Ingredients:

1 lb. Banza Fusilli Pasta (2 boxes)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
​2 tbsp finely minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 large lemons, zest and juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
6 oz fresh arugula

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In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and minced garlic, and cook for 60 seconds until fragrant and just cooked through.  Add the heavy cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.  Turn up the heat just until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occassionally.

In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the Banza fusilli 7-8 minutes, until al dente.  Once the pasta is ready, I like to take big spoonfuls of it and add directly to the lemon cream sauce.  You can also drain the pasta and add to a bowl with the sauce.  

Add in the parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, and arugula, and toss all together.  

Serve warm immediately, and enjoy! 

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken breasts and 1/2 cup  chicken stock, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Only remove the lid once halfway through to flip the chicken.  Once the 15 minutes is up, move the chicken to a plate and let cool before shredding!  Shred with two forks and set aside.  

In a separate large stockpot over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, and add the onion, parsnip, carrot, and celery.  Sauté for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the garlic, and sauce for an additional minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.  

Add in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, shredded chicken, and remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and stir to combine.  Use a long spoon to crush the tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  

Add in the spinach, and roughly chopped basil, and stir to combine.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, allowing the spinach to wilt, and serve!  Taste for seasoning, and add additional salt & pepper as needed. Top with more basil and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.  Enjoy! 

Serves 2 (divide or multiply ingredients as necessary!

​Ingredients: 

2 sweet potatoes
1/8 cup EVOO
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Cut slits in the potatoes at 1/4-inch intervals, going almost all the way through the potato, and place in your roasting pan.

Rub the olive oil all over the potato's, finely chop the rosemary leaves, and sprinkle all over the potatoes with the salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Try and get as much of the ingredients in the slits as possible.  

Bake the sweet potatoes for 1 hour, or until the center is tender and the outside is crisp, and the potatoes have fanned out. 

​In the meantime, whisk together the sour cream and 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup for the topping.  

When the potatoes come out of the oven, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, top with a dollop of the sour cream & maple syrup mixture, and serve warm!

Ingredients:

4 large zucchini (approximately 2 lbs)
8 oz frozen chopped spinach
6-8 ounces (a 14 ounce can drained) artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup good quality marinara sauce
3 garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
​1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine 
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Trim the ends off of the zucchini, and using a 1/4" mandolin slicer, slice into strips lengthwise.  Arrange strips in a single layer on 2 cooling racks and place on baking sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes until soft, but before they begin to get color.

In the meantime, drain and rinse the artichokes, and rinse the spinach to thaw.  In a towel or cheese cloth, drain as much water from the spinach and artichokes as possible.  Once drained, finely chop and add to a large bowl.  To the same bowl, add the ricotta, mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, and basil.  Stir well to fully combine.  

In a 10" x 10" baking dish, or similar size (mine was oval), add half of the tomato sauce to the bottom of the pan, and spread to coat.  

Once the zucchini has been removed from the oven and cooled enough to handle, spread approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture on each zucchini noodle, spreading out over the entire noodle.  Gently roll the zucchini up so that the rollup is thick, and the cheese mixture doesn't get pushed out of the rollup.

Add to the baking dish, and continue until all of the noodles are gone, and all of the rollups are in the dish!

Add the rest of the marinara sauce in dollops to each of the rollups, sprinkle a bit more mozzarella cheese over the top, and put back in the oven to bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.  

Let rest for 5 minutes, sprinkle with additional herbs, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (approximately 2 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut them into fries that are 1/4" thick matchsticks, the thinner the better, but most importantly you want them to be uniform in size.  

Fill a large bowl with cold water & ice, and add the sweet potatoes, letting soak for at least 1 hour.  Drain the water from the bowl, rinse the fries once more with cold water, and then drain thoroughly.  Pat dry with a towel.  This step is extremely important!  It helps to pull some of the starch out of the potatoes, which prevents them from getting crispy.

Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with a nonstick cooking spray.  I use the non-stick olive oil spray, and it works great.

In a large bowl, add the sweet potatoes, drizzle over the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Use your hands to mix everything together, then pour the fries onto the baking sheet, spreading into a single even layer with the fries not touching each other as best as possible.  

Place the baking sheet in the oven in the lower third of the over, and let bake for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, remove from the oven, toss everything around, and spread in a single layer again.  Bake for another 15 minutes until the fries are golden brown.  

