Buddha Bowls (Serves 4)

Recipe and photo courtesy Giving Tree Café, www.givingtreecafe.com

Bangkok Sauce

2 cups almond butter 

1 cup tahini

3 cups pure water

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic cloves

1/4 cup ginger juice

1 tsp. red chili flakes

1 Tbsp. sea salt

4 Tbsp. fresh Thai basil chopped very fine

Blend all except basil well in high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Stir in by hand the chopped basil. Set aside until preparing your Buddha bowls. 

Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets. In a mixing bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil and spices then place the cauliflower onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 40-45 minutes. Remove to cool and store in an airtight container until ready to assemble your Buddha bowls. 

While the cauliflower is roasting…

Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil liquid

Salt and pepper sprinkled over the top

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 2” strips lengthwise. Coat with the maple syrup and oil. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until browned on the edges. Take out to cool until time to assemble your bowls. While the squash is in the oven…

Brussels Sprouts

4 cups brussels sprouts

2 Tbsp. coconut oil 

Clean off loose leaves. Cut in half and place cut side down on a baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. coconut oil. Place in over at 400 for 35 minutes. They should be brown around the edges. Take out to cool until time to assemble your bowls. While the Brussels sprouts are in the oven…

Shishito Peppers

32-40 shishito peppers 

2 Tbsps. coconut oil

Himalayan salt to taste

3 Tbsp. local raw honey

Clean, rinse, and pat dry peppers with kitchen towel. Heat oil in skillet for 1 minute. Add peppers to the hot oil and let them sit for 2-3 minutes until they begin to pop and the undersides of the skin turns black. Toss the peppers in the skillet to allow them to become blistered on several sides. Remove from heat and when cooled, drizzle honey over them, then salt to taste.  

Prepare 4 cups of rice or quinoa.

To assemble the bowls: In each of the 4 bowls, place 1 cup cooked rice or quinoa. Drizzle Bangkok Sauce liberally over the rice. Next place ¼ each of the prepared acorn squash, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and shishito peppers in each bowl. Now use the rest of the Bangkok sauce to cover the rest of the bowls.

Honeyed Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

Recipe and photo courtesy Angel Fuchs with Yay Baby! blog, www.yaybabyblog.com

IG: @yaybabyblog 

1 large ripe peach

1 orange (you will use the zest and juice)

1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup honey

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

1 cup of granola cereal

Wash and dry all the fruit. Slice strawberries, cut peaches into chunks. Zest the orange and set zest aside. Juice the orange. Put all fruit in a small saucepan with the honey, orange juice and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Turn heat on low and bring to a light simmer. Do not boil. Add the orange zest and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill until ready to assemble parfaits. Layer granola on bottom of each parfait glass. Top with granola, then a spoonful of fruit. Repeat layering until you reach the tops of the glasses. Chill until ready to serve.

Steak Oscar

Recipe and photo courtesy Theresa Greco, with The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine, www.foodhuntersguide.com

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and black pepper

2 14- to 16-ounce ribeyes, New York strip steaks, or T-bones, excess fat trimmed

2 Tbsp., plus 1 tsp. olive oil

6 oz. jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the butter, parsley, lemon juice, ½ tsp. of the salt and ¼ tsp. of the pepper in a medium bowl and stir until combined. Set the butter aside while you cook the steaks. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Rub both sides of the steaks with the olive oil, and season with the remaining salt & pepper. Place the steaks in the hot skillet and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare (depending on the thickness of the steak and whether your steak is bone-in or boneless). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should register 130°F for medium-rare, 140°F for medium. While the steaks are cooking, toss the asparagus with a tablespoon of olive oil and place on a large baking sheet.

Season with salt and pepper, and roast until asparagus are crisp-tender and lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet and baking sheet from the oven; let the steaks stand for 5 minutes before serving. In the meantime heat another  skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 to 3 Tbsp. of the butter mixture. Add the crabmeat and cook until the crabmeat is warmed through. When ready to serve, top each steak with several spears of the asparagus and place the crabmeat on top of the steaks.

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