Who doesn’t love noodles? Nobody. That’s who. I don’t know what it is about noodles that is just so satisfying but here is a recipe for some delicious noods from a few of my favorite twins, the Happy Pear.
​
INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups whole wheat or brown rice noodles (4 nests)
• 1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger 15g
• 1 red chilli, medium heat
• 1 bunch of scallions/spring onions
• 1 carrot
• 1.74 cups oyster mushrooms or mushroom of choice
• 1 head of pak choi/100g baby spinach
• 1.5 tbsp oil
  
  

For the dressing:

• 1.06 cups coconut milk
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• juice of 2 limes
• 4 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
  
  

To garnish:

• a small bunch of fresh coriander/basil 10g
• 3 tbsp salted roasted peanuts
• pickled ginger
• wedges of lime

INSTRUCTIONS

• Put the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cook as per instructions on the back of the packet (usually takes 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water in a colander over the sink.
• It’s best to prep all the veg first, as this is a fast-cooking dish cooked on a high heat in about 5 minutes. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Remove the end off the chilli and finely slice (leave the seeds in only if you like it hot). Finely slice the scallions/spring onions, remove any limp outer leaves and finely chop the green parts. Grate the carrot. Finely chop the mushrooms. Remove the nub at the end of the pak choi and finely chop.
• Put 1.5 tablespoons of oil into a non-stick large-bottomed pan (ideally a wok) on a high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the ginger and chilli, and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.
• Add the mushrooms, scallions and the grated carrot with 1 tsp salt. Cook for further 5 minutes, stirring as it cooks.
• In a cup, mix together the dressing ingredients, using a fork (do not worry if it stays a bit lumpy and the coconut milk does not break up completely, it will once it’s added to the pan).
• Add the dressing in to the pan and stir through thoroughly, so that it coats all the veg well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Next, add the cooked noodles and the chopped pak choi and cook for another few minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Roughly chop the fresh coriander or basil and use them as garnish for each serving together with sprinkles of roasted peanuts.
• It’s nice served with some pickled ginger and a wedge of lime on each serving.

Recipe and Photo Credit: thehappypear.ie/

A twist on our all-time favorite. Just hummus and add greens! Creamy, yummy, flavorful, healthy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• CHICKPEAS
  • Chickpeas are what makes hummus, hummus. They’re a great protein-filled legume that is a wonderful base for our favorite dip. You can use dry or canned chickpeas for this recipe.
  • Got time? Start with dried chickpeas and take credit for hummus from SCRATCH.
  • Quick version: 15-ounce can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
    
    
• TAHINI
  • Tahini is a sesame seed paste. Complementing the chickpeas perfectly, the quality of the tahini is essential. It creates a beautiful nutty and earthy flavor in the hummus. 
  • ¼ cup tahini
    
    
• LEMON + LIME JUICE
  • Use only freshly squeezed citrus. This brightens the tahini and gives it that lovely lightness and fresh flavor to round out the tahini notes.
  • 1 large lemon + 1 large lime
    
    
• OLIVE OIL + SESAME OIL
  • Without this, your hummus is technically oil-free. So if you’re into that sort of thing, feel free. It’s not necessary, but I like all the oil. A generous drizzle of oil stops the hummus from drying out and adds that extra bit of creaminess.
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons sesame oil + more for serving
    
    
• CILANTRO
  • The green! Cilantro adds a pungent, bright, lemony, and a little peppery flavor to the hummus. 
  • Cilantro contains vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, and manganese. Researchers have found that cilantro may provide health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and seizure severity, as well as raising energy levels and healthy hair and skin. I mean… bring on the cilantro!
  • At least 1 bunch of roughly chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley - if you have any cilantro haters that only taste soap in their cilantro)
    
    
• BASIL
  • This one makes the grummus have a more complex profile adding a bit of a mint pepper flavor.
  • I like plain cilantro sometimes, but depending what we’re pairing it with, add basil just to be extra! 
  • Basil has compounds that can help to alleviate anxiety and depression, increase your ability to think clearly, and lower the risk for age-related memory loss. Essential oils in basil, including eugenol, linalool, and citronellol, can help to fight inflammation in the body.
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil (or as much as you want to taste!)
    
