We all know that adding spiralized vegetable noodles into your soups not only amps up the flavor of the meal, it packs in more nutrients and fiber, which fills you up and nourishes your body all at the same time.

This soup wasn’t originally going to have an Asian flair (the Thai red curry paste.) But, when I tasted it towards the end, I thought it needed a little something, so I stirred in some red curry paste and the flavors of the long-simmered chicken broth and the carrots really married well together. Plus, the little spritz of lime at the end gives it a tang and brings all the flavors together!

The bell peppers are a nice crunch and make this bowl extra colorful – alas, eating the rainbow is an essential part of eating healthy, right?

This recipe was originally made with turnips, but I wanted to try it out with carrot noodles, and I like the flavors better for this soup. Below, you can watch a video of how it was originally made.

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Spicy Asian Chicken Turnip Noodle Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 1 12 - ounce chicken breast with bones, skin discarded
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 red bell pepper
• 5 scallions
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 large carrot
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring the chicken, broth and two cups of water to a simmer.
• Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool.
• While the chicken is cooking, deseed and then thinly slice the red bell pepper and slice the scallions on an angle. Then, peel the turnips, spiralize them using Blade C and trim them for ease of serving. Set all aside.
• Then, shred the chicken and set aside, returning only the bones back into the simmering broth and raise the heat to bring to a boil. Then, let cook uncovered and reduce down by about one-third, about 10-15 minutes.
• Once reduced, strain the broth by scooping out the bones with a slotted spoon. Whisk the curry paste into the broth and return to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the turnip noodles and bell pepper and cook until the noodles are just tender, about 3 minutes. Then, stir in the shredded chicken and scallions.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and top with cilantro leaves. Serve with the lime wedges.

The post Spicy Asian Chicken Carrot Noodle Soup appeared first on Inspiralized.

I really loved this past weekend. I felt like it was the perfect balance of fun and productivity.

Aren’t those the best types of weekends?

Let’s recap. On Friday night, Lu and I went to the Knicks vs. Nets game at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. I had never seen a professional basketball game before in my life, so this was super exciting for me! A friend of ours was at the game, so we met up afterwards and had dinner and drinks.

On Saturday, I had brunch with my friends Ryann and Cassidy at The Butcher’s Daughter. If you live in the NYC area or are planning a trip to NYC, I really really suggest this place. I had the Monterrey Eggs and I literally licked my plate clean (and I rarely do that!) – it came with tomato jam, avocado mash, sourdough toast, hashbrowns and two fried eggs.

I also got the “vampire slayer” juice shot, which had ginger, cayenne and lemon juice – it was phenomenal and the perfect amount of zing. And for those of you who don’t know me, I’m a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer nerd, so, OBVIOUSLY I couldn’t resist. It was a gorgeous day (60 degrees out!), so my friends and I walked around SoHo and it was one of those perfect girls days.

Also on Saturday, our bedroom furniture was delivered, and I am so so happy with how it all turned out. I’m going to be featuring my living room and bedroom makeover on the blog, because I’m always inspired by other people’s before and afters, so I’m hoping mine will inspire someone else’s.

Saturday night we went with a few friends to a new restaurant in Jersey City that opened up called Hamilton Pork – a barbecue joint. It was one of the coolest, hippest restaurants I’ve ever seen and I’m so glad it’s in Jersey City! I got a pulled chicken sandwich with avocado and a cocktail called the Mexican Cowboy and it was stellar.

Sunday was very productive – I got a bunch of work done, we did some errands, and we discarded and organized a lot of our apartment. Ever since diving into Marie Kondo’s book (I really recommend it), I’ve been very conscious of clutter, what I need and don’t need, and I’ve had fun clearing out my space and making it more livable and inspiring. We donated about 10 bags to the Salvation Army!

Sunday night I made dinner and we finally booked all of our hotels for our trip to Italy for our anniversary in June. We’re going to Lake Como, Tuscany and Capri. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders! While I’ve been to Italy a few times, I’ve never been with Lu, so I’m really excited to spend that time with him.

PHEW. So that’s the recap! Now, I’m focused on having a super productive and healthy week, because it’s a short one for me – I leave for Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday to go skiing with Lu — another thing we’ve never done before! We’re going to the Solitude Resort. Has anyone been?

I literally can’t wait. And in preparation, I’m staying healthy with this vegan lentil soup with turnip noodles. You may think, “What’s the point of the turnips?” Well, lentil soup can get a little tired – lentils and chopped veggies, ya know? By adding in a spiralized veggie, it reinvents this classic comfort soup.

And if you don’t like turnip noodles, no problem – swap in carrots (omit the diced carrots then!) or even celeriac noodles (omit the celery then!)

I love this soup – and I’m so excited to have it for dinner tonight.

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 6 points

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

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Lentil Soup with Spiralized Turnips

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 2 celery ribs diced
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 28- ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup lentils any color but red, rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes depends on how spicy you like it!
• 2 small turnips
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion, celery, carrot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, thyme and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to combine.
• Add the lentils, broth, and bay leaves. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot partially and reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are almost tender.
• While the soup cooks, peel and spiralize the turnip using Blade C and trim the noodles. Set the noodles aside. After 20 minutes, remove the bay leaves, add in the turnip noodles, stir to combine and let cook for 5-7 minutes more or until lentils are fully tender and turnip noodles soften.
• Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

The post Lentil Soup with Spiralized Turnips appeared first on Inspiralized.

I’ve definitely been on a curry kick. I’ve been remaking this green coconut curry recipe with different variations – with different proteins, over spiralized rice and with different types of spiralized noodles.

Once all of the ingredients are prepped, these curry noodle bowls come together so quickly, they save well in the refrigerator and they’re so filling and packed with nutrients.

What more could you ask for?

That’s the way I like to build my recipes – one size fits all. I’d like to think that there’s something for everyone in every single one of my recipes.

That’s the beauty of spiralizing! Just by swapping in a different kind of spiralized noodle, you have an entirely new meal.

In the Inspiralized cookbook, there’s actually a section in each recipe that says “Also works well with” where I list other spiralized veggies that can be swapped in.

