Vegan Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Hors d'ouevres

INGREDIENTS:

-Soya Kaas mozzarella flavor soy cheese

-1 bag of Cristopher Ranch Sun-Dried Tomatoes (halves)

-6 Large fresh basil leaves, shredded into quarter-sized pieces

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel

No Carb Tofu Vegetable Stir Fry with Tofu Noodles, Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
-1 pack extra firm tofu
-1 head of broccoli
-2-3 bags of tofu shirataki (Spaghetti)
-1/2 eggplant
-2 cups snow peas
-1 bulb garlic
-1 tsp. butter
-4 Tbsp. olive oil
-Garlic powder or garlic salt
-Low sodium soy sauce
-1/2 lemon
-1/3 lime
-1 tsp. honey

Make sure to soak all produce for 5 min. in white vinegar and water solution and rinse off before using.

INSTRUCTIONS:

-Cut tofu into 1cmx1cm cubes and steam for 10 minutes in microwave
-Cut broccoli into florets and steam 4.5 minutes in microwave
-Cut eggplant into 1'' chunks and steam 5.5 minutes in microwave
-Cut tips off of snow pea ends and steam 2.5 minutes in microwave
-Rinse tofu noodles thoroughly.  Drain in a colander.  Then cook them in the microwave for 6 minutes uncovered.  Then drain again in colander.  Then chop them into smaller noodles.  Then sautee them in a pan on medium-high heat with olive oil, a drizzle of soy sauce, a sliver of butter, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and garlic salt.  Stir them in the pan as they sizzle, until they look fully cooked.
-Chop 6 cloves of garlic.

-Take out a large wok.  Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom, plus a teaspoon of butter.  Keep on medium heat until the butter melts and blends with the oil.  Then drop in the six cloves of chopped garlic, drizzle 1Tbsp. soy sauce and juice 1/2 a lemon.  Stir in 1 tsp. honey.  Stir all together until it becomes a sauce (about a minute or two).
-Stir the tofu cubes into the sauce
-Then stir in the eggplant
-Then stir in the broccoli and snowpeas
-Thoroughly mix everything, keep turning it with a big spoon all on medium heat
-finally stir in the noodles
-Add more garlic powder, soy sauce, olive oil etc. if you want
-Squeeze the lime
-Stir

Voila!

Then peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into 1-2'' cubes.  Steam in microwave for 8 minutes.  Leave them plane or add a little butter.

Serve warm, side by side. 

Mediterranean bistro poached egg salad

Pan-seared salmon with garlic asparagus and steamed kabocha squash

Merluza with tomato, zucchini, onion, lemon and oregano

Zucchini, eggplant tomato bisque with light cheese

Vegan Caprese Hors d'ouevres

INGREDIENTS:

-Soya Kaas mozzarella flavored soy cheese
-Sun-dried Tomatoes (not in oil or water, just dry)
-Fresh basil
-Olive Oil
-Fleur de Sel
-Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

-Slice soy mozzarella into 50-100 (or however many you think your dinner party will call for) 1" x 1" x 1/4" squares. Place them on a beautiful platter in a way that would make me proud!
-Chop sun-dried tomatoes into fourths and place one upon each soy square.
-Tear (or cut) fresh basil leaves into quarter-sized pieces. Lay one piece atop each tomato-clad square.
-Drizzle E.V.O.O. lightly over the platter.
-Sprinkle a pinch of Fleur de Sel (to taste).
-Stick a toothpick in each one and serve.
-For garnish/variation, add a pitted olive to each toothpick!

Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS

- Bushel of fresh kale

- Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- A touch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

- 3 cloves of fresh garlic

(optional)

- Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

- Mozzarella: Rice cheese

DIRECTIONS

Ciao! Lara, here-- Alexandra's equally health conscious and culinarily creative counterpart. While our beloved friend travels throughout Europe and shares her phenomenal gourmet discoveries, I am in our home base of Manhattan. I would like to share one of New York's newest obsessions; Kale Chips. A couple that owns a health shop in Brooklyn started marketing their version of these delectable chips and sold them to Gourmet Garage and Whole Foods. These babies are sold at a ridiculous price (hey, it is Manhattan!); $7.99 for a small container. So, I decided to try my hand at it. They are super quick and easy to make and incredibly delicious!

