One head cauliflower divided into florets
2-3 tablespoons shawarma spice blend*
The juice of 1-2 lemons
Olive oil
Pita bread
Tomatoes, chopped fine
Cucumbers, chopped fine
Parsley chopped fine
Yogurt
Sumac
Dill pickles, chopped
 
Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with the shawarma blend. Drizzle with two to three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon (add more if you want it extra lemony) and mix together.
 
Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet cover with a large piece of foil. Place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook for about another 20 minutes. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley in a bowl. Add olive oil and some lemon juice. Stir well. Add the sumac to yogurt or you could also use sour cream.
 
To serve place pita on a plate, add cauliflower, the tomato salad, sumac yogurt, and dill pickles. Easiest to eat with a knife and fork.
 
* There are variations but in general include cinnamon, cardamom, ground coriander, turmeric, ginger, paprika (sweet or smoked), cumin, hot chili flakes, black pepper.

2 avocados
Lemon
1 can or jar of tuna in olive oil, I prefer skipjack tuna
I can of tuna in water no salt added, skipjack
1 to two tablespoons finely chopped dill
3 or 4 ribs of celery chopped finely
Capers, about a tablespoon or so
Mayo, I prefer Duke’s, about 3-4 tablespoons (use Greek yogurt mixed with a little mayo if you want less fat and salt)
Sourdough bread, toasted

Slice a couple of avocados thinly and squeeze lemon juice on the avocado. For the tuna salad, add tuna, dill, celery, capers and mayo in a bowl. Mix together. Take a piece of toast, add some avocado, followed by tuna salad. That's it - simple but yummy.

Napa cabbage, chopped (TJ’s has pre-chopped)
Grape seed oil (or oil of choice)
Siracha tofu from Trader Joe's, cubed small
Chili crisp
Lime juice
Soy sauce
Stir fry noodles, the prepared noodles (shelf stable) not dried
Cilantro, chopped
Blister peanuts (I use TJ’s)
 
Heat the oil in a pot of your choice. Stir until cabbage is a bit soft. Add some soy sauce, chili crisp, lime juice, the noodles and tofu. Stir fry until everything is combined. Add more oil if you need as you go. Serve with cilantro and blister peanuts.

One head of cauliflower:
Breakdown and rinse. Place on a baking sheet. Add: Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup panko, the juice of 1 lime, lime zest, of cumin, hot pepper flakes, black pepper, and sweet paprika. Mix together. Roast the cauliflower in a 375° oven until slightly brown.
 
Ingredients for tacos:
Blue corn taco shells
Mexican mix shredded cheese
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Cilantro, chopped
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Avocado sliced with some lime juice sprinkled on
Green salsa
 
Assemble: on the bottom of the taco shells place some of the shredded Mexican cheese. Next some cauliflower. Followed with a little cotija cheese. Place back in over for 5-8 minutes for taco shells to crisp up and cheese melts. Top with cilantro (or lettuce or both), tomatoes, avocado and green salsa.

Container of 0-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt (5.3 oz container)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and smashed with a fork
1-2 tablespoons miso paste (I like white)
3 T olive oil
Romaine lettuce
Sourdough bread, cubed
Garlic granules
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
 
In a bowl combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, capers, miso paste and olive oil. Stir well. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil. Sprinkle on some garlic granules. Bake until toasted.
Wash and cut up romaine lettuce. Combine lettuce and dressing in a serving bowl. Serve with the parmesan cheese and croutons.
 

My non-traditional version is faster and has less fat.
 
Frozen hash browns
Olive oil
Blue corn taco shells
Shredded cheese (I used a mix of TJ’s Swiss/gruyere and cheddar)
Romaine, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Tomato, chopped
Salsa verde
Pickled jalapeno
 
Place hash browns on a baking sheet. Drizzle on some olive oil. Bake in the oven. They don’t have to be super crisp, just cooked through. Take them out and fill blue corn taco shells with potato. Add shredded cheese. Pop them back in the oven and cook until taco shells are crisp, and filling is hot. Serve with chopped romaine, chopped cilantro, chopped tomato, sala verde and pickled jalapeno. I loved them! So did G.

Olive oil
Carrots, diced (about 3 small ones)
Celery, diced (about 4 large ribs)
1 pound salmon, skinned and cut into big chunks (frozen OK)
Lemon zest
4 cups chicken broth
1 can light coconut milk
1.5 pounds baby potatoes, cut in half, quarters or eighths depending on size
Smoked paprika (to taste, I used 2-3 teaspoons)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2-3 teaspoons ground sumac
White wine, about ½ cup
 
Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Add the smoked paprika, carrots and celery. When vegetables are softened, add broth, potatoes and lemon zest. Turn up heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. When potatoes are soft, add the coconut milk, sumac and white wine. Add the salmon until cooked through, about 5 minutes tops. Stir in dill before serving.
 
Really good!

1 package fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
Zest of one orange
¼ cup pickled jalapeno, chopped fine
1/3 cup orange juice
Aged cheddar (e.g., aged 7 years)
Cracker of choice (right now I’m liking Trader Joe’s brioche crackers)
 
Add sugar, orange zest, orange juice and pickled jalapenos into a saucepan. Heat on medium and cook for about two minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cranberries stop popping. Take off heat and let cool.
 
Assembly: cracker, small slice of cheese, top with relish. Delish!

This makes about 4 sandwiches.
 
1 cup pickled beets, sliced (in rounds). Make your own or buy already made.
3 to 4 tablespoons chives, roughly chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
Sourdough or ciabatta bread
A little granulated garlic and black pepper
Lettuce
Tomato, sliced
 
Place the ricotta cheese in a food processor and add the chives, garlic and black pepper. Process until it's whipped. Spread ricotta and both sides of bread. Followed by beets, lettuce and tomato.

Simple. Yum.

Two bunches of chard or whatever greens you prefer, washed and chopped
One can of garbanzo beans, no or low sodium, drained
Oregano, black pepper, thyme, and sumac
Feta cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
Optional: kalamata olives, mint
 
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan, Add herbs and sauté for a few minutes. Add garbanzo beans followed by the greens and cook down. Add a little water if you need. Sprinkle the feta on top and place a lid on the pan. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. And the olives and mint if you desire. Serve with good crusty bread.