Ingredients:

One frozen pie crust (I used a whole wheat version found at Whole Foods)

Filling

2 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 persimmons, peeled, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (you can sub all-purpose)

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

1 cup pecans, chopped

¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (same as above)

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick butter at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together all filling ingredients and pour into pie crust, spreading evenly.

Combine all the dry topping ingredients in a large bowl and then cut in butter, using a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the top of pie.

Bake in over for approximately 25 minutes or until topping is browned. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

Salad

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

2 large carrots, sliced into ½ inch thick disks

1 pound (approximately) Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and sliced in half

5-6 medium-sized golden Yukon potatoes

2 bunches kale, cut into approximately 2-inch squares

Olive oil

Sea salt

Dressing

1 head garlic

Juice of three lemons

2 tablespoons sesame tahini

¼ cup grated parmesan

1 red onion, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice the top off of the garlic, exposing the tips of the cloves. Place in a large enough square of aluminum foil to cover and pour a tablespoon of olive oil on top. Wrap foil around garlic and place in the oven. Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until cloves are soft and light brown in color.

Meanwhile, toss the kale with approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a few dashes of sea salt. Spread evenly over two large baking sheets and cook in the preheated over for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Remove kale from oven, place in a large bowl to cool.

Toss the rest of the vegetables with approximately 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a few more dashes of sea salt. Spread evenly over the two baking sheets. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cauliflower begins to brown and potatoes are soft. Remove from over and let cool.

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Chop roasted garlic into very small pieces. Mix onion and garlic with lemon juice, tahini, and parmesan. Add salt and pepper and adjust any other elements of the dressing to suit your specific taste.

Combine vegetables and dressing in a large bowl and toss to coat. Serve with an additional sprinkling of parmesan cheese, if desired. Can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup lentils

3 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2+ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pound baby arugula leaves

3 cups vegetable broth or water

2 dried ancho chiles

Directions:

Put lentils and water in a large soup pot. Bring to boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes (depending on lentils), or until soft. Once cooked, add arugula, whole dried ancho chile peppers, and broth/water to lentils. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan, then toss in the cumin and paprika. Sauté spices at medium heat until fragrant but not burned, approximately 30 seconds. Add onions and garlic; stir until coated with spices. Sauté aromatics until translucent. Afterward, mix in the tomatoes and sauté until heated through and bubbling.

Remove ancho chiles from soup pot. Remove tops from chiles and chop the rest into small bits. Add back to soup. Stir in the tomato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste, plus more smoked paprika if you deem it necessary (I had to up it a bit last night, although it would have been fine as is). Enjoy!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

Lean ground beef and/or pork

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Garlic, fresh and powdered

Bread crumbs with Italian seasoning

Eggs (2 – 3 for a large batch)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together; test for taste by frying a bit in a pan. Adjust if necessary. Form into balls. Broil on a cookie sheet until top is brown, flip. Broil until done.

Chunky Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Fresh Italian parsley

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Garlic, chopped

Whole canned plum tomatoes

Italian seasoning (dried basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage or your preferred combination thereof)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté peppers, onions, garlic and parsley in olive oil until cooked. Add tomatoes and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Simmer for several hours. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with cooked pasta and meatballs.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, diced

9-10 small to medium-sized tomatoes (I used Roma, but any flavorful variety will do), peeled, seeded and diced (reserve as much juice as possible)

2 cups water

Salt and pepper

1 bunch cilantro

½ cup pine nuts

Zest and juice of one lime

½+ cup olive oil

Directions:

Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in cumin and heat until fragrant, about one minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and water, bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, pine nuts, lime zest, lime juice and olive oil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Let tomato mixture cool, and then, working in very small batches, puree in a blender. Pour soup into bowls and add swirls of pesto, plus cilantro sprigs for garnish, if desired. A dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche would also go well, if you’re feeling fancy.

Also, if you have extra pesto, which you most likely will, I would mix it with some brown rice, fresh corn, diced tomatoes, avocado chunks and cooked chicken for a salad you can bring to work – delish!

Ingredients:

1 pound brussels sprouts, sliced into 1/4 inch wide discs (I prefer the smaller, typically sweeter sprouts)

2 shallots, finely diced

3 ounces pancetta, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Saute the pancetta in a fairly large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and the sprouts to the pancetta and rendered fat. Stir to coat and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until shallots are translucent and brussels sprouts are starting to wilt. Add the chicken broth and cover, cook another 10 minutes or until sprouts are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients:

5 cups of pumpkin, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (you can sub brown sugar)

1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, or enough to cover pumpkin

Directions:

Roast pumpkin at 375 degrees in a baking pan for approximately 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together sugar, spices and salt in a small bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and 1/2 of the spice mixture. Saute until fragrant.

Add cooked pumpkin and chicken broth to pot. Mix well and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer ten minutes then blend. Taste for spice and add more mixture to taste. I used it all and it was strong, but still good. Use your own judgment though! Top with roasted pumpkin seeds (seen above, with smoked paprika) or a dollop of creme fraiche.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound farfalle pasta (or pasta of your choice), cooked 

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz. package button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 oz. dried crimini mushrooms, soaked in 1/2 cup of hot water

2 zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch slices, then quartered

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon corn starch

3 tablespoons sherry

1 cup half-and-half  (you can use heavy cream here for a richer flavor, but I’m not sure about just using milk for fewer calories – if you try it, let me know!)

Few dashes nutmeg

Directions:

Saute zucchini and button mushrooms in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through. Combine with pasta and set aside.

In another pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant but not browned. Add the sherry and cook until mostly reduced, about three minutes at medium heat. Add one tablespoon cornstarch and blend well. Then add the crimini mushrooms with liquid and the half-and-half. Simmer until thickened. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the pasta and vegetables and serve.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth (I’d only go veggie if you are a pescetarian though)

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

3 7-oz. filets of salmon

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients except salmon. Place salmon filets in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Cover with mixture and let marinate for at least one hour in a refrigerator. Bake filets at 400 degrees for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until salmon easily flakes.

Side note, I served this with the baked potatoes and carrot latkes below. It was a fairly easy and very delicious meal to throw together in about 90 minutes and each dish complemented the others.

Ingredients:

5 medium-sized potatoes, halved lengthwise

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese (you could substitute a number of delicious cheese here, mozzarella, cheddar, even gruyere)

1/2 stick melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes, round side down, in a baking pan of appropriate size, so the potatoes are relatively close together or touching. I used a 9 x 9 glass dish. Bake potatoes alone for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, mix together the other ingredients, saving the butter for last. Add salt and pepper to taste, if you wish. Spoon this mixture on top of potatoes and put them into the oven for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is brown and bubbly. Let cool slightly, serve and enjoy!