My Garden Plate

Carrot Juice a la Lulu!

One thing I always look forward to when going home to Miami is starting each morning out with my mom's freshly made carrot juice. It's one of the best things out there. So refreshingly sweet and healthy, it's the perfect start to any morning.

Coachella Survival Tip: Coconut Water

Coachella is a popular 3 day music festival in Palm Springs consisting of 100 degree weather and an endless amount of walking, dancing and boozing, leaving your body in dire need of hydration. So how did I survive this year's Coachella extraveganza you ask? Coconut water!

A Power Breakfast - Bircher Muesli!

If you haven't had the pleasure of trying this European power breakfast, I encourage you to drop everything you're doing and jump on a flight to Switzerland right now. Or, if you're like me, you can just follow the recipe below and enjoy this deliciously creamy breakfast in the comfort of your own home.

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

This recipe was originally concepted as seared cod over a pea pesto puree, but when shopping for the ingredients I found the cod's market price to be a bit out of my weeknight dinner price range. So just like that, cod was out and the much more affordable tilapia was in. Tilapia is a nice mild, white fish that can easily stand up to being fried, grilled or baked. I chose to lightly coat the fish with corn meal for texture and prepared a creamy polenta to add contrast. Last I drizzled a roasted red pepper sauce around the polenta for a burst of flavor and color.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

There's nothing I love more than fresh produce from the farmers market on a Sunday morning. These red peppers I found last weekend were particularly beautiful that I had to take them home with me. Then I burned them. Well, okay I didn't burn the peppers, but I did roast them till they charred. This was the perfect base for my easy red pepper sauce. It's a real simple sauce that packs a whole lot of flavor. Try it at home some time.

Suggestion - Serve along side Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia and Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

 

Polenta is a nice alternative to your everyday side dish of, say, rice or potatoes. It's comforting and rich in flavor, yet so easy to make. This recipe in particular is a basic version that calls for just a few quality ingredients like cream and Parmesan. Feel free to switch out or add in new ingredients to create an exciting version of your own!

Suggestion - serve along side Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Delicious Steak Salad

I love steak. Put steak on anything and I'll eat that too...that's the magic of this dish! Throw a bunch of delicious, fresh veggies to make a salad and top with a red juicy steak and you've got a very happy meal. 

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops

 

Lamb chops are not only a tender, flavorful cut of meat, but also make an elegant dish worthy of any special occasion. When properly prepared, the meat should fall of its bone and melt in your mouth like butter. Best of all, it's a cinch to make. Paired with a simple marinade of fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil, this lamb will make your taste buds sing! Giada de Laurentiis's minimalist approach of using just a few quality ingredients really shines through in this recipe. I paired these chops with classic Mediterranean flavors including a mint pesto and classic tabbouleh salad. Delicious!

Curried Chicken Salad

 

Everyone raves about Ina Garten's Curried Chicken Salad. Popularity for this dish stems from her famous Barefoot Contessa specialty food store in the Hampton's and popular Food Network television show. Being the food buff that I am, I desperately wanted to recreate it. 

Pea Pesto Crostini

 

Most of us are familiar with the traditional basil pesto comprised of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil. What I love about pesto is its versatility; it can truly be made with anything including spinach, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.