-1 lb ground chicken

-1 inch peeled raw ginger, grated fine

-1 garlic clove, grated fine

-1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

-big sprinkle black pepper and white pepper

-1 teaspoon salt

-3 or 4 stalks of scallion, finely chopped dark greens

-1 raw egg

-3/4 cup of either breadcrumbs of choice or I use coarsely ground plain puffed rice cereal to keep it extra light

Heat oven to 375. Get a large flat baking pan and line it with a sheet of baking parchment.

To a big mixing bowl, add all your ingredients, then with one hand whip and mix it together till a loose meat paste comes together.

With a spoon, scoop out meat balls and pinch into balls on your baking sheet. The paste will be sticky, but the goal is uniform sizing not shape! They can be a little ugly, that’s okay!

Place them about at least a half inch apart.

Repeat this process till you have a full tray of meatballs.

Bake for 22 minutes, and check internal temperature to make sure it’s safe!

You can either plop these into a simple broth like a naked wonton, put them on top of steamy rice with a little soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, or if you wanna really get crazy you can make a simple fruit jam pan sauce with butter, scallion, a scoop of jelly, and a few tablespoons of soy sauce simmered down till thickened and toss your meatballs in them like a glaze!

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Dry

-1 cup all purpose flour

-1/2 cup super fine almond flour

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-big pinch salt

-teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet:

-3 medium well ripened bananas

-1 egg

-teaspoon vanilla

-1/4 cup olive oil (a little extra for greasing your pan)

-2 tablespoons melted butter

-3/4 cup fine sugar

Upside Down Topping:

-3 tablespoons salted butter

-2 tablespoon dark brown sugar

-fruit of choice, I could top my loaf using 1 black plum thinly sliced

This recipe is made in a ceramic loaf pan, using a thinner metal loaf pan can change the bake time to be less long!

What you need:

loaf pan, whisk, 2 mixing bowls, baking/parchment paper, pastry brush (for greasing pan), knife and cutting board

To Bake:

Heat your oven middle rack to 350. Lightly grease your loaf pan with olive oil and parchment baking paper at the bottom.

To make what will become your upside down fruit caramel, to a small pot on low heat melt your 3 tablespoons of salted butter. Once it’s lightly browning, add in your brown sugar and stir together till it melts a little and forms a frothy grainy melted texture (do not worry, it will melt more as it bakes!)

Pour your “caramel” into the loaf pan. Thinly slice your chosen fruit to line the entire bottom.

To a mixing bowl, add both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk together to combine.

In another mixing bowl, peel then mash your bananas into a goo. Then add your sugar, vanilla, egg, olive oil, and melted butter. Whisk this together to combine, a little chunky is okay!

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry bowl and whisk them all together till a thick smooth batter forms.

Carefully pour your batter over the fruit in your loaf pan and carefully smooth the top.

Place loaf pan in your hot oven (I do middle rack close to the back, I have an old oven!)

Bake for 35 minutes, then check if done by poking a toothpick in! It should come out completely clean, if it’s sticky and covered in batter, baking another 10-15 minutes! My loaf was just right at 45 minutes because the ceramic loaf pan is really thick.

Let cool 10 minutes before carefully flipping it out of the pan and onto a cutting board, it should slip right out and you can peel off the baking paper to reveal your beautiful little loaf! Let cool completely before slicing.

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-1 large sweet potato (my favorite is hannah or jewel)

-2 large carrots

-2 orange or red mini sweet peppers

-1 quart bone broth (I used a local beef one)

-1 small pad of salted butter

-1 inch fresh peeled ginger

-1/2 cup diced sweet onion

-1 clove garlic

-juice from half a lime

-1/2 can of coconut milk

-1 tablespoon fish sauce

-3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or 2 of brown sugar)

-1 teaspoon salt

To garnish:

-fresh cilantro

-black sesame powder or toasted sesame oil

-sriracha

What you’ll need:

pot to simmer, vegetable peeler, blender, knife and cutting board

Step 1: Peel and cube your sweet potato and carrots, the smaller you dice them the quicker they will cook through! Finely chop your onion, sweet pepper, garlic, and fresh ginger. To a medium sized pot on low heat, melt your salted butter and add everything to saute a few minutes till fragrant.

Step 2: Sprinkle in your salt, coconut sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and stir well till all the veggies are coated. Pour in your beef bone broth stir to combine. Bring to a simmer covered and cook for 12 minutes till all your vegetables are soft.

Step 3: After finished simmering, add in your coconut milk, and stir together to help bring down the temperature. Once it’s cooled enough to blend, blend on medium till silky smooth (3-4 minutes on a good blender! you may have to do this in small batches if you don’t have a big blender, but that works too!)

Step 4: After blending, return the soup to your pot to simmer back on medium low heat uncovered for another 10 minutes till the soups color becomes a richer golden brown and cooks down a little.

