One of the qualities I love most about this lustrous island of a city is the wide variety of cultural experiences, especially for the culinary-inclined. Any night you can taste a longitudinally-far country’s fare, or meet your favorite cook in a tiny room of excited peers.

Last week’s fun leaned more toward the latter, where some friends and I joined smiles with Chloe Coscarelli at the Natural Gourmet Institute. We tasted vegan desserts and listened while she told us her recipe-creating process. Chloe is a great cook – I’m impressed by her penchant for using vegetables in everyday cooking. (Case in point – try her Avocado Pesto Pasta here, I tested it with great success!) Meeting her in person makes her twice as adorable, because she has the sweetest demeanor of any food celebrity I’ve met. Which, alright, isn’t many, but I think she’s the nicest regardless.

After the event we ladies headed over to Cafe Blossom for some tasty vegan fare. The laughs were loud and conversation was long, all in a warm, cozy atmosphere. The food was dynamic too – my favorite dish was the Carrot Ginger soup. The lighting was very dim, so please forgive the photo injustice.

The fun night out was a reminder of how food brings people together. Growing up, this sentiment was expressed by saying, “the kitchen is the heart of the house.” So for a sweet brunch with my boyfriend, we enjoyed the slow Saturday by making Huevos Rancheros – the delicious combination of breakfast and Tex-Mex.

The Holy Trinity of avocado, tomato, and lime is only perfected upon by the addition of a tasty, vegetarian protein: fried egg. Outside of the frying, this is a deliciously healthy dish. The welcoming fats from the avocado meld with the tomato’s lycopene and lime’s Vitamin C. To boost protein and satiety, spiced black beans and breakfast eggs round out the dish. It’s everything I love about Tex-Mex.

Serve on some warmed corn tortillas with a fresh squeeze of lime, and prepare for seconds. If you’re in a particularly Viva la New Years Resolutions mood, sub the tortillas for strips of romaine lettuce and bake the eggs.

We indulged in some sweet mango with mint and honey for dessert. Nice snack for the weekday too!

I shared this recipe on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Traditions, and Allergy-Free Wednesday.

Healthy Huevos Rancheros

1. Warm up 1/2 Tbsp oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat, then add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Sauté for seven minutes, or until the onions are nice and soft. Add the black beans, cumin, annatto, and half a lime’s juice; stir to mix and cook for five more minutes to meld the flavors. Salt to taste. Turn off heat, but keep on the stove to stay warm.

2. In a separate skillet, warm up (not cook) the tortillas over medium-high heat. Slide onto two plates.

3. In the same skillet, warm up the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs and fry until cooked through. With a spatula, divide the eggs into five portions, one yolk each.

4. In each waiting tortilla, portion out half a cup of cooked beans and tomato. Top with one egg and 3 slices of ripe avocado. (I took it a step further with guacamole, but it’s up to you!) Squeeze the remaining lime juice on top, and garnish with cilantro. Yum!

Minty Mango with Honey

1.Peel, deseed, and dice the mango into 1/4-in sections.

2.Combine the mango, mint, and honey in a bowl. Serve with two sweet spoons.