Maria Ricupero Nutrition Consulting

Ahhh, one of my favourite dishes. Incredibly simple yet so tasty . Fava beans with lots of minced garlic, lots of flat parsley and lots of EVOO! Add some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. That's it! This time I minced a small piece of scotch bonnet . Love the kick it gives. Short on time? Use canned beans...just as delicious! #favabean #legumes #plants #vegetariandish #vegetarian #reduceyourcarbonfootprint #vegan

What do you do with extra black beans (I used canned) that weren't all used when you made your tacos/enchiladas? You make a black bean salad! Add fresh coriander, chopped mango, cherry tomato, sliced red onion or chopped green onion. Dress with freshly squeezed lime, EVOO, salt and pepper. One of my favorites and a great dish to have in the summer. #legumes #plantfoods #plantbasedeating #vegetarian #blackbeans #freshfoods

Our dining room has been converted to an indoor garden. A project that Covid has allowed to happen. Our greens are growing! This is completely exciting! Hats off to my spouse @NickCapra for all his hard work and research to make this happen. Check out this set up! My honey is a handy-man! And, very committed to this project! #indoorgardening #plants #greens #handy #plantlife #greenthumb #green

Ahhh, one of my favourite dishes. Incredibly simple yet so tasty . Fava beans with lots of minced garlic, lots of flat parsley and lots of EVOO! Add some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. That's it! This time I minced a small piece of scotch bonnet . Love the kick it gives. Short on time? Use canned beans...just as delicious! #favabean #legumes #plants #vegetariandish #vegetarian #reduceyourcarbonfootprint #vegan

Tonight's dinner was a real treat! Kimchi pancakes (recipe courtesy of @chez.jorge ) and a fresh, mixed green salad that included some greens we've been growing indoors. The latter a very exciting experiment! We are working on that green thumb! #freshfood #localfood #growyourownfood #homegardening #asiancooking #homecooking #fortheloveoffood

What do you do with extra black beans (I used canned) that weren't all used when you made your tacos/enchiladas? You make a black bean salad! Add fresh coriander, chopped mango, cherry tomato, sliced red onion or chopped green onion. Dress with freshly squeezed lime, EVOO, salt and pepper. One of my favorites and a great dish to have in the summer. #legumes #plantfoods #plantbasedeating #vegetarian #blackbeans #freshfoods

Our dining room has been converted to an indoor garden. A project that Covid has allowed to happen. Our greens are growing! This is completely exciting! Hats off to my spouse @NickCapra for all his hard work and research to make this happen. Check out this set up! My honey is a handy-man! And, very committed to this project! #indoorgardening #plants #greens #handy #plantlife #greenthumb #green

Look who decided to stop by and hang out on our street for a while. Who? Who? #owl #nature #highparktoronto

Tonight's dinner was a real treat! Kimchi pancakes (recipe courtesy of @chez.jorge ) and a fresh, mixed green salad that included some greens we've been growing indoors. The latter a very exciting experiment! We are working on that green thumb! #freshfood #localfood #growyourownfood #homegardening #asiancooking #homecooking #fortheloveoffood

Look who decided to stop by and hang out on our street for a while. Who? Who? #owl #nature #highparktoronto

Felt like making carrot cake tonight. Looking forward to eating it tomorrow. You might be wondering, "why wait?" It's late and I'm tired. Giving yourself "unconditional permission to eat" and permission to eat whatever you want, (that's right...whatever you want), can set you free. Be free of the "shoulds" and "should nots." I clearly remember a client I worked with who proudly stated, "I refuse to let anyone should on me!" Make food choices you want, and not because you f...eel it's the 'right choice' to make, or the choice you 'should' make. Be your own guide and make your choice ... without judgement, and experience the peace and freedom it brings. Peace! #intuitiveeating #choice#innerwisdom #mindfuleating #nonjudement #peacewithfood #innerpeace #allfoodsfit #weightinclusive #nondiet #haes #weightneutral #joyoffood See more

This weekend was a weekend of repeats. Friday night I shared with you that I made Shepherd's pie for the second time. Now I present another food I've already posted in the past:lemon squares. Here's what is left of them. They came a bit brown on top, but they still give you that burst of tangy flavour in your mouth. I love anything lemon! I remember eating them as a kid like you would an orange. I know ... strange. Something I picked up from my mom...she loves them too! Be...ing of Sicilian descent, my mom used to tell me how she would pick lemons off the tree of her grandfather's farm, and eat them (without the peel of course...just in case you were wondering... ). We hope to grow our own lemon tree in the city one day or elsewhere. Of course it will be potted so we can bring it in from the outdoors once it gets cold. Or, we'll bring it into our greenhouse, which is currently under construction. Stay tuned! Exciting!!! #lemonsquares #lemon #lemontree #memories #farming #urbanfarm #greenhouse #nostalgia

