Alina's Super Green Soup

My super green soup is a mish-mash of good for you veggies, and since it's completely natural and exceptionally healthy this soup is an all-around winner. It reminded me a little of split pea soup, maybe because of the texture but also because of the taste. Adam said he would "definitely eat it again" and it was super easy to make. This dish was a healthy success!

Alina's Sweet Peach BBQ Salmon Wraps

Today was an unseasonably warm day, which wet my appetite for summer food. I started thinking about how delicious a BBQ sandwich would be, and that's when this recipe started formulating in my head. These salmon wraps pull most of their sweetness from the tomato paste and peaches, and the brussels sprout cranberry coleslaw is what really seals the deal. My dad is an amazing gardener, and he gave me some collard greens last week that I needed to use up. My mom doesn't eat wheat products, so she sometimes uses collard greens to make wraps, and I decided to do the same.

This wrap is packed with healthy nutrients. Wild salmon is considered to be one of the healthiest kinds of fish, providing over three times your recommended omega-3s. Collard greens pack a punch with tons of fiber and healthy portions of vitamins C, A, and K. Brussels sprouts are exceptionally high in protein for a vegetable, and also have above average levels of fiber and vitamin C. Brussels sprouts are also said to protect against cancer. Peaches are high in fiber and vitamin C. To top things off, one of the natural sweeteners in this recipe, cranberries, is high in anti-oxidants and is considered to be "one of the top foods with proven health benefits." Have I convinced you yet that this dish is chock full of nutrients? That's because it is.

Why beat around the bush? This is by far one of the tastiest original dishes I've come up with. It hints of familiar summer memories while standing proud as its own, unique dish.

Alina's Eclectic Sushi Rolls

This was the first time that cooking for this blog actually made me quiver in my boots a little. I've never made sushi before and it just seems so intimidating. Good news... it's not actually that scary! Now that I've made it once I could do it again easily.

I wasn't ready to take the plunge into raw fish yet, partially because Adam hates fish (actually he doesn't really care for sushi either, so this whole post is a bit of a stretch for him), so I can't imagine he would touch raw fish with a ten thousand foot pole. I made five types of sushi, and I'll post them all. I pulled my inspiration for the buffalo sushi from this article.

Experimenting with food is fun! I encourage you to play with your food this week and cook something bold and new. :)

Alina's Vegetable Raisin Calzones

This week was one of Adam and my favorite dishes I've made so far on the blog. Adam's always been big on calzones, but he usually won't come near a calzone unless it's heavily loaded with cheese and pepperoni. This version goes easy on the cheese and is stuffed with an abundance of vegetables instead of meat and yet he still loved it. Score!

Alina's Cumin and Lentil Quesadillas

Adam and I love quesadillas (who wouldn't like cheesy filling stuffed inside bread?). This version of quesadilla is stuffed with lentils, cumin, corn and just enough cheese to make a person go "yummmmmmm."

Alina's Veggie Tian

When I saw the veggie tian recipe on the For the Love of Cooking blog, I couldn't resist making it. It just looks so. stinking. delicious!