Step 5: After simmering down, pour into bowls and serve with a drizzle of sriracha, a handful of freshly chopped cilantro, and either a teaspoon of black sesame powder or a small drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil!

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The best thing about this recipe is that the fish is interchangeable! I used thin frozen flounder fillets, but you could easily sub in any white fish! I like cooking from frozen this way because I can never be bothered to defrost.

To do ahead: the only slight annoyance for this recipe is that if you aren’t as obsessed with kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) as I am, you won’t have any prepared in the freezer, so you’ll have to do your skinning, cutting, seeding and cubing while you prep this meal! The good news is you can freeze the leftover kabocha, and next time you WILL be prepped for this meal to come together with almost no labor!

Ingredients:

-3 or 4 frozen white fish fillets, I used thin flounder ones

-1 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger

-1 clove garlic grated

-1 finely chopped red or orange bell pepper

-2 tablespoons salted butter

-1 tablespoon of curry powder, I like this one I grab at my co op

-teaspoon dried basil

-2 cups of skinned and cubed kabocha

-1/4 cup coco aminos or soy sauce

-2 tablespoons fish sauce (neeeever skip the fish sauce if you want a good curry)

-1/4 cup coconut sugar

-1 can coconut milk

-dash of lime or rice vinegar

-2 servings jasmine rice

Step 1: Make your jasmine rice, I do this using my tatung rice cooker I use this one, but you can also make it stove top in a pot. While your rice cooks, grate your ginger and garlic as well as chopping your pepper thinly. Then on a large pan with a lid on medium low heat, melt your butter, then add in your ginger garlic and bell pepper and saute lightly mixing with a spoon or spatula till fragrant for a few minutes.

Step 2: To your pan add your curry powder and mix together letting simmer slightly, then add in your coconut sugar, fish sauce, and coco aminos and stir together till the sugar dissolves. Add in your kabocha squash and stir and bring back up to a simmer. Once simmering, pour over your coconut milk (make sure to shake it well first) and cover till bubbling again lightly.

Step 3: Gently lay in your frozen fish fillets and cover while simmering for 6 minutes. After times up, take a spoon or spatula and flip over your fillets, then simmer covered another 6 minutes. After the second simmer, your fish should easily flake apart (check with meat thermometer if you had thick cuts of fish, it might need to cook longer depending on that), and your kabocha should be fork tender!

Step 4: Add in your big squeeze of fresh lime or a dash of vinegar. Stir everything together gentle while bubbling, letting your fish flake and your kabocha squash break apart slightly then turn off the heat. Do not over mix or else it will turn mushy (it will taste good either way but it’s nice to keep some texture).

Step 5: Get out a bowl and lay out your layer of rice, and spoon your curry plentifully on top! Can be topped with sesame seeds or sriracha if you wanted spice, but I like it as is most days.

Pro tip: Sometimes to shake it up when I’ve been eating too much of this recipe, I switch out the bell pepper for sweet onion!

Bell pepper variation:

onion variation:

Also I make fun of my husband cause he mixes and smooths his out flat for some reason when he eats his:

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I have become a believer a good blender being the solution to most things, with the added work of a cheese cloth!

The secret to that perfect ginger punch is you really need to let the juice sit after blending for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour! This way when you squeeze it, it’s all sat together and has a more pungent flavor. I tried both a immediate strain and with a wait time, and I noticed a difference right away.

What you’ll need:

-Blender

-Cheesecloth bag

-Big jar or container for storage

Ingredients:

-2 Apples, I used pink lady

-Juice of 1 lemon

-4 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

-5 or 6 large carrots

-2 teaspoons dried ground turmeric powder

-dash of black pepper (activated the turmeric to be absorbed better!)

Step 1: Peel your carrots, apple, and ginger and chop into big cubes. Add to your blender along with your turmeric, lemon juice, and black pepper. Fill with filtered water till just covering the mixture. Blend starting on low then eventually to high for at least 1 minute or until pulverized thoroughly. Let rest 30 mins to an hour.

Step 2: Once rested, find a big bowl and open up your cheese cloth bag inside it. Strain your mixture through the bag, gentle massaging as you go so the juice begins to sift through. Once the full blender has been emptied into the bag, you can close with one hand and squeeze out all the juices with the other. Squeeze well till all the juice is out and the pulp is mostly dry.

Step 3: Let juice cool in fridge overnight, then enjoy! If you plan to make cookies the next day, store your pulp in an airtight container in the fridge as well.

For the juice pulp sugar cookies:

What you’ll need:

Baking tray, baking sheet, electric hand mixer (can whisk by hand and muscle it out if needed), spoon, mixing bowl

This recipe makes a big batch, so if you don’t want too many you can half this recipe!

