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I’m a lover of cross-cultural comfort food and I spend my weekends cooking authentically awesome dishes without having to leave Astoria, Queens, NYC.

-Ben Costantino

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Chicken (6)
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Easy Ideas (24)
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Meatless (46)
Recipes (59)

Meatless Monday Ideas!

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Andouille Vegan Red Beans

Fried Green Tomato Bites

Jerk Barbecue Chickpea Tacos

Collard Green Pesto with Cashews

Vegan Baked Beans with Smoked Tomatoes

How to Make Vegetarian Sandwiches, My Way

Broiled Buffalo Cauliflower

Check out more Meatless Monday inspired posts!

Visit me on Instagram in between posts!

So, what was going on here for lunch today was a V

So, what was going on here for lunch today was a Vegan Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Jerk Barbecue Chickpeas and homegrown cherry tomatoes. While the veggies were grilling, a can of chickpeas were going to work in a mini slow cooker with Jamaican Choice jerk seasoning, Stubbs BBQ sauce, thyme and garlic. The BBQ jerk sauce mixes heavenly with the tahini dressing by @epicurious , my go-to dressing. It’s on there quite cutesy and minimal for the photo’s sake, but trust and believe it got poured on beyond belief right after I got my shot. It’s sooooo addictive and oh so simple … a trio of garlic and lemon juice and tahini and thinned out with water. Not to mention it mixes with the jerk BBQ sauce, which I should have showed more prominently. But oh well, I was hungry. Next time.
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#quinoabowl #veganbowl #vegansalad #eatinglight #tryingvegan #veganmeal #meatless #meatlessmeals #plantbasedeating #healthylunch #tahinidressing #thisisvegan #nomeathere #nutritious #cherrytomatoes #summerveggies #foodphotography #grainbowl #chickpeas #grilledzucchini #grilledveggies #grilledveggiesalad #grilledveggiesarethebest #mealsinbowls #bowlmeals #vegantoday

Yup, MORE cherry tomatoes … Husky Reds and Sungo

Yup, MORE cherry tomatoes … Husky Reds and Sungolds. To compare the two varieties … Sungolds (the orange ones) are super sweet with a softer, thinner skin, and the vine is much flimsy and fragile. Husky reds are more savory, with a thick, firm skin and the vine is really thick and sturdy so it doesn’t require as much caging care. I'm thinking husky reds would be good for stuffing and broiling with a cheese-like filling. What will see.❤️
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#sungoldtomatoes #cherrytomatoes #tomatogrowers #bonnieplants #tomatoplants #cherrytomato #urbangardener #tomatoharvest #instagardeners #instagardenlovers #homegrown #igrewthese #eatwhatyougrow #growingveggies #veggiegrowing #colorfulfood #freshproduce #tomatolove #containergardener #brightfood #igrewthis #grownfrom #bonnieplants #orangetomatoes #pickedfromthegarden #eatfreshfood #gardeningsuccess

From last Friday’s happy hour at home … into t

From last Friday’s happy hour at home … into the air fryer this cauliflower went, having just marinated in some Texas Pete wing sauce for about an hour, then coated with the usual common house spices. We had actual wings as well and I never would have thought I would like these as much as actual wings. I think I ate an even amount of both. The moist crunch of cauliflower is what kept me going back for more. I'll definitely be doing this more often. 🌶️
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#buffalocauliflower #cauliflowerwings #cauliflower #cauliflowernation #healthierchoices #healthyeating #appetizers #fingerfoods #snackfood #spicyfood ##spicyfoodlover #texaspete #texaspetehotsauce #buffalosauce #cauliflowerrecipes #cauliflowerlove #snacks #meatlesscooking #plantbasedfoods #plantbasedideas #healthyish #healthyalternatives #veggiesmatter #veggiesrock

Grilled veggies in mass quantity on Sunday getting

Grilled veggies in mass quantity on Sunday getting me through the week … never thought about grilling broccoli before and turns out it’s fantastic because it can take lots of abuse and handling. And I can never resist grilling Poblano peppers, as it’s one of my all-time favorite sandwich fixings. 🥦

