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Superfood Guacamole

I love guac, you love guac, we all love guac!! (I know some small subset of the population doesn’t, but this isn’t for them. It’s for those of us with a soul. Lol. I kid, I kid. If you don’t like guac, it’s ok. But I’m sorry for your loss.

It’s really hard to do guacamole better than it already is on its own…BUT the other night while I was whipping up some guac, I thought about upgrading it to have a bit more of a “superfood” pizazz.

I know “superfood” is a total buzzword and honestly just a marketing term to make health nuts more interested in buying something. However, it did get its roots in some merit- certain foods do have a high concentration of nutrients that provide health benefits for humans. Are these foods a cure-all or miracle food? Of course not! No single food can be! But they sure as heck can be a major health, wellbeing, and longevity-booster when consumed consistently and over the long-term.

So I say why not eat some “superfoods”?! In addition to the fact that guacamole can be a healthy part of our diet (healthy fats and fiber from the avocados!!), this recipe gets a boost from 3 fun ingredients: spirulina, turmeric, and collagen.

So first up, what is spirulina? Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is a rich source of many nutrients. Amino acids magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin K, and vitamin B12 are a few of the power players. Plant antioxidants like chlorophyll and zeaxanthin promote glowing skin, detoxification, and contain anti-inflammation properties, too. Always opt for an organic or responsibly sourced spirulina that is tested for toxins, as the quality of the water they are grown in effects the level of contaminants in the spirulina, and obviously we would want that to be low!

How about turmeric? Turmeric is a root that has a vibrant golden color. There are a couple popular ways to consume it- use the fresh root like you would a root of ginger. (Chop or mince, or use a nob to add flavor to dishes from soups to smoothies). It also comes in powder form, which is what I used for this recipe. In terms of its benefits, the most powerful component is its anti-inflammatory properties. This comes from a compound called curcumin. To maximize the anti-inflammatory benefits, pair turmeric with black pepper, which can increase the absorption by 2000%!! All disease starts with low-grade, chronic inflammation so bringing inflammation down in a natural way with turmeric is a great disease-prevention strategy (along with a balanced diet).

Finally, let’s talk about collagen. There are a lot of health claims out there about collagen, and it’s important not to fall into the hype. There isn’t enough research yet to support many of the health claims and disease-curing claims being thrown around. However, many people DO note improvements in skin elasticity/hair/nails or even their gut health and joints when taking collagen consistently over at least a few months time. The best suggestion is to try it out and see if it works for you. There has been no known harm to taking collagen, so if you enjoy it as part of your health routine, or notice improvements that you are seeking in your overall wellness, by all means, add a scoop of collagen to your guac! Personally from a youth preservation standpoint, I like collagen for the skin elasticity benefit.

Without further ado, let’s get into the recipe! If you are looking to play around in the kitchen with some superfoods in a unique way, this guac is right up your alley!! As for dipping options, chopped veggies are rad, and if you are craving a chip, I love Siete grain-free chips. They are made with avocado oil and are non-gmo.

 

Superfood Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 avocados

Juice of 2-3 limes

Several sprigs of cilantro, stems removed and leaves torn 

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon spirulina

1 scoop plain collagen

To make:

  1.  Scoop out the flesh of the avocados and mash them slightly in a bowl until they just start to break down into smaller chunks.
  2. Add lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.’
  3. Add the rest of the spices/superfoods to the mixture and stir and mash to combine ingredients and reach your preferred guac texture. 
  4. Bon appetit! Enjoy with chips, chopped veggies, or as a condiment on all the things! 

What’s your favorite way to eat guacamole? What ingredients do you use? Are you a purist, or do you add unconventional ingredients? Let me know!

Have a great week!

XO, Alexandra

Restaurant-Inspired Zucchini Noodle Salad Bowl

Do you have a favorite go-to order at a restaurant? Something you try once on a whim because it sounds delicious…and then it is! Fast forward, you become obsessed with this one dish. (And you order it every time you go there, paying no attention to any of the other menu items lol. Why fix what ain’t broke?)