Ingredients:

-2 sticks of room temperature softened salted butter

-1 cup sugar

-1 cup coconut sugar

-2 spoonfuls apple sauce

-4 tablespoons dried/wrung out juice pulp

-2 cups all purpose flour

-1/2 cup brown rice flour

-teaspoon cinnamon

-teaspoon vanilla extract

-big pinch of baking soda

-salt for on top

Step 1: Make your cookie dough by combining all the wet ingredients as well as the pulp in one bowl, and the dry ingredients together in another. Slowly add your dry ingredients into the wet while mixing with either an electric hand mixer set on low, or by hand. Do this until the ingredients are combines and a whipped slightly grainy dough comes together. Let chill in the fridge 20-30 minutes.

Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350 and when your dough as chilled, line a big baking pan with baking paper.

Step 3: Spoon out a small palm sized ball’s worth of dough into your hands, shape into a ball, and place on the baking sheet. Do this, spacing out at least 3 inches between each cookie, until the tray is full. Top each cookie with a tiny pinch of salt. You will need to bake a few batches!

Step 4: Bake cookies for 15 minutes, then when they come out of the oven give them a quick slam on the counter so they deflate. Let cool fully before moving, they will be very soft (at least 15 minutes). Once cooled, they should have a light toasty brown edge and bottom, and have a flaky chewy texture! Store in an airtight container.

Although this won’t use up ALL your pulp, it’s a great recipe to reuse some of it! I also add the pulp to pancakes, it can easily be thrown into my most recent banana pancake recipe I also have posted.

Maybe I’ll work on a cake or loaf that uses more pulp in the future too!

But for now, big tray of cookies is a pretty good addition.

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And I say that as someone who is now realizing I have eaten some good tasting but lack luster pancakes over the years, especially coming from a shake-and-pour home.

These will hit different - and you will not regret the small efforts to make them exactly right.

(and these can be made easily gluten free! just use this all purpose flour)

For wet mixture:

-2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until it’s a goo

-1 large raw egg

-1/2 cup milk of choice

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-splash apple cider vinegar

-1/4 cup coconut sugar

-pinch of salt

-1 teaspoon or big couple shakes of cinnamon

For dry mixture:

-1 cup all purpose flour

-1/4 cup brown rice flour, I love this one

-1/2 teaspoon or a big pinch of baking soda

Additional ingredients to finish/cook:

-4 pads of salted butter, just little sliced off a cold stick

-maple syrup, the real kind!

Step 1: In a bowl, thoroughly mash your ripe bananas into a goo with a fork, then add your milk, vanilla, egg, coconut sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined.

Step 2: Layer in your cup of flour on top of the wet mixture, 1/4 cup of brown rice flour, and big pinch of salt and then whisk in till combined and a nice semi-thick pancake dough forms.

Step 3: To a large pan on medium low heat, add 1 pad of butter and spread around till its melted. Pour in pancakes to a size you like, filling up the pan but leaving space for each pancake to spread out so it’s easier to flip. Let cook gently for about 2-3 minutes or until you can see the pancake start to bubble and cook through, then carefully flip and cook 1 minute on the other side.

Step 4: Repeat your pancake cooking process till either all the batter is gone or until you have enough pancakes for your needs, finish with another pad of butter on top, moving it around on the hot pancakes and pour your desired amount of maple syrup on top! I always add a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top too.

Enjoy!

These pancakes hit harder cause of the perfect toasty sweetness of the coconut sugar and the good rise and texture from the flour mixes and the baking soda’s reaction to the vinegar! They are fluffier and easier to work with without getting thick or claggy.

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It being AAPI month made me think it would be a perfect time to make these and update the recipe a little since I’ve slightly changed a few things making them this spring including a change in sugars that has added a nice molasses-y toastier flavor that layers so well with the black sesame nuttiness.

I’ve found a stone ground black sesame powder I like a lot on etsy after much research on different available brands and switching from a paste which was ultimately really messy to work (despite still loving it for other things).

This is my current fav black sesame powder, and the shipping was surprisingly fast!

Also I HIGHLY recommend a good old fashion slamming of the tray of fresh out of the oven cookies to collapse them right after baking and get that perfectly crinkly chewy texture rather than having them inflated from their bake!

This recipe can also be easily doubled for a big batch to bring to parties and dinners! This recipe will only make around a dozen or so depending on scoop sizing.

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup regular sugar

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 tablespoons of black sesame powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick of softened room temp salted butter

pinch of sea salt

1 raw egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

And you’ll want a handheld egg beater BUT…you can definitely hand whisk/stir if needed! Just prepare to muscle through some thick cookie dough!

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2: To a mixing bowl, add your softened salted butter, vanilla, egg, and both the regular and coconut sugar! Stir until everything is creamed together and well combined. Because of the coconut sugar there will still be grainy texture!

Step 3: To another mixing bowl, add your flour, black sesame powder, and baking powder. Mix till combined.

Step 4: Add your dry mixture into your wet sugar/butter mixture incrementally mixing as you go till a cookie dough comes together. Add in your chocolate chips and stir again till combined.

Step 5: Scoop small palm sized spoonfuls into your palm and roll into a ball and place on baking sheet. Do this until the tray is full making sure to leave a good 3 to 4 inches between each ball so they have plenty of space to expand! Top each cookie dough ball with a little sea salt!

