Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 700 grams or so of ground beef
• 1/3 cup of pesto (homemade or store bought)
• 1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper
• sliced tomato
• torn basil leaves
• sliced fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella
• slider buns
• butter

Instructions

1. Add breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Cover with milk and let sit a couple of minutes until soaked into breadcrumbs. Add meat, pesto and parsley to breadcrumb mixture and season with salt and pepper. Combine well until smooth. Use 1/4 cup measure to shape slider sized patties (about the size of a small palm)
2. Heat BBQ to about 400F. Grill patties on each side for 2 minutes or so (keep an eye on the flames) until crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Add cheese towards the end of cooking so it has time to melt slightly.
3. Serve on buttered slider buns with a slice of tomato on a torn basil leaf.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of shredded Chinese cabbage
• 3 cups of shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup of shredded carrots (lengthwise to get soft curls)
• 1 cup of unsalted cashews
• 1/4 of chopped chives (try cutting with scissors)
• 1 cup of roughly chopped mint leaves
• 1 cup of torn cilantro leaves
• 4 small red thai chillies, seeds removed and finely sliced (optional if you don't like spice)
• 4 chicken breasts, cooked in pan and cut into slices
• Coconut Lime Dressing:
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons of lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar

Instructions

1. Combine cabbage, carrot, cashews, chives, mint, cilantro and chicken in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.
2. Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a measuring cup and stir well to combine. Pour half the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Divide between plates and top with chillies. Add more dressing to taste.

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of frozen boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup of red curry paste
• 1 pound of peeled and sliced sweet potatoes
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 2 cup of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• Chili pepper, sliced thin
• Green Onions, sliced
• Mint
• Cilantro or flat leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Place frozen chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker. Add red curry paste and toss until spread out a bit. Add sweet potatoes.
2. Cover chicken and potatoes with coconut milk and broth. Stir in minced ginger.
3. Let cook on low for 8 hours.
4. If you want a thicker sauce, stir cornstarch into your mixture. Stir in fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Combine well.
5. Garnish with chili, green onions, mint and cilantro to your liking. Serve on it's own or with rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 large cauliflower, greens removed and cut into florets
• 1 medium potato, cubed (pealed if you wish)
• 4-6 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped pecans
• Olive Oil
• Small sage leaves, or chopped larger sage leaves

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Add onion and garlic until onion is soft, 1-2 minutes. Don't brown the onion or garlic.
2. Add cubed potato and cauliflower and stir briefly with oil and onions. Add stock until vegetables are covered with liquid. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and cover. Let simmer 20 minutes until cauliflower and potatoes are soft and break apart when squished with a spoon.
3. Tun off heat and let cool slightly. With an immersion blender or a mixer, blend until soup is a creamy consistency. Add more stock if you like your soup more liquid. If using a mixer, blend in batches and watch out for the hot liquid and steam. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
4. While soup is simmering, toast chopped pecans in a dry frying pan, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
5. Serve soup in bowls, sprinkle with toasted pecans, sage and drizzle with olive oil.

Ingredients

• Whole chicken (I had mine butterflied at the butcher for faster cooking time)
• Potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
• Carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion cut into chunks
• 1 lemon cut in half
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper
• Handful of fresh sage or other herb you like

Instructions

1. Heat oven or BBQ to about 425 F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.Rub with olive oil and butter, adding some gently under the skin. Season with salt, pepper and torn sage.
2. Place chicken in roasting pan. Add half a lemon each to front and back cavity (If you have your bird butterflied, just rest it on the lemons).
3. Toss potatoes, carrots and onions in a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter around bird in roasting pan.
4. Roast for 1 hour (if using whole chicken roast for 1.5 hours) until temperature of chicken is 180F. Let rest for 10 -15 and serve.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup cooked and cooled quinoa (I used white and black quinoa)
• 4 small cucumbers, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and chopped
• 1 cup red or green grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked chili powder

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine quinoa with veggies, apples, grapes,pecans and herbs. Toss to combine,
2. In a small bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, honey and a couple pinches of salt, pepper and chili.
3. Toss everything together and taste for seasonings, adding more salt if needed.

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large kitchenaid bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture with dough hook. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Add oil and mix one more time for oil to cover dough (it will be nice and glossy). Remove bowl from mixer and cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of cornmeal
• 1/2 recipe of pizza dough
• 1/2 cup mascarpone, stirred until smooth
• A couple of of Asparagus spears, blanched or roasted, woody ends removed
• 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1 small tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 cup of fresh shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle with a thin layer of corn meal.
2. Take your dough and gently stretch and pull it until it has the size you want and fits on your greased baking sheet. Use your fingers to spread out the dough further so you have a nice thin crust. (You can do this with a rolling pin, but I prefer to do this by hand).
3. Very carefully spread the mascarpone on the dough, leaving an inch of so of crust free of cheese (the mascarpone is very sticky, so watch out that you don't tear the dough). Season with salt and pepper.
4. Distribute asparagus spears, mushrooms and tomato slices evenly on pizza. Sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese.
5. In a small food processor whiz basil and olive oil until smooth and liquid. Add a tad of water if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over pizza.
6. Bake pizza for 12-14 minutes until golden.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower (about 3 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of lemon pepper
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 pound capellini or spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
• Handful of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (recipe calls for hazelnuts)
• Shaved Pecerino
• 4 eggs (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into 1-inch florets, discarding the thick middle stem. Spread the florets on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, making sure each piece is coated. Sprinkle with the lemon pepper, salt and nutmeg and toss again. Roast, gently stirring about halfway through the cooking time, until there are lots of brown caramelized spots - 25-30 minutes.
3. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, in a a large pan over medium heat, warm the butter and swirl it around the pan until it starts to bubble and just begins to smell toasty, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Drain the pasta, reserving a bit of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan with the browned butter, add the capellini, a splash of the pasta water, the balsamic vinegar, basil, half of the cauliflower and nuts, and pinch or two of salt. Toss everything to combine.
4. Fry four eggs in a large pan.
5. Divide pasta among plates and top each serving with a a portion of the remaining cauliflower and nuts,a bit of pepper, an egg and garnish with some shaved cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 bag of mussels
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 onion, slices thin
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, cut in half lengthwise and chopped
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• Chopped parsley
• Chopped green onion

Instructions

1. Clean the mussels with lots of cold water. Pull out any beards or seaweed. Throw out any that have broken or cracked shells, or ones that don't close when lightly squeezed.
2. In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat, add onion, garlic and celery and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and increase heat to high, after a couple of minutes add diced tomatoes. Stir well and add mussels. Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mussels open. Shake the pan a few times so they cook evenly.
3. At the end of the cooking time discard any mussels that didn't open. Add the heavy cream and stir well. Serve immediately with some crusty bread and a garnish of chopped parsley and green onion.

Notes