At first glance in the grocery store, I thought these Opal apples were just huge yellow bell peppers, and I wondered why they were selling them in a different area than where the other bell peppers were. Then I noticed the sign that read “Opal Apples”

This variety of apple was developed in the Czech Republic and is exclusively grown in FirstFruits Farms in the southeastern part of Washington state. They are the only orchard in the US that grows Opal apples! Introduced in 2010, these apples are a cross between Golden Delicious and Topaz (another apple developed in the Czech Republic), which resulted in an apple that not only had a more vibrant yellow color on their exterior, but also a non-browning feature of their interior when exposed to air. Seriously, the apples you see here were cut stayed fresh-looking for hours!

And just in case you’re wondering, taste-wise…

A recipe I make so often I practically know it by heart. These are from Weight Watchers back in the day, and they’re delicious! I typically double the recipe and freeze them for a quick grab and go on the way to work.

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat bran
2/3 cup all purpose flour, level measuring cup
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw Turbinado Sugar
1/4 cup organic applesauce, unsweetened
1 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.
2. Lightly spray 12 1/4 x 1 1/2-inch nonstick muffin cups with oil
3. In a medium bowl, whisk bran, flours, baking soda, and salt until combined and set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, using a handheld mixer at high…

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs skinned & 4 chicken fillets diced

3 onions diced

5 tomatoes diced

Red & yellow bell peppers diced

4 sweet potatoes chopped into chunks

90g of spinach

1 carton of passata sauce

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

4 garlic cloves chopped

1 thumb size ginger grated

3 green & 3 red chilli peppers chopped

4 jalapenos sliced 2 scotch bonnet pepper left whole

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

3 tablespoon of curry powder

1 tablespoon of mixed spice

1 tablespoon of chilli powder

1 tablespoon of cumin1 tablespoon of turmeric

2 tablespoon of tomato puree

3 tablespoon of olive oil

½ teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

1 teaspoon of salt

freshly chopped parsley

Freshly chopped coriander

Method:

In a large bowl mix together tin tomatoes, passata sauce, mixed herbs, curry powder, mixed spice, chilli powder, cumin, turmeric, tomato puree, crushed peppercorns, salt, mix well and set aside.

Ingredients:

500g of diced pork

1 bag of baby potatoes cut in half

3 tomatoes diced

Half head if broccoli

4 shallots cut in half

Mixed bell peppers sliced

2 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of ginger puree

1 tablespoon of garlic puree

3 chilli peppers chopped

1 tablespoon of dried chopped lemongrass

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of paprika

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

100mls of coconut milk

200 mls of water

Method:

Pour the water & coconut milk into the slow cooker and stir well.

Add ginger & garlic puree, soy sauce, and stir.

Add turmeric, coriander, paprika, salt, peppercorns, stir well.

Add tomatoes, shallots, chilli peppers, lemongrass and stir.

Add potatoes, mixed bell peppers stir add pork and stir.

Place the bay leaves on top cook on high for 3-4 hours or low…

Ingredients:

7 chicken thighs skinned & 2 chicken fillets diced

1 large onion diced

2 red onions sliced

5 tomatoes diced

Mixed bell peppers sliced

2 tablespoon of ghee

5 green chilli peppers chopped

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of coriander powder

1 tablespoon of chilli powder

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon of fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon of onion seeds

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Few pieces of cinnamon sticks

4-5 cloves

1 tablespoon of garlic puree

1 tablespoon of ginger puree

400 mls of passata sauce

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

I medium size yam chopped

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

Method:

In a large mixing bowl mix together 409 mls of passata sauce, tin tomatoes, salt, peppercorns, paprika, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin, tomato puree, mix well…

Ingredients:

7 chicken thighs skinned

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

6 tomatoes diced

1 pk of button mushroom cut in half

1 large onion sliced

2 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of madras curry powder

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

1 tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of garam masala

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 thumb size ginger grated

1 clove of oak smoked garlic chopped

2 tablespoon of ghee

1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of onion seeds

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

4 green chillies left whole

Method:

In a bowl mix together the tin tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, madras curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, garam masala, turmeric, salt, pepper, mix into a paste.

Add the chicken…

★

These roasted carrots basically taste like candy. I’m only slightly exaggerating. But the beauty of roasted carrots is that as the moisture slowly cooks away, their sugars start to condense. And a sweet candy like flavor develops. They are mighty mighty tasty.

I paired these carrots with a Roasted chicken with roasted onions and potatoes. I mean, c’mon, there isn’t a more savory and umami dinner that I can think of.

Did I mention they are insanely easy to make? Give it a try and let me know how they turned out in the comments below.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Salt

The Cook

Preheat oven to 425°.

On a baking sheet, lay out whole carrots. Cut off tops but leave about an inch of the stem. drizzle EVOO lengthwise over each carrot. Grind salt over the carrots.

Bake at 425° for 1 hour.

EAT.

Notes- I…

I’m not sure what it is about cucumber salads but I cannot get enough of them. I’ve got and addiction. And this Smashed Cucumber Salad is a go to for me every time that I am jonesing. In my book, it it right up there with Sunomono salad, the King of cucumber salads. The bonus of the smashed cucumber salad is it’s way easier to make and smashing cucumbers helps get some of the day out of your bones. When you put your weight into the broad side of a knife and the cucumber goes squish, well, it’s something that you should all experience. It’s magical.

Anywho, it is a really straight forward salad to make. Now let me break it down…

Ingredients

• Persian cucumbers
• Salt
• Sugar
• Sesame Seeds
• Red Pepper Flakes

Sauce

• 2 Part Rice Vinegar
• 1 Part Honey
• 1 Part Soy Sauce
• 1 Part Sesame Oil
• Salt to…

This is one of my favorite ways to make Salmon. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good this Salmon tastes. Seriously, lemon and dill are the perfect flavors to elevate Salmon. And to top it off, it’s incredibly easy to make. So give it a try and let me know how it turns out in the comments below.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Salmon
• 1 Lemon Squeezed
• Fresh and Dried Dill

The Cook

Marinate the SALMON in LEMON JUICE for 10 mins. Liberally apply DRIED DILL to cover all of the pink meaty surface of the SALMON. It will stick easily because of the LEMON JUICE. Lay FRESH DILL over the top.

Heat oven to 425°. Bake SALMON for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven, let rest under foil for 5 minutes, and EAT.