#grilledveggies #grillingveggies #summergrill #veggielife #veggiegrill #broccoli #poblanos #broccolilover #greenfoods #grillin #healthygrilling #leancooking #cookinglight #grilledbroccoli #cruciferous #caramelized #charred #freshoffthegrill #weekendcooking #webergrill #foodblogging
#grillphotography

Here's me trying to eat less cheese, a BLT wrap ma

Here's me trying to eat less cheese, a BLT wrap makes me forget that cheese even exists ... a poblano pepper 🫑 BLT wrap 🌯 with my homegrown tomatoes and getting all messy with the @elyucateco_hotsauce is a given.

#poblanopeppers #bltwrap #baconlettucetomato #wrapsofinstagram #wraps #cherrytomatoes #hotsauceoneverything #gardentotable #eatwhatyougrow #freshfooddaily #baconwrap #everyonelovesbacon #brunchfood #tortillawrap #tomatogrowers #tomatoharvest #gardenfresh #gardenfreshveggies #baconlover #baconloversunite #tomatorecipes #tomatolover #brunchtime
#lunchtime #KingOfFlavor

Up on the blog ... Mexican quinoa-stuffed homegrow

Up on the blog ... Mexican quinoa-stuffed homegrown banana peppers just had to happen, seeing that a pepper harvest aligned with having a bunch of leftover Mexican quinoa from yesterday’s vegan Taco Tuesday. Just 4 light ingredients happening here, so I can experience that garden-fresh pepper flavor … stuffed only with Mexican quinoa (cooked like Mexican rice), broccoli, and white cheddar cheese.
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#stuffedpeppers #quinoa #quinoarecipe #pepperpoppers #bananapeppers #airfriedrecipes #vegetarianrecipe #gardentotable #peppergrower #cleaneating #stuffedpepper #gardenfresh #pepperrecipes #airfried #homegrownveggies #gardenfood #superfoods #pepperlover #fingerfoods #appetizers #lowcalorie #lighteating #vegetarianlove #veggielove #plantbasedcooking #igrewthese #freshfood

Today’s #KingOfFlavor #ElYucaTACOTuesday brunch

Today’s #KingOfFlavor #ElYucaTACOTuesday brunch challenge for me is to NOT have eggs or cheese, because I eat way too much of both. A good hot sauce is key … #ElYucateco green, on top of a bed of guac, Mexican quinoa (aka. cooked like Mexican rice, but using salsa from a jar, chili powder and garlic and onions), air-fried broccoli seasoned with Mrs Dash no-salt seasoning, and flame roasted poblano peppers. Was really in the mood for green food today. 💚🥑🌮

#hotsauceoneverything #mexicanfood #tacos #meatlesstacos #vegantaco #quinoa #quinoalover #guac #poblanos #brunchfood #brunching #complimentarycolors #tacotuesdays #tuesdaytacos #greenfood #healthyfood #foodwithflavor #tacolover #tacoaddict #veggietacos #superfood

Playing around with my new 50mm lens on my Nikon f

Playing around with my new 50mm lens on my Nikon for this first shot. Then, just used my Google Pixel 4 for the other two. Can you really tell the difference?

Was so excited to shoot something that I stupidly cut my Red Bell Pepper, not thinking that it wasn’t even done ripening … DUH! Being that I’ve worked in graphic production for the past 20 years, the “Undo” command is something that ya do countless times per day without much thought in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. So I guess I forgot for a split second that I was gardening and I can’t “Undo” this cut, ha! 😂 Oh well, I’m not gonna hate on a green bell pepper. 💚

I cut the baby Cayenne pepper because I was simply curious about what it was like in its green form. And I cut the Banana peppers because seeing how I have small-ish containers, I can’t tell what the maximum size peppers I can yield and wanted to thin things out and let others grow more. Not to menton the luscious bed of homegrown Thyme that I’m drying out in the sun. Yeah … lots happening on this tiny baclong in Astoria #livinginastoria #astoriaqueensnyc 🌱🌱🌱