Therefore, technically, for every recipe in my book, there are also 3 more variations, making 3 entirely different meals! Also, I don’t know what’s going on, but Amazon has had the cookbook on sale for a couple weeks now and I don’t know when the price is going to go back up, so if you’re still holiday shopping, now’s the time.

One of the other reasons I love today’s recipe is because it’s all made in one pot. Talk about easy cleanup!

I never really thought to put salmon into a curry, but it was surprisingly amazing – the salmon gives the curry a robust flavor and it works well with the crunch of the green beans.

Salmon’s one of my go-to fishes when I’m looking to make something with a nutritional bang. Salmon’s packed with protein and of course, omega-3 fatty acids which are touted to help with inflammation, lowers triglycerides (a blood fat that can lead to heart disease) and even helps with depression!

Needless to say, this bowl of curry is a powerful way to start your week!

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus*: 8 points

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers PointsPlus® calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

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Salmon Red Coconut Curry with Turnip Noodles

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 3 scallions diced (white and green parts divided)
• 2-3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 13.5- ounce canned coconut milk
• 1.25 cup vegetable broth
• 2 medium turnips Blade D, noodles trimmed
• 5 oz green beans
• 6 oz skinless salmon cut into chunks
• handful of thai basil leaves or cilantro

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, and once oil heats, add the garlic, ginger, and white part of the scallions. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant and then add in the curry paste (be careful – the paste will fry, which is good, but can get on your clothes.)
• Scoop the thickened coconut solids out of the top of the can of coconut milk, leaving the watery milk below. Add these solids to the skillet, stir to combine and let cook for 1 minute.
• Add the rest of the coconut milk, vegetable broth, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the turnip noodles, green beans and salmon chunks. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover and let cook for 5 minutes, uncover and test to see if the salmon is done – if it flakes easily, it’s done. If not, let it cook another 5 minutes.
• Portion into bowls and garnish with green scallions, cilantro or thai basil and serve.

The post Salmon Red Coconut Curry with Turnip Noodles appeared first on Inspiralized.

If you watched my Snapchat last Tuesday, you saw my impatience with the slow cooker. I rarely ever use my slow cooker (I actually have two!), but when I do, Igo through a range of emotions.

First, I’m excited: Oh, I can’t wait to see how this turns out!

Then, I’m impatient. After 10 minutes, I see that the timer still has over THREE hours left and I just think: When will this be done?!

Finally, I forget about the slow cooker and I start doing whatever else I had to do and I go to check on the slow cooker and it starts to look more finished and the smells are delicious (I stick my nose real close and try to smell through the lid.) The excitement hits again and I think: Oh, this is going to be good!

The final 30 minutes are always the toughest, because I just want it to be done. Luckily iwt this recipe, in the final 15 minutes, you prepare the rest of the recipe (the spiralized part), so it distracts you while you wait for the finished product.

While this dish finishes in the slow cooker, you’ll be making your spiralized rice and cooking it, preparing it to be served with this unbelievably delicious coconut curry chicken.

When the slow cooker beeps, it might as well be the sounds of a slot machine alarming, “Winner! Winner!”

I was blown away by how flavorful this coconut curried chicken was. If you don’t like curry, I’d suggest alving the amount of curry powder but if you do like curry, you’re going to LOVE this recipe.

The turnip rice is the perfect flavor and texture to go along with this dish – it absorbs the juices from the curry and the bite of the green beans and onions combined with the soft chicken is wonderful.

This is another great dish that can be prepared ahead of time – the turnip rice can be frozen, as well as the slow cooker part.

What do you think? Would you like to see more slow cooker meals on the blog?

CYBER MONDAY WEEK

Enjoy 20% off the Inspiralizer® all week for Cyber Monday! No code required. Offer ends 11:59pm EST Friday, December 4th. 

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus*: 10  points

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers PointsPlus® calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

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Slow Cooker Curry Cashew-Coconut Chicken with Ginger-Cilantro Turnip Rice

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 red chile pepper chopped
• 5 oz green beans trimmed
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 white or yellow onion sliced
• 1 14- ounce can coconut milk full-fat
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• For the rice:
• 2 large turnips
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove minced*
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger*
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro*
• *Prepare these ingredients once you press start on the slow cooker.

Instructions

• Add chicken pieces, red peppers, green beans, garlic and onions to the slow cooker.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into slow cooker and stir to coat chicken and veggies. Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours or on low 4.5-5 hours. Uncover, stir in the cashews, and cook another 15 minutes on low.
• Once you add in the cashews, prepare the rice. Peel and spiralize the turnips, using Blade D. Transfer the noodles to a food processor and pulse until rice-like and set aside. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once oil heats, add in the garlic and ginger. Let cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the turnip rice and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for 7 minutes or until turnip reaches your preferred rice-like consistency. When done, turn off the heat, fold in the cilantro, stir and divide into four bowls. Top each bowl with chicken, onions, green beans and ladle over with the sauce.

The post Slow Cooker Curry Cashew-Coconut Chicken with Ginger-Cilantro Turnip Rice appeared first on Inspiralized.

One of the first recipes I made in my “adult life” was my mom’s dijon salmon. It’s literally the easiest thing in the world to do. It’s only two ingredients and three steps.

1. Spread dijon mustard on top of salmon,

2. Put salmon on a baking tray, and

3. Roast at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Seriously. That’s it. Howeeeevvvver, it’s sounds super fancy. “Oh hey, want to come over and try some of my dijon roasted salmon?”

Sometimes I laugh at the titles of recipes, because it’s just a title. For instance, I could’ve named this “Risotto with Salmon.” But instead, I took it up a notch.

Tomayto, tomahto.

My mom’s salmon is good – and it’s great that it’s so easy! I use it with everything – salmon with potatoes, salmon with broccoli, salmon with brown rice. Salmon + dijon goes with everything.

I’m loving today’s recipe, because a) it tastes just like risotto and b) it’s filling. You won’t be rummaging through that pantry 20 minutes later for a snack after this meal.

Also, turnips are typically bitter and soapy (or is that just me?!) but with the flavors from the well-cooked mushrooms and the parmesan cheese, that unfriendly flavor is masked and all you taste is mushroom and parmesan, which, is the best combination ever.

