This is the burger of all burgers. An homage to all my skinny, low-carb eating South Beach friends. Here she is. The Cheeseburger in Paradise made me moan so loud it made my gay neighbors jealous. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Burgers (I use Wild Wood Organics in their Southwest flavor)
• Heirloom tomato (regular tomatoes work too)
• Cucumber, thinly sliced (or pickles)
• Avocado slices
• Green, yellow, orange and red peppers and onions (for sauteing)
• Mexican fiesta mix (Whole Foods spice isle)
• Olive oil (for sauteing veggies)
• Ketchup and mustard (I like dijon mustard)

I heated (medium-high heat) a Southwest SprouTofu Veggie Burger by Wild Wood Organics (gluten free vegan burger) in a pan with a pile of Daiya Cheddar and Pepperjack cheese on top.  I put a lid over the burger(s) so that the captured heat would help the cheese melt over the burger.

As your burger’s cooking, place two pieces of lettuce (I use two so that the lettuce covers the entire burger and keeps all the juice in) on a plate and start piling your goodies in. I like to put a thick slice of heirloom tomato on the bottom, followed by slices of fresh avocado, thin slices of cucumber (or pickles if you prefer), and a big spoonful of sauteed peppers and onions (I saute them in olive oil, salt, and a Mexican fiesta mix–which you can find at Whole Foods). Then I squirt some (organic/ no fructose) ketchup and dijon mustard over the top, and flip my burger into the lettuce wrap, cheese side down.

Fold the edges of the lettuce over and don’t let go of the burger until you’re done; it’s a juicy sloppy unbelievably delicious mess and I can’t wait to eat it again.

Here’s a video of the burger I made last night: Cheeseburger in Paradise (video)

Dip these bad boys in a hot cafe au lait or cortadito, and enjoy your sinfully sweet and crispy few minutes in heaven.

God Bless America.

Pie Crust (Courtesy of Raw Revolution–Organic Live Food Bars)

Ingredients:

Enough Raw Revolution food bars to cover your pie pan when mashed together and rolled out (choose your favorite flavor bar(s) for the crust)

In this case, I was making a birthday pie for a friend that’s not too crazy about coconut, so I chose to use the Spirulina & Cashew flavor Raw Revolution food bars as my pie crust base. This is a super simple, quick way to make an “oh my gosh, what’s in this??” pie crust on the fly. All you have to do is assemble the food bars over your pie pan like puzzle pieces and pinch all of the bar edges together so there are no seems showing. No need to oil the pie pan before you lay the bars out; the bars have enough oil on them already to keep them from sticking to the pan (I even wipe the oil off of the side facing up). This is a super fun and easy task for children, also. You can even let your child to get a little creative and experiment with the different Raw Revolution bar flavors and make a technicolor mish-mashed pie crust.

Once my pie pan was covered with Spirulina & Cashew Raw Revolution bars, I took a different flavor bar (in this case, Raspberry & Chocolate) and cut the bar into four long, even slices. I rolled the slices with my hands so that they looked like smooth Tootsie Rolls and then connected them together to line the very top of the pie, giving the pie an edge–a lip–to keep everything inside of the pie.

Nutella (To line the inside of the pie crust)

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Raw Agave nectar

1 Cup Raw Almond Butter (smooth)–I like the Maranatha brand.

3/4 Cup of Raw Cacao powder

2 Tablespoons filtered water (add more water for desired consistency)–This can also be replaced with a shot or two of espresso.

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract

Celtic Sea Salt to taste (a Tablespoon or so)

Mix all of the ingredients together, and taste your way to your perfect vegan/raw/gluten free Nutella.

I took my Nutella (I added two shots of espresso in mine), and lined the inside of the pie with the spread. By now, the pie should look like this:

Once the Nutella is spread inside of the pie crust, you can cover it and stick it in the freezer until it hardens. If you’d like, you can also line the inside of the pie crust or chocolate layer with slices of banana (you can choose any fruit–Strawberries would be delicious too!).

Filling

While the pie crust is freezing, place the following ingredients in a Vitamix blender for your filling:

4-5 Bananas

2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

2/3 Cup Coconut Nectar

2/3 Cup Agave Syrup

Splash of filtered water

Mix these ingredients together well. Taste the mixture–it should taste like the inside of a Boston Creme doughnut! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Pour the mixture into the frozen pie shell, and top with coconut shavings or raw cacao nibs (super high in antioxidants). Place the pie in the freezer and take it out 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve it.

If you’re a neat freak, you can add a little vegan gelatin into the Vitamix mixture, to keep the creme from “melting” as you cut the pie or it sits out on the table for a while–which is never the case.

Make sure to grab a slice before it’s gone! This pie is unbelievable and incredibly easy–give it a shot! You can thank me later.

Here we go.

Ingredients:

1 Bushel of Kale (any type – just make sure you trim the ends off)

1 pack Nativo Acai (raw) – You can find this in the fruit freezer section in your health food store – Whole Foods carries this product.

1.5 Cups of blueberries (frozen)

2 Cups of strawberries (frozen)

2 Cups of Mango (frozen)

1 Banana

3 Limes (2 peeled, 1 with skin-for garnishing)

1-2 Cups filtered water (depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

1 Generous handful of fresh mint

1 Chunk of fresh ginger ( about the size of your thumb)

Optional: Several pinches of dehydrated shredded coconut (unsweetened), and Stevia natural sweetner (liquid form) or Truvia

Step 1: Blend all of the ingredients together in your Vitamix except for one lime and several sprigs of fresh mint. If you like a sweet smoothie or are serving the drink as a dessert or making it into a popsicle, add a couple squirts of stevia natural sweetener.

