Curry Chickpea Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 cup Vegetable Stock

• 1 can coconut milk

• 1 inch fresh ginger

• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey

• 29 oz can chickpeas

• 1 Carrot Chopped

• 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce

• Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.

Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onions are dark brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the vegetable stock and stir to scrape up all the brown bits in the pan.

Add the carrots, chickpeas, coconut milk, honey and a squirt of sriracha.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Mom’s Famous Deviled Eggs

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 /2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover until there’s 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs.

Bring water water to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes.  Rinse under cold water for 1 minute.

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a medium bowl. Place the whites on a serving platter and mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Generously fill egg whites with the yolk mixture. 

Low Carb Chicken Salad On Tomato Slices

INGREDIENTS

2 split chicken breasts (bone in)

4 roma tomatoes

1/2 onion (diced small)

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard 

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

4 Scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced  (garnish)

Salt  & Black Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place chicken on a cutting board and shred meat with a fork. 

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1hr or maximum overnight.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices width wise to create tomato rounds which will serve as the base for your bites.

Place tomato rounds on a flat surface such as a cutting board or baking sheet.

Garnish with scallions.

Instructions

 Place chicken breasts in a medium pot

Cover with water or chicken broth and bring to a boil 

Cook for 20 minutes

Remove chicken from heat and let cool for 5 minutes

Place chicken on cutting board and pull off meat with a fork 

Discard bones

Cut chicken into small pieces and add to medium bowl 

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well 

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1hr or up until over night 

Serving

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 of an inch slices width wise to create tomato rounds which will serve as the base for your bites

Place tomato rounds on a flat surface such as a sitting board or baking sheet 

Lightly season tomato slices with salt and pepper

Spoon a tablespoon of chicken salad into each tomato round 

Garnish with Scallions

Serve immediately

Tomato Mozzarella Pesto Bites

INGREDIENTS

1 package pre-sliced English muffins 

12 slices of mozzarella cheese 

1 cup of prepared pesto 

2-3 large tomatoes 

fresh or dried basil 

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

Salt and pepper

Prep

If you have square slices of mozzarella, use a glass or round cookie cutter that is approximately the same diameter (or slightly smaller) as the English muffin. 

Press each slice of cheese into a circle shape (save the extra cheese for another recipe).

INSTRUCTIONS

Separate English muffins and lay them cut side open on a wax paper covered sheet pan.

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper to taste. 

 Garnish with basil.

Variation: To take it up a notch you can place the muffins with pesto and cheese into the broiler for 1 minute to make them nice and toasty before adding the additional ingredients.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Essential Sweet Ingredients

People of the world, spice up your life, every boy and every girl , spice up your life!

Ginger, Scary, Baby, Posh and Sporty were the ultimate divas however you will need more than a legendary 90s girl group to spice up your pantry life. If you are new to cooking or simply trying to upgrade your cooking game these are some must have sweet spices . They will come in handy for making sweet dishes such as cakes, pies, desserts as well as holiday favorites like candied yams. I use these sweet ingredients regularly to add dimension to smoothies , sauces , tea, glazes and marinades.

Spices and herbs are typically broken up into two categories: savory and sweet. Check out my Top 10 Savory Seasoning Essentials here.

Pure Cane Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Honey

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Ginger

Agave Nectar

All Spice

Brown Sugar

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Glazed Grilled Shrimp with Balsamic Kissed Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Glazed Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh or frozen raw medium - large peeled and deveined shrimp 

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper 

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

Glaze

1 tbsp honey mustard 

1/2 tbsp Orange Marmalade 

1/2 tbsp Siracha (adjust based on desired heat level)

Juice of half lime 

Instructions

1. Mix honey mustard, marmalade and Siracha together in small bowl (set aside)

2. Season shrimp with salt,pepper and old bay seasoning to taste

3. Add shrimp to a hot grill pan or grill

4. Brush shrimp with glaze

5. Cook for 1-2 mins on each side (adjust cooking time based on size of shrimp)

6. Brush sauce on reverse side

7. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish to prevent further cooking

Balsamic Kissed Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

I lb Brussels sprouts 

2 strips uncured turkey bacon diced

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 large Red onion diced 

1/2 Red Pepper diced 

 3 cloves garlic minced

Salt 

Pepper

1tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp onion powder 

Instructions

1. Cut the ends of the Brussel sprouts off and cut each Individual sprout in half length wise .(Discard ends )

2. To a warm skillet on low heat add olive oil, garlic , onion , red pepper and turkey bacon.

3. Cook for 3-5 minutes until onion and garlic and pepper are soft and bacon is crispy .

4. Add Brussels , salt , pepper to taste.

5. Stir and let get brown (2-3min)

6. Add broth and vinegar and continue cooking on medium high heat for 8-10 min until Brussels are slightly soft

My Top 10 Savory Seasoning Essentials

Whats up Chefs and Chef Wannabe's,

One of the most important parts of cooking is seasonings. Don't no body want no bland food! I am all about healthy living but I don't think that it should mean that the food isn't flavorful.

I am very careful about my salt/sodium intake so most of the seasonings I use are low in sodium. And the ones that have a significant amount of sodium, I use very sparingly. Below are the 10 seasonings I reach for the most when cooking meats, sides and vegetables. If you are new to cooking, these seasonings will be a great starter kit.  Click the links to see examples

What are your favorite savory seasonings?

1. Pink Himalayan or Kosher Salt
2. Black Pepper
3. Onion Powder
4. Garlic Powder
5. Curry Powder
6. Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute
7. Chili Powder
8. Old Bay
9. Herbes de Provence
10. Crushed Red Pepper