Step 6: Bake in batches for 12 minutes each. When fresh out of the oven they will be puffy, slam the tray (CAREFULLY….WITH OVEN MITTS) either onto the kitchen counter or a sturdy surface to “deflate” the cookies giving them a flat and crinkly texture! Let cool completely and then enjoy!!!

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To do ahead: The one thing you actually have to think about with this recipe is prepping a kabocha squash aka Japanese pumpkin! One of my all time favorite vegetables - it has the sweet taste of pumpkin but the sturdier drier texture of a potato which makes it a dream to work with because it doesn’t get all watery!

I always keep a stock of it peeled and cubed in my freezer to add to congee, soups, sauces, and recently to my rice to add some extra nutrition when I am feeling lazy! The best way to prep one is to bake it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes or so till it softens up, that way slicing into it is easier and so is scooping the seeds as well as slicing off the skin. I chop it into small cubes and freeze most of it in a freezer safe bag and use about 3/4 cup in my rice dishes!

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground turkey or chicken

-1 inch fresh ginger chopped or grated fine

-3 or 4 stalks of scallion finely chop the whites and save the dark green in a bowl to garnish the dish with when finished

-1 cup jasmine rice

-a handful of finely sliced mini sweet peppers or 1 whole red or orange bell pepper

-3/4 cup of peeled and cubed kabocha squash

-handful or shake of toasted sesame seeds to garnish at the end

For the sweet and sour sauce:

-3/4 cup of ketchup, I use this one

-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

-1 tablespoon sriracha or chili sauce, I use this one

-teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder

-1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar

-dash of apple cider vinegar

-salt and pepper to taste (about a teaspoon or so of each)

Step 1: Add your jasmine rice to a rice cooker or stovetop with water and your cubed kabocha squash and set to cook! With a stovetop you’ll need to cook partially covered around 20-22 minutes or so. In my rice cooker my ration is about 1 to 1.5 rice to water! Let cook fully then fluff and mix well gently when cooked!

Step 2: Finely chop your scallion, ginger, and peppers and add to a medium to large pan on medium heat with a tablespoon of your prefered cooking oil (I use ghee). Cook a few minutes stirring around till aromatic!

Step 3: In your pan, push your veggies and aromatics over to the cover and add in your ground meat. Break up into smaller pieces with a spoon or spatula and let cook for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to let brown and mixing together with the veggies.

Step 4: Add your ketchup, sriracha, salt and pepper, vinegar, coconut sugar and worcestershire to your meat and stir till everything is fully coated. Cook covered for 3 or 4 minutes till the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and stir again before serving over a bowl of your pumpkin rice, adding your finely chopped scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds on top to finish!

Pro tip: If you’re really hungry - you can always add a simple fried egg on top for extra satiating protein!

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The secret is in the choice of meat, the type of noodles, and the broth! Unlike some of my other favorite meals this one comes together in 1 pot and super quick so I can actually make it post work out when I don’t have time for a bunch of prep!

What you’ll need: medium sized pot with lid, cutting board and knife

Ingredients:

1 box of turmeric chicken bone broth from kettle & fire here - I just get it at my local co op

3 sprigs of finely chopped scallion

2 big spoonfuls of chopped kimchi, recently I’m on this one which is also at my co op

big drizzle of sriracha

1 tablespoon of either creamy peanut butter or almond butter

2 tablespoons of coconut sugar (you can also do 1 spoon of brown sugar, coconut sugar is much milder and I prefer it for savory foods)

big pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 a can of drained and rinsed adzuki beans (GREAT FOR FIBER)

8-10 frozen jump whole deveined shrimp

and our secret weapon: shirataki noodles! almost no calories but a PERFECT texture! we like the brand “miracle noodle” but there’s many different ones out there to try!

How to make:

Add your box of broth to a pot on low heat, refilling your box half way with filtered water and adding that too. Bring to a low simmer while you finely chop and add your kimchi and scallion.

Once simmering, add you salt (about 2 teaspoons or to taste), pepper, coconut sugar, nut butter and sriracha and whisk well till combined. Drain and rinse your noodles and half a can of adzuki beans and add those to the pot. Bring back up to a simmer and let everything cook together for 5 minutes.

Plop in your shrimp and make sure they are fully covered in the broth, put the lid back on and bring back up to a simmer and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes.

Take your soup off the heat, do a little taste test to see if you need any more salt or sriracha for heat, and if you like where it’s at then it’s ready to serve hot with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil on top!

This soup is so filling and easy to make, plus it’s a great way to finish a jar of kimchi! If you want to revamp another bowl for dinner the next day, you can add some lime and cilantro as a refresh and reset (that’s what I’m gonna do)

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I had a perfect bowl of this soup on a rainy day in Taiwan when I visited in 2018 - wrote many recipes over the years trying to make it better, but finally realized it was never in need of improvements in the first place.

