Adela's Lucky Green Jello Sundae

Thank you, Adela, for letting me "kidnap" your jello to snap this photo! To anyone who has yet to experience the magical combination of green jello and Ratty soft serve, please give this lovely concoction a try the next time you're lucky enough to find green jello at the end of the bistro line.

Adela's Lucky Green Jello Sundae

1 serving of green jello

vanilla soft serve ice cream

shamrock sprinkles

Assemble, enjoy, and savor the luck of the jello.

St Patty's Day Cupcake

St. Patty's Day Cupcake

1 white cupcake

cream cheese

shamrock and sugar sprinkles

Spread cream cheese generously on cupcake and decorate with sprinkles!

Purple Green and Orange Pork Spareribs

Thanks to daylight savings, the Ratty was flooded with sunlight at dinnertime last Sunday and I couldn't resist pulling out my camera. In honor of the colorful-eating theme of National Nutrition Month, this "recipe" is really not a recipe at all but a modest tribute to the beautiful colors that veggies can add to one's plate.

Purple Green and Orange Pork Spareribs

Arrange steamed peas and mushrooms, cucumber, braised purple cabbage, baked sweet potatoes, and tangy pork spareribs on a plate and enjoy.

Fruity Caprese Salad

March is National Nutrition Month! This year's theme is Eat Right with Color: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/.

In honor of the month, we've amped up the color spectrum on a typically tri-colored classic: caprese salad. Still infused with its lovely basil/mozz/tomato flavor combo, this new take on the traditional favorite is packed with even more antioxidants and those flu-fighting vitamins.

Fruity Caprese Salad

baby spinach

1/2 tangerine, peeled with segments sliced in half

2 basil olive oil infused mozzarella balls (from the Ratty's caprese salad)

3-4 cherry tomatoes (from caprese salad)

3-4 sliced peaches (salad bar)

2-3 roasted beets, sliced thinly

Toss everything together and enjoy! If there happens to be basil infused olive oil at the salad bar, feel free to drizzle it over the salad.

Rhode Island Chicken Salad with Broccoli

We love the Ratty's Rhode Island Chicken Salad because it has juicy grapes, crisp fresh apples, plump raisins, large chunks of chicken and creamy mayo. One way to stretch the flavor of chicken salad is to include steamed broccoli florets and sliced mushrooms, and to serve it with crisp lettuce and tomato slices.

Rhode Island Chicken Salad with Broccoli

a small handful of raw broccoli and mushrooms

1 serving of Rhode Island Chicken Salad

1 leaf of fresh lettuce

2 slices tomato

1. Place broccoli and mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with a plate, and steam on high power in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until veggies are just cooked.

2. Carefully remove the plate and add the steamed veggies to the chicken salad, mixing to distribute evenly.

3. Serve with lettuce and tomato.

Sunny Side Up Grilled Cheese

What's better than an egg over easy? An egg over easy with cheese! What's better than that? An egg over easy with cheese stuffed into a toasty piece of grilled Seven Stars bread. Mmmmm.

Sunny Side Up Grilled Cheese

1 slice whole wheat Seven Stars bread

1 egg, over light, with cheese

1. Order one egg, over light, with cheese from the omelette bar. Remember to smile and say thank you.

2. Panini press a slice of Seven Stars whole wheat bread in the panini maker until golden (2-3 minutes).

3. Create a pocket in the bread by slicing horizontally into the bread with a knife. When the omelette is ready, carefully stuff it into the pocket and enjoy!

Spinach Edamame Falafel Pocket

A green spin on the falafel pocket.

Spinach Edamame Falafel Pocket

1/2 pita pocket

2-3 slices tomato

2-3 onion rings

plateful of baby spinach

scant spoonful of edamame

2-3 falafels

2 Tbsp cucumber yogurt sauce

1 Tbsp tahini

1. Microwave spinach for 1-2 minutes or until slightly wilted.

2. Cut falafel into small pieces and mix with cooked spinach, yogurt sauce, edamame, and tahini.

3. Stuff a pita pocket with spinach mixture, tomato, and onions and enjoy!

Rice Krispies Banana Napoleon

This is more like a Rice Krispies sandwich rather than a napoleon, but who cares what it's called? It's delicious! This is how to eat it: Eat the three banana slices on top first. Pick up the rest of the sandwich, spoon some soft serve ice cream on top, and take a bite. Repeat!

Rice Krispies Banana Napoleon

1 thick Rice Krispies slice

1/2 banana

soft serve vanilla ice cream

1. Carefully cut the Rice Krispies slice into two thinner slices.

2. Slice the banana into thick medallions.

3. Layer the banana slices between the Rice Krispies. Put some bananas on top.

4. Attempt to coax the vanilla soft serve into a tame swirl on a small plate.

5. Enjoy as described above.

Caprese Salad with Roasted Portabello Mushrooms and Black-Eyed Peas

Steamed spinach is a perfect backdrop for the spicy flavors of the black-eyed peas with onions, sweet cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, earthy portabello mushrooms and basil-infused olive oil, and chewy nuttiness of the kashi salad.

Caprese Salad with Roasted Portabello and Black-Eyed Peas

1 cup of spinach

1/4 cup kashi salad (from vegetarian sandwich bar)

5 slivers of portabello mushroom

1/3 cup vegan spicy black-eyed peas

1/2 cup caprese salad (cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper, mini mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil)

1. Put spinach on a large plate and put another plate upside down on top. Microwave on high for 50 seconds, until spinach is just wilted.

2. Carefully remove the top plate and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss to combine.

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae

Treat yourself once in a while with this decadent vanilla ice cream sundae, complete with sliced bananas, roasted strawberries, chocolate sauce, and crushed cereal.

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

chocolate sauce

roasted strawberries

sliced banana

crushed cereal (recommended: Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

1. Get a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2. Ladle on some chocolate sauce.

3. Surround ice cream with strawberries and banana slices.

4. Garnish with a sprinkling of crushed cereal.