This risotto saves well in the fridge also, so if you are only making this for one, only use 1 serving of salmon and continue with the whole recipe, so you’ll have dinner with the salmon and then leftovers with the extra risotto.

Tomorrow, I’m bringing you another What I Ate video and I’ll be posting it tonight, so if you want to get an advanced sneak peek, subscribe to our YouTube channel!

If not, well then, that’s okay too! See you tomorrow…

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus*:  5 points

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers PointsPlus® calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

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Spiralized Mushroom Turnip Risotto with Dijon-Honey Salmon

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 3 3oz salmon filets, skinless
• 1 tablespoon country dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 medium turnips peeled, Blade D
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 5 oz baby portobello mushrooms or cremini, sliced
• salt and pepper
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or chicken, if not vegetarian
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1.5 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven preheats, peel and spiralize the turnips. Place the turnip noodles (in batches) into a food processor and pulse until rice-like. Don’t process too much or else the bits will be too small. Once done, set aside the rice into a bowl.
• Once oven preheats, place the salmon filets down on the parchment paper. Mix the dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl and then spread on top of each salmon filet. Bake the salmon for 12-15 minutes or until cooked to your preference (12 for medium, 15 for well done.)
• Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the mushrooms, garlic and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and let the mushrooms cook for 2-3 minutes or until slightly wilted and then add in the turnip rice, thyme, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until turnip softens, stirring frequently.
• Add in 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and let reduce, stirring frequently and let cook for another 5-7 minutes. If the turnip rice is still crunchy after that and needs to cook more, keep cooking. If it’s cooked enough, add in the Parmesan cheese and half of the parsley, stir to combine and let cook for 30 seconds or until cheese melts fully into the turnip rice.
• Divide into bowls and garnish with remaining parsley.

The post Spiralized Mushroom Turnip Risotto with Dijon-Honey Salmon appeared first on Inspiralized.

My grandparents’ make the best mushrooms. They’re essentially soaked in extra virgin olive oil and seasoned thoroughly with salt and pepper (which tastes like heaven.)

Whenever Thanksgiving comes around and my grandparents makes a big batch of mushrooms, I’m always the first to scoop them up.

Unfortunately, Lu doesn’t like mushrooms and therefore, I never make them at home. I don’t think I’ve ever bought mushrooms to make something other than for the blog and if you haven’t noticed already, I have very few recipes with mushrooms.

Well, Lu will eat mushrooms, he just really prefers not to and doesn’t like when he bites into a full mushroom. When they’re hidden in a veggie meatball or part of a ragu, he’s fine – but if they’re ever in their full glory as part of a salad or a pasta, for example, he pushes them to the side of his plate.

Alas, he was at his bachelor party late last week, so on Friday, I took the opportunity to cook with mushrooms and have leftovers for dinner! This meal made me realize how much I do miss mushrooms!

Garlic, mushroom sand leeks add such an earthy, savory flavor to this pasta dish that’s craveable. The parmesan cheese at the end melts into the soft turnip noodles and makes this dish velvety and delicious.

Turnip noodles on Blade C on the Inspiralizer creates flatter, linguine type noodles – almost like a rice noodle! I love this blade with turnips, because when the turnips cook, they soften and absorb flavor well.

Leeks are on fleek right now – such a great springtime vegetable that’s totally underrated! I love adding leeks to frittatas and pastas, they add lovely texture and mild onion-like flavor. They’re also a beautiful vegetable!

Don’t fear turnip noodles because of their potential bitterness – when they’re spiralized and cooked, the bitterness dissipates and you’re just left with the natural tastiness of turnips.

Do you like turnip noodles? What’s your favorite way to cook them?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

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Garlic Mushroom and Leek Turnip Noodles

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1.5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced sweet onions
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 cup sliced leeks
• 2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms or button mushrooms
• 2 medium turnips peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley + more to garnish optional
• 1/4 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese to garnish

Instructions

• Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Once oil heats, add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Let cook for 2 minutes or until onions begin to soften.
• Add in the leeks and mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to wilt. Transfer the veggies to a plate and set aside. Then, add in the rest of the olive oil and then the turnip noodles. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes or until turnip noodles are al dente or cooked to your preference. When done, add in the mushrooms and leek mixture, parsley and toss to combine.
• Divide the pasta into bowls and top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley, if desired.

The post Garlic Mushroom and Leek Turnip Noodles appeared first on Inspiralized.

If you were to open my freezer at any moment, there are a few staples you’d find. Some weeks it varies, depending on my meal plans.

But the “usual” consists of a bag of frozen shrimp, organic frozen sweet potato “fries,” frozen green grapes, and frozen edamame.

I think I always have edamame on hand because I grew up with parents who loved sushi and always took us to sushi restaurants – and edamame with sea salt was always on the table.

I also worked at a Japanese restaurant all throughout high school and snacking on edamame was normal during work hours.

I’m not saying I eat edamame every day, but I always have it on hand in case I want to steam a handful as a snack or throw it in a salad, or here, in a pasta. It’s an easy source of protein! However, edamame comes from a harvested premature soy bean, and I do like to consume soy in moderation.

Anywho, this weekend was jam-packed and I didn’t really have a moment to myself, and I completely forgot I didn’t have a blog post ready for today (whoops!) So, I opened my freezer and spotted the edamame beans – bingo!

I also had some string beans that I picked up fresh from the farmer’s market and they were starting to brown and go bad, so I steamed those and tossed them with a simple sauce of garlic, olive oil, shallots and lemon zest.

Lemon zest is to me as Windex was to Toula’s father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding – I use it on everything! I grate it into pastas, salad dressings, seltzer and tea!

Adding lemon to foods allows you to maximize flavor and adds so many beneficial nutrients. Instead of salt, I always add lemon – it’s refreshing, tart and smells amazing.

Most mornings, when Lu leaves for work, I sit at my desk with hot water and lemon – it always does the trick and starts my day off right.

This recipe is simple, vegetarian and one of those last-minute meals that fills you up (on account of all the dietary fiber!) and satisfies your taste buds. The little bit of parmesan cheese melts nicely into the turnip noodles and creates that luscious, velvety consistency.

