Lime-Cilantro Chicken over Cauliflower Couscous

Philly is well known for its delicious foodtrucks. The city’s filled with them, and they provide wonderful alternatives to more expensive sit-down places. They’re also a great way not to get bored with your daily meals, as there are so many to choose from, all specializing in different types of food. On my campus specifically, there isn’t a single truck without a long line between 11:30-3. It always amazes me. Though the options are very varied, one of the most classic foodtruck “specialty”, or staple recipe, here is “grilled chicken over rice”.

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Cauliflower “Steaks” with Creamy Lime-Avocado Sauce

I recently had the opportunity to eat at Vedge, an amazing vegetarian restaurant in Philadelphia that has been winning awards including the “best of Philly” title for the past few years. It was such a delightful experience for the veggie lover that I am, that it made me want to experiment even more with vegetables in my own kitchen! I already eat a mostly vegetarian diet but I could always benefit from more out-of-the-box thinking and creative vegetable uses.

It’s as Easy as Guacamole!

For a long, long time, I thought I didn’t like guacamole. In fact, I knew I didn’t like it. I had tried a store-bought kind once, and never wanted to try it again afterwards. It’s ironic considering I eat it at least once a week now.

Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp

As I’ve told you already, I’m a big fan of Asian gastronomy. As much as I enjoy going to the restaurant though, it’s always fun to try and recreate some classics at home. Today, the nice weather got me in the mood to try a thai inspired cold noodle salad. This was wonderfully refreshing and a nice change to my usual go-to lunch options. The spicy soy-lime dressing really makes the dish come together as it deliciously coats the noodles and veggies. I can think of a hundred ways to play around with combinations for this salad. It’s really up to your creativity and whatever is left in your fridge. Bon appétit!

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Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 bundle vermicelli rice noodles
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/4 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup mixed shredded red and green cabbage, kale, brocoli and Brussel sprouts (I use Trader Joe’s “Cruciferous Crush” but any homemade combination would work)
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
• a handful of raw cashew nuts
• a bunch of fresh mint

Soy-Lime Dressing:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice (with zest)
• 1/2 tsp sriracha

Directions:

1. To cook the noodles, put water to a boil. Cover the dried noodles with the boiling water and let it sit for 3-5 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Drain the cooked noodles, and let them cool down.
2. Meanwhile, cook the shrimp. I use frozen shrimp that I heat up in a pan with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes.
3. Next, use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons with the carrot and the bell pepper, and put them in a bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes sliced in half, the chopped fresh mint, and the shredded crunchy veggies. Toss it all together.
4. Make the Spicy Soy-Lime dressing by mixing all the ingredients well together.
5. To plate, put the half of the veggies in a bowl, followed by the cooked noodles, and the remaining veggies and the shrimp on top. Toss with the dressing and finish with freshly chopped mint, and raw cashew pieces.