HOW-TO

FIRST COURSE

Ahh, short ribs. So undervalued. They are literally one of the cheapest cuts of beef...and although they take a long time to make...they are actually pretty simple. Just leave them alone for hours and hours and you get amazing-ness!

Serves Approx 2-4
-1 whole wheat (or whole grain) baguette
-1 cut of short ribs (approx. 1.3 pounds)
-1 can peeled tomatoes
-2-3 cups red wine (old!)
-1 bushel of fresh basil
-6 cloves garlic (chopped)
-sea salt
-ground black pepper
-crushed red pepper

Before some recipes I like to give you all a heads up, you need 4 hours!!! True Story.

Take your can of tomatoes, and pop in blender (if they are whole), and toss into a pot along with your garlic, crushed red pepper, and half the bushel of basil (haphazardly tear the leaves before tossing in).

Rub salt and pepper all over the short ribs and place in the pot. Now take your bottle red wine and literally pour in until the short ribs are covered. Yep, it's a lot of wine don't feel weird that you just tossed in half a bottle. Now pop the pot in your fridge because you're going to want to let in marinate for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes has gone by, place your pot on a burner and put it on medium heat. After about 20 minutes (checking, A LOT) your pot should be pretty hot so reduce to a simmer...and leave it there for 3 hours stirring maybe once an hour. YES, 3 HOURS.

After 3 hours, take your cut of meat out of the pot and shred onto a plate throwing away any fat that falls off...toss the shredded meat back into your sauce still at a simmer.

Now cut your bread into nice sandwich size pieces, scoop out your short ribs onto your bread and liberally put fresh basil on there.

NOW GO AHEAD AND TRY THE BEST SANDWICH YOU HAVE EVER MADE!!

FIRST COURSE

I am a big salad girl. The thing about salads though, is that you need to constantly switch the themes and flavors to keep them interesting. This is a super simple version of the always delicious Chinese Chicken Salad. If you have something in the house, add it! Throw those carrots in, trade red cabbage for green cabbage and so on! It will still taste delicious and honestly I improvise all the time with whatever I have in the house. (It's how this recipe came about!).

Serves approx. 4
-3 heads of romaine (chopped)
-1 medium red cabbage (chopped)
-1 large red onion (chopped)
-2 large cucumber (chopped)
-1 box rice crackers
-1 pound chicken fillets
-2 limes
-sesame oil
-soy sauce
-peanut butter
-sea salt
-ground black pepper
-crushed red pepper

Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 while marinating your chicken in soy sauce and sesame oil.

Chop the romaine, red cabbage, onion, cucumber and place in a large bowl.

Now take out your chicken that's been marinating, coat it with a little peanut butter add some salt & pepper, wrap in tin foil and put in the oven for approx 15 minutes (varies with the size of the fillets though so definitely use your judgement!).

While your chicken is in the oven...we're going to make the dressing.

In a little bowl mix about 1/4 cup sesame oil with 1/8 cup of soy sauce and 1/8 cup peanut butter with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper.

Now toss your salad mix with that amazing dressing. Take the chicken out of the oven, chop into bite size pieces. Add the salad, crushed rice crackers, placing the chicken on top.

Squeeze a little lime on top..and get ready to eat!

(You can go ahead and thank me while you're bikini shopping this weekend.)

FIRST COURSE

So let me start by saying...meatballs are the new cupcakes! Don't even pretend you're not aware. There are a milllllllion ways to make meatballs and many of them are surprisingly not un-healthy. This the first but not last meatball recipe I'll share. So get excited --more are coming!

Makes approx. 12 meatballs
-1.3 pounds ground lean turkey
-1 egg
-1 bushel parsley, chopped
-1/2 finely chopped red onion
-3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
-1/2-1/4 cup panko
-sea salt
-ground black pepper
-crushed red pepper

Mix everything together. Now put in the fridge for 20 minutes to set while your oven is preheating at 350.

What?? You ask. These are the worst step by step instructions ever.

Sorry it's really that easy. Now take your meatball mixture, roll into 12 evenly sized balls and put on an oiled pan (covered). Leave in for 25 minutes....and you're done!

You can eat them with almost anything, here you see them paired with a balsamic arugula salad. The balsamic seeps into the turkey meatballs as you are cutting and eating and YUMMM...GIVE IT A TRY!

FIRST COURSE

Let me just say that I am a huge meat-lover. I don't think to eat healthy you need to be eating raw vegetables all the time. However, that also doesn't mean you need meat to make an amazing entree. THIS STEW IS BOMB!

