Air Fried Shishito Peppers
Shishito peppers are in peak season during the summer and early Fall. I always get excited when I spot them at the grocery store because they are crispy, salty, and so easy to make. You can sautee these peppers in a frying pan with some coconut oil or avocado oil, but I prefer the air fryer.
Dragonfruit Southside
Shyler likes to use dragon fruit for homemade ice cream when it’s in season. Dragon fruit adds a nice texture and color. As you may already know, the color varies between white, pink, purple, and red, and it’s not easy to tell from the outside of the fruit, what color is on the inside. One night when Shyler was making ice cream with deep purple dragon fruit, I added a scoop to a Southside with Zephyr Gin, lime, and mint syrup. The dragon fruit didn’t add any flavor, but it added a fantastic indigo color. Ever since then, I have used dragon fruit Southsides in the summertime when I need an eye-catching cocktail!
Spindrift Colada
The Pina Colada is a great cocktail, but usually, it’s full of bad stuff like fake coconut cream and pineapple syrup. Inspired by the pineapple juice in spindrift sparkling water, I created a much lighter pina colada that is more refreshing than the traditional tropical dessert drink.
Dos Agaves Margarita
I love mezcal, but I know that it’s not for everyone. It can take a while to warm up to, kind of like scotch. Mixing Blanco tequila and mezcal in a proper margarita is a great way to impart the flavor of Mezcal without it becoming overbearing. If you want to get a little funkier, split the 1.5 oz of primary spirit up three ways with tequila, mezcal, and sotol.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
While Tex Mex is traditionally known for being very oily and unhealthy, the basics of Latin American cuisine are really great, i.e. meat, fish, veggies, beans, rice, and a little bit of corn, along with a wide variety of spices, including allspice, coriander, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, cacao, thyme, and Mexican oregano. This recipe is very easy to make. For the photo, we plated everything separately to look really pretty, but to save time, I normally throw everything in the instant pot together. The end product is equally tasty and much easier than cooking the corn and beans separately.
Dragon fruit Ice cream
Out of all of the desserts, we make ice cream the most frequently. We typically make chocolate ice cream, vanilla ice cream, or mint chocolate chip, but sometimes we like to mix it up with red dragon fruit ice cream because it is so pretty.
Grain-Free Bagels
This bagel recipe was created after trying the bagel recipe from Elana’s pantry. I have made them a few times, and they are very good. I love the texture and the subtle buttery taste. The ingredients are clean and I enjoy mixing in the flax meal, which is full of omega 3 fatty acids and provides the needed gelatinous quality that normally comes from the gluten in wheat flour.
Gingerbread
I originally thought this recipe would be in the snack section of the recipes. I wanted to include a homemade snack bar or protein bar. However, this recipe was so sweet and tasty that it really holds its own as a dessert. I will have to experiment in the future with a gingerbread protein bar.
No Fudging Way (Healthy Fudge)
Luckily, I discovered this fudge recipe early on in my quest to feel better. I loved it so much and was so excited about all of the different ways you could adjust the recipe to add some unique flavors that I considered starting my own healthy fudge company, called “no fudging way.” While I never took the steps to get my fudge company going, I am definitely excited to share this recipe! I hope you enjoy this fudge as much as I do.
Amaro And Soda Highball
An Amaro and soda is quite possibly the best 2 ingredient cocktail in existence because Amaro has it all, including some sweet, some bitter, and some alcohol. Adding soda and making it into a highball allows for it to be enjoyed as a refresher.
Unfiltered Aviation
I first came up with this cocktail specifically for an event at the Trammel Crow Museum of Asian Art in downtown Dallas in 2018. The original recipe did not include gin. When I began working for Zephyr Gin, I was in need of a few cocktails to pitch to Asian-inspired restaurants, and after playing around with the proportions of the original version of the unfiltered aviation, I was able to come up with a version including gin. This is that version. Kesaku at the top of the Thompson Hotel has had this cocktail on the menu since opening last year.
Shrimp Remoulade
I was very excited to make this recipe for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is my husband’s favorite meal from his childhood growing up in New Orleans. Secondly, my lovely Aunt Barbara gave me a really cool cookbook called “The Eat Fit Cookbook” by Molly Kimball, who created “Ochsner Eat Fit.” Oschner Eat Fit is a non-profit in New Orleans that encourages local chefs to create healthy options on their menus.
Air Fried Teriyaki Salmon and Brussels
Here we go again with my obsession with my air fryer. It is the easiest and most delicious cooking with the least mess that I have ever experienced. This recipe can be thrown together in 5 minutes or less. Throw it all in the air fryer, top with a little bit of GF teriyaki sauce, and let the air fryer do all the work.
Dill Potato Salad
Once you have made coleslaw, potato salad is really the same thing but with cooked and cooled potatoes instead of cabbage. You can use all the same variations you would use with your slaw with potatoes! I paired this potato salad with air-fried, bone-in, skin-on bbq chicken.
Lunch To-Go (Chicken Salad Over Greens)
I super love this Bentgo salad container from Macy’s! It has space for everything, including a salad dressing container and a little spoon/fork attached that clips into the top. They are on sale right now too! I got the pink one for me and the light green color for my husband. This is my quick to-go recipe when I don’t have time to pack a lunch.
Breakfast Hash
For this breakfast hash, my root vegetable medley included butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, sweet yellow onion, shallots, and garlic. Since it was August, we did not have access to some of the delicious, seasonal root veggies like parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips. Next time I make this breakfast hash, I will definitely include a larger variety of root vegetables, but it is fun to try different combinations as well.
Grain-Free Bagel and Lox
This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes! Bagels are not something I get to enjoy often with Celiac disease, and so this feels like a real treat. I also love any breakfast where I can add leafy greens on top. Smoked salmon and eggs are so easy, delicious, and nutrient-dense (queue omega 3 fatty acids for anti-inflammatory benefits). This smoked salmon is wild-caught sockeye by Ducktrap. I also love the lemon pepper smoked salmon option to mix it up.
Flourless Coffee Brownies
Flourless brownies are a quick dessert you can throw together as long as you have cacao powder, eggs, and maple syrup. You can add arrowroot flour or try coconut or almond flour. I really enjoyed the chocolate chips for some texture and added sweetness. The coffee taste was subtle. I might try adding more coffee grounds next time or even try adding decaf coffee to avoid caffeine late at night. You can also add almond butter or peanut butter if you like your brownies a little bit creamy.
Coleslaw
Coleslaw has become one of my favorite recipes to make. I always make it a little bit differently, and it has become a family favorite. The basics of the recipe include cabbage and primal kitchen mayo, which is made with avocado oil. From there, you can add a number of vegetables like carrots, radishes, onions, pickles, cucumbers, bell peppers, or broccoli, fruit like tomatoes, apples, or grapes, spices like cayenne, cumin, ginger, or garlic, and fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or dill.
Garden Gimlet
There have been many versions of this cocktail over the years appearing on cocktail menus of mine in Dallas. The great thing is any variation always works well. The base of this sour can be lemon or lime. The sweetener can be simple syrup, agave, or honey syrup. The flavor profile can include cucumber, cilantro, ginger, or just 1 or 2 of the three. The base spirit can be gin, pisco, Blanco tequila, mezcal, or even something as boring as vodka. As long as the sweet and sour are balanced with the spirit, you can’t go wrong.