A little salt, sugar, aromatics and time is what’s most important here, time.

Right off the bat - this is a pressure cooker recipe. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a pressure cooker is a LIFESAVER in the kitchen especially if you want to be living that healthy homemade broth life OR you love beans/lentils and don’t want to be washing and soaking them for hours on end ahead of time!

You COULD simmer it on the stove, but that’s not how I make it because I don’t have hours to spare most of the time between work, gym, and hunger!

What you’ll need:

-knife and cutting board

-pressure cooker

-ladle

-tongs

Ingredients:

-2 large bone in chicken legs

-3 stalks of scallion

-2 inch peeled piece of raw ginger

-nice salt

-ghee or butter

-sugar or rock sugar

-toasted sesame oil

-water

Step 1: Put your pressure cooker on the saute function and let get hot. Add a tablespoon of ghee or butter and let melt completely. Add in your chicken legs and let sizzle and brown untouched for around 8-10 minutes or until it is browning and unsticks from the pot.

Step 2: Finely chop the stalks of your scallion, leaving out the greens to be added when the soup is finished so they don’t wilt. Chop your peeled raw ginger into thin slices or match sticks. Add to the pot along with your chicken until fragrant!

Step 3: Add water to your pot, just until the chicken legs are fully submerged/covered. This will be around 4 cups or so - but I don’t usually measure. Add in about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set to pressure cook on high for 22 minutes with the steam valve set to sealed.

Step 4: Once the timer has gone off, allow the soup to fully decompress for 20-25 minutes or till you can turn the steam valve to unsealed and no steam comes out. The pressure cooker should be ready to twist and open. Pull out the bones from your chicken using tongs as well as the big pieces of cartilage. Stir everything with a pair of chopsticks and the chicken will be soft enough to be shredded just from being pushed and pulled around. Do a taste test to make sure there’s enough salt and sweetness here - I usually end up adding another teaspoon or so of salt here!

Step 5: Ladle your soup in a bowl and top with finely chopped scallion greens and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Serve as is - or with rice or noodles if you want to bulk it up!

Pro tip: I ate my leftovers next day with an added cup of noodles, a poached egg I threw in while reheating on the stove, and a drizzle of chili sauce!

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So I went back to my favorite muffin flavor - just banana. Not nuts and crumble tops, just a easy banana muffin that I will actually reach for all day, and that’s what I made!

What you will need: muffin tray, muffin baking cups/wrappers, two big mixing bowls, whisk, rubber spatula or spoon, a fork for mashing

This recipe makes around 10 muffins! 2 Spoonfuls of batter per muffin at around 200 calories or so each!

Ingredients:

-1 cup gluten free flour, I use this one

-1/2 cup super fine natural almond flour like this one

-3/4 cup fine sugar

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1 pinch of baking soda

-1 big pinch salt

-sprinkle of cinnamon

-1 raw egg

-3 medium/large fully ripe bananas

-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, I have been getting this one

Step 1: Bring oven to 350, and put 10 muffin wrappers in a muffin baking tray.

Step 2: To a large mixing bowl, add your all purpose flour, sugar, almond flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and whisk till completely combined.

Step 3: To another mixing bowl, add your 3 peeled bananas and mash with a fork till it turns to goo! Add your raw egg and olive oil and whisk till combined.

Step 4: To your bowl of wet ingredients, slowly add your dry ingredients by pour 1/3 at a time and mixing between till fully incorporated making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl folding it all together until all your dry ingredients are mixed in with the wet and a batter comes together smoothly.

Step 5: Fill your baking wrapper cups in the tins till about 1 cm from the top of each cup, it should be enough batter for about 10 muffins. Bake for 24 minutes and then let cool fully before eating for best texture and no wrapper sticking!

I love the addition of olive oil because it adds a slightly floral and buttery taste, the better the olive oil used - the better the taste! I omitted the classic vanilla extract because I actually don’t think this recipe needs it! The straight forward banana taste with just a little salt and cinnamon is perfectly balanced for me, and the texture from the almond flour is hearty and has been my favorite trick to keep these muffins from getting too dense!

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What you’ll need:

-2 Tablespoons of white miso paste, I swear by this one

-3 or 4 Stalks of scallion

-1 Inch cube fresh ginger grated

-1 Big spoonful of coconut sugar

-1 Tablespoon dried wakame I use this one

-Drizzle of chili sauce / sriracha I love this one

-1 Quart bone broth of your choice

-Pinch of salt + tablespoon coco aminos

-3 or 4 large fully washed and sliced shiitake mushrooms

-1/2 A block of firm tofu, drained and cut into big cubes

-Short grain rice

-A drizzle of toasted sesame oil to finish

-1 Cup steamed kabocha squash

-Squeeze of a big slice of fresh lime juice

For Cooking: medium sized pot with lid, mesh strainer for the miso

To do ahead:

-Skin, gut, and cube your kabocha squash and either roast, poach, or steam till softened and fully cooked when you can easily pierce it with a knife! Any kabocha you aren’t using can be frozen to be added to sauces, soups, and stews later!