Cut kale into chip-size pieces. Toss pieces in a large bowl with the Olive Oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place kale on a cookie sheet and cook in oven for 10-15 minutes until the kale becomes crispy and crunchy. Remove and enjoy a guilt-free chip-like snack! Before baking, you have the option of melting rice cheese or adding hot pepper if you feel like a little kick!

Ensalada Catalana

INGREDIENTS

-3 cups romaine lettuce

-1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)

-1/2 ripe avocado (cubed)

-2 tbsp grated manchego cheese

-1 can white albacore tuna (in water)

-4 spears of canned white asparagus

-5 chopped cornichon

-1 cubed tomato

-Dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Toss up the lettuce, carrot, and tomato. Then, empty the can of tuna into a neat lump on top, squeezing the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Chop up the white asparagus, avocado, and cornichon and sprinkle on top so that the avocado and asparagus spears don't get mushy. Finally, sprinkle on the grated manchego cheese. This salad tastes incredible and makes a great lunch. The recipe was inspired by memories of the two summers I spent living in Barcelona. By the first bite, your taste buds will be instantly transported to a seafront cafe on the Mediterranean!

Low-Carb Smoked Salmon Appetizer

INGREDIENTS

-1 slice smoked salmon

-1 slice low-fat emmental cheese

-dill

-5 cornichon

-black pepper

-lemon

DIRECTIONS

-Lay the slice of smoked salmon on top of the slice of emmental. Sprinkle dill and black pepper, garnish with parsley sprig and thin slice of lemon....or not, if you're in a rush! Serve on a pretty plate and use fine silverware. This always enhances the gastronomic experience. Bon appetit!

**This will be a hit at dinner parties.

SALAD (lose a)DRESS(size)ING

Most salad dressings are packed with sugar, fat, and calories. Try this instead:

Depending on the size of the salad:

-1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice (suggested 1/2 of a lemon)

-2 parts raw organic apple cider vinegar (suggested 2-3 tbsp)

-pinch of salt

-2 tsp olive oil

Simple Brasserie-Style Salad

INGREDIENTS

-eggs

-lettuce

-tomato

-cornichon

-olive oil

-salt

DIRECTIONS

Rip up 1/4 head of romaine lettuce, slice a tomato into wedges. Put both in a medium salad bowl or plate and add 6-8 cornichon and drizzle 2 tsp olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and fresh black pepper. Cook 1-3 eggs 'over-medium' in pan lined with a thin layer of olive oil (depending on how many you take). When done, place the eggs atop the salad. Simple, fresh, Parisian brasserie salad easily created at home! Goes well with Baguette and Camembert or 'Fromage Chevre.'

Fish Balls Part Deux: Moins les "Carbs."

INGREDIENTS

-20 fish balls from an asian specialty store (see recipe below)**

-2 cups of soybean sprouts

-3 tbsp olive oil

-3 tbsp light soy sauce

-3 clovesgarlic

-1/2 lemon

-nickel-sized sliver of ginger

**This dish can also be made with sea scallops, or as they say in French, which ALWAYS sounds better: "Coquilles St. Jaques"!

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil on medium in a pan and throw in the fish balls or scallops. Let simmer for a minute or two, then add the soybean sprouts and stir thoroughly while drizzling on the soy sauce. After about 7 minutes of stirring, crush the 3 cloves of garlic directly into the pan, along with a nickel-sized sliver of ginger, chopped into tiny pieces. Squeeze in half of a lemon, and continue to stir everything around for about 5 minutes. C'est fini! Pair it with a buttery Chardonnay or hot sake.

Sinless Deviled Egg

-Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge (any of the flavors will do, personal preference--I like the onion flavor)

-1 hardboiled egg

-salt, pepper, lemon-pepper seasoning and/or paprika

Cut a hard-boiled egg in half, long-ways. Neatly scoop out the yolk and mash it thoroughly in a small bowl with the cheese wedge until it's a whipped looking concoction. Re-dollop the yolk-cheese mixture into the egg-white halves, sprinkle a little salt, fresh ground black pepper, lemon-pepper seasoning, and/or paprika on top. Parsley garnish (if you're feeling fancy). This snack goes well with a sliced fresh tomato.

