food has become an art. it is no longer just about fueling your body. good food is now defined not only by how it tastes, but by how it looks and pleases the senses. which is great for me, because i love to play with my food. 

but let's be real. most of us don't have enough hours in the day to squeeze in a workout, regular errands or even a shower, let alone "style" our dinner. just EATING dinner is a win on some days. 

however, it is really nice sometimes after a long day to indulge in something that feels a little special. so, when i have an hour or two at my home on the weekends and nothing much to do, i'll make some pineapple flowers or dried citrus wheels to keep on hand for when i need a pick me up. they are CRAZY EASY to make, they keep for six months in an airtight container and they are the perfect addition to a sad or boring plate or cocktail. 

pineapple flowers
makes: 10-20 flowers (depending on a mini pineapple vs regular size)
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 1 hour
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: mini or full sized pineapple. mandolin or very sharp knife. silicone baking mat or parchment paper. baking sheet. 

start by preheating your oven to 225 f. line your baking sheet with your parchment or silicone mat. remove the top, bottom and all the skin of the pineapple. 

slice the pineapple very thin. one eighth of an inch or thinner. BE CAREFUL! 

place the pineapple on the baking sheet. bake the pineapple for 25 minutes a side (flipping them halfway through. bake for 20 minutes each side if you are using the mini pineapple. 

when the pineapple is dried, remove it from the oven. now you can leave the flowers flat, or while they are still warm, you can use your fingers to press the sides of the pineapple up to make more of a flower shape. 

allow the pineapple to cool completely. use or store in an airtight container in a pantry or cupboard for up to six months. 

use as desired. 

xo, a

pineapple flowers
makes: 10-20 flowers (depending on a mini pineapple vs regular size)
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 1 hour
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: mini or full sized pineapple. mandolin or very sharp knife. silicone baking mat or parchment paper. baking sheet.
tart by preheating your oven to 225 f. line your baking sheet with your parchment or silicone mat. remove the top, bottom and all the skin of the pineapple. slice the pineapple very thin. one eighth of an inch or thinner. BE CAREFUL! place the pineapple on the baking sheet. bake the pineapple for 25 minutes a side (flipping them halfway through. bake for 20 minutes each side if you are using the mini pineapple. when the pineapple is dried, remove it from the oven. now you can leave the flowers flat, or while they are still warm, you can use your fingers to press the sides of the pineapple up to make more of a flower shape. allow the pineapple to cool completely. use or store in an airtight container in a pantry or cupboard for up to six months. use as desired. 

my food obsession really started to bloom around the time that top chef started airing on bravo. i would tune in no matter what and the show became a big part of my education. they would use terms or ingredients i had never heard of and i would look it up or find it in the store to try at home. 

i used to watch the show in awe. how could people chop so perfectly, cook so quickly, use so many ingredients? now as i'm watching i'm rooting on my local favorites, screaming at the television when they are doing something terrible with an ingredient and i'm on the edge of my seat when i see anyone doing anything unsafe with a knife. you get the picture, i'm into it. 

but for a long time, one ingredient from top chef was evading me. in season one, the winner served a dish with a sunchoke puree. since that moment (10ish years ago) i have been searching high and low for this ingredient and i had never found it. until a couple weeks ago. 

it goes by many other names (jerusalem artichoke, sunroot, earth apple) so keep a look out for it. this root vegetable will not disappoint. the best way i could describe it is if a potato and an artichoke had a tasty baby that looked a whole lot like ginger, but with a tan. you can cook them as you would a potato. they are tasty roasted, mashed, pureed and even as chips. here are a few recipes to get you acclimated with your new favorite root veggie. 

roasted sunchoke & onions
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchoke, diced into .5 inch pieces. 1 large brown onion, diced into .5 inch pieces. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. on a rimmed baking sheet, combine the onions and sunchoke. 

drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well until everything is evenly coated. roast for 45 minutes to an hour until everything is turning golden brown and the sunchokes are tender. halfway through, giving everything a good stir with a wooden spoon so everything cooks evenly. 

when the sunchokes are tender, remove from the oven. serve as a side dish or as desired. 

sunchoke chips
serves: about 2 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 12-15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchokes. 3 tbs avocado oil. 1 tsp salt. parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. using your mandolin slice the sunchokes very thin. one eighth an inch or smaller. in a bowl, drizzle the sunchokes with avocado oil and salt. toss till everything is well coated. 

line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicon mat and spread the sunchokes out evenly. bake until crispy and lightly golden brown. 12-15 minutes. start checking on them at 12 minutes so they don't go over. 

when they are nice and crispy, remove them from the oven. allow them to cool and enjoy. 

garlic & herb sunchoke puree
serves: about 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchokes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 pepper.
tart by pealing and chopping your sunchokes. a rough chop is fine. 

combine your sunchokes, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium pot. fill the pot with water just till you cover the sunchokes. 

place the pot on the stove on medium high heat. bring the liquid to a boil, should take about 7-10 minutes. once you reach a boil, reduce the liquid to a simmer. simmer the sunchokes till tender, about 20 minutes. 

add in the garlic herb butter. 

drain all the liquid and pour the sunchokes into a food processor. 

blend the sunchokes until smooth. serve hot.

xo, a

roasted sunchoke & onions
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchoke, diced into .5 inch pieces. 1 large brown onion, diced into .5 inch pieces. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. on a rimmed baking sheet, combine the onions and sunchoke. drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well until everything is evenly coated. roast for 45 minutes to an hour until everything is turning golden brown and the sunchokes are tender. halfway through, giving everything a good stir with a wooden spoon so everything cooks evenly. when the sunchokes are tender, remove from the oven. serve as a side dish or as desired. 

sunchoke chips
serves: about 2 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 12-15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchokes. 3 tbs avocado oil. 1 tsp salt. parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. using your mandolin slice the sunchokes very thin. one eighth an inch or smaller. in a bowl, drizzle the sunchokes with avocado oil and salt. toss till everything is well coated. line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicon mat and spread the sunchokes out evenly. bake until crispy and lightly golden brown. 12-15 minutes. start checking on them at 12 minutes so they don't go over. when they are nice and crispy, remove them from the oven. allow them to cool and enjoy. 

garlic & herb sunchoke puree serves: about 4 prep time: 10 minutes cook time: 30 minutes total time: 40 minutes ingredients: 1.5 lbs sunchokes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 2 tbs garlic herb butter. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 pepper. start by pealing and chopping your sunchokes. a rough chop is fine. combine your sunchokes, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium pot. fill the pot with water just till you cover the sunchokes. place the pot on the stove on medium high heat. bring the liquid to a boil, should take about 7-10 minutes. once you reach a boil, reduce the liquid to a simmer. simmer the sunchokes till tender, about 20 minutes. drain all the liquid and pour the sunchokes into a food processor. add in the garlic herb butter. blend the sunchokes until smooth. serve hot.