    
• GARLIC
  • Fresh roasted garlic. Don’t substitute the fresh. Do roast for the full depth of flavor. 
  • 5 large cloves
    
    
• SALT
  • Flavor 
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

• CUMIN
  • A touch of cumin to add flavor
    
    
• WATER
  • The water MUST be cold. This is the key ingredient that will help the hummus whip up and become super luscious and creamy.
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons water, optional

 

• Save some olive oil and chopped herbs for the garnish!

DIRECTIONS

You can use either dry or canned chickpeas. If using dry chickpeas, soak them overnight.

Turn on your oven and roast your garlic in a tinfoil.

Soaked or canned chickpeas - cook them in a pot of boiling water until nice and soft (about 10 minutes). They will have a little peel on them that will come right off when you gently squeeze them with your fingers, or when you roll them gently in a clean kitchen towel. No need to obsess about getting all the skins, but do make an effort! This is going to give the hummus that smooth and creamy texture.

Start with your tahini and lemon juice in your food processor or blender. Process for about one minute. 

Add the olive oil, cilantro, garlic and salt. Process for another minute. 

Add half the cooked chickpeas. Process for a minute. 

Scrape down the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process until the hummus is thick and quite smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes more.

If hummus is too thick or hasn’t blended into the creamy oblivion of your dreams, drizzle in the cold water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped herbs. 

Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to one week.

Photo Credit: Jess Choosing Chia

Citrus breakfast salad with spicy granola chile.
You’re welcome.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 to 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, such as Calabrian
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1/2 cup toasted buckwheat groats (kasha)
• 1/2 cup seeds (such as flax, hemp, and sesame)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup good quality maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 4 to 6 favorite mixed citrus, such as blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, grapefruits, and satsuma mandarins, sliced and segmented
• Sheep's-milk yogurt (plain or maple-flavored), for serving (optional)
• Flaky salt

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small pot over medium heat, bring oil and red pepper flakes to a simmer, then remove from heat. Swirl in cinnamon and let stand a few minutes (the longer it sits, the spicier it will be). Strain into a large bowl though a fine-mesh sieve; remove 1 tablespoon or so of spicy oil and set aside.
  
 Step 2
To that same large bowl with spicy oil, add oats, buckwheat, seeds, almonds, maple syrup, kosher salt, and egg whites. Combine with a wooden spoon until everything is mixed and moistened. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake, rotating and mixing every 15 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes.
   
Step 3
Arrange citrus on your plate or plates. Scatter with a handful of granola and top with a spoonful of yogurt (use the back of a spoon to give it a nice swoop), if desired. Drizzle with reserved spicy oil and sprinkle with flaky salt. Save any remaining granola in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

Note:
To assemble a citrus salad that's as pretty as it is delicious, take the time to segment, slice, and supreme fruits that vary in size and color.

Excerpted from the new book Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession, by Jess Damuck, published by Abrams.Text © 2022 by Jess Damuck.

Photography by Linda Pugliese.

Depending on where in the world you are and how you are preparing them, tamales have many names and variations like tamals, tamalitos, or pasteles, hallacas, and humitas... Today, we’ll talk about traditional tamales that are made with a corn masa dough surrounding a yummy filling.

The earliest tamales were simple. They were made with beans and squash and roasted over a fire. Europeans introduced meats and cheeses, but I like to keep ours pretty simple. 

What I want to do here is offer you the MOST basic instructions to build your tamales, but YOU get to decide what you put inside!

INGREDIENTS:

Corn husks (soak these in water before wrapping)

Masa (you’ll notice the recipe on the box calls for pork lard. While you’re welcome to use it, you don’t need it for tasty tamales!)

Veggie broth (chicken broth if you’re so inclined)

FILLINGS:
This is where you get to be creative! Here are some we’ve made and loved:

• Black beans, peppers & cheese. (Vegan or regular depending on your dietary preferences.) Add adobo or taco seasoning. Don’t be shy with the cheese!
  
  
• Chile cheese. Simple and fantastic.
  
