Avocado BLT Egg Salad

Hello there! It's been a while since I have posted. The holidays kept us busy around these parts. The holidays also left us feeling also heavy. Oh goodness, I always forget how much delicious food I end up consuming between the months of October-December. Between the dinners, holiday parties, goodie-baking for friends, the list just goes on and on and the scale just went up and up and so did the head aches.

When January came around I was so ready to start feeling good again, and after a lot of contemplation I decided to give Whole 30 a whirl. While I don't feel like eating this way is sustainable, nor healthy for long periods of time (too much meat, and I think grains are a healthy part of any food table, in moderation) , I have found it to be incredibly cleansing as well as powerful when it came to defining my relationship with food.

Summer Tuna Salad

A few years ago I was spending about 3 days of every week doing business in NYC. I became very familiar with the local hot spots of mid-town Manhattan. Every time I had a meeting at Rockefeller Plaza around lunch-time I would try to sneak into Dean and Deluca. One summer I discovered their tuna salad sandwich and my life was changed (yes, I am that dramatic). It had a nice crunch with carrot and red onion and I became obsessed.

I set out to duplicate, and even hunted down the recipe from the Dean and Deluca Restaurant cookbook, but, quickly realized it need to be heathified...stat. My version is loaded with peppers, kale, celery, carrot, parsley, and much more. The base cuts out much of the heavy mayo (does anyone else hate mayo like I do??) and adds in pickle. It is delightful and much easier on the waistline.

Try it with fresh watercress, avocado, and extra sliced pickle. My favorite way to enjoy...on a bed of buttery Boston lettuce and sliced avocado.

Veggie "Sloppy Joes" - Rock Your World Sloppy Joes

First, I have to admit, I've never actually eaten a  "real" sloppy joe. I think my only exposure to them was in the movies (think It Takes Two with the Olsen twins circa 1995, or Billy Madison). I have always loved anything barbeque-esq, but was terrified of unidentifiable substances in my food. So this is my ode to a dish I have never actually had.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. I sometimes need to double this just to keep up with the demand. To say this is a delicious family favorite...is the understatement of 2014.