So tell me – what do you always keep in your freezer for easy, last-minute meals?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

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Garlic-Lemon Turnip Pasta with String Beans and Edamame

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1.25 pounds string beans ends trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 small shallot minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 turnips peeled, Blade B
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 cup cooked edamame beans
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese to garnish

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot filled halfway with water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the string beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until the beans are string-tender. Drain into a colander and set aside.
• Once water starts boiling, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes or until shallots are translucent.
• Add in the turnip noodles and toss thoroughly to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cover, cooking for 5 minutes or until turnip noodles are al dente, uncovering occasionally to toss. Once cooked, add in the lemon zest, string beans and edamame and toss. Let cook for 2 minutes to let the edamame warm and flavors combine.
• Divide pasta into bowls, garnish with parmesan and serve.

The post Garlic-Lemon Turnip Pasta with String Beans and Edamame appeared first on Inspiralized.

This weekend, Lu and I have been celebrating our 3 year anniversary which is on Monday. I can’t believe we’ve only been dating for 3 years!

I guess when you know, you know, ya know?

I actually wrote the story about how we met in this blog post last year.

Friday I took Lu out to dinner and then last night we went into NYC and saw Sleep No More. For those of you who haven’t heard of it yet, it’s an interactive show that takes place in a “hotel.” It’s a spin on the play Macbeth.

When you enter the “hotel,” you basically are walking around a four-story building that’s set up to look like the 1920s (I think that’s the era.) Everyone who’s “experiencing” is wearing these white masks and you aren’t supposed to talk.

The actors in the show aren’t wearing masks and they’re not talking either, they’re acting out their scenes and we basically follow them around the house until we all manage to find ourselves in a final scene.

Are you confused? I was too. It was definitely a cool, different experience, but it was a little tough because you don’t know which actors to follow and sometimes you’re bored, just walking aroundif you can’t find any of the actors.

It’s definitely something to try, though – everyone has a different experience. And, if you go with a date, don’t be afraid to leave that date and follow your own actors/story line.

Our favorite part? Dinner beforehand! Ha, of course – food always wins with me.

You have the option of dining at “the hotel’s” restaurant, called The Heath. You can eat there at any point (You don’t have to have tickets to the show). The food was really delicious, but the ambience was incredible – that smoky, speakeasy kind of place with a live band and people walking around in costume and in character.

Anyway, it was just one of those fun NYC nights where you had no idea that this kinda stuff existed in the city. New York never ceases to amaze me!

Happy Easter and Passover to those who celebrate! I definitely dropped the ball on Easter and Passover-themed recipes, so I’ll definitely be working on that for next year! Noted.

Today’s recipe is a spiralized “risotto” using spiralized turnips with mushrooms and tomatoes, making a rich, velvety risotto. There’s Pecorino Romano for that sharp taste and parmesan cheese for an irresistible taste without the heavy calorie and carbohydrate load!

This can be eaten as a main course or just as a starter. It’s versatile, flavorful and easy to make. If you haven’t seen my How to Make Spiralized Rice, check it out here.

This is one of my final recipes with Tuttorosso Tomatoes – tomorrow, I’m kicking off a Virtual Dinner Party with them, so stay tuned!

ALSO the cookbook is 40% off today on Amazon, so make sure you grab your copy if you haven’t already (now’s the time, it’s only $11.99!)

Nutritional Information & Recipe

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Spiralized Turnip Mushroom and Tomato Risotto

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 large turnips peeled and spiralized using Blade C
• 16 ounces baby portobello mushrooms sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 28 ounce can Tuttorosso® Crushed Tomatoes with basil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Instructions

• Place the turnip noodles into a food processor and pulse until rice-like.
• Place a large pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the onion, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes or until onions turn translucent and mushrooms begin to wilt.
• Add in the turnip rice and season with oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and add in the tomatoes.
• Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until turnip rice softens and cooks to your preference. Once cooked, fold in the cheese and stir until fully combined.
• Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

The post Spiralized Turnip Mushroom and Tomato Risotto appeared first on Inspiralized.

To say that I’ve had computer issues today would be a vast understatement.

Literally, big black boxes have been scattering all over my screen all day and I’ve had to restart at least a half dozen times. I probably should go to a computer technician, but who has time for that?

Instead, I’m posting up today’s recipe, which is a pasta-spin on my Moroccan kebabs with celeriac rice!

I don’t have much time, because my computer screen literally looks like an EDM light show, so let’s get straight to it.

I wrote this recipe to be made with kohlrabi or turnips, because I made it with kohlrabi the first time and then, when I went to make it the second time (today, for the blog), the grocery store was out of kohlrabi, so I had to grab turnips instead.

The burst tomatoes with the turnip noodles and the rich flavors of the marinated Moroccan chicken is heavenly. My favorite part? The feta.

When you fold in the feta, it melts slightly (feta’s not a melting kind of cheese) to create a velvety smooth, savory sauce alongside the bursted sweet golden tomatoes.

Don’t be afraid by the time of this recipe – a lot of the prepping happens while you wait for the certain elements to cook (the chicken, tomatoes, peppers.) It’s somewhat of a time-consuming recipe, but it’s simple cooking techniques and of course, well worth it.

If you’re looking for meal planning suggestions, this is it! It reheats very well and keeps its flavors well.

Okay, back to figuring out this computer situation – hope you love the recipe, sorry for the delay!

Do recipes that take a while to prepare and cook turn you off or do you accept the challenge?