-Cook a small pot of rice for your soup

To assemble soup:

To a medium sized sauce pan, add your broth, salt, finely chopped scallion and grated ginger and bring to a gentle simmer.

Once simmering, add in your kabocha, sliced shiitake mushrooms, dried wakame, cubed firm tofu, lime juice, coconut sugar, chili sauce and coco aminos and simmer partly covered for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally!

Once everything is cooked in your broth, turn of the heat. Float your fine mesh strainer in the soup and push you miso paste through, scrapping at it with a spoon till only the chunky soy particles are left out. Stir and serve hot over rice and top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil!

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I throw a little tin of anchovies in here for umami but feel free to omit them if you aren’t a fan - but you’ll need to substitute with a few teaspoons of salt!

What you will need: Big pan or pot with lid, strainer for rinsing your lentils, cutting board and knife

Note: This recipe is for RED lentils only - because they cook easily and quicky! For other colors of lentil like green, you will need to soak them overnight to soften.

At the bottom I included little quick basic recipes for the baked dijon chicken with side salad + tomato bisque that can be made with the lentil mash leftovers!

Ingredients:

-1 cup dried red lentils, thoroughly rinsed

-1 medium sized red or orange bell pepper

-2/3 stalks of scallion

-1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

-3 or 4 small chipotle peppers chopped up fine, seeds discarded after chopping

-3 cups broth of choice or water

-1 small tin of anchovies in olive oil OR 2 teaspoons salt if you omit anchovies

-1 cup peeled and finely diced raw carrot

-1 tbsp ghee or butter

-2 tbsp coconut sugar or 1 tbsp brown sugar

-2 teaspoons Italian dried herb blend (optional, nice herby flavor)

Side note: you can replace 1 1/2 cups of your liquid with canned coconut milk if you want it creamy - or I also sometimes add a big scoop of plain greek yogurt at the end and swirl in!

Step 1: Rinse and chop your carrots, scallion, and bell pepper. To a large pan or pot on medium heat, add your ghee or butter till hot and melted, then add in your veggies and let saute a few minutes stirring them around till fragrant!

Step 2: After thoroughly rinsing your dried red lentils and add them to your veggies along with your tomato paste and dried herbs! Mix together till everything is simmering and combined.

Step 3: Add in your drained tin of anchovies and mix well. Chop your 3 or 4 small dried chipotle peppers (4 is for heat lovers! if you aren’t a big spicy food fan, use 1 or 2 or none at all!) as well as your sugar and stir well. Pour your broth/water on top and mix while letting it come to a simmer.

Step 4: Once simmering, cook covered on medium-low for 10 minutes, then cook half covered and simmering for an additional 16-20 minutes or till everything is soft! Stir occasionally and you’ll know they are done when the lentils are inflated and ready to mush and the majority of the liquid is cooked out!

Step 5: With a wooden spoon or whisk, turn your heat off and stir while scraping the bottom of the pot/pan till everything is mashed and semi smooth! Finish with black pepper.

Top with a scoop of skyr/plain greek yogurt if you like it creamy

How to serve:

I love these lentils on the side of a nice steak or a simple baked chicken thigh with salt pepper and dijon mustard rub for dinner.

Pro tip: Got a unfinished tomato sauce in your fridge from a previous pasta night? Add it to your leftover lentil mash and blend with a additional cup of broth or water for a silky tomato lentil bisque!

Breakfast idea: A big piece of toasted bread with your leftover lentils spread on top, sardines and a fried egg! A savory bomb that we are currently obsessed with.

Baked chicken thigh with red lentil mash + a simple celery lemon apple parsley plain skyr cold salad:

Simple Baked Chicken Recipe: 3 or 4 chicken thighs pat all the way dry then smothered in dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and a spoonful of olive oil baked at 425 for 40-50 minutes, flipping halfway! It’s done when skin is crispy and internal temp is a minimum 165!

Side salad: Finely chop 3 or 4 stalks of celery and 1 skinned honeycrisp apple! Add to a bowl with 2 spoonfuls of plain skyr or greek yogurt, 2 sprigs chopped scallion stalk, a sprinkle or salt, 1/2 cup rinsed and finely chopped fresh parsley, a lot of fresh cracked pepper and a biiiig squeeze of lemon!

Day 2 leftovers blended with half a jar of leftover marinara sauce and a big scoop of coconut sugar and a cup of water to make this silky bisque with a scoop of yogurt or sour cream, just simmer on the stove after blending till thickened and hot:

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I highly recommend spacing out some of the labor - especially if you plan to make your own ruff puff pastry! Your pie filling needs cooked and cooled properly before you lay the dough decorations on top and bake it, so I’ve taken to making the filling either a few hours early on lazy days or just prepping it an entire day before and keeping it in the fridge till it’s time to assemble!

