Perfect Guacamole

Ready for Cinco De Mayo? Even in quarantine? Try my guac to make your day special!

Recipe

2 Large Hass Avocados
1 Lime juiced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 Roma tomato diced
1/2 of a Jalapeño finely diced and deseeded
2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
1tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cut avocados in half, removing the skins and pit, place in a bowl. Add in lime juice, finely diced red onion, Roma tomato, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper. Begin to smash with a fork or spoon, ensuring that all of the ingredients are incorporated and it is a slightly chunky texture, we don’t want this to be avocado soup…

Serve with chips, on toast, or as that special little something to spice up a taco, burrito, or tostada!

Fitness Farfalle

Pasta…most countries have some version of it. Stretchy, tender dough briskly boiled until it turns to the most fabulous chewy and creamy morsels of pasta. Getting picky eaters to have some veggies can be challenging, but this pasta is a great way to get them to have important protein and fresh veggies in a delicate butter sauce.

Recipe

1 pound Bow tie (Farfalle) Pasta
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast diced
1/2 pound halved baby heirloom tomatoes
1/2 a large yellow onion diced
1/2 pound broccoli
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Sauce:
1 stick of salted butter
3 large cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large dutch oven, bring water to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook bow tie pasta for approximately 8 minutes or until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking cut broccoli into small florets and halve heirloom tomatoes. When the pasta is finished cooking, remove from the water without draining the water. Next, add the broccoli to the pasta water and blanch for 2 minutes before draining and shocking under cold water to stop the cooking.

In the same pan, add the diced onion to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, after one minute, add in chicken and brown. After two minutes, add a stick of butter, minced garlic, and oregano, cooking them to release the oils into the butter.

Take the broccoli and add that back to the chicken and the sauce. Add in the pasta and stir. Top with the shredded parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Pair with white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

Marcona Almonds

These are a simple and tasty treat to make to impress everyone at a cocktail party…just make sure no one is allergic. These Cocktail Marcona Almonds with Rosemary and Thyme are almost impossible to resist and go GREAT with a nice dry Chardonnay or a lemon drop martini. They’re sure to be a hit wherever you serve them.

Recipe

1lb. raw blanched almonds
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp. Fleur De Sel or Kosher Salt

Preheat your oven to 375°. Finely chop rosemary leaves and gently remove thyme from the stem, combining the chopped rosemary and thyme. On a cookie sheet, lay out the pound of almonds and coat in olive oil. Sprinkle the top with rosemary and thyme and place in the oven for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Afterr 15 minutes, sprinkle the almonds with fleur de sel or kosher salt and toss before finishing the last 5 minutes in the oven.

*if you have a hard time finding blanched almonds, you can blanch your own. Just take a pot of boiling water and blanch the almonds for no more than 60 seconds, remove the skin, and let them cool before roasting.

Morning Banana Nut Muffins

I love making these muffins, if you are looking for a breakfast on the road or if you just want a nice muffin to make for a brunch or lunch! These are the muffins for you! They are chock full of lots of yummy granola and rich, nuts. They are a joy to make and even more of a joy to eat!

Recipe 

Dry: 

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour 
1/4 Cup Museli 
1/4 Cup Steel Cut Oatmeal 
1/4 Cup Vanilla Almond Granola 
1 tsp. Baking Powder 
1 tsp. Baking Soda 
1 tsp. Salt 
1 tsp. Cinnamon 
1/4 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg 
1/2 Cup Sugar 
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar 

**If you don’t have muesli or granola, substitute it for 3/4 cup of oatmeal. If all you have is flour, simply use 1 1/2 cups of flour for the muffins, they will be just as delicious.** 

Wet:

3 Mashed Overripe Bananas 
1/3 Cup Melted Butter 
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 

Topping: 

1/4 Cup Chopped walnuts 
2 tbsp. Turbinado sugar 

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the wet ingredients. Once the wet ingredients are mixed together, fold in the dry ingredients and mix until combined, finishing off with a rubber spatula to ensure a homogenous mixture. 

Line 12 muffin tins with paper or grease and flour the pan. Using a standard ice cream scoop, spoon the muffin mixture into the muffin pan. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the chopped walnuts and turbinado sugar bake for 25-30 min.  

Enjoy!