#gardenphotography #50mmlens #50mmlensphotography #foodphotographer #gardeninspiration #gardenharvest #peppergrower #tomatogrowers #urbangardener #nikonphotography #googlepixel4 #googlepixel4photography #gardenharvest #igrewthis #gardenfreshveggies #thyme #herbs #naturephotography #dryingherbs #freshthyme #homegrown #homegrownveggies #gardenblogger #foodblogger #bananapeppers

A BLT wrap just HAD to happen with these fantabulo

A BLT wrap just HAD to happen with these fantabulous homegrown cherry tomatoes. Usually I can't stand wraps (and burritos) because the idea of smushing a bunch of ingredients into a densely compressed ball goes against my aesthetics. But this was aight I guess being that it was loosely wrapped.

It's so easy to get carried away when making a BLT, I usually add something else like egg, cheese, avocado, or whatever else. But here, I kept it classic and let the tomatoes be the star of the show. All that's going on here is bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes on top of a layer of olive oil mayo and honey mustard, then topped with @elyucateco_hotsauce . Ok, I did add some cilantro.

#blt #bltwrap #baconlettucetomato #wrapsofinstagram #wrap #cherrytomatoes #hotsauceoneverything #gardentotable #eatwhatyougrow #freshfooddaily #baconwrap #everyonelovesbacon #brunchfood #tortillawrap #tomatogrowers #tomatoharvest #gardenfresh #gardenfreshveggies #baconlover #baconloversunite #tomatorecipes #tomatolover

Yup, more cherry tomatoes ... finally ripening at

Yup, more cherry tomatoes ... finally ripening at after implementing a few tips from YouTube channel @migardener (to defoliate), and my sister @duztmargo (to just be patient).

#sungoldtomatoes #cherrytomatoes #tomatogrowers #bonnieplants #tomatoplants #cherrytomato #urbangardener #tomatoharvest #instagardeners #instagardenlovers #homegrown #igrewthese #eatwhatyougrow #growingveggies #veggiegrowers #colorfulfood #freshproduce #tomatolove #orangefood #orange #containergardener #brightfood #natureisamazing #igrewthis #grownfrom #bonnieplants #gardensuccess
#gardeningtips

Getting ready to start #bbqing this overnight-mari

Getting ready to start #bbqing this overnight-marinated jerk chicken 🍗 🇯🇲 after nailing it with another self-done haircut and kick-ass cardio in #astoriapark #queensnyc.
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#summerbbq #homecookingblogger #astoriapeople #astoriaqueensny #livinginastoria #blackfoodbloggersclub #blackfoodiesmatter #livinginnyc #nycfoodblogger #foodienyc #stayinginshape #foodandfitness #fitfoodie #fitnessmatters #fitness2020 #astoriaqueens

Every summer, I sooooo look forward to mangoes bei

Every summer, I sooooo look forward to mangoes being oh so juicy so they can yield some heavenly mango salsa. Because it’s been so hot, I’m into super simple recipes lately.

For the spicy/tangy/sweet base flavor, all I did was squeeze the hell out of the pit to extract mango juice, then mixed in fresh lime juice and some green @elyucateco_hotsauce . To cool things down I just incorporated some finely diced green bell pepper and red onion. 5 ingredients … that’s all folks!

#mangosalsa #mango #mangorecipe #simplerecipes #sweetandspicy #mangomango #mangolover #summerrecipe #summerrecipeideas #salsarecipe #eatmorefruit #mangoseason #colorfulfood #easycooking #5ingredients #nycblog #foodienyc #5ingredientrecipes #freshfruits #naturallysweet #sweetrecipes #healthyrecipes #mangolove #plantbased #kingofflavorbrunch
#elyucatecohotsauce

So, here’s what you gotta do to make this Eggchi

So, here’s what you gotta do to make this Eggchilada Breakfast Sandwich … something to do when you have a bunch of enchilada sauce left over and some old sandwich bread. I guess it’s a birria-inspired combination of enchilada sauce-soaked sandwich bread.

