dish moist and prevents you from having to use too much additional oil (I did also add a nice drizzle of oil and a ladle of starchy water to the pan).

Another side note: Make sure you add one ladle of pasta at a time and toss so you don’t end up adding more pasta than there is sauce to go around.

I topped it off with a touch of grated Romano cheese and cracked black pepper – so perfect.

Last week I said enough is enough and decided to come up with a fun grilled cheese of my own and finally satiate that craving. What comes first when inventing a grilled cheese sandwich – the bread or the cheese? For me it was definitely the bread! I went with beer bread, my favorite bread to make (okay, pretty much the only bread I make).

I followed my usual beer bread recipe , but added a bunch of cracked black pepper to the dough for some extra kick. The rest of the sandwich was inspired by Wisconsin’s native beer and cheese soup also which incorporates cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.

I’d thought about just adding the Worcestershire sauce directly to the bread dough, but was kind of iffy about it alongside the already strong beer flavor in the bread. So instead, I added a good amount of the Worcestershire to the caramelized onions while cooking. Oh man, the flavor was so good!

For cheese, I went with sharp cheddar and a creamy fontina for some contrast. Then I added a nice layer of Dijon mustard before stacking everything up and grilling it with a little butter and olive oil. I like the combination of the butter and olive oil because I think using just butter can sometimes be overwhelming and take away from the flavor of the cheese.

So how was it? Um, amazing. The beer flavor with the sharpness of the cheese and then the sweet and tangy onions was so good! Really, really happy with it. There was one thing though: While the flavor of the beer bread was perfect, it doesn’t really hold together that well. Beer bread is pretty dense and though it slices fine, it lacks the sponginess that you get with other breads. So basically, it gets messy when you take a bite. I didn’t mind it though…just make sure you’re eating it with a plate. see how the cheese spills out a lot.

I’m thinking it’d also make a great open-faced sandwich, meant to be eaten with a fork and knife.

I did a ton of cooking for my family when I was in Sag Harbor, NY last week, which I love to do because they’re an extremely enthusiastic bunch when it comes to eating. Okay, most of them are. I say “most of them” because there are children involved. Nuff said, right? For those of you that have children, you’re probably accustomed to all the exceptions and alterations to your cooking. I do not and am not.

So I figured I’d do a pasta dish that everyone could enjoy! Cause everyone loves pasta, right? Wrong. One has food allergies and an aversion to certain textures and anything “chunky.” One will try things but will more than likely dislike them and ask for pizza instead. And one is currently a pescatarian who hates eggs because of one runny egg incident over a year ago.

Look, I get it. We all have our thing, and I sure as hell have a few of my own. But man, kids can be brutal. “This is disgusting (sour face),” my cousin’s son tells me after sampling the couscous. I have to laugh. I’m coming to understand more and more, that things can get really complicated when there are children involved in the dinnertime equation.

The solution: I make spaghetti and red sauce for dinner. Three different kinds of red sauce. One with meatballs, one that has veggies in it and one that comes straight out of a jar. You know, to accommodate everyone. Don’t you just love this generation of children that have a voice? I swear there were like 30 different bowls on this table. But what can I say…everyone was happy and at least all the kids liked the garlic bread!

So that was that. And of course, there was leftover spaghetti.

The following morning, we’re all sitting around the table when my aunt Loretta (grandmother to the aforementioned children) cheerfully announces that she’s going to make a frittata with the leftover pasta from the night before! Nobody seems interested and I already hear mumours about eggs being “so gross.” But a frittata sounds great to me. And though I’ve never had one with spaghetti per say, I have faith in this woman and I’m sure as hell not about to tackle breakfast after the night’s fiasco. Good luck, Loretta.

But Loretta doesn’t need luck. She’s been feeding this family long enough to know what she can pull off. She tosses the spaghetti in the pan with some olive oil and veggies (zucchini, onion and mushroom), pours over some beaten eggs, sprinkles a little feta on top and lets it cook – first on the stovetop and then in the oven to brown the top.

It was fantastic. No, it was perfect. The texture of the spaghetti was so good blanketed inside that fluffy egg! And I just think it’s a brilliant use of the leftovers – Loretta, you’ve done it again.