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Moroccan Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3/4-1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1.5 cups golden yellow cherry tomatoes
• 3 kohlrabis or turnips
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley to garnish
• For the Moroccan spice mix:
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon honey
• salt to taste
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops off the peppers, deseed them and slice them in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the bell peppers. Cook for 20 minutes and then, using tongs, flip over and cook another 20 minutes or until the peppers are evenly charred. Immediately transfer to a sealable glass container or paper bag and seal. Let sit for 5 minutes and then slice thinly.
• While the peppers cook, whisk together all of the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a zip-seal plastic bag and shake to coat. Let marinade for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Once you flip the peppers after the first 20 minutes, add the marinated chicken and tomatoes to another baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and is no longer pink inside. Remove from the oven and slice thinly, leaving the tomatoes on the baking tray.
• While chicken cooks, peel and spiralize the kohlrabi (or turnip) using Blade B, trim the noodles and set aside. Then, mince the garlic. Then, thinly slice the red onion.
• Once the chicken and peppers are finished, place a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil heats, add in the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions begin to wilt. Add in the kohlrabi (or turnip) noodles and toss. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked to your preference, uncovering occasionally to toss. Add in the cooked tomatoes, along with any juices from the baking tray.
• When done, add in the roasted peppers and toss to combine and then remove from heat, sprinkle in the feta, toss to combine again and then divide into bowls and top with sliced chicken and garnish with parsley.

The post Moroccan Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Kohlrabi Pasta appeared first on Inspiralized.

I’m always amazed when I post something up on Instagram after I make it and then that evening or that next day, someone has made it – without a recipe!

I think this is a testament to how simplistic spiralized cooking is. You don’t need to be a classically trained chef to whip up delicious, gourmet-tasting meals in minutes.

Today’s recipe was posted up on my Instagram on Thursday and then this reader made it, without a recipe! I couldn’t be prouder and happier!

But really, I feel like spiralizing has taught me so many new cooking techniques, just through trial and error. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again – food blogging has become my own personal cooking school, taught by Dr. Google and Professor YouTube.

I still flirt with the idea of going to cooking school or doing an internship at a restaurant. I’m sure I will one day, but right now, the Inspiralized cookbook, the Inspiralizer and my wedding have my hands full.

Speaking of my wedding (!!), I took over WeddingWire’s Instagram on Saturday and shared some special moments from my wedding planning process so far – like when I found the perfect 3″ heeled bridal shoes, when we went shopping for wedding bands and I struggled and when my mother and I took a Pinterest-worthy picture with our Starbucks’ coffees!

Now, I’m in wedding-crunch mode. We’re three months out and I find myself waking up in the middle of the night thinking, “Oh no! What if the mini glass bottles for the favors don’t arrive in time?”

So silly.

Anyway, enough wedding talk – time for this recipe. I’m a huge broccoli rabe fan, so this dish is a dream. If you don’t like broccoli rabe, this may not be your jam – but I suggest giving it a try!

Lentils provide a clean, lean source of protein with a great texture alongside the softness of the broccoli rabe. The turnip spaghetti is strong enough to hold up against this heavy sauce.

The turnip noodles are also boiled with the same water from the broccoli rabe, which gives them a nice earthy taste and masks the radish-like taste of the turnip.

And if you’re feeling spunky, grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top!

How do you feel about broccoli rabe? Too bitter or do you love it?

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Lentil and Broccoli Rabe with Turnip Spaghetti

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch broccoli rabe
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 1 celery stick finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry lentils
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 medium turnips peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

• Bring a large pot filled halfway with water to a boil. While you wait for it to reach a boil, prepare the rabe: remove any tough or damaged outer leaves of the broccoli rabe and then peel the thick lower stems from the broccoli rabe (this takes out some of the bitterness.) Rinse and pat dry to remove any excess dirt.
• Once the water is boiling, add in the broccoli rabe. Let cook for 1 minute and then remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil and add in the turnip noodles and let cook 2 minutes or until al dente. Drain into a colander and set aside, divided into two bowls and covered to keep warm.
• Pat dry the broccoli rabe and chop into 1” pieces and set aside.
• Place the large pot back over medium heat and add in half of the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic and then add in the broccoli rabe. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the rabe absorb some flavor. Set aside and immediately add in the onions, celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften and onions are translucent. Stir in the lentils, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, thyme and bay leaf and let cook, covered, for 15 minutes and then uncover and cook for another 15 minutes or until lentils are cooked through. Once lentils are cooked, remove the bay leaf and stir in the broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper and let cook for another minute to warm the rabe.
• Portion into bowls and serve, garnished with parsley.

The post Lentils and Broccoli Rabe with Turnip Spaghetti appeared first on Inspiralized.

A few people asked me on Instagram and Facebook, “Will you not be blogging as much, now that your cookbook is out?”

Of course not. However, I hope you all get the Inspiralized cookbook because it has my best recipes and information all in one place.

To answer that question, I will be blogging as always, Sunday-Thursdays with brand new recipes and on Thursdays, new videos.

Now that we have a new website look – I’d love to know your feedback, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment on this post.

It was quite the past two weeks. Not only did the cookbook launch, but so did preorders for the Inspiralizer and this new site. I felt like I was chained to my desk, but my brain was moving a mile a minute.

It was really fun to see everything I’ve been working towards for the past year come to fruition. I’ve been overwhelmed by everyone’s support of the Inspiralizer and the cookbook.

On Friday, I finally got in the kitchen to cook for the blog and it felt so therapeutic. After two weeks of desk work, I realized how much I love to cook.

Cooking zens me out.

The first recipe on my to-do list was bulgogi, a popular Korean beef dish, comprised of thin slices of beef marinated and typically grilled.

Since there’s still snow on the ground, grilling wasn’t an option for me, so I decided to make an average-kitchen friendly recipe.

This bulgogi recipe is so easy to make and really packs some intense, delicious flavor. The shiitake mushrooms cooked with the turnip “rice” adds a lot of depth and texture to this meal.

I love the fluffy shiitake mushrooms and the slight garlic-ginger taste of the turnips.

This recipe saves really well in the refrigerator as leftovers, which is great because it calls for a whole pound of beef and unless you’re cooking for a family, who’s going to eat all that beef?

Side not – something’s glitchy with my normal recipe plugin, so please excuse the format of the recipe today – I’m working on getting that fixed! Thanks for your patience, as always.

What do you think of the new site? Let me know in the comments! 