This is not a 30 minute meal - but it is without a doubt one of my all time favorite things to eat and it’s a really impressive crowd pleaser! A winter heavy hitter and worth all the time and effort.

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I cook a portion of jasmine rice in bone broth in my rice cooker and highly recommend it for extra nutrition - my current fav quick bone broth grab at the store when I don’t have time to make a batch myself is this one they sell at my local co op!

Also on my seamstress’s recommendation - you can easily enjoy the flavors of this sauce and stir fry vegetarian by subbing the chicken out for zucchini and an extra serving of mushrooms! And you can skip the marinating if you do!

What you’ll need: container to marinate in, grater, large pan with a lid, knife and cutting board

But for my meat lovers, you will need:

-1lb raw skinless chicken breast or thigh

-1 medium sized orange or red bell pepper

-2 or 3 stalks of scallion

-1 cup washed and sliced white button mushrooms

-1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

For marinade:

-1.5 cups coco aminos

-1 inch nub of fresh ginger grated finely

-Juice from half a lime

-25g Fish sauce

-30g Sriracha or chili sauce, I use this one

-30g Coconut sugar

-Tablespoon of ghee or butter for sauteing

-Sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper

-3 Tablespoons of water

To Do Day Before Cooking:

Whisk together all your ingredients for your marinade in a medium sized container, slice your chicken into even bite sized chunks and mix in - making sure the meat is all fully submerged! Keep cold in the fridge overnight or for a few hours at least!

To Cook:

Cook your serving of rice, I use jasmine, in water or your bone broth!

While it’s cooking, finely mince the whites of your scallion, setting aside the greens to top your meal later.

Rinse and chop your pepper and mushrooms. To a large pan with a lid on medium heat, add your ghee or butter and let melt and cover it fully.

Add in your scallion and veggies and saute lightly mixing it around till fragrant - 2 or three minutes.

To your pan, add in your chicken by scooping it out with a spoon and leaving the sauce/marinate out for now. Let the chicken cook with the veggies for a few minutes till it starts turning white and is coated from mixing.

Add in your marinade, stir everything and bring to a gentle simmer. Put the lid on and cook for 8 minutes covered. Take off the lid, stir everything well, and cook for another 5 minutes partially covered till the sauce cooks down to a sticky thicker texture.

Add a portion of your freshly cooked rice to a big bowl and scoop your ginger chicken and veggies on top, then finish with the scallion greens and your toasted sesame seeds!

Serve hot + make sure to wear socks inside it’s cold out here!!!

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I also serve this meal with smoked kippers for extra protein and savory goodness! I really like these ones that they carry at my local co op! But any smoked fish or even sausage would be great.

What you will need:

Cheese cloth for straining out the excess liquid in the veggies, kitchen scale (or eyeball if you’re brave!), big frying pan, spatula, large cheese grater, big pan for baking and baking parchment to keep it non stick, mixing bowl

Ingredients:

-3 medium russet potato

-2 medium beets

-2 eggs

-70g flour of choice

-Ghee (or butter, but ghee has a higher smoking point)

-3 or 4 stalks of scallion

-2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 2 teaspoons italian herb seasoning

For Sauce:

-1 cup skyr or plain greek yogurt

-lemon

-2 teaspoon dried dill (for sauce)

-pure grated horseradish

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 and line your pan with baking parchment. Skin all your beets and potato, and then grate fully using the biggest side of the cheese grater. Put all your grated veggies into a cheese bag/cloth and wring out till as much moisture as possible is drained. The dryer you can get it the better!

Step 2: Add your grated veggies to a big bowl. Finely chop scallion and add to the veggies along with 2 teaspoons of salt, lots of fresh cracked pepper, and all your herbs and spices! Mix around well with your hand till everything is coated.

Step 3: Crack your two eggs into the veggies and mix well till everything in combined. Sprinkle in your flour and mix again.

Step 4: To a big frying pan, add your ghee and let it get hot on medium heat. Take a handful of your latke mix and add it tot he pan in a loose ball then press as flat as you can with a spatula. My pan can fit around 3 at a time, but do as many as yours fits. They are around the size of the palm of my hand or a little bigger. Try and keep them thin! Fry on both sides without moving them around so they can get a nice even crisp for 4 minutes each or until a nice toasty brown.

Step 5: Once your latkes are browned nicely on both sides, transfer them to your baking pan and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Step 6: While your latkes finish up in the oven - to make your sauce simply combine a cup of skyr or plain greek yogurt, a dash of salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of half a lemon, and a big spoonful of horseradish! I like a lot cause I like it hot - but scoop with caution if you don’t!

Step 7: Serve latkes hot with a small portion of tinned fish and a big dollop of your sauce + a little extra fresh cracked pepper on top! You can also add hot sauce but I just do another big squeeze of lemon.

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My husband has even been having them toasted with vanilla ice cream after dinner which is a nice way to make them feel rich and deluxe - but their base recipe is simple and not too sweet!!!