1. Make a batch of my Red Enchilada Sauce (on my blog via the search bar) 🌶️🍅🇲🇽

2. Heat two skillet surfaces on a stovetop … one on high heat, the other on medium. Lightly coat each surface with a little canola oil.
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3. Break two eggs over the medium-heat skillet. While the eggs begin cooking, generously slather enchilada sauce onto one side of each piece of bread. Place the bread slices on the high-heat skillet, sauce side down, and cover with a lid to cook the sauced sides. Meanwhile, break the egg yolks (so they lay flat on the sandwich) then flip the eggs and cook until just before the yolks firm up, then remove them from heat.
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4. Remove the lid from the bread skillet. With a spatula, flip the bread to lightly toast other sides, also exposing the sauce-cooked sides. On one slice, lay down some cheddar cheese, then place the over-easy eggs (which should still be quite warm). For about a minute or so, allow the cheese to fuse with the egg and enchilada sauce-soaked bread.

5. Continue to build your sandwich. Drizzle some @elyucateco_hotsauce on the eggs, because hot sauce on silky egg yolks is heavenly. Add some roasted red peppers and sliced avocado. Spread some olive oil mayo on the second sauce-soaked bread slice, then you’re done.

#eggsandwich #breakfastsandwich #sandwichgram #sandwichmaker #healthysandwich #meatlesssandwich #meatlesseating #sammich #sandwiching #sandwichaddict #eatingmyveggies #sandwichgrams #veggiesandwich #sandwichlife #hummussandwich #vegetarianeating #vegetarianoptions #nutritiousanddelicious #sammiches #meatlesstuesday #sandwichesofinstagram #sandwichoftheday #plantbasedrecipes #eggyolk #avocadolove #enchiladasauce #kingofflavorbrunch
#elyucatecohotsauce

So ... this easy impromptu vegan mofongo moment ha

So ... this easy impromptu vegan mofongo moment happened. I've been in the mood for a meatless mofongo lately and wanted to tap into more African-influenced cooking. Then my bf brought home some Dominican chicken from Harlem, and the garlic sauce on the side was really fantastic. So I wanted to use that sauce.

All ya gotta do is soak some green plantains in salt water for about an hour, shallow fry them up, then mash them in some garlic, kosher salt, red onion, green pepper, and hot pickled peppers along with it's vinegar. Then pour a garlic sauce over it and enjoy. This is why I often order extra sauces from restaurants.
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#mofongo #plantainrecipes #africanfood #plantainlover #plantainlove #plátanos #homemadefood #friedplantains #platanosfritos #vegandishes #veganafricanfood #comfortfoodrecipe #comfortfood #plantainpower #neosoulfood #vegansoulfood #blackfoodiesmatter #blackfoodbloggersclub #plantainlovers #easyrecipe #friedfoodheaven #freshgarlic #greenpepper #redonion @goyafoods

Waking up to these @bonnieplants Sungold cherry to

Waking up to these @bonnieplants Sungold cherry tomatoes puts me in such a good mood every morning ... sipping coffee among the tomatoey aroma and an overwhelmingly calming feeling. Red tomatoes are cool an all, but for some reason I'm super drawn to orange varieties. Maybe it's a color psychology #colortherapy thing.
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#sungoldtomatoes #cherrytomatoplant #tomatogrowers #bonnieplants #tomatoplants #cherrytomato #urbangardener #tomatoharvest #instagardeners #instagardenlovers #homegrowing #igrewthese #eatwhatyougrow #growingveggies #veggiegrowers #colorfulfood #freshproduce #tomatolove #orangefood #orange

I can’t say enough about the optimism of plants

I can’t say enough about the optimism of plants … this Japanese eggplant (aka. Ichiban eggplant) @bonnieplants seedling was giving me so many problems because I realized it was infested with mites from Home Depot. I was soooo ready to give up on it, but decided to just cut it down … TWO times. 6 weeks ago I got rid of all the drama ... cut out all the problematic limbs and leaves until all I was left with was a little nub. Then two little offshoots decided they wanted to succeed and this is where we are now … flowering to happen. Maybe by mid-September I could be biting into some homegrown organic Japanese eggplant … we’ll see.
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#japaneseggplant #igrewthis #urbangardenersrepublic #greenthumb #growingveggies #growsomething #balconygarden #bonnieplants #inmygardentoday #gardenpics #instagardeners #growyourownfood #thehappygardeninglife #organicgardening #gardeningsuccess #summergarden #containergardening #growingfoodathome #growingmyownfood #growingveggiesathome #growyourownfood #natureisamazing #urbangarden #smallspacegarden #nycgardening #seedlings #optimism #ichibaneggplant #growingeggplant #aubergines

