Prosciutto Caprese Pockets

My dear friend, Heather and I absolutely love to make baked tomatoes and serve them with French bread and brie. Wanting to use our tomato recipe (which she deserves full credit for) in a slightly healthier, more diet-friendly way (considering I can no longer eat bread nor cheese) I decided to play around with making little caprese pockets. What became of my messing around in the kitchen was extraordinary...and quite amusing little bouches if you ask me.

What you'll need:

A bunch of Thyme

1 cup cherry or plum tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped finely

8-10 large fresh basil leaves

8-10 slices of prosciutto

3/4 cup olive oil (I used a mix of regular and garlic-infused)

A pinch of salt 

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take a casserole pan or small oven friendly dish and combine tomatoes, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and a pinch of salt (you'll get plenty of salt from the prosciutto so don't overdo it). Place in center of oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tomatoes soften and begin to release their juices but don't explode (see picture). While the tomatoes are cooking, lay out the prosciutto and put a basil leaf in the center of each piece. Depending on the cut of prosciutto I recommend a 4"x4" piece if possible (feel free to double the prosciutto to make it stronger, to avoid seeping). Spoon 2-3 tomatoes (with sauce!) into each basil leaf. Fold the prosciutto into pockets and tie together with a sprig of Thyme. Serve immediately.

*Note: I never use measuring devices when playing in the kitchen so my serving suggestions are mere estimates and I highly encourage you to find what ratio suits you best. For example, I really love garlic so I overwhelm my dishes with it. You may not. Feel free to experiment!

Wild Rice and Coconut Berry Pudding (revised)

A couple years ago I made  a rice pudding with sweet wild rice, coconut, and almond shavings. It was a beautiful Autumn dessert. Because of my new dietary restrictions, I have been looking more at making rice dishes. But with summer upon us I wanted to revise the dish to be more seasonally appropriate. And here goes...

What you'll need:

1 Cup wild sweet rice

3 Cups water

1/2 Cup sugar (I use Lavendar Sugar but that could be hard to find)

Coconut milk (you'll see I used light coconut milk. I HIGHLY recommend using regular coconut milk instead)

A handful of assorted berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

What to do:

Soak the rice in water for at least 8 hours prior beginning. This will soften the rice and remove the massive film that forms on this kind of rice. Once rice has soaked add it to the 3 cups of water and place on Med-Low heat for about 20-30 minutes. Allow the mixture to transform into a bubbling semi-liquid, then add the sugar and mix well. Cover the mixture and continue to cook on low for another 10 minutes. When the mix is of porridge consistency remove from heat and place in serving dishes. Add coconut mil to your liking and top with the assortment of berries. Enjoy warm.

Coconut Chicken

Happy Summer Everyone!

Sorry for a long lapse in posting. With all the beautiful summer treats at my disposal I'm sure to be much for active. This is one of my favorite (and extremely easy) recipes. It's a lunchtime staple because it's so easy to make, pack up, and reheat at work without losing any quality. 

It goes as such:

What you'll need:

2-3 Chicken breast tenders

2 Stalks of kale

Dried coconut shreds

2 Tbsp coconut oil

Onion (chopped--I use two rings, but I really like onion...you can use as much as you'd like)

Tuscan salt blend (salt, dried tomato and lemon peel, peppers, and rosemary) 

A beautiful little nasturtium or two for character if you're in the habit of eating flowers 

What to do:

Heat your skillet to Med heat with the coconut oil. Add the chicken tenders, onion, Tuscan salt blend, and coconut shreds. Heat until the chicken is cooked halfway and the onion/coconut shreds have begun to caramelize. Turn chicken over and add the kale (pulled off the stock). Cover and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes until the kale has cooked but not withered.  Remove from heat, mix the kale and onion/coconut blend together and serve underneath the chicken. Add a bed of nice if you'd like more substance. Enjoy!