One of the most important reasons for my extreme health kick in the early months of every year is not in fact what you might think. You see, during the later months of the year when I am overeating and indulging in fatty foods, the inspirational side of my food brain gets clogged up a bit. I still can think of new things to cook, but sometimes it can become a little too variations on a theme if you will. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but when I am depriving myself of certain foods, it starts to come from EVERWHERE. Jack White once said that restriction is the mother of creativity.

Seems like cleanses are soooo trendy this year. Well guess what, I'm so cool I was cleansing BEFORE it got famous. Jus sayin'. But I never really call it that. I just try and be overly healthy in January and February to start off my year right and kill some of my less desirable cravings. This involves going almost vegan and gluten free for a couple weeks, just to jump start things. This week, I will be posting some of the things I have been eating so far. This first one is a quick breakfast smoothie inspired by this post from endless simmer.

I'm not calling this one a failure. I'm not. I refuse to. I mean, we ate it, right? People went back for seconds. But I have to admit that it just wasn't right. The problem here is that I tried to cram about 5 new potato concepts that have been bouncing around in my head all into the same dish. At 7:30pm. On a Sunday. I thought I was excited to cook but about 10 minutes in I noticed that I was staring at my couch wishing I was on it. What had I gotten myself into?

This was supposed to be a super healthy tofu stir fry, when an impromptu gathering of close friends caused me to amp up the recipe. I'm glad I did because this dish came out really tasty, satisfied my tofu cravings, and still ended up fairly healthy for me and my dining companions. The pickled peppers as a garnish allowed each guest to tailor the dish to their desired heat level, which was perfect for one of my friends who wanted the meal to burn a hole through her sinus allergies.

The new season of Portlandia started this past friday. I was planning on "putting a bird on it" for the premiere. Making some risotto or a salad or something, and topping it with a roasted quail, squab, or some equally small game bird. Unfortunately, turns out fresh quail and squab retails around 30 bucks PER EACH BIRD! I settled on not making anything and went out and got a burger with a friend before watching the episode. Turns out, Fred and Carrie had my back and actually opened the season with a food themed skit with the same characters from the classic put a bird on it! This time around, instead of putting birds on things, they were pickling anything in sight. Too many eggs? We can pickle that! Dropped your ice cream cone? We can pickle that! Broke a heel on your shoe? We can pickle that! I was already planning on making 2 things this week that involved quick-pickled veggies so it worked out perfect. The first is with the hot peppers and will be posted tomorrow, and the second with the cabbage will be posted later this week.  We can pickle that!

The first time I tried the teriyaki-alfredo combo was at a place called Michael's Pasta in the Pan in Agawam, MA. My friend Steph had previously sung it's praises to me but I was skeptical. When I finally tried it I was mesmerized by the way the sharp salty teriyaki really cuts through the creamy alfredo. I knew I would have to make it at home some way or another! Instead of chicken teriyaki resting on a bed of creamy fettuccine alfredo, I decided to keep the teriyaki flavor trapped in ravioli. This way it's almost a suprise as you bite into your first one and the teriyaki flavor comes exploding out.

Parish Cafe has been a staple in Boston since 1992. I went to the original location on Boylston awhile back, but now I live near the Mass ave./Tremont location and my roommates and I will pop in occasionally when we are indecisive about dinner. Recently I tried the Mexican Meatball sub there and I honestly have to say that I was slightly disappointed. I mean don't get me wrong, the sandwich was great, but I guess I was just expecting something different. After all, one of my favorite chefs in Boston, Brian Poe, came up with this sandwich. This was weighing on my brain for a few days after eating the sandwich, until I finally decided to make my own version just the way I wanted.

Say goodbye to 2011 with this spicy-sweet cocktail. You guys know how much I love the banana-habanero combo, and it just begged to be in a margarita. This drink really is awesome. The banana puree makes it slightly thick, and the habanero simple syrup not only gives it a kick, but adds a unique tropical flavor. The byproduct of candied habanero adds a nice touch in the sugar on the rim.