sunday warm-up

i cannot believe we’re already in april, can you? i certainly cannot, especially with this wind.  here’s a quick round up of recipes…and clothes…i had my eyes on throughout march madness to add to your april to dos.

cake&veggies too april wish list

• kale, date and almond salad with lemony dressing: looking to  also pair this with poached shrimp or a slice of grilled salmon during the week.
• curried cauliflower wrap: curry + glw = friends for life.
• italian quinoa bowl: also fitting for a quick, low maintenance weekday meal.
• general tso’s tofu: if you’ll recall, last year i made minimalist baker’s crispy baked peanut tofu and cauliflower stir fry. still one of my favorite vegan finds of 2015. by far the best cauliflower rice recipe i’ve found, btw.
• caramelized pork banh mi: this one’s for you, jared.
• vegetarian ramen bowl with spicy brussels sprouts: i can eat ramen bowls all day, every day. excited to try this one out.
• raw carrot cake: last year it was raw key lime pie, so why not change it up?
• coconut panna cotta: UH YES PLEASE.
• strawberry tart: with a rye pie crust from “sweeter off the vine” (next cookbook on my list to get).
• ultimate fudgy brownies: edit – these are on jared’s wish list.
• lulu’s lemons: anyone who barres with me (or sees me on the weekend for that matter because real pants are banned come saturday morning through sunday night) knows i heart my emily hsu’s designs. these lemon leggings are must haves as the weather warms up. and speaking of lemons…
• lemon ginger gimlets: picture & recipe by love&lemons. you’ll need ¼ cup gin; 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice; 1 tablespoon agave nectar; splash of sparkling water; splash of ginger juice; optional lemon peels, for garnish. fill a cocktail with ice. add the gin, lemon juice, agave nectar and a handful of crushed ice. shake for 20 seconds, then strain into two glasses. top with a splash of sparkling water and ginger juice. garnish with lemon peel.

ok, now on to the true sunday warm-up: a combination of spring-ready foods (despite the chilly temperatures) and dishes to keep you warm (see chilly temperatures). let’s start with what’s on deck for dinner this week.

• monday: chilly temperatures seem to be sticking around the upper west side, so we’ll be checking ramen & spicy brussels off of the april wish list.
• tuesday: tuesdays are my pure barre platform days, so intense cardio will be followed by ancho broiled shrimp, leftover potato salad (see tonight’s dinner below), & sautéed veggies.
• wednesday: my kitchen gets a day off for sushi!
• thursday: very excited to test out love&lemon’s carrot & tomato tagliatelle.

tonight, j & i are whipping up a spring meal and decadent dessert. for dinner we’re having salmon with potato salad and horseradish yogurt. and for dessert: milk chocolate tart with peanut butter pretzel crust (yes, you read all of that correctly).

i must admit, i was a bit skeptical about this baked salmon situation. why? only my wyatt siblings will appreciate the following five words: BDQ’s dill baked salmon dinners. enough said. this recipe definitely assuaged my baked salmon fears…thankfully. here are my notes…

the three dressings:

• potato salad dressing: no edits, other than i would make this the day before if you have time. i can’t wait to try this again on tuesday. also, if you do not like tarragon or a licorice-like flavor, this is not the recipe for you.
• herb dressing: we stayed away from frying the herbs. seems like the right call.
• horseradish yogurt: my household hearts horseradish, so we cranked up the measurement a bit. this also helped with the sour taste from the greek yogurt (which i personally was not a fan of).

the main dish:

• no edits – caraway seeds are such the perfect touch.
• i added steamed broccoli as a side, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

now on to the true, true main dish: dessert. i mean this was just heaven.

first: who can complain about peanut butter and salty pretzels? anyone? anyone? right. that’s what i thought.

second: milky chocolate grenache-like filling? catch me as i pass out.

third: no edits. just channel a lot of patience with the wait time.