Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad, by Cheryl

As I was plating it... I wanted to show you the pretty veggies!

The finished version. Should have put more herbs on it!

Jon and I recently watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix. Have you seen it? The chef, Samin Nosrat, travels the world to explore the four basic keys to wonderful cooking and says if you can master these four things then you can master cooking! It was really interesting and I learned a lot from it. I'm really interested in getting her cookbook now since the recipes that she showcased on the series looked really good. One of them being this roasted vegetable and bean salad. The vinaigrette definitely makes the vegetables pop and the beans went wonderfully with it. The only thing I didn't include was the feta cheese since I felt like I didn't really need it. I heated some up the next day with a couple of poached eggs and it was delish! A great way to get some delicious fresh veggies in. Yum!

Ingredients (modified from here):

1 bunch carrots
1 small head cauliflower
1 pound brussel sprouts, halved
2 cups cooked white beans
4 oz French feta cheese
Cilantro leaves, dill, mint leaves
red wine vinaigrette
     - 1/8 cup diced shallot
     - 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
     - 1/4 cup olive oil
     - salt, pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Toss Brussel sprouts with salt and olive oil. Place on baking sheet with flat sides down. Do the same with the other vegetables keeping enough space between the veggies so they have enough air to cook. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, checking after about 12 minutes.

3) Reserving the cooking liquid, drain beans and place in large bowl. Dress with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and season with salt and spices.

4) Layer the salad: cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, carrots on the bottom. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with zatar spices, the spoon beans over vegetables. Sprinkle with large spoonfuls of feta.

5) In another bowl dress the herbs with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Place atop the salad and serve immediately.

For the vinaigrette:

1) Let the shallots sit in a bowl or jar for 15 minutes with the red wine vinegar. Then add olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir or shake to combine then taste and adjust as needed.

Garifuna Hudut, by Diane

We were recently blessed with the presence of this amazing chef in Belize, Ivy Flores. We loved her cooking so much we went back breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3 straight days, and on the 4th day she taught us how to cook some of her cultural specialties. This was one of the dishes, and I have been craving it since I got back a few weeks back. This is EASY to throw together and the flavors are out of this world! I was afraid mine wouldn't turn out like hers, but I'm happy to report that it was spot on!!

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 unripe plantains, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 can coconut milk, full fat (we made our own with her, but I have since found it doesn't taste the same or have the same consistency, so canned is easier!)
Water
Chicken bullion or consume, about 2 tsp
3 green habanero peppers, whole
4 okra, whole (I couldn't find these in season so I bought frozen sliced)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 small white onion, chopped
2 tbsp. crushed oregano
Salt to taste
2-3 fish filets (tilapia, flounder, or snapper), cut into chunks
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Coconut oil
Optional: yams or sweet potatoes

Directions:

1. Boil water and add plantains, boil until fork tender. Let them cool completely and then mash with one clove crushed garlic. Set aside.

2. Pour the coconut milk into a soup pot, then fill the can back up with water and add to the pot. Add in bullion/consume, habaneros (keep whole- you don't want them to burst), okra, onion, remaining clove of garlic, and oregano to boil. Add in the sweet potatoes/yams now too if using. Reduce to a simmer uncovered.

3. Meanwhile, coat the fish in salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then fry in coconut oil until just cooked. Add into the soup along with pan drippings.

4. Simmer together for another 5-10 min, adjust seasonings (I found Goya works best).

5. To serve, grab a small ball of the plantain mixture and dip in the soup, or you can create dumplings out of the plantains and drop them in. All good!!!

Sticky Mango Chicken, by Diane

This recipe is from @thekitcheneer Instagram, and intrigued me because so many people on Whole30 loved it! I really love mango in Asian dishes, and it seemed pretty straightforward. This came out really sweet, so I wasn't a huge fan, but I think if you cut down the mango or cut the dates down/out it could work. I added coconut milk to this to try and lighten up the flavor, which helped a bit as well.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 dates
1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp. almond butter
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper


Directions:

1. Saute the chicken with salt and pepper in the oil until cooked through.

2. While the chicken cooks, make the sauce by adding all remaining ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove and blend into a paste.

3. Combine the sauce with the drained chicken, and serve over riced cauliflower.

Burnt Broccoli, by Diane

This side dish is from @daniellewalker on Instagram, and was a fun addition to try! I am always looking for new fun ways to eat veggies, and I really liked the interesting mix of spices and charring on the broccoli! Super easy to make as well.

Ingredients:

4 broccoli crowns, cut into bite size pieces
3 tbsp. oil (I used some bacon fat and coconut oil, the author suggests ghee and avocado oil)
3/4 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each chili powder, onion powder, cumin
1/8 tsp each cinnamon, coriander, pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Place broccoli evenly spaced on the baking trays, drizzle with oils, sprinkle with seasonings, and toss to coat.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, toss with melted oils, bake for another 15-18 minutes.

Banana Pudding, by Cheryl

Have you ever been to Magnolia Bakery in NYC? They have the BEST banana pudding in the world and whenever I found myself on the upper west side while living in NYC I had to get some. Now there's quite a few locations in the city, but it was probably better that I was limited 15 years ago! Anyway, this recipe can definitely rival their banana pudding.. it's THAT GOOD! I made this for a superbowl part and people were licking the bowl wanting more, even though I made more than enough. The secret is using the sweetened condensed milk to make the pudding instead of just regular milk. It really adds that extra sugar punch! Super unhealthy, but super delicious. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from my friend Kate):

1.5 cups cold water
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
3-4 ripe bananas
1 box vanilla wafers
3 cups heavy cream
1 box vanilla pudding mix

Directions:

1) Mix vanilla pudding with sweetened condensed milk and water until it's well blended with no lumps

2) Refrigerate for a few hours

3) Whip the heavy cream with electric mixer until there are soft peaks

4) Fold pudding and whipped cream together

5) Assemble:
    - Start with a layer of vanilla wafers on the bottom
    - Layer of banana
    - Layer of pudding mixture
    - Repeat
    - Finish with extra wafers crushed on top