On The Rocks, Please!

I came across these Arctic Rock Ice cubes while browsing the internet a while ago. Chris actually got them as a gift from our friend Dave as a random "man gift" a few months ago and I've been thinking about how neat they really are so I thought I would share them with you if you haven't seen them before! Although it is primarily aimed at those who drink wine, whiskey or anything similar I don’t see why you can’t use them for a simple cup of water or soda?! Might be kind of weird, but hey - you put whatever you please in your own cup.

 These Arctic Rocks will bring your drink down in temperature and keep them chilled without diluting them like ice does and wont take away from the taste. They are safe, non-porous, odorless, flavorless and only require a simple rinse before it goes in the freezer for the next time use. They can be purchased just about anywhere now-a-days...

Amazon, Brookstone, & even Target!

Mako Shark, Scallops & Cauliflower

TERIYAKI MAKO SHARK, SEARED SEA SCALLOPS & SPICY BAKED CAULIFLOWER 

What You'll Need:

Spicy Baked Cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tblsp olive oil

Shark

2 8oz steaks of mako shark

1 cup of gluten free teriyaki sauce

3 tbsp sriracha hot sauce 

Sea Scallops

4 scallops

1 tblsp butter

1 tblsp olive oil

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

 As you all know, timing is everything when it comes to cooking. The Spicy Cauliflower takes the longest to cook so the best way to go about it is to base the other two dishes around the Cauliflowers timer to ensure everything finishes at the same time. The sea scallops take the least amount of time, so save them for last.

 1. Pre-heat the oven to 400* for the cauliflower

2. Whisk all the seasonings (including the olive oil base) into a big mixing bowl

3. Break up the cauliflower into bite-sized nuggets and mix them into the spicy marinade

 4. Once they are all coated, put them on a greased baking sheet, and bake them at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes depending on how crispy you want them.

5. While those are baking, marinate your mako in all of the marinates listed above and go heat up your gas grill for 10 minutes. 

When the timer hist 15 on the oven, put the mako steaks on the nice, hot grill on high. 

Cook these for at least 7-9 minutes on each side. 

6. With 12 minutes left on the clock, we flipped some of the cauliflower pieces to make sure they cook all over

7. At the 8 Minute Mark, we flipped the Mako Shark steaks out on the grill - you want the white meat to begin to flake a bit on each side

8. At the 6 minute mark, heat up the butter and olive oil on high until you can see small heat bubbles forming in the melted butter

 9. Turn it down to Medium High and place the scallops in the pan. Cook them for about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side - it's key not to under (or over) cook scallops. You'll want to give them a nice little crisp on each side!

10. As soon as the scallops began to perfectly brown, the timer for the cauliflower went off. 

11. Turn the oven off, let the Cauliflower sit for a few minutes and focus on the scallops and mako. 

12. Put the scallops on the plate, and go get the mako which should now be perfectly cooked!

 It should almost fall apart when you take it off the grill - much like swordfish. YUM!

Serve everything immediately, as all 3 dishes cool down quickly!...ENJOY!

Kale & Eggs

GREEN KALE & EGGS!

What You'll Need:

large bundle of fresh kale

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

4 eggs

garlic

avocado

parmesan cheese 

1. Peel & chop your garlic cloves - about 4

2. Place garlic in pan with olive oil drizzled on bottom of the pan until browned 

3. Put your kale in a large sauce-pan with garlic

4. Add 1/8 of a cup of water on top of the kale to help steam it

5. Place 4 eggs in small pot and let boil 10 min's. Peel & then set aside

6. Cut your avocado in half & take out the pit. Slice into about 10 slices and set aside

7. Heat kale until it shrinks down (looks a bit like spinach) and cook for about 7-10 minutes depending on how soft you like it.

8. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the kale

9. Put it all on your plate and enjoy!! 

Mean & Green!

As one of my New Years Resolutions : I wanted to try to incorporate more juices and smoothies in to my diet to detox here and there. Not sure if it does much, but they taste good and keep you full for a few hours in between snacking! :-)

I tried this green smoothie yesterday after a grocery shopping trip that made me look like a rabbit at the check-out counter haha. All veggies basically!!

What You'll Need:

4 celery stalks

1 cucumber

1 cup of kale leaves

1/2 a green apple

1/2 a lime (juice squeezed)

1 cup of almond (or regular) milk

1 cup pineapple chunks

Blend away in a blender! (chop everything up before hand so it doesn't get stuck!)

& ENJOY! nom nom nommm. <3

Pumpkin Thyme Mac & Cheese

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese - All Year Round!

What you'll need: 

2 cups of milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of ground nutmeg

a pinch of ground cloves

a box or around a pound of gluten free (or regular) pasta

2.5 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3 tablespoons of quinoa flour (or all purpose flour)

1 1/2 tablespoons of minced thyme

1 table spoon fresh lemon juice

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

3 ounces smoked gouda, shredded

salt & pepper to taste

1. Place milk, pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cinnamon & cloves in a saucepan and stir together. Simmer for around 15 min.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil add 2 tablespoons of salt to your water and then add the pasta.

3. Boil pasta until cooked. (gluten free pasta tends to cook a bit faster than regular pasta!)

4. Drain pasta and set aside.

5. Melt butter over medium heat in a separate medium saucepan. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk it together until its a little brown. Stir in thyme.

6. Whisk pumpkin-milk mixture into flour mixture and continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Allow mixture to simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3-4 minutes.

7. Place shredded cheese into mixing bowl and squeeze lemon juice on top.

8. Stir cheese in to the sauce until the cheese melts. Season with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir the pasta in until the pasta has been fully coated in sauce.

9. Serve it while it's hot & enjoy! (save some cheese to sprinkle on top of your pasta at the end!)