  
• Mushroom mole. I had an ex that cried when he tried mole. I can’t promise you tears, but I can promise you joy if you try a mushroom mole tamale. 
  
  
• Slow cooked meat. (If you’re into that kind of thing.)
  
  

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: Make your fillings [while you…]

STEP 2: Soak your corn husks

STEP 3: Make your masa (follow instructions on box)

STEP 4: Construct your tamales!

• Lay husk on a flat surface vertically with the skinny side down.
  
  
• Spread masa on corn husk. Start at least an inch from the bottom. Spread almost to top and almost side to side. Consider how thick your spread your masa. I prefer not too thick. *Think about your masa-to-filling ratio and make them how you like them.
  
  
• Add your filling / sauce to the center of the masa
  
  
• Fold the corn husk in half vertically, one side and then the other. (The second side will overlap the masa on the first side. That’s cool.)
  
  
• Fold the bottom (skinny end) up to enclose that side of the tamale.
  
  
• Lay on folded side so it stays together. Or you can peel little strips off of one of your corn husks to create ties and tie your tamales together.
  
  
• That’s it!
  
  

STEP 5: Cook

Leave corn husk on. Put water in pot. Place them vertically in the steamer basket and stand with the open end up. (So water doesn’t get water into the tamale.) Lay them in a way that they won’t open up but also get to steam. 

You can also use a dumpling steamer and lay them flat.
Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to medium. Steam for 30-40 min.
Enjoy with whatever you like (scoop of sour cream, cilantro, and olives are nice topper).

Take off corn husk and TOP with:
Vegan sour cream (or regular)
Cilantro
Olives
Pomegranate seeds (for a splash of color)

Enjoy with others and spread the love!

WHAT YOU NEED

FLOUR
Good quality flour. I use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill. Any unbleached organic flour will do.
You will need All-Purpose Flour and Bread Flour (Bob’s is called “Artisan Bread Flour” - just to make us feel extra fancy and artisanal I suppose.)

WATER
Good quality water. I use filtered water.

SALT
Good quality salt. I use La Baleine fine-grain sea salt.

Noticing the good quality theme? If you want good quality sourdough, use good quality ingredients. And lots of love :) ...

SOURDOUGH STARTER
A good quality starter is essential for an epic loaf of sourdough. If you are on island, swing by and grab some of mine. If you have another friend with a starter, know that everyone loves to share their starter. Seriously. Ask around. With that said, if you have to make your own starter I’m just going to refer you to the World Wide Web or Emilie’s book “Artisan Sourdough Made Simple” (p. 16-23).

Here’s something else I want to say about starters...I know they are intimidating because people think you have to feed them every day and they can go really wild and get messy all over your countertop and create havoc in the kitchen. They don’t have to be that dramatic. I feed my starter once a week and leave it in the fridge the rest of the time. Super simple. When I travel, I leave it in the fridge and revive it when I get home. (I’ve left it for up to 6 weeks she comes right back with a little love!) So don’t stress. You got this. I will describe my process on waking her up weekly below!

Okay, so you have your ingredients.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS NEEDED

MIXING BOWL
Any bowl will do.

OVEN SAFE POT
I use and recommend using a (5qt) Dutch oven. You can get around the Dutch oven if you don’t have one and don’t want one - and I’ll describe how later. However, if you are willing to invest in a Dutch oven, I think you (and your bread-grubbing friends) will be glad you did.

PARCHMENT PAPER
Makes the baking process easier.

KITCHEN SCALE
To weigh your ingredients.

OTHER STUFF YOU CAN GET BUT DON'T REALLY NEED:

DANISH DOUGH WHISK
Probably the least useful item I bought for bread making, yet I use it every time and appreciate it when I do. You could also use a fork and / or your hands for the part I when use the whisk.

BENCH SCRAPER
Sometimes I use it. Sometimes I don’t. It’s most helpful for cleaning up my mess after getting flour everywhere. 

BREAD PROOFING BAKING BASKET WITH LINER (Also called brotforms and bannetons)
This is the basket you proof your bread in. You can also use any bowl in your house with a floured tea towel to stop the loaf from getting stuck.

BREAD LAME
This is to score the bread. You can easily use a knife or razor blade.