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Korean Bulgogi with Shiitaki Mushroom Turnip Rice

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• For the marinade:
• 3 tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce, if not gluten-free
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 medium garlic cloves finely minced
• 2 scallions diced
• For the rest:
• 1 pound sirloin steak sliced thinly against the grain
• 1 small yellow onion sliced into strips
• 3 medium turnips
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8-10 oz shiitake mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade and then place the marinade, steak and onions together in a zip-seal plastic bag and let marinade in refrigerator for 30 minutes, shaking the bag every 10 minutes (so 3 times total.)
• Ten minutes after the steak is marinating, peel and spiralize the turnip, using Blade C. Place into a food processor and pulse until rice-like. Then, slice the shiitake mushrooms and set aside. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in half of the olive oil and then, once heated, add in the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds and then add in the mushrooms, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to wilt. Add in the turnip rice, stir and cover for 5 minutes, uncovering occasionally to stir, or until rice texture is to your preference. Divide into four bowls and set aside, covered.
• Place the large skillet back over medium heat. Remove the beef from the bag of marinade and set marinade aside. Add the beef in single layers to the pan, along with 1 tablespoon of the leftover marinade and cook for 3 minutes and then flip, cooking another 3 minutes or until beef is cooked. I like it browned, so I cooked a few minutes longer until dark brown.
• Divide the beef atop the bowls of mushroom turnip rice, pouring any pan juices on top.

The post Korean Bulgogi with Shiitaki Mushroom Turnip Rice appeared first on Inspiralized.

Time to think outside of the box with chia seeds!

Typically, every few days, I add a couple teaspoons of chia seeds into my morning smoothies – these tiny seeds are a serious superfood that can be built into any meal for an extra burst of nutrients.

Case in point: this turnip pasta with chard, steak and a chia-chimichurri.

Chia-chimichurri. Chia-chimichurri. Try saying that 10 times fast.

What are chia seeds anyway? They are an unprocessed, whole grain that date back to Mayan and Aztec cultures, grown in Mexico!

Some say that chia seeds expand in the belly, helping us stay fuller longer and therefore, chia seeds are beneficial for weight loss. Who knows if that’s true, but chia seeds are jam-packed with fiber and other nutrients such as protein, calcium and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Honestly, I was surprised at how well the chia seeds worked in this recipe. The chia fluffs up the chimichurri sauce, making it much more substantial. It’s almost like you could eat this in spoonfuls!

While I plated this dish with a “drizzle” of chimichurri, when I ate it, I kept a little on the side to dip my steak in – AND, when I went to eat it, I mixed everything together so the chimichurri coated the turnip noodles.

Now, speaking of these turnip noodles: they’re cooked in the pan juices from the ribeye steaks. Why is that important? 1) It infuses them with incredibly robust steak-y flavor and 2) It means we don’t need to use any extra olive oil, saving us some fats (albeit healthy fats!) and calories!

I probably sound like a broken record, but this is definitely one of those meals where you put your fork down halfway through and go, “There’s no way this is healthy!” But it is, my friends, it is. I give most of the credit to the juices from the steak, but the turnip noodles, chard and chimichurri really work wonders together.

Instead of giving you some chia seed pudding recipe, I wanted to think outside of the box – because that’s what being Inspiralized is all about! And if you can’t find turnips, this would work equally as well with spiralized sweet potato, zucchini and parsnip.

If you’re vegetarian, ditch the steak and try a cauliflower steak instead – just cook the turnip noodles in olive oil. You won’t want to miss this chia-chimichurri!

Note: Although Bob’s Red Mill sponsored this post, all opinions are my own.

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Chia-Chimichurri Steak with Turnip-Chard Pasta

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• For the pasta:
• 2 large turnips peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 packed cups chopped swiss chard
• For the steak:
• 2 bone-in ribeye steak
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• For the chimichurri:
• 1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 seeded jalapeno pepper if you don’t like spicy, use a small jalapeno
• ¼ cup diced white onion
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Add a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the steaks and sear for 5-7 minutes on each side, for medium-rare/medium. Remove the steaks with tongs and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly into strips, against the grain.
• While steak cooks, place all of the ingredients for the chia-chimichurri into a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust to your preferences. Set aside.
• Once steak is resting, place the large skillet back over medium heat and add in the turnip noodles, tossing to coat in the pan juices. Season the turnips with salt, pepper and garlic powder and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until turnip noodles cook to your preference (I like al dente.) Uncover, add in the chard and toss quickly to warm the greens.
• Divide the pasta onto two plates, top with sliced steak and drizzle over with chia-chimichurri.

The post Chia-Chimichurri Steak with Spiralized Turnip-Chard Pasta appeared first on Inspiralized.

Well, this recipe is somewhat embarrassing. I tested it out at night for dinner and it worked fabulously – seriously, probably my best “ramen” yet (and I’ve made this miso mushroom zucchini noodle ramen which I’m obsessed with!)

The next morning, I went to recreate it and I realized that I had everything but the pork tenderloin, since I had used it the night before. It was too late to run out to the grocery store (girl’s been busy – stay tuned!!) and I had no backup ingredients for other recipes.

So, what did I do? Defrost some boneless pork chops I had in the freezer.

Long story short: the recipe calls for pork tenderloin (because that’s how I originally made the recipe), but you’ll see some pork chops here in the pictures.

I’m so bummed, because the BBQ pork tenderloin is so much more moist and absorbed the marinade much more beautifully, but, heck, beggars can’t be choosers – and the most important part is the recipe, which is flawless!

Speaking of flawless (this is a forced segue), I saw Aladdin last night with my mother and my sister. My mother is home for the week (up from Florida, where she stays December – March with my dad), and we decided to go to a show.

I don’t know if I’d recommend Aladdin if you’re not into Disney movies, because it’s very Disney-esque BUT I will say, the genie put on an incredible performance, as did the evil sultan’s henchman (he was seriously the funniest actor I’ve ever seen!)

The set design was beautiful, the wardrobe was exotically stunning and the music was, well, perfect – keep in mind, I’m a big Disney movie fan (I blame it on being born in 1987 and grew up watching all the classics – on VHS.)

Back to my “flawless” comment – princess Jasmine had a gorgeous voice and her face was amazing – she really looked like a princess, it was incredible!

Anyway, let’s get to the ramen: the BBQ pork steals the show, because of its marinade: it’s crucial that you give the meat at least 2 hours to soak in the marinade and if you have the time, soak it overnight.