Well for me, it’s the zucchini noodle bowl at Le Pain Quotidien. Le Pain Quotidien is a restaurant rooted in preparing fresh, plant-forward, nutrient-dense food in a community setting. The zucchini noodle bowl is a newer addition to their menu- it’s fresh, summery, and you just feel good eating it since it’s bursting with veggies, herbs, and healthy fats (avocado and slices of smoked salmon). It really doesn’t get any better.

So- since I cannot get myself to a Le Pain Quotidien every day, (the closest one to me is an hour away. SIGH!) I had to take it upon myself to study the dish and its flavors so I could replicate it at home. And since I’m a foodie, I changed just a few small ingredients here and there for fun. The dish will satisfy a craving for the LPQ bowl, but it’s not an exact copycat version. Let’s call it “inspired”.

Instead of green onions, I added mint for freshness and no worries of bad breath!

I threw in a handful of arugula for a nice peppery bite and some extra dark leafy greens.

LPQ uses this amazing fresh cheese similar to a burrata in texture, but I used a sheep’s milk yogurt that will be gentler on the stomach of anyone who is lactose intolerant (hi, that’s me. I try to be mostly dairy free, but sometimes I live a little).

Make this recipe work for your preferences like I did. If there isn’t an ingredient you care for, swap it out! Vegetarian? Don’t add the smoked salmon. (Alternatively, chicken would be really nice in this if seafood isn’t your vibe.)

Let’s get to the recipe! Once all your ingredients are washed/cut/prepped its very quick to throw the bowls together. There is nothing left to say except “bon appetit!” This would be the epitome of a perfect cold dish for a summer picnic. Whip it up while the days are still warm and long!

Zucchini Noodle Salad Bowl

Ingredients (makes 2 bowls)

  • 1, 6 oz container of Bellwether sheep’s milk yogurt or other plain, unsweetened yogurt
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 handfuls of arugula
  • Olive oil
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 1 medium tomato (heirloom, better boy, or early girl type)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 an avocado
  • 10 olives
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • A few sprigs of dill
  • A few sprigs of mint leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Smoked salmon (optional, but recommended)
  • Equipment: Spiralizer and/ or vegetable peeler
  1. Thoroughly wash and dry all produce
  2. Transfer yogurt to a bowl- add a squeeze of lemon juice, and pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. The yogurt should be bright, tangy, and savory. Chill in the fridge.
  3. Add a handful of arugula to the bottom of each bowl you will be serving from. Drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Run zucchini through the spiralizer and add 1 zucchini’s -worth of noodles to each bowl.
  5. Peel carrot into thin strips and add to the bowls.
  6. Dice tomato, julienne the mint leaves, and break up the sprigs of dill, adding half of each to the bowls.
  7. Slice avocado and split between the bowls.
  8. Slice olives in half and split between bowls.
  9. Add 1 tablespoon of capers to each bowl.
  10. Add dollops of yogurt to each bowl.
  11. Finish with salt, pepper, and a final squeeze of lemon.
  12. If so desired, add a protein like smoked salmon!

Let me know if you make this one! I can’t stop making it (and may or may not be eating it right now). Have a great weekend!

XO,

Alexandra

Simple Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Summer time means squash is in season…which means squash blossoms are in season. Squash Blossom Season is something to be excited about, if you ask me!

Maybe eating the blossoms of a zucchini doesn’t sound appetizing, but if you have tried it, then you know how delectable they are. Most restaurants prepare them by either covering them in batter and deep frying them or pan frying them. Delish? YES. But Imma do you one better with today’s recipe because we are roasting them in the oven. No frying, no smothering in batter. Just a beautiful blossom filled with cashew cheese, since I’m lactose intolerant.

Squash blossoms themselves are extremely low in calories, but they do contain vitamin A and vitamin C thanks to that vibrant yellow/orange color. By themselves, they don’t have a strong flavor- it doesn’t taste floral, but more earthy and green with zucchini undertones. When is the last time you heard someone describe something as having “zucchini undertones”?? 😂

This recipe is easy to adapt if you don’t have all the ingredients, and you can totally play with the flavors of the stuffing from bright and zesty, to spicy, or something totally herbaceous and savory.