OVEN
Obvious much?

You’re ready to begin!

For the purpose of this tutorial, let’s say you’re baking bread for SUNDAY. (I like to bake on the weekend. Usually to take sailing. If you bake bread, you are welcome on the boat anytime! :)

ACTION

SATURDAY MORNING

1. Take your starter out of the fridge.
2. Pour out:
   1. Half (so that you have about 50g in your glass)
3. Add in:
   1. 50g all-purpose flour
      
   2. 50g water (I like to add a squirt of ION to my starter. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, don’t worry about it.)
      
4. Leave Starter out on the counter.
   

SATURDAY NIGHT
Check on your starter. When you took it out of the fridge it was probably pretty “dormant.” Now it should have risen and be bubbly and ready to party.

1. In mixing bowl, add:
   1. 50g bubbly active starter
   2. 350g warm water
   3. 500g bread flour 
   4. 10g fine sea salt
2. Combine with danish whisk or fork. Fully incorporate all ingredients. You’re welcome to use your hands if you wish but the dough will be pretty soggy at this point.
3. Cover bowl. Set it aside for 30 minutes to an hour.
   
4. Replenish your starter with 50g flour + 50g water. Stick it back in the fridge.
5. After your dough has rested, use your hands to work it into a fairly smooth ball. Do this by grabbing the dough from underneath the edges and pulling it back onto itself in the middle, pushing your fingers down in the middle. Do this until you feel the dough start to tighten. One you have your ball, cover up the dough and let it rest overnight. This is called the “bulk rise.” Go to bed and dream sweet sourdough dreams.
   

SUNDAY MORNING
Let that dough rest for 8-12 hours. It’s ready when it looks kinda fluffy and has doubled in size. Now it’s time to shape your dough!

1. Clean your countertop well. Once it is dry, sprinkle a space with all-purpose flour.
   
2. Coax the dough onto your floured work surface. Do like you did last night. Pull from under the corners and push back to the center, folding the dough over itself until you’ve come full circle and it is shaped into a round. Again, you will feel it tighten up a bit when it’s ready.
   Flip the dough over and let it rest while you get the other bits ready (8-10 minutes). The flip can be a little clumsy with just your hands. This is one of the times you will use your bench scraper if you have one; it makes the flip a little easier. Otherwise, just do your best and know that your bread is happy to be held and handled and fumbled and flipped.
   
3. Now get our your bread proofing basket and the liner and cover it with all-purpose flour. You can also use the basket without the liner if you want the lines of the basket on your bread. Use A LOT of flour if you’re not using the liner. If you didn’t get the bread proofing basket, you can use any 8-inchish round bowl and line it with a tea towel and sprinkle plenty of flour in it. (The more flour, the less your dough will stick.) 
   
4. Now grab some more flour for your hands and pull the dough in a circular motion and tighten up its shape. Use your bench scraper (if you have it) or just your hands (covered in flour) to transfer the dough into the bowl / proofing basket.
   
5. Cover the bowl and let it rest. This is its second rise! You want the dough to get puffy and rise slightly, but not double this time. I usually let it rise for about half an hour then put it in the fridge.
   

NOTE: You likely won’t see this step everywhere else you might look! The reason I put my dough in the fridge is to cool it and make it a little easier to score and also to create the significant temperature difference from cold bread into hot Dutch oven to create more steam / moisture when baking. Therefore…

When I put the dough in the fridge, I put my Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450*.

If you did not get a Dutch oven, you should use another oven safe pot. You do not need to put that in the oven just yet - but you do want to put in a baking dish with water in it. The reason why you use the Dutch oven at all is to trap moisture. You can create that same idea by letting a dish with water steam the oven. 

Once the oven is preheated, take the dough out of the fridge. Place parchment paper over your bowl it and flip it over so your dough is centered on your parchment paper.

*You want your parchment paper big enough that you can grab the corners out of a hot Dutch oven, but not so big that those corners will stick out into the oven and get scorched and break off when you go to pull them up.

Score the bread! This is where you will use your bread lame or any sharp knife or a razor blade. You can be as creative as you want to be with the score. A simple x will do or you can get wild and make a beautiful mandala. Simple typically translates better as the bread has a mind of its own once it bakes!