The turnip noodles absorb the flavors of the simple broth (just chicken stock + soy sauce + flavorings from scallions, garlic and ginger) while the snap peas and mushrooms give it a bit more oomph. This bowl of ramen is fun to eat, filling and won’t leave you feeling like you do when you drag yourself out of a Japanese restaurant, after a huge bowl of it.

I call this “ramen” basically because it’s traditionally a type of noodle that’s served in a meat or fish broth with soy sauce or miso paste. So, the broth is ramen-esque, but the noodles are of course, spiralized vegetables instead of its carb-laden original.

Feel free to add any other toppings to this, as there’s no right or wrong way to build your ramen noodle bowl – try seaweed, corn, bok choy or even spinach!

What’s your favorite type of ramen?

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BBQ Pork Turnip Noodle “Ramen” for Two

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• For the pork:
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger
• 1 scallion diced
• ½ pound pork tenderloin ask butcher
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• For the ramen:
• 3 scallions diced + 1 scallion diced for garnish
• 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
• 2 garlic cloves halved
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 oz champignon mushrooms
• 2-2.5 oz snap peas
• 1 large turnip or 2 medium turnips Blade C, noodles trimmed
• 1 medium carrot peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
• cilantro leaves to garnish

Instructions

• In a Ziploc bag or shallow dish, mix the garlic, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, sherry, Chinese Five-Spice, ½ tablespoon of the honey, and pork. Seal the bag or cover the pan and marinate, refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Shake the bag to mix up the marinade occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet (or oven-safe skillet) into the oven as you set it to preheat to heat for about 15 minutes. Once heated, remove with oven mitts and add in the pork, place back in the oven and let cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste with any pan juices and then let cook for another 10-15 minutes. The pork is done when the internal temperature is 140-145 degrees. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for a least 10 minutes before you slice it thinly.
• While pork roasts, hard boil the eggs: in a small pot, add in the eggs and cover with about ½-1” of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and let cook for 12 minutes. Run under cold water gently and then once ready to handle, peel eggs and halve.
• While pork roasts and eggs boil, place a large pot over medium-high heat and add in olive oil. Once heated, add in the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Then, pour in the chicken stock, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer, covered for about 10 minutes. Then, add in the soy sauce and mushrooms, letting cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the snap peas and turnip noodles and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until noodles are cooked to al dente or your preference.
• Using pasta tongs, carefully transfer the noodles to two serving bowls and ladle over with the broth mixture. Top with the sliced barbecue pork and half an egg each. Garnish with carrot noodles and then cilantro, if desired.

The post BBQ Pork Turnip Noodle “Ramen” for Two appeared first on Inspiralized.

Before I even get to this recipe, let me warn you: I have another poached egg recipe coming tomorrow.

Let me explain what happened. Yesterday, I prepared a spiralized dinner early in the morning, so that I could focus on a stellar workout instead of stressing about what I was making that evening. I set it aside in the fridge and proceeded to make my blog recipe for the day.

The recipe (coming tomorrow) calls for a poached egg.

So, I started to… poach.

I failed three times and I got so frustrated, that on the fourth go, I used two eggs at the same time and they came out flawlessly!

I blame it on the fact that I didn’t cook for 10 days and was a little rusty. Speaking of being away, here are a couple pictures of Lu and I from our trip to the Dominican Republic, taken on New Year’s Eve (sorry for the cruddy iPhone quality):

I could just throw away the poached eggs (I was so proud!), so I grabbed my dinner-for-later out of the fridge, heated it in a skillet for a quick minute, plated it and then topped it with one of the poached eggs.

Now, here we are – this was supposed to (well, it was) my dinner last night and I wasn’t going to share it, but why not! It’s such a simple recipe, it’s flavorful and listen, if you can’t ever poach eggs well, just top with a fried egg – or some scrambies!

Poached eggs are actually easy to do, they’re just also easy to overcook. In this recipe, I say cook for about 3 minutes, but it totally depends on how intensely your water is simmering (keep it to a steady, but low to medium simmer) and cook for 2.5-3 minutes.

But man, when you pierce the delicate egg with your fork and the running yolk leaks out and coats the basil pesto turnip rice, you’ll forget about everything around you – the taste is that rewarding. The texture is creamy and warm, the pesto is flavorful and strong and the broccoli gives the dish a nice crunchiness – and added nutrients.

It may be the Italian part of me, but pesto goes well with everything. Plus, it’s green – and we’re all about eating healthy this week, as it’s the first week back from those New Year’s parties and holiday celebrations. What better time than now to eat green?

Also, someone asked me on Instagram about how I mask the tart, bitter taste of turnip. My best advice? Use strong spices (such as smoked paprika or curry powder) and top with fragrant, robust sauces – such as this pesto! I prefer my turnips cooked in olive oil, which I find takes out some bitterness as well.

NOTE: This recipe doesn’t contain real “rice” (the rice is made of turnips.) To learn how to transform your veggie noodles into rice, watch this video from my YouTube channel:

Have you tried spiralizing turnips yet? What’s your favorite way to eat them?

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Pesto Turnip and Broccoli Rice with Poached Egg

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups small broccoli florets
• 2 large turnips peeled, Blade C
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 large eggs
• For the pesto:
• 1.5 cups basil leaves packed
• 2 tablespoons pinenuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• ½ tsp grinded sea salt
• ¼ tsp grinded pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic minced

Instructions

• Bring a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes or until more easily pierced with a fork. Drain into a colander and pat dry thoroughly. Set aside.
• While waiting for broccoli to cook, place the turnip noodles into a food processor and pulse until rice-like. Set aside the rice and wipe out the food processor and set aside for later use.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once heated, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant and then add in the turnip rice and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper and cook, covered for about 5 minutes or until softened to a rice-like consistency.
• While turnip rice is cooking, add all of the ingredients for the pesto into the food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust to your preference.
• Once turnip rice is cooked through, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add in the pesto. Toss to combine and set aside.
• After the pesto rice is made, fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a steady simmer. Crack the eggs individually into a ramekin or small bowl. Then, create a gentle whirpool in the simmering water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Slowly tip the egg into the water. Let cook for three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and gently rest on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
• Divide the pesto turnip rice onto plates and top with a drained poached egg. Serve immediately.