For those who can handle some real cheese, my recs would be a ricotta or a semi soft goat cheese. You want it to be soft and smooth, but not as melty as a mozzarella or brie. The blossom is delicate, so a highly meltable, oily cheese would be too much for the thin veil of the flower to hold up to, in my opinion.

AND this is a fun new thing- I filmed this cooking video if you want more specifics about the recipe and would like to follow along while I make the recipe! I’m the dorkiest cook in all the land, so if nothing else, there is some entertainment value to be had. I originally posted this on IGTV, but in lieu of reading a long post about stuffed squash blossoms, you can watch me make them and chat away to the camera!

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Makes 10 blossoms

  • 10 squash blossoms, gently washed and dried
  • 4 ounces Miyokos double cream chive classic chive cheese wheel
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 Tablespoons torn basil
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Put cheese in microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds until soft with a texture like a ricotta
  3. Add lemon, pine nuts, basil, salt, and pepper to cheese and mix well to combine
  4. Gently open the blossom and stuff 1 tsp-1 tbs of the cheese mixture into the blossom. (The amount of cheese stuffing will depend on the size of your squash blossom).
  5. Place all squash blossoms on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and place in the oven.
  6. Bake for 13 minutes, flip blossoms over, then bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven. Allow to cool a little before digging in! (Hot cheese is HOT! Save your mouth.)

Have you ever had squash blossoms before? Let me know if you try this recipe!

Have a great weekend!

XO, Alexandra

Acorn Squash Almond Crumble

It’s November already?! Wellll then I guess it’s safe to say we are in autumn-mode, the holiday season, whatever you want to call it. I have kind of been in denial and just trying to milk summer for as  long as possible, but I’m not so sure that will last much longer, cuz ya know, its dropping to 68 degrees in San Diego #brrrr. The only indications of Fall in my life are the occasional Fall Latte (made with a squash puree at my fave coffee shop), and today’s recipe. Like, I can’t even get behind a pumpkin yet… so what is the equivalent of Scrooge for Fall??? Because that’s me lately haha.

Am I the only one thats just not ready and in the mood to throw on a scarf and light a clove and apple cobbler candle?!

acornsquashcrumble4Anywayyyy, because I have been feeling “meh” about pumpkin-flavored-everything this year, I decided to switch it up to prove to myself (and maybe you, too) that there are other fab winter vegetables out there that deserve some love. Is there another hearty orange squash out there that can stand up to savory recipes and  desserts? YES!! (hint, hint: its acorn squash).

Acorn squash and pumpkin have very similar textures and flavors, which makes them pretty much interchangeable in my opinion. Nutritionally speaking, acorn squash is a great source of carotenoids like beta-carotene, (combatting free radicals,  healthy skin turnover). You will also get a dose of vitamin C (glow-y skin), potassium (great for blood pressure regulation), and fiber.  So, yes, you could say this dessert is good for you.

acornsquashcrumble3Let me talk to you about the crumble part. As someone who dabbles in making their own almond milk, I always run into the problem of wondering what to do with the “meat” part that is left over in the nut milk bag. I’ve used it as a squash blossom filling in the summer, mixed it with pasta sauce and greens and pretended it was pasta  (ya, for real lol #lazy), but today we have a gem, ladies and gents!

Use that almond meat for all your crumbly topping goodness! It adds a dose of healthy fats, a slightly nutty flavor, and it just feels good not to throw away all of the “extra” almond away. If you don’t have almond meal on hand, you could try store-bought dried almond meal, but I can’t vouch for the results. You will definitely have to add more liquid to get the consistency right.

But do try making your own almond milk at least once. It is simple, tastes amazing, and you just feel like a boss. It could be a cool party trick- impress your less culinarily talented friends! Or just win major brownie points this season and whip out these little individual crumbles at your holiday gatherings. This would be Friendsgiving gold, just sayinnnn.