Part 2. Carbonara. Ok folks. Tonight was very revealing for me. Super fun evening. Personal cooking lesson tonight from my cousins on how to make a proper carbonara. I realize I did NOT make a carbonara the other night. The pics show the steps involved in how to make a Roman-style carbonara. One of the key ingredients (that may not appeal to all) is guanciale (pig's cheek). The fat of guanciale provides incredible flavour, but can be expensive. Many people use pancetta as... a substitute. For those interested, here are the details: Ingredients: * 200-250g guanciale, cubed or fatty pancetta, cut into pieces (you need the fat here...this is all about flavour, folks; don't compromise) * 7-8 beaten egg yolks * 6-8 heaping tbsps grated pecorino Romano cheese * Freshly grated black pepper * 500g rigatoni pasta Directions: * Cook pasta according to PKG instructions. n.b. later you will need some of the starch water, so do not discard. * In the meantime, place cubed guanciale or pancetta in a pan and saute. Do not add oil. Cook until fat becomes translucent and guanciale or pancetta is browned (slightly crispy). * Take beaten egg yolks and add grated pecorino Romano cheese. Mix together until mixture thickens and becomes creamy. Add lots of freshly ground pepper or to your liking. * Now take approx. 2 ladles of water from the cooked pasta and add to the egg and cheese mixture to liquefy. * Once pasta is cooked, drain the water. Add the cooked guanciale and mix throughout. * Next add the liquefied egg and cheese mixture to the pasta with guanciale and mix altogether until pasta is coated. Voila! That's it! See? Totally different from my last post. Thanks @streattoronto and giuseppe! If any of you try this, let me know how it goes and if you made any substitutes. Enjoy! #italiancooking #carbonara #communitycooking #recipe #authenticitaliancooking #pasta #foodislove

Second time making Shepherd's pie. Added a few extras...red bell pepper, kernel corn, others. This just might become a regular item on the menu! Have a great weekend everyone!!! #homecooking #cookkngfromscratch #comfortfood #easyrecipes

Friday night. Looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the eve. Still need to make dinner. Keeping it simple tonight. Here's one of my go-to meals: turn a green salad into a meal. Tonight I included candied walnuts & cashews, feta cheese, red kidney beans, cherry tomatoes, green onion and red Bell pepper, and of course, romaine lettuce. For dressing I used (always use) EVOO and reduced balsamic vinegar. Very tasty! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Long work day and feeling tired. Near end of the week and not much left in the refrigerator. Grocery shopping day is tomorrow. What shall I cook? Pasta aglio e olio with a kick. I like adding oven roasted black olives and tonight I added chopped sun-dried tomatoes. A great meal when there just isn't much to work with. All you really need is lots of chopped garlic and olive oil.... As a side dish, I sauteed savoy cabbage and added sliced carrots...a little bit of cumin and a sliced shallot with of course, EVOO. ENJOY the eve everyone! #refrigeratormeal #simplecooking #homecooking #pasta#ilovecarbs

Wrapping up this weekend with a freshly baked apple cake. Christmas decorations are up, and now it's time to sit down and put my feet up. Ready for the week ahead. #bakingfromscratch #baking #apples

**Correction.** For all the Italians out there who may be cringing right now, I stand corrected. My loving cousin Giuseppe has informed me that "carbonara" is a dish and not a sauce. Who knew?! A Roman style carbonara is made with rigatoni pasta with guanciale (pig's cheek; people use pancetta in place of guanciale) in a cream sauce that I have described below. So folks, what you see below is my own adaptation. Still tastes good and that's all that mstters!!! For a quick...Continue reading

Hello family, friends, and fellow friendly followers. Wow! What an alliteration!! I wanted to take this time to announce a new venture that my good friend and colleague, Samantha and I have started. Read this post, go to Next Level Nutrition and give us a "Like," and follow us. Also, please share with any health professionals you know who may be interested in taking their nutrition knowledge and confidence to the Next Level!! Sincere thanks and stay tuned!! @cyndibalram

Kimchi pancake. Tried this out today from a recipe I found on @chez.jorge website. I just happened to have kimchi in the house. I only ever had it with rice, so this was something different. Super easy to make and really delicious! Thanks @luminanutrition for introducing me to @chez.jorge whose recipes are oh so tasty!! #kimchi#asiancuisine#newrecipe #culture