The first time I had chia seed pudding was at an acai bowl place. After having my first spoonful, I knew that this was something I needed to make at home. It's a perfect little treat to have early in the morning or as a light dessert.



I like to make my chia seed pudding in small Tupperware containers or glass mason jars ahead of time. When I get up in the morning, I simply pull out my pre-made pudding and add my toppings. It's super simple to make, and perfect for a busy college student to take on-the-go. There's very little clean-up needed, and it takes less than 5 minutes to make.





This chia seed pudding is completely plant-based (perfect for my vegan friends out there). Chia seeds are packed with a lot of nutritional benefits -- omega 3s, antioxidants, and calcium. However, the texture of this pudding definitely takes a while to get used to. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can blend the chia seed pudding. Personally, I like keeping my seeds whole for this pudding recipe. I love how magical the whole process is. The seeds absorb the plant based milk and create this lovely pudding texture that is enjoyable. Today, I am going to show you my recipe to make the perfect chia seed pudding base.

Chia Seed Pudding
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients 
3 tbsp. chia seeds
1 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk or plant-based milk
1/4 tsp. honey (optional)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix the chia seeds, almond milk, and honey until it is well combined.  
2. Place in a small Tupperware or Mason Jar, and put it in the fridge to chill.
3. Let the chia seed pudding chill for at least 3 hours in the fridge.  With a spoon, mix the chia seed pudding to make sure that it is well combined. 
4. If  you would like a loose pudding, add more milk. If you would like a thick pudding, add more chia seeds. 
5. After the chia seed pudding is set, garnish it with any toppings (fruits, nuts, chocolate, etc.) that you would like. For my chia seed pudding, I topped it with sweetened coconut flakes, dark chocolate, slivered almonds, and strawberries. Serve and enjoy :)

Recently, I went to the food pantry at my school. They always have these big sweet potatoes, and I just love stocking up on them in my apartment. Sweet potatoes are my new favorite ingredient, and they can be used in so many different ways. I have made gnocchi before, but I decided to add a little twist by using sweet potato instead of the traditional russet potato.



Let's just say, I am in love. It's golden and crispy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside. There's a subtle sweetness to it that you just can't get with regular potatoes. Plus, isn't the color to die for?! I just love how bright and beautiful this dish is. The gnocchi can be served as a main course or a side dish. I serve this alongside my Red Grape Arugula Sala which makes this a delicious and filling meal.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi 
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients
2-8 ounce sweet potatoes
1 egg
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3tbsp. butter
6 garlic cloves
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. oregano
Salt; to taste
Pepper; to taste

Instructions

1. In a pot, fill it with water and place it on medium-high heat. Lightly salt the water and bring it to a boil. 
2. Place the sweet potatoes in the pot of salted boiling water. Boil the sweet potatoes until it's tender. Poke with a fork to see if it is soft. 
3. Once the sweet potatoes have reached a soft stage, pat dry and peel the skin. At this point, the skin of the potato should fall off quite easily. 
4. With a potato masher or a fork, mash the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg with the sweet potatoes and mix it well. 
5. Add the flour 1/2 up at a time, kneading very gently after each addition. 
6. Once the flour has been fully incorporated into the sweet potato mixture at a dough-like consistency, transfer the dough onto a floured work surface. If the mixture is too wet or sticky, add more flour to the dough. If the dough is to dry, add water. 
7. Roll and stretch the slice on a floured surface until it forms a long, skinny rope-like shape.
8. Cut the rope into 1-inch segments and transfer to bowl. If you would like to have ridges on the gnocchi, take a back of a fork to create the texture. 
9. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the gnocchi. The gnocchi is fully cooked when it floats to the top of the surface. Drain and toss gently with a little olive oil to prevent the gnocchi from sticking. 
10. In a pan, melt the butter. Add the minced/chopped garlic cloves into the pan. Let the garlic reach a light-golden color. 
11. Add the gnocchi into the pan of butter and garlic. Pan fry for a few minutes until it reaches golden brown on the outside.
12. Remove from heat and season with parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.  
13. Garnish the gnocchi with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy :) 

1. Whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil together until well combined. Add as much salt and pepper as you would like to your dressing. This is all based on preference.
   