Keep reading....point made.

Serves approx. 4-6
-5 medium fresh corn cobs (white or yellow, you choose!)
-2 cans black beans
-2 cans chickpeas
-1 can whole stewed tomatoes
-2 large sweet potatoes (3 if they are smaller!)-chopped into 1cm squares.
-2 large tomatoes
-1 large red onion (chopped)
-5 cloves garlic (chopped)
-1 fresh jalapeno(chopped)
-1 bushel cilantro (coarsely chopped)
-1 ripe avocado
-sea salt
-ground black pepper
-crushed red pepper

FIRST COURSE

Most things I make on the fly, and create a recipe as I go with what I feel like at the moment so with something like hummus you can add almost anything you want (sun-dried tomatoes, nuts, cheese, vegetables, etc).

Serves approx. 4
-2 (15 oz.) cans of chick peas
-3-4 large garlic cloves
-6 medium size basil leaves (fresh)
-virgin or extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
-1 lemon
-sea salt (1-2 tsp)
-ground black pepper (1-2 tsp)
-crushed dried red pepper (1 tsp)
-hand blender or traditional blender

Open both the chick pea cans, drain and clean one completely and empty into the blender. Then, with the second can drain out about two tablespoons of liquid but then pour the rest of the liquid and beans into the blender as well. This keeps the blender from sticking since there needs to be a little liquid for it to work.

Next add in the garlic cloves, the basil leaves (lightly chopped ahead of time), and the olive oil and blend together until crushed but stop before it reaches a smooth or creamy consistency.

Then add the fresh sea salt, ground pepper, crushed red pepper and lemon to taste, and continue blending until there are no whole beans but a couple chunks here or there.

I personally don't like my hummus too creamy but if you DO- when adding the second can of beans don't drain it at all, and blend until there are no chunks left.

Now go ahead...try it!!! Enjoy!

FIRST COURSE

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ -3 cups baby spinach
• 1 kirby cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 nectarine, pitted and diced
• ½ cup orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Equipment:

• 1 small bowl
• 1 large bowl
• 1 large spoon
• 1 knife
• 1 cutting board

FIRST COURSE

Summer came in with a bang this year with temperatures soaring close to triple digits in some areas and above triple digits in others. What better way to cool off then making a nice cool cocktail in the comfort of your hopefully air-conditioned home? Here are three easy-breezy recipes that will make you wonder why people complain about the summer heat.

Cucumber Martini

Cucumber is perhaps one of the most refreshing vegetables on the planet so it's no surprise that a cucumber cooler drink has gained a lot of traction in the mixology circle. For years people have been putting cucumber slices into their water, so why not their drinks? This is a great summer drink and will make you feel like you just went to a spa.

FIRST COURSE

Ice cubes are a necessity for the summer heat. They are the darlings that keep our drinks (and food) cold. So why not dress up your iced beverages with fancy iced cubes? Here are 4 cool ides to take your ice cubes from boring to beautiful. Best of all, these ideas can be mimicked with just about any edible item!

Edible Flower Ice Cubes

Brighten up your summer cocktails with beautiful flower ice cubes. Use edible flowers, such as orchids, nasturtiums, pansies, and snapdragons and layer flowers in large ice trays. For the most clear ice cubes, boil your water first, let it cool and then pour into trays.

FIRST COURSE

Finding what you want in the pantry or cupboards can often be a daunting task. More often than not, that's the most neglected part of the house. Everything is in disarray and it probably takes 10 minutes to find what you want. While we can't help with the organizational part, we can certainly help you find quick, easy, and cheap ways to use up that food in the pantry that's been collecting dust. In our first installment of What's in the Pantry, We'd like to reintroduce you to canned tuna. Canned tuna is great for a multitude of dishes and we'll go over three of our favorite recipes: Tuna salad sandwich, tuna pasta and even tuna pizza. Most of these items can be made with what you have in your pantry and if you don't have it, well you can always get creative!

FIRST COURSE

Vegetarian Burgers:

Morningstar Grillers Prime are a good choice in terms of a very general-tasting veggie burger. They are made primarily of wheat gluten and soy protein, rather than vegetables. The patties can be dressed up with basic sauces like ketchup, hot sauce or barbecue sauce, and taste best on a roll with lettuce.

The Gardenburger Original is another veggie-burger classic. These small patties are low in calories and fat, and made up of mushrooms, onions, cooked brown rice and some cheeses. These taste good on a roll with sliced avocado and alfalfa sprouts.