Pesto Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

4 pieces of fresh salmon
pesto
parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Place the salmon on a baking dish. Cover with pesto and grated parmesan cheese.

2. Broil in the oven on high heat for about 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
4 shallots, diced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms all together in a pan with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the mushrooms are soft. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Warm the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium/low heat. Keep on the heat throughout the entire  cooking process.

3. In a large pot, saute the shallots with olive oil on medium heat until they become clear. Add the rice to the shallots, stirring to coat the rice with oil. When the rice starts to turn pale, add the wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

4. Add a ladle-full of the broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding a ladle-full of broth to the rice and stirring all the time until the liquid is absorbed. Continue this process on medium heat until the rice becomes creamy, about 25 minutes.

5. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Enjoy!

Fig and Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients:

Homemade or store bought pizza dough
fig jam
3 figs, sliced
prosciutto
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

2. Roll the dough onto a pizza pan. Spread a light layer of fig jam onto the dough. Layer with slices of proscuitto, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Top with a few slices of fresh figs.

3. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown. Enjoy!

Homemade Fig Jam

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh figs, washed and stemmed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 lemon, juiced and zested

Optional additions include 1 tbsp brandy or honey

Directions:

1. Gently wash and stem all of the figs. Chop into quarters.

2. Put all of the ingredients into a pot and stir together. Cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 25-30 minutes. Taste and adjust accordingly.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend the jam while its still warm in the pot until it is creamy.

6. Spoon the jam into a properly sterilized jar and seal tightly. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 scallions, sliced
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 avocado, diced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Enjoy!

Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 zucchini, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
6 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

2. Saute the onion with the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

3. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure the consistency is good enough to form into patties. If not, adjust accordingly by adding flour or liquid as necessary.

4. Heat oil on a non-stick pan. Sear the patties on both sides until golden brown. Serve alongside garlic aioli for dipping.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with olive oil and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the brussels sprouts are tender and browned.