Broccoli sautéed with garbanzo beans and tofu

-1 medium-large head of broccoli

-4 cloves of garlic

-1/2 cup garbanzo beans

-1 cup extra firm tofu

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-cut broccoli and tofu into bite-sized chunks and steam them in a steamer

-simmer olive oil (a few tbsp) with 4 cloves of crushed garlic in a pan for a few minutes until the garlic cooks (but isn't burnt...)

-toss in the broccoli and tofu, add the half cup of cooked (canned or steamed) garbanzo beans and make sure everything is evenly "garlic-and-oiled"

-let it all simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring it around constantly

-Serve. Optional accompaniment: 1/2 cup of either brown rice, quinoa, millet, kamut, buckwheat...or a pasta made out of any of the aforementioned grains.

Soy Smothered Sprouts

-2 cups Brussel Sprouts (fresh or frozen)

-2 slices Veggie Slices caesin-free soy cheese (mozz, provolone, pepper jack all work)

-low sodium soy sauce

-lemon pepper seasoning

Steam the brussel sprouts until they're as soft as you like, then melt the soy cheese on them in the microwave for 30 sec-1 min depending on microwave strength...

Next, stir it all together until you have gooey, soy-cheesey brussel sprouts! Drizzle a little soy sauce on it and sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning (then stir well again). It's so satisfying, flavorful and healthy, and takes about 7 total minutes to make. I usually pair it with a microwaved "Boca original vegan" burger or two... c'est fini, quick healthy meal.

Low-fat, no carb Macaroni and Cheese

-2 Packages of Tofu Shirataki fettuccini or tube noodles

-1/4 cup or less of skim milk

-2 slices Trader Joe's organic american cheese 

-1 tsp. butter

-Wash the shirataki in a colander in water thoroughly, then pat dry with a paper towel thoroughly, then place in a bowl and microwave for 4 min.

-Then in a pan, place the shirataki in 1 tbsp of olive oil and stir around the pan

-let the noodles "dry out" in the pan a bit, stirring constantly as the water steams out of them

-In a separate pan on low heat melt the butter, milk and cheese together by putting them all in and stirring at a medium pace until it becomes a cheese sauce.  Let it get a little thick by continuing to stir over the heat for a few minutes.
-Toss the dry tofu noodles into the cheese sauce and stir until it looks like the consistency you want it.
-add a little fresh black pepper if you want!

Dairy-Free Tuna Nicoise

Put following ingredients in a medium bowl:

-2 cans white albacore tuna (in water)

-10-15 mediterranean green olives with pimientos (tear them up manually or chop them)

-pinch of sea salt

-drizzle low sodium soy sauce

-dollop of "Nayonaise"

-1-2 tbsp. chopped red onion

-1/2 squeezed lemon (or less, to taste)

Mash all ingredients in bowl with a regular fork until mixed evenly. Serve alone or scoop on top of fresh green salad. No olive oil is needed in the recipe, but you can add a teaspoon if you want that extra flavor note. It's also great on rice cracker thins!

Tomato and Olive Talapia with Tofu Noodles

Sauce:

-Put 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large pan

-Dice 1/2 of a white onion and let sautee until onions look somewhat translucent

-dice 12 plum tomatoes and stir in with onions in pan on med-high heat

-slice about 15-20 kalamata olives and stir into sauce

-crush or chop 10-12 cloves of garlic

-add into sauce, continue to stir on lower heat

-squeeze out the juice of one whole fresh lemon and add it to the sauce

-Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

-cover the pan and let it simmer, checking it every so often to make sure that the sauce isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan

-Uncover and add fresh basil leaves

-Pour over steamed, baked or broiled white fish, and/or mix into Tofu Shirataki tofu noodles

Summer Asian Crab Salad

In a medium bowl, mix:

4 ozs Louis Kemp Crab Delights
1/2 cucumber cut into chunks or slices (however you like)
1/2 avocado cut into chunks
Add shredded cabbage or carrot if you like
You can also add onion, tomato, steamed/shelled edamame, and/or nori seaweed snacks shredded up

-mix together with a fork, drizzle low-sodium soy sauce to taste and squeeze fresh lemon to taste
-you can also add a drop of olive oil--half a capful--if you like

Makes a great light lunch!