Took a bit of a break from posting my vegetarian s

Took a bit of a break from posting my vegetarian sandwiches (all explained on the blog via the search bar), but it doesn't mean I’ve stopped eating them.
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For lunch, revisited my classic “house standard” meatless sammich with hummus, Sriracha and honey mustard coleslaw (yup, just Sriracha, honey mustard and rice vinegar), my sweet potato “coldcuts” (also on the blog, get with the search bar), pickled jalapeñeos, cucumber, Swiss cheese and olive oil mayo … all in between some fantastic 7-grain bread.
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#vegetariansandwich #meatlesssandwich #vegetarian #sweetpotatorecipes #sweetpotatosandwich #coleslawsandwich #hummussandwich #sandwichgram #sandwichmaking #sandwichesofinstagram #sandwichlover #meatless #vegetarianfood #vegetarianlife #vegetarianfoodshare #nomeatnoproblem #nomeatneeded #eatmoreveggies #srirachalover #sriracharecipes #skinnycoleslaw #coleslaw #spicyfood

So, this is what happens when #tacotuesday aligns

So, this is what happens when #tacotuesday aligns with the ripening of some homegrown cherry tomatoes, random plans to make enchiladas with leftover sweet potato and cauliflower, and enchilada sauce out of some lingering pantry ingredients and dried Ancho, Guajillo and Pasilla peppers.

#gardentotable #vegantacos #cherrytomatoes #plantbasedtacos #eatwhatyougrow #tacoseveryday #tacosveganos #tacolife #healthytacos #healthyfood #freshfood #foodfromthegarden #tacotime #makingtacos #eatingtacos #tacoday #cauliflowerrecipes #sweetpotatorecipes #ilovetacos #veggiebased #veggiepacked #eatingmyveggies #veggietacos #tacogram
#tomatogrower #homegrownveggies #homegrowntomatoes🍅

Okay, my mind is completely BLOWN by this vegan Av

Okay, my mind is completely BLOWN by this vegan Avocado Chocolate Pudding from @iambertajay ... I’ve been eyeing the whole "avocado as the fat" concept with skepticism for over a year now, and being that I had an extra avocado laying around I decided it was time to make it.

Well … I honestly can’t tell that it’s not “real” pudding. It’s actually better! If someone served this without telling me there is no way I would know any difference. Check it out on her YouTube channel. It’s basically avocado, cocoa powder (she also uses carob, but I didn’t have any), maple syrup, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. She adds cinnamon and nutmeg but I didn’t here.

#avocadorecipes #veganrecipes #veganpudding #tryingvegan #vegandesserts #chocolatepudding #healthierchoices #dessertrecipes #avocadolover
#realfood #healthyliving #vegan #dairyfree #glutenfreedairyfree #glutenfree #chocolatelover #chocolatepudding #avocado #healthyfat #dessert #avocadopudding #refinedsugarfreee #avocadobenefits #hearthealth #foodfromscratch

FINALLY the long awaited first homegrown crop of t

FINALLY the long awaited first homegrown crop of the season ... sungold yellow cherry tomatoes. Seems like they're taking forever to ripen ... any other tomato growers experiencing this?

#tomatogrowers #cherrytomato #igrewthis #urbangardenersrepublic #greenthumb #homegrownveggies #homegrowntomatoes #growsomething #balconygarden #balconygardensuccess #bonnieplants @bonnieplants #sungoldtomatoes #tomatopic #yellowcherrytomatoes #inmygardentoday #gardenpics #instagardeners #growyourownfood #thehappygardeninglife #organicgardening #cherrytomatoes #ripetomatoes #tomatogrower #freshproduce #homegrownharvest

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