Acornsquashcrumble1

Acorn Squash Almond Crumble

 

Makes 4 ramekins

For the filling:

1 acorn squash, halved

1/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the crumble:

2/3 cup almond meal from making homemade almond milk

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Dash of salt

Almond butter, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place acorn squash face-up in a roasting pan. Roast until soft, about 40 minutes. Once the acorn squash is cool enough to hold, scoop the flesh out with a spoon. In a blender, combine squash with almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. In a bowl, combine almond meal, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and salt in a bowl. It should come together like a crumbly sand texture. Into oiled ramekins, scoop acorn squash mixture in equally, about 2/3 of the way up. Top with a heaping spoonful of the almond meal mixture. Bake on middle rack for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is a light golden color. Drizzle with almond butter, if desired.

acornsquashcrumble2

Are you team pumpkin? Give acorn squash a try and see what you think! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Homework, beach walks, and gym time are on the radar for me, but what else is new? Would love to know what you’re up to!

XO,

Alexandra

Lentil+ Fig+Chopped Veggie Salad

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully a weekend full of picnicking under the summer sun is on the horizon for you! I loooove an excuse to eat outdoors. We are going through a major heat wave in SoCal right now, and the last thing I want to do is make any food that requires the kitchen to heat up. And quite frankly, not having AC in my home is an easy cop-out reason for me to spend all day at the beach or pool. #silverlining

So what’s a girl to do when she wants some good eats but can’t take the heat? Enter the clean-out-the-fridge-salad party.  You know how it goes. Standing there in the kitchen, taking inventory over the random assortment of perishable food, wondering what to make. Cursing the day you went to the grocery store on an empty stomach and decided to buy *all the things*.

lentilfig1I get overzealous at the store sometimes, buying ingredients on a whim, hoping to experiment with them and make some new recipe. But then life gets more complicated and full, and you find yourself with a bundle of food from last week’s Meal Prep Day: beets, some lentils, and a few good and ripe figs. Cue inner monologue where you wonder what would happen if you just threw it all together and called it a day. #relatable

On this particular occasion, the “throw it all in a bowl” technique paid off and produced this magical salad. For the purpose of avoiding a long, complex recipe title, we’re sticking with Lentil+Fig Chopped Veggie Salad. Lentils and figs, I would say, are the highlight of this salad. The “chopped veggies” portion is where your creativity (or the “hey I forgot about that bunch of radishes” resourcefulness) comes into play.

Feel free to use whatever fruits/ vegetables you have on hand. Roasted cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, blackberries, apples, whatchu got? If you can chop it and toss it, it will probably work fabulously in this salad. It’s just a fun, easy way to use up your produce and make sure it doesn’t go to waste. Ya feel?

lentilfig4And because I’m boujee, I can imagine taking this salad in a little bento box for lunch along the Seine in Paris. It has major French vibes. Simple, light, and full of flavor from the fresh ingredients themselves. A touch of tangy mustard and olive oil dressing to top it all off, and this salad is ready to carry you all the way through the end of the summer.

Real quick though, let’s talk lentils- I feel like they are quite under-appreciated. High fiber, a good source of protein, folic acid, and iron, to name a few nutrients. They are a fab source of many minerals, too- copper, molybdenum, phosphorus, manganese… all packaged in a nice little legume! Lentils are so much more than an ingredient in a soup; they are a nutrition powerhouse and are an idealllll addition to a salad.

To make the salad even more filling as a stand-alone meal, a protein like hardboiled eggs, tuna, or salmon would be perfect to round out the dish. Spread out the picnic blanket, open the chilled rosé, and serve up this tres chic, no-fail salad.

lentilfig2

Lentil+ Fig+Chopped Veggie Salad

Serves 4

For the salad:

6 cups greens (I used a mix of arugula, spinach, and swiss chard)

1 cup cooked lentils

1 cup cooked beets

1 cup figs, halved

1 cup chopped sweet peppers

1 cup chopped heirloom tomato

Sesame seeds and hemp seeds, for garnish

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon mustard

 

In a large salad bowl, combine greens, lentils, beets, figs, sweet peppers, and tomato, tossing gently. to make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until emulsified. Pour dressing over salad and toss again. To serve, sprinkle sesame seeds and hemp seeds over the salad for garnish (and some extra nutrition!) Bon appetit!

lentilfig3

How are you spending Labor Day Weekend? My plan is to spend time outside with good friends and good food. Simple, but so meaningful. Have a fab weekend!

XO,

Alexandra

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