Strawberry XYZ Cocktail

Ingredients
2oz light rum
1oz Cointreau (or triple sec)
1oz lemon juice
1oz strawberry juice
Ice

Directions
Cut your lemon garnish before squeezing the lemon (twist or very thin slice to float on top). Shake all liquids with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add garnish.

This makes a lot, feel free to reduce all ingredients by 25%. We get strawberry juice by letting a lot of strawberries defrost in a container. You can make a regular one without strawberry juice, too.

Bufala Negra Cocktail

Ingredients
4 basil leaves
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz bourbon
1 1/2 oz chilled ginger ale

Directions
In cocktail shaker, muddle 3 of the basil leaves, vinegar, and simple syrup. Add ice and bourbon and shake. Strain into glass. Add ginger ale and 4th basil leaf as garnish.

Runny Honey

Ingredients
1part water
1part raw honey

Directions
Boil water. Turn down heat. Add honey and stir until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat. Add to cocktails or other cold beverages. The idea is that it will mix with cold liquids much better than straight honey.

Simple Syrup

Ingredients
1 part water
2 parts sugar

Directions
Boil water. Turn off heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Boiling longer makes the syrup thick. Use white sugar for a clear syrup and neutral flavor. Use unprocessed/turbinado sugar for a dark color and slightly caramely flavor. Add to cocktails.

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream

Ingredients

2 c. yams, coarsely mashed

2 bulbs garlic, roasted

1 c. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 c. panko bread crumbs

1/3 c. oat flour (or all-purpose, wheat, etc.)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. cumin

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

1 avocado

2/3 c. plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp. maple syrup

Salt and pepper, to taste (for cream)

Whole wheat buns

Directions

To Roast Garlic

Cut off the top of the garlic head. Take off most of the paper. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on the garlic head and let it soak. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes.

For the Garlic Cream

Combine yogurt with 2 bulbs (squeezed out) of roasted garlic cloves, maple syrup and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth then set aside until ready to use.

For the Burgers

Pierce potatoes (I used 2 large) all over with a fork and place on a paper towel, setting in the microwave. Microwave for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove, slice in half and let cool until you can scoop out the flesh.

In a large bowl, coarsely mash beans with a fork. Add in sweet potato and mash together, then add in spices, salt and pepper, minced garlic, egg, panko and flour. Mix together until combined, then place bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. This helps form them into patties, but as a warning they are still somewhat messy.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove mixture from fridge and form into 4 equal patties, then place in the skillet once hot. Since the mixture can be wet and messy, do not move until they are fully cooked and golden on one side! This takes about 5-6 minutes. Then, add more oil if needed (this really helps cook them) and flip burgers very gently. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. Toast buns if desired.

Assemble by topping burgers with roasted garlic cream and avocado!

Lean Green Power Salad

Ingredients

4 c. kale, chopped

1 avocado, diced

1/2 c. quinoa, cooked

1/2 c. pomegranate seeds

1/2 c. pecans, chopped

1/4 c. goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1 Meyer lemon, juiced and zested

1 tbsp. agave

Directions

If you’re using baby kale greens, you can keep them raw. Mature kale may be too tough for your taste, so feel free to blanch and cool very briefly. Combine kale, avocado, pomegranate, pecans and goat cheese and toss. Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, olive oil and agave. Dress salad to serve. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients

Filling
1 qt. strawberries, stemmed and quartered
4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch, rounded
1 orange or Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Topping
1-1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 c. brown sugar
1-1/4 sticks butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1-2 tbsp. water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to be sure everything is well combined. Spoon the filling into 8 individual ramekins or 1 wide shallow baking dish.

Topping
In a food processor, combine the flour, oats and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter, vanilla and salt and pulse, pulse, pulse, until the mixture looks dry and crumbly. Add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse until the mixture starts to come together and look crumbly. If the mixture still seems dry add 1 more tablespoon of water and pulse to combine.

Crumble the topping over the filling. Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and bubbly all the way through and the topping looks crispy and light brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Chilled Cucumber Buttermilk Soup

An excellent accompaniment to my Buffalo Cauliflower. Creamy and cool. 

Ingredients

1-1/2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped coarsely

1 shallot, chopped coarsely

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. sour cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

Chives, to garnish

Directions

Combine cucumbers, celery, shallot, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk in buttermilk, sour cream and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped chives. Serves 2.

Buffalo Cauliflower

It's always the guilty pleasures that I miss as a vegetarian... like Buffalo wings and hot dogs. Here's a pretty awesome substitute for the former. 

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 c. flour

1-1/2 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/3 c. Frank’s Red Hot (or similar)

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. ketchup

2 tbsp. honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together flour, buttermilk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The batter should be thick, similar to brownie mix. Coat the cauliflower in the batter. You may want to coat each individual floret, or add to the batter and gently toss to coat. Bake in one layer, on a cookie sheet or shallow pan for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a little crispy.

Meanwhile, combine Frank’s Red Hot, butter, ketchup, and honey in a saucepan and heat on low until well mixed.

Once the cauliflower is baked, remove from the oven and coat with Buffalo sauce. You may find it easiest to put the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss to coat. Put the cauliflower back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with bleu cheese dressing and celery. 

Beer Mac & Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Additional veggies, like broccoli or peas

• 1/4 c. flour 

• 2 c. vegetable broth

• 1-12 oz. bottle beer

• 1 pinch nutmeg

• 1 c. elbow macaroni

• 1/2 c. heavy cream

• 1 tsp. dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

• 3 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

• cayenne to taste

• salt and pepper to taste

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Directions
Add the onion, carrot, celery and jalapeno to melted butter and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add additional vegetables, like broccoli or peas. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Mix in the flour and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, beer, nutmeg, and macaroni and let cook until the macaroni is al-dente, about 7-8 minutes. Add the cream, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cheese and cook until the cheese has melted without bringing it back to a boil. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.