FINAL STEPS

1. Take the Dutch oven out and take the lid off. (You might see steam - this is good. :) Pull up the corners of your parchment paper to place your dough in the Dutch oven. Put the lid back on and put that baby in the oven!
   
2. Bake for 20 minutes on the  center rack with the lid.
   
3. Remove the lid. 30 more minutes!
4. Take out the Dutch oven and remove the dough. Put your loaf back in and finish her off for 5-10 minutes, baking directly on the rack to crisp the crust. 
   
5. Transfer to wire rack to cool for an hour.
6. EnJOY!

A simple, delicious and healthy breakfast — made easy in the oven! Sweet Potato Toast can be made either / both savory and sweet. Good for serving multiple people or meal prepping. ​

Sweet Potato Toast is "Free + Flexi" because it is totally flexible in that you can make it free of whatever you want. Sweet potatoes are automatically gluten free and depending on what toppings you decide to put on, they can be dairy free, fat free, sugar free, all the free!
​I love this "recipe" because it is perfect answer to what's for breakfast when it might not appear you have anything in the pantry or fridge but can also be dressed up for a lavish brunch and / or perfect for meal prepping for a healthy week of brekkie.  
We typically always have sweet potatoes on hand because they're such an easy staple for this recipe, bowls, soups, etc. and they last forever. I recommend you get some in your kitchen too so that you can start making sweet potato toast a regular rotation or popping these grounding superfoods in where you can for a boost in vitamin B, C, D, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, thiamin, zinc and cartenoids. 

INGREDIENTS:
Sweet Potato
Whatever you like on toast!

DIRECTION:
Preheat oven to 400*
Slice potato approximately 1/4inch thick
    Length-wise if you want big long slices / into circles if you bitesize.
    (I typically do lengthwise on weekdays when I'm just having one style toast and bitesize when
    I'm serving to a group so people can have a variety of flavors.
Pop them in the oven for ~30 minutes or until they look toasty.
Pick and place toppings and enjoy!

STORAGE:
If you’re prepping this recipe ahead of time, you can store the sweet potato toast in your fridge for up to 5 days. Just let the pieces cool completely and stack them in a storage container, with parchment paper in between.Once you’re ready to eat, you can re-heat these slices by popping them into your toaster! Healthy, delicious, and easy!

TOPPINGS:
Here's a couple ideas to dress your potato toasts but I invite you to get wild! (You'll definitely want to try my signature #JPBSPT! (Jelly Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Toast:)

Hope this takes your next breakfast to the next level! Tag me with your most delicious + creative recipes. @jennperellbush

Brought to you from the kitchen of Brisa Hennessy! Print out version of her recipe available below. Check out her youtube channel and follow her on IG @brisahennessy

Ingredients:
[serves 4]
3 medium peeled sweet potatoes
3 limes
1 can of coconut milk
1 medium carrot
1 medium red onion
1 medium cucumber
1 can of corn (drained)
1 small bunch of Cilantro
2 medium tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Optional: 
Hot sauce of choice
Tortilla chips

Instructions:

• Get out a cutting board, a knife, a large spoon and a medium mixing bowl
• Cut the boiled sweet potatoes into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes and add it to your bowl
• Squeeze one of your limes onto the sweet poatoes
• Give your cilantro a fine chop and also throw it into the bowl
• Next chop your carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion into small cubes (a little bigger than the corn kernels.)
• Add your chopped vegetables and half of the drained canned corn into the mixing bowl
• Open your canned coconut milk and add it to the mixing bowl as well as the juice of the last two limes
• Add the optional hot sauce and salt/pepper to taste.
• Mix until fully combined. :)
• Serve with tortilla chips or enjoy it alone!​

Bitchin' Sauce wants to be slathered on home made sourdough and just about anything else you want to put it on. This recipe was appropriated from The Faux Martha who I bow to for figuring out this deliciousness!

3/4 c. + 2 tbsp. water
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil (or similar neutral oil)
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. chipotle pepper adobo 
2 tsp. bragg liquid aminos
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. paprika

Place ingredients in high power blender and enjoy!