Hi there-- welcome to Citrus Tree Kitchen! This blog is my creative outlet where I share simple, thoughtful, vegetable-forward recipes with you lovely people.
Why simple? Because we are strapped for time, yet still want to eat healthy and want it to taste delicious. From time to time, you will see recipes that require a bit more commitment, but they will never be so complicated that you'll feel overwhelmed. Simple is best!
Why thoughtful? Because I am a huge believer in root-to-stalk cooking and minimal waste, as well as using seasonal ingredients whenever possible. So keep those carrot tops and swiss chard stems, I'll give you inspiration on how to use them. Also, fruit and vegetables are at their best when it's their season, not only in taste but in nutritional value as well. Eating with the seasons also means your food traveled less to get to you.
Why vegetable-forward? Because, vegetables! They are beautiful to look at and treat your body right. Filled with antioxidants and an abundance of vitamins, we should all do our best to incorporate them into our diets, and at every meal. But there's more, because I'd be too hungry and so would all of us if we were only eating vegetables. I also love whole grains and legumes and you'll see them hold their own along with vegetables on CTK. In other words, these recipes are fabulous if you want to explore and live a whole-food, vegetarian, and at times, plant-based diet but might not have really understood the mumbo-jumbo of what it entails. Here is inspiration to do so.
You will also see a fair share of gluten-free recipes on CTK. I am not gluten-free, but many of my close friends and family are.
Disclaimer: I do have a major sweet tooth, and although I try really hard to tame it , you'll ever so often see recipes that are not made with unrefined sugars or whole grains, because I also believe in balance. And donuts.
I create and test all the recipes you see on CTK. I hope you will enjoy the recipes as much as I enjoy creating them!
A little about me, I grew up in my family's vegetarian and macrobiotic restaurant in Caracas, Venezuela (La Era de Acuario) -- in which my grandma was the chef, yes, my grandmother! So I'd have to say a whole lot of my love for food stems naturally from being in that kitchen pulling at my grandma's apron. Many years later, having moved to Florida, then NYC, and after a 4-year stint working in advertising, I decided to put on my own apron and went to the French Culinary Institute in the heart of New York City. I've had an amazing and varied journey since then, and have worked in catering, in the test kitchens of Saveur and Martha Stewart Living magazines, and even at Blue Hill, a farm-to-table Michelin-starred restaurant. Most recently, I was the Assistant Food Editor at Rachael Ray Every Day magazine where I developed and tested recipes, as well as write and edit. And currently, I'm a Food Editor at Real Simple magazine.
I am available for recipe development, editing, writing, and testing. Please contact me here if you are interested in working together or if you just want to say hi!