The jam I am currently using is this one - it has a little bit of seasonal spice in it but you really get the nice tart bite from sugarplum too!

This recipe makes for around 7-8 muffins but can be easily doubled for big batches!

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I add it into my ground meat cooking for tacos or burrito bowls, to my beans for nachos, even into my ground turkey veggie bowls I ate all summer with lots of farmers market local squash, and you can also easily turn it into a sweet and tangy vinaigrette by adding vinegar, honey, and olive oil.

I promise once you make this recipe, you’ll be adding it to anything and everything that needs a little boost!

(tomato paste seen here looks weird cause I freeze that too so I never accidentally let it go to waste! block form lol)

What you will need:

-a blender (preferably a smaller one like a magic bullet)

-medium sized pot to cook in and a rubber spatula to stir and scrape it all out

-container to save the leftovers, I freeze them in these bags and just cut off a big chunk when I use some

-kitchen scale (optional, but I prefer exact measurements)

Ingredients:

-30g dried chipotle peppers (8 or 9)

-10g or 1 teaspoon salt

-sprinkle of black pepper

-30g apple cider vinegar or 1/4 cup

-30g coconut sugar OR honey (1/4 cup)

-60g tomato paste (2 or 3 big spoonfuls)

-500g water or 2 cups (it will cook down)

To make the sauce:

Add all the ingredients to a pot on low heat, cover and bring to a gentle simmer then cook partially covered for 20 minutes. Let cool fully, then blend until smooth! It’s that simple.

To turn it into a vinaigrette with a little more sweetness and acid, you can add 1/2 cup of you chiptole sauce to a 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil with a big drizzle of honey, 1/2 a cup of red wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons of dried italian herb mix!

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But mostly now I just love it’s taste and that it’s a caffeine free option. I will also link the specific paste (I use the same paste for drinks, bakes, and everything else!) that I have been treasuring within my own experiences trying different pastes and powders that couldn’t live up to my favorite one’s quality.

When I drink it in the morning I also sift in about a teaspoon of my favorite tea powder to add caffeine and a little extra special flavor! Totally optional - but I’ll leave those links below as well! Just add the tea powder into the hot milk before whisking in the recipe and it should blend in perfectly!

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This simple sardine meal keeps me connected to my enjoyment of home cooking without demanding an entire sink full of dishes and comes together without much time or prepping! A NEED for most people especially if you’re traveling around the holidays and need your cabinets and fridge to be easy to clean out. Plus everyone knows sardines are super healthy for you and tinned fish in general is the new it-girl meal - but I don’t think most people grew up eating sardines as often as we got to know other fish and their flavor profiles! So let me make it easy for you.

This recipe comfortably serves 2 and is great for breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner!

And surprise - this recipe CAN be eyeballed unlike most others, so even if you don’t have a scale you can def make it all happen. But I still measure everything cause we are maximizing our gains at the gym right now lol

What you will need:

Medium sized pan with a lid, rice cooker, mixing bowl, spatula, cutting board and knife

Ingredients:

-4 eggs

-about 1/3 cup of coco aminos or 60g

-tablespoon of salted butter

-2 or 3 sprigs of scallion

-1 tin of sardines in salt water (I prefer these over smoked ones in oil, but both are great! I think the ones in water have a simpler taste and I like that)

-1 cup of rice (cooking should double it)

-2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

-black pepper

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Thoroughly wash/rinse your rice till the water runs clear and then cook to your preference. Do this first so your eggs will be hot and ready by the time rice is done and can be scooped into bowl!

Step 2: Rinse then finely chop your scallion sprigs and set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter to a hot pan on low (make sure its not too hot! flame needs to be low to let the eggs cook slowly and not ruin your perfect runny yolk) and let melt. Add in your scallion and spread around evenly. Carefully crack your eggs into the same mixing bowl then gently pour over your sizzling scallions and butter and sprinkle a pinch of black pepper on top.

Step 3: While your eggs are lightly cooking, measure out your coco aminos into the bowl and set aside. Open and drain your tin of sardines and break into hunk over your eggs as evenly as possible. Then drizzle in the coco aminos on top, letting them spill over the eggs and into the pan. Cover partially with a lid for a minute to let eggs cook and coco aminos simmer down.

Step 4: Once the eggs are cooked but still nice and runny in the yolk, add your cooked rice to a bowl and then spatula two eggs and the sardines chunks / pan sauce on top of the steamy rice. Finish with a big sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds!

Step 5: Take a cute pic, then mix and enjoy! It’s that easy! And everything cooking together for a minute melds all the flavors together perfectly.

I have genuinely eaten this fast and simple meal every day this week since experimenting with the recipe last week and it’s a new favorite for my husband too! Plus keeping a tin of fish in the cupboard makes it easy to have this as a first meal coming home from trips or before leaving to get rid of those last few eggs and greens sitting around in the fridge!

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