Here’s a really tasty soup, very wholesome – roasted blue pumpkin soup. It’s a little sweet which lends to being served hot or cold, and with the holidays on the horizon it would make for a great introduction to a holiday meal.
Salt Cod Fish Cakes
I grew up eating salt cod in every which way. Over rice with a tasty sauce, for breakfast with avocado and cucumber, fritters, cooked down and spiced up and served on Jamaican hardough bread. But today I would like to share with you my recipe for salt cod fish cakes.
Lump Crab and Guacamole Martini
Let’s celebrate with a martini, a lump crab and guacamole martini. My family and friends truly love guacamole, the only way you could improve on it for them would be to top it with jumbo lump crab, so thats what I did!
Chicken Liver and Bacon
Are you in need of an energy boost? Well try this chicken liver and bacon recipe, it certainly put a pep in my step.
Chicken liver is a great source of iron, but unfortunately very high in cholesterol, so I only eat it when I’m feeling low. When I find myself falling asleep on the sofa during the middle of the day after very little exertion, with no energy to get into something interesting.
I was recently diagnosed as anemic, so my primary care doctor recommended that I take iron supplements. She suggested I take ferrous gluconate. Now I’m delicate flower, my constitution and equilibrium can be sent off kilter very easily, and boy did ferrous gluconate do a number on me. I will not share the symptoms, I will just say this – Yikes!
Once the ferrous gluconate had left my system I went in search of an alternative. I ran straight to my local Whole Foods for advice. I needed something gentler on the stomach and with less side effects. The kind sales assistant suggested a liquid supplement, apparently they are kinder to the body, I gambled on PlantForce Liquid Iron by Gaia, and it was a safe bet. This baby works a treat, and to my astonishment tastes kinda nice. So if like me, you suffer with a lack of iron, and have a delicate constitution, give PlantForce Liquid Iron a try.
There are still times though, when I need a further injection of iron to pull me off the sofa, hence today’s post. We all know that liver is a great source of iron, one piece of liver provides just under 6 mg of iron. Women between the ages of 19-50 should consume 18 mg of iron daily, and women over 50 require less as years pass, between 18 mg-8 mg daily, dependent upon health. Men only need to consume 8 mg daily regardless of age, so long as they are healthy. So you can’t beat chicken liver, or any kind of liver, if you’re in need of iron and help getting off that sofa!
This chicken liver and bacon recipe is an appetizer. The liver is wrapped in bacon and served with a lip-smacking tomato dipping sauce. So its a great way to make sure your family and friends are getting their iron too.
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
I adapted this beet and goat cheese salad from a dish that used to be on the menu at Lido. A very popular restaurant in Harlem, NY that serves great Italian food, good wines and really tasty cocktails. The chef changes the menu seasonally, so when I find something I really like on the menu, I make a point to go back regularly just in case it is removed from the menu in a few months! I ordered their beet and goat cheese salad expecting the usual mesclun salad with beets topped with goat cheese, and it was that, but instead of the cheese crumbled over the salad, it was nicely parceled in some filo pastry, a really nice touch and a much more interesting salad. Here’s my version.
I used Belgian endive in my salad, a very powerful salad greens – a source of vitamins and minerals, high in complex fibers and promotes digestive health. Endive is no slouch. It has been reported that one cup of endive per week can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 75%. So I speak to the ladies specifically here – let’s eat more endive!
Parmesan Crisps
Are you always stumped as to what to serve on those holiday weekends, when you have a house full of guests celebrating national holidays? Something simple to complement your grilled food, something that will satiate your guests’ appetite but leaves plenty room for what’s to come? Well for this Memorial Day you should try your hand at some parmesan crisps?
Chicken Taco Cupcakes
It’s Taco Tuesday, and today’s feature is Chicken Taco Cupcakes. These are utterly delightful. It’s a miracle I have any pictures to share as I couldn’t stop eating them as soon as they came out of the oven. Oh my they will make you happy.
These chicken taco cupcakes are the perfect appetizer, one is a three bite snack which only needs one hand, so you have a hand free for a cocktail – perfect!Read More
Kale Salad
I discovered this yummy salad just recently – kale salad with carrots, cranberries and walnuts bathed in olive oil and lemon. It’s a treat, quick and easy.
If you’re trying to eat more healthily and finding it difficult, this is the salad for you. Really good fresh kale requires a serious chomp, it will take you time to get through a bowl of kale salad which is ideal when cutting down on calories or just simply trying to eat a healthier diet.
This kale salad can be your appetizer, or you can drop some chicken or fish into the mix to make for a more hearty main meal. I’ve enjoyed it with canned tuna seasoned with lemon and coarse ground salt and pepper, and I made it with bacon for my friend, Nicholas, Creative Director, Spicegrove Creative, and altogether cool guy, he loved it! I don’t know who was more surprised, me or him.
If walnuts aren’t your thing, you can substitute with sliced almonds or splurge on some raw cashews, go nuts!
Chicken Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
Spring has finally shown its face in NY so its time for a salad, chicken grapefruit and avocado salad. This season has brought some wonderful juicy grapefruit, I have been eating at least one a day for a few weeks now. But I’m getting bored of grapefruit segments as part of my breakfast so I tried my segments in a salad instead.
I love avocado – doesn’t everyone? I was surprised though how wonderfully avocado pairs with grapefruit, its fantastic, so I will be sure to make grapefruit and avocado appetizers during the summer months. If you need help with preparing the avocado, check out The Raw Chef, Russell James’ video for instruction.
I would describe this as a clean meal, raw ingredients topped with grilled organic chicken laced with a citrus vinaigrette. Heart healthy, nutritious and a boost to the immune system. What a joy, the tartness and juiciness of the grapefruit are the yin and yang of this salad. Serve as either an appetizer or a small plate. Perhaps the introduction to a diverse three course meal.
Asian-Style Short Ribs
Don’t you love short ribs? They are so satisfying they make me smile.
When I’m out socializing I often order a side of short ribs with fries and marvel over the taste. I’m sorry, its been a while since I had some short ribs, so I’m all kinds of excited.
I’ve created Asian-style short ribs today, they have a real smoky taste, and I would say they are nurtured rather than just simply cooked. The ingredients are an important part of this recipe, but the way in which you plate your short ribs will be the big seller to the lucky folks invited to eat them. So pile them high and make them look interesting.
