Roasted Artichokes and Chipotle Aioli Sauce

 The Artichoke

I was always a little intimidated by the fresh artichokes in the grocery store. I had no idea what to do with it! After a couple cooking shows and numerous pep talks to myself, I decided to try doing it at home :)

I chose a recipe online and as it turns out everyone told me that this is by far one of the tastiest ways to prepare artichokes. This recipe calls for both steaming and roasting it, which produces a tender and flavorful artichoke. The dip is quite nice too and not too spicy.

1 large artichoke
Olive oil to drizzle
Garlic powder and salt

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Take a large artichoke (or a couple), you can trim the pointy leaves if you want to. I didn't feel like it at the moment, so I didn't. Cut the stem of the artichoke so that it can 'sit' flat in a pot of water.

Pour about 2 inches of water in a pot, place the trimmed (or not) artichoke in the pot and bring everything to a boil. Cover the artichoke and 'steam' for about 20-25 minutes.

Take the artichoke out of the water and place it in a baking pan. I poured a bit of water in the bottom of the pan, which helped make the artichoke softer. Now, separate the leaves of the artichoke a bit and season with garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the olive oil over the artichoke as well.

Bake the artichoke for about 30 to 40 minutes until it becomes soft.

Chipotle Aioli

• 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
• 1/4 cup enchilada sauce
• juice of one lime (about 2 tbsp)
• dash cayenne (optional)
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder

Mix the veganaise, hot sauce, enchilada sauce, lime juice, cayenne and chipotle together. Serve alongside your artichoke!

Cauliflower Soup and Kale Chips

Cauliflower Soup and Kale Chips

My fridge was looking mostly empty tonight, except for some fresh cauliflower and a bag of pre-washed kale leaves. So, my dinner idea was cauliflower soup and some roasted kale chips. The soup turned out to be delicious, super creamy, and sinfully tasting (but on minimal amount of calories). Kale chips make a nice, crunchy addition to this soup. You can either have them on the side or sprinkle some on your soup. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup

1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets
Reserve water from steaming cauliflower
Garlic powder (to taste)
Salt and pepper
High speed blender, such as Vitamix

I steamed the cauliflower florets in a steamer for about 6-7 minutes until tender. You can also lightly boil the cauliflower and reserve the water, which will have the same effect. Then I put all of the cauliflower in the Vitamix blender, together with about 3-4 ladels of the 'steam' water. I sprinkled some garlic powder, salt and pepper and gave it a whirl! I blended the soup for about a 30-45 seconds until it was super smooth. If you do not have a high speed blender, you can blend this soup in a normal blender, just add more water!

Kale Chips

2-3 bunches of washed Kale, stems removed and leaves cut into thick strips
Garlic powder
Salt to taste (do not use too much)
Olive oil (I used black truffle infused olive oil for the amazing smell).

Preheat oven to 300 F. Toss the kale leaves with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Be careful with using too much salt, its easier to add more later. Spread out the kale in one layer on parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes and voila!

You can sprinkle the Kale Chips on the soup or just enjoy them as a side snack. Enjoy!

Chocolate Walnut Truffles

Chocolate Walnut Truffles

What a better way to satisfy your sweet tooth on a Saturday night (when it really is too late to go get anything decently healthy at a grocery store) than to make your own truffles? Its super easy, and even easier if you have a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec.

For this recipe I used:
1 cup of walnuts (if you have the time and patience to soak them for 8 hours in water, that’s even better)
4 pitted dates
1/3 cup Almond/Cashew nut milk (I made my own before from soaked almonds, but you can definitely use store bought or even soymilk)
2 tbsp raw cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey or agave nectar

In a high speed blender, combine walnuts, dates and the almond/cashew milk until a thick mousse forms. Add the cocoa, vanilla and honey and blend again! Watch the consistency and make sure its a very thick but airy and creamy mousse.
With a tablespoon scoop out the mousse and roll in cocoa powder. Then use your palms to form balls and pop them in the freezer. Its better if you leave them overnight (but if you have a chocolate craving then they should be good enough to eat in 1 hour or so).
Makes about 12 (depends on the size of the truffle you want to roll).

Spaghetti Squash Salad

Spaghetti Squash Salad


I decided to keep making winter squash and squash in general until the stores stop selling it. So, while this is still sold at Whole Foods, I highly recommend making this!

1 large spaghetti squash
1 large vidalia salad onion
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

Freshly ground pepper and good salt to taste (I use himalayan cooking salt)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut spaghetti squash in half and put it in a pan cut side down. Pour some water in the pan, maybe 1/4 inch. Bake the squash in the oven until it is soft, about 45 minutes.

Once baked, use a fork to make strings out of the squash. Combine with finely chopped green vidalia onion.

Press garlic in a separate bowl, add olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour the garlic dressing over the squash and green onion. Mix well once again. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!