Turn off the oven, open the door partially, and allow the fries to rest and crisp up for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and immediately toss with the parmesan, parsley, and another pinch of sea salt, and enjoy! 

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
​3-4 ounces baby arugula
1 avocado, diced
1 shallot, chopped fine (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
​3 tablespoons EVOO
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

If eating immediately:

Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, avocado, and arugula to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes.  To this add the lime juice, EVOO, champagne vinegar, shallots, jalapeño, and parsley.  Mix well to combine, and pour over the chickpea, avocado, and shallot mixture.  Fold gently to combine.

Top with crumbled feta, and serve!

If packing for lunches: 

Combine the dressing as done above, and add to the chickpeas only.  Gently toss, and divide this mixture into two lunch containers.  On top of the dressed chickpeas, add half (a large handful) of arugula, then the crumbled feta, and finally, the cubed avocado, without mixing the arugula into the chickpea mixture.  When you're ready to eat, shake up the container, and enjoy! 

I like to leave the half of avocado per lunch in individual ziploc bags to prevent browning, and scoop them out into the salad container right before I put the top back on and shake! 

Enjoy!

Serves 6

​Ingredients:

​Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1.5 cups yellow onions, chopped
2 cups carrots, 1/2" diced (approx. 3-4 stalks)
2 cups celery, 1/2" diced (approx 3-4 stalks)
2.5 cups butternut squash, peeled and 1/2" cubed
1.5 tbsp minced garlic (approx. 4 cloves)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 (26 ounce) can diced San Marzano tomatoes
8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
​8-10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup good dry white wine
2 tablespoons store bought pesto
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Wash, peel, and chop all of your veggies.  

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat, and add the onions, carrots, celery, butternut squash, minced garlic, and thyme leaves.  Cook stirring regularly until the vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes.  

Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt and pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Add the beans, and heat through.

If serving immediately, add the spinach, stir in the white wine, and pesto.  

Serve in large shallow bowls, and top with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

​Enjoy! 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb Banza Chickpea Penne Pasta
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/2 cup fontina, shredded
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 ball fresh mozarella, cut into 1/4 inch strips
8 fresh basil leaves, julienned, plus more for garnish
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Boil a large pot of salted water, add the penne, and cook for 6 minutes, just shy of al dente.  Drain the pasta into a collander and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the crushed tomatoes, pecorino romano, goat cheese, ricotta, fontina, mozzarella, and basil leaves.  Once the cooked pasta is cool, add to the mixture, and toss to combine.  

Divide the pasta mixture into the six shallow ramekins, or one larger shallow casserole dish.  Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7-10 minutes.  If you are not baking this immediately (save the leftovers uncooked in the fridge!), you may need a couple more minutes watching carefully, and I also added a bit more of the pecorino romano on the top for good measure.

Top with freshly julienned basil, and enjoy!!

Serves: Four 6-8 ounce jars, multiplies easily

​Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 strip of orange peel (plus more for jar garnish)
1 cinnamon stick (plus more for jar garnish)
1 cup good quality bourbon
​1 bag fresh cherries

Take the time to pit each cherry, and then divide equally into four 6-8 ounce glass jars.  This will work out to be about 10-12 cherries per jar.  

In a sauce pan over medim high heat, combine with a whisk the water, honey, and brown sugar.  Add in a orange peel and a cinnamon stick, and let simmer for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld together.

Remove from the heat, and strain out the orange peel and cinnamon stick, letting the liquid strain into a separate bowl.  To that bowl, off of the heat, add in the bourbon, and stir to combine.  

Evenly divide this mixture into the four ramekins or jars.  top with a cinnamon stick, and an orange peel per jar, and seal.

Let sit in the fridge for 3 days, and then enjoy for up to 3 months!  

Serves 6

​Ingredients:

5 large red tomatoes, cored and cut into quarters
1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Core and chop the tomatoes, peel and roughly chop the yellow onion, the garlic cloves, and mince the thyme.  Add ingredients to a large baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and use your hands to toss together and combine.  Roast for 30 - 35 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and juicy.  

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly, for about 10 minutes.  Place into a medium sized soup pot (I used my Le Creuset dutch oven), and add the vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and basil.  Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, then transfer to the pot), blend the ingredients together to your desired consistency.  

Test for seasonings, and finally, add in the heavy cream.  Stir this all together over low heat, and let combine for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to serve! 

​Garnish with the grated gruyere cheese and fresh thyme leaves, and enjoy!