The post Pesto Turnip and Broccoli Rice with Poached Egg appeared first on Inspiralized.

Over the weekend, I went to Westport, Massachusetts with my girlfriends. My friend Sarah’s parents have a vacation home there and we drove up there late Friday night and spent the weekend relaxing and hanging out.

In preparation for leaving, I had to cook a lot on Friday so that I had posts for Sunday and today. While I could have sworn that I grocery shopped in anticipation of this, when I opened my fridge on Friday, it was slim pickings.

I walked back over to my desk, grabbed a pen and my notepad and wrote down everything substantial that was in my fridge.

The list went like this:

– 1 large turnip
– 1 half a jalapeno
– 1 turnip
– almost-too old cilantro
– 1 lime
– 1 avocado
– 1 bell pepper
– 1 yellow onion

Literally, aside from some condiments and the usual (celery, carrots, onions, almond milk), that was it.

So, I put my thinking cap on and realized that I had a can of black beans in the pantry and lots of spices (as always!) and I set out to make a stir-fry, using peppers, onions and the turnip.

Instead of making an Asian-themed stir-fry, I went with some classic Mexican flavors. This dish is spicy, flavorful, and packed with veggies, protein and of course, everyone’s favorite: a big dollop of mashed avocado.

Adding a spoonful of mashed avocado to any dish is one of my favorite ways to add more dimension to a meal. While you spin the noodles around your fork, you can then dip the noodles in the avocado OR you can simply mix it altogether.

This meal also saves extremely well, since the turnip noodles reheat well (they’re pretty resilient!) and they don’t leak moisture like zucchini noodles do.

Top with some feta or cotija cheese for extra flavor here – and you can also switch up the proteins as you like – chicken and shrimp would work really well.

It’s an easy, lean meal for this week for lunch or dinner, depending on how you doctor it up!

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Black Bean and Avocado-Jalapeno Turnip Noodle Bowl

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove finely minced
• 1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno seeded
• 1 large red bell pepper sliced thinly
• 1 half small yellow onion sliced thinly
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium turnips peeled, Blade C
• 3/4 cup canned black beans drained, rinsed & patted dry
• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• For the avocado mash:
• Inside flesh of 1 ripe avocado mashed
• 1 tablespoon roughly minced cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

• Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in garlic, jalapeno, peppers and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add in the cayenne, smoked paprika, cumin and oregano and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir the mixture and then add in the turnip noodles, black beans, and vegetable broth and cook for another 5 minutes or until turnip noodles are cooked through.
• While turnips are cooking, mix together the ingredients for the avocado mash and set aside.
• When turnip noodles are cooked, serve into bowls and top with a dollop of avocado mash.

The post Black Bean and Avocado-Jalapeno Turnip Noodle Bowl appeared first on Inspiralized.

Okay, okay I know I just talked about detoxing after Thanksgiving and now I’m posting a recipe for – what else – PORK FRIED RICE.

But that’s the beautiful thing about spiralizing – you can still stuff your face with pork fried “rice” and not break the diet bank.

In this Inspiralized version, I’m using turnip rice in place of “regular” rice which not only makes this dish clean-eating friendly, the meal becomes an excellent source of Vitamin C and a fun way to use seasonal produce.

Two Sundays ago, Lu and I went over to his brother’s apartment in Hoboken to spend some time together and have dinner. Christina (Lu’s sister-in-law and the one who introduced Lu and I!) is about 6 months pregnant and she has the most adorable baby bump! I can’t wait to be an Aunt

At dinner, we decided to order Chinese food for dinner and in true Lu and Jose fashion (Jose is Lu’s older brother), they ordered pork fried rice and a medley of greasy food.

The second the food arrived and I caught a whiff of the pork fried rice, I just had to have it. After we were done, I immediately felt sick. Then, it was like a light bulb goes off – SPIRALIZED PORK FRIED RICE!

And now, we’re here.

I got a lot of inspiration for this recipe from the amazing blog The Woks of Life, a group of talented bloggers who have authentic Asian cooking experience – skills I don’t have.

I picked up this tip from the bloggers: to evenly roast your meats in the oven, set up a baking sheet with tinfoil and then top with a metal rack. Then, place the meat on top. The heat will circulate throughout the oven and because the meat is raised, it will cook mostly evenly on all sides:

This recipe is perfect for a Sunday afternoon of meal prep, since it does take over 2 hours to make – but it’s well worth it. You won’t believe you’re not ordering takeout.

If you want to go the extra mile and fool your guests, serve it up in takeout boxes!

What’s your go-to takeout dish you’d like to see Inspiralized?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Print

Pork Fried “Turnip” Rice

Prep Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -5

Ingredients

• For the pork:
• 1 pound pork shoulder/pork butt
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• pinch of white pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon sherry
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce low-sodium
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic smashed and then minced
• 1/2 tablespoon hot water
• For the rice*:
• 3 large turnips
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small white onion
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• white pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 scallions

Instructions

• Whisk all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl, reserve 2 tablespoons and place the rest in a large zip top bag.
• Cut the pork into 3” long pieces and place in the zip top bag. Shake and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
• While meat is marinating, dice the white onion and scallions. Set aside in the refrigerator for later use.
• Once the meat is marinated, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking tray with tin foil and place a metal rack on top. Pour ¼ cup of water over the tin foil. Place the pork on the metal rack and roast for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, baste the pork with the juices that collect in the tin foil and brush the pork with half of the reserved marinade. Bake for another 20 minutes and then switch to broil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until outside crisps (be careful not to let burn!)
• Using the reserved tablespoons of marinade, brush the pork. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then cut into ½ inch chunks.
• While the pork cools, peel and spiralize the turnips, using Blade C. Place the turnip noodles into a food processor and pulse until rice-like. Set aside.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Beat the eggs and then scramble. Set aside.
• Wipe down the skillet used to scramble the eggs and add in the olive oil over medium heat. Once oil heats, add in the onion and cook 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Then, add in the cooked pork and turnip rice. Let cook for 3-5 minutes or until turnip is no longer crunchy and then add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, scallions, eggs and cook for 1-2 minutes or until everything is heated through.

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