2. In a large salad bowl, start with the arugula salad. Add the avocado, walnuts, parmesan cheese, and grapes. 
3. Drizzle the lemon dressing on top of the salad. With a pair of small tongs, toss the salad with the light dressing until it is well combined. 
4. Serve and enjoy :) 

I really like eating a sweet breakfast. Every once in a while, I like to indulge my sweet tooth. Today was a treat-yourself kind of a day. Cooking up some sweet brekkies is a great way to start my morning.

Drool-worthy!

I decided to kick it up a notch and add some walnuts into the mix. So, without further ado, here's the recipe to this warm, sweet, and nutty pancake that is the perfect start to any morning!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes 
Yield: 2 Servings, 4 pancakes each

Ingredients
For Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
4 tbsp. unsalted butter; melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For Apple Topping:
2 tbsp. butter
2 apples; peeled and diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 walnuts; optional
Whipped cream; for serving

Instructions 

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 
2. Warm milk in microwave until it is lukewarm. Mix milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well-combined. 
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat until it is hot. 
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour the liquid mixture into the well and slowly incorporate the flour with a fork until there are no more clumps of flour. Small lumps of flour is okay, just as long as it is combined into a uniform, thick, pancake batter. 
5. Lightly brush skillet with melted butter. Spoon 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the skillet. 
6. When edges look dry and bubbles start to appear and pop on the surface of the pancake, it is time to turn it over with a spatula. This takes roughly 3 minutes. Once flipped, cook the other side for roughly 1 to 2 minutes until it is cooked in the center. Repeat the pancake cooking process until you've completely used up the batter. Stack the warm pancakes on a plate and set aside. 
7. For the apple topping, melt the butter onto a hot pan and allow it to reach a golden color. The browned butter will add a nutty flavor to the topping. 
8. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, water, and apples into the pan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the apples have softened and the syrup has thickened. Add walnuts into the apple topping mixture and coat it with the sugar syrup. 
10. Pour apple topping over the pancakes and pipe some fresh whipped cream on top. Serve and enjoy :) 

The toasty pine nuts add a hint of nutty flavor to the pasta. It's a surprising touch, but it brings the whole dish together.  The combination of "sun-dried" tomatoes, fresh spinach and basil, Italian sausage, and tangy feta cheese is absolutely delightful. Instead of sticking to making pasta with a sauce, I left the ingredients whole to simplify the dish and add bursts of flavor. Trust me, this farfalle recipe is a hit!

Pine Nut Farfalle
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients 
8 ounces farfalle pasta
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil; roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves; minced
1/4 cup pine nuts
6 ounces fresh spinach
2 Italian sausages
2 ounces feta cheese
Salt and pepper; to taste
Olive oil; for cooking
Parmesan cheese; serving

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the farfalle pasta according to the directions on the box.
3. Place pine nuts in a skillet and heat over low-medium heat. Toss and shake the pan until the pine nuts are toasty and golden in color, which roughly takes 5 minutes. Set pine nuts aside for later use. 
4. While the pasta is cooking, let's make the "sun-dried tomatoes" cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Lightly drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper to the cherry tomatoes. Toss the cherry tomatoes in the olive oil, salt, and pepper and evenly lay it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
5. Place the baking sheet of cherry tomatoes into the preheated oven. Let the cherry tomatoes bake until dry. Depending on how big the tomatoes are, the longer the cooking time is. For my cherry tomatoes, it took roughly 10 minutes. Make sure to keep a watchful eye on the tomatoes. There's a fine line between dried and burnt! 
6. For the Italian sausages, I use a two-part cooking method. Place the sausages in boiling water until it is cooked thoroughly. Remove cooked sausages from boiling water after 10 minutes. Then, slice the cooked sausage into smaller pieces. 
7. Lightly coat a non-stick pan with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium-high heat until it is hot. Place minced garlic into the pan and cook until it's golden and fragrant. Put the cooked sausage into the pan and let the sausage brown. 
8. Remove the pan from the heat. 
9. Add the farfalle pasta in the pan with the sausages. Toss the hot farfalle and sausage with the fresh spinach and basil. The residual heat from the farfalle and sausage will wilt the spinach and basil without having to cook it. 
10. Add the "sun-dried" tomatoes, feta cheese, and pine nuts into the pasta and toss until it is well combined. Sprinkle salt and freshly cracked black pepper to the pasta to taste. 
11. For garnish, add some shaved parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!