Step 2: Pour the mix into your glasses or popsicle molds. I like to garnish the tops of the drinks with a pinch of dehydrated shredded coconut, and  put a lime on the side of the glass with a sprig of fresh mint. I really love the shredded coconut because it adds a slightly crunchy texture to the smoothie that makes drinking the smoothie a slightly  different and tasty experience.

The Citrus Ginger-Mint Smoothie is such a healthy summer drink. I love to start my day off with this smoothie; the ginger and mint really wakes me up and the kale makes me feel incredibly healthy. Serve it at your next backward BBQ and let your friends try to guess what’s inside!

Note: If you want to use fresh fruit, you can use the same amounts as specified for the frozen fruit, and add 1-2 cups of ice depending on how cold you’d like the smoothie.

This recipe is raw, vegan, and gluten free.

Let’s start.

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with side of knife

1 cup (or so) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (First Cold Pressed)

1/3-1/2 cup Coconut Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar (depending on how tangy you want it)

1 lime

1 orange

½ cup fresh cilantro (I always through in extra!)

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 tablespoon Onion Powder

2 generous teaspoons of Cumin (adds that great smokey flavor and smell)

Celtic Sea Salt to fill half of palm

Step 1: Place all ingredients in Vitamix. Blend on lowest speed, and slowly increase to 10 and let it run for 45 seconds, or until the sauce is a creamy green color.

…and that’s it!

Top a mixed greens salad with fresh slices of avocado and add an extra punch of flavor with a couple dashes of cumin and crushed red pepper for color. Throw a small handful of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds on top and drizzle away!

This is a more than a clean your plate recipe; when the salad’s gone, it’s a lick your plate recipe!

This Cuban-originated sauce can be used as dressing, stir-fry, or marinade.

Note: If you’re feeding a child or someone that likes something more mild, as opposed to tangy, cut the coconut vinegar and garlic amounts in half.

Note: Recipe is vegan, gluten free, and raw.

This recipe is so extremely simple, no one can mess it up. Here’s the best part: You only need 5 ingredients, and it takes about 15 minutes from start to finish!

Let’s get started.

2 cups of raw organic cashews (sprouted)

½ cup of filtered water

¾ cup raw blue agave nectar

Half palm full of Celtic sea salt

Seasonal fruits

Step 1: Sprout the cashews in water the morning, and let them soak for at least 5 hours. I like them to be super soft when I put them in the Vitamix blender. Once the cashews are sprouted, wash them off and drain them well before you put them in the Vitamix.

Step 2: After you dump the soft sprouted cashews into Vitamix, pour the filtered water on top of them, and add the agave nectar and the salt.

Step 3: Start your Vitamix on a low speed and gradually, carefully, turn the dial up to 7 and let it run for a good minute. You want the mixture to make 4 humps on the corners of the machine and you want to see that the mixture is perfectly smooth.

Step 4: Taste the cheese! I like my cheese to be a tad bit salty but still sweet enough to call it a sweet cheese (like a young Manchego cheese, for you dairy eaters). Add more agave or salt to get the flavor the way you like it. Also, if you want the consistency to be thinner, add water a splash at a time until you get the consistency you like. I like my cheese pretty thick and creamy, almost like a yogurt.

Step 5: Layer your sliced seasonal fruits with the cheese in a glass cup or large glass serving bowl. I used oranges, strawberries, red grapes (sliced in half), and pineapple. I leave fruit on the top as the last layer, and sprinkle it with dehydrated coconut shred and crushed almonds. Of course, that is optional, but it just makes the dessert even more inviting.

This cheese recipe is absolutely jaw dropping to me. I can’t believe it’s so healthy! It’s a good thing the leftovers are in the blender, or else I’d try to lick it clean! YUM!

Put the glass(es) in the refrigerator and serve slightly chilled when ready to eat! I promise you will have friends that always want to come over and eat again, and again, and again. Hey, if they’re bringing the wine…it’s a deal!

You can purchase these statement pieces for $125-175; a reasonable price point for a high end designer like Proenza Schouler. What else is there to love about these bold Spring beauties? They’re made of rope! That mean’s no leather! …I can definitely support that! Here’s the bracelet that caught my eye the first time…

After seeing all of the bracelets, I might be leaning more towards the thinner bracelets; I would try layering a few of them together. What do you guys think?

…If you are on a budget and feeling creative, you could visit your local hardware store and pick up the rope colors and caribeaner (the clasp) of your choice, and try making your own colorful rope bracelet!

Here’s a few teasers so you can see what I’ve been up to:

After I dropped Angela off at the airport, I made plans to go out with my girlfriends–whom I hadn’t had much time to see–and blow off some steam. In other words, we went to a wine bar in South Beach. The wine bar is called 555Bistro, maybe some of you have been there! It has a great vibe. We sat outside and the weather was beautiful; a little chilly for South Beach, but I was in a thin shirt and jeans–no complaints here! We drank a healthy amount of wine and as the heat lamps outside started to run out of gas, we started to freeze in the 60 degree weather. Whomp whomp whomp. That’s when we decided to head over to a local spot called, “the room.” It’s a cozy little watering hole.

We called it quits at an early morning hour, and I took a cab back home with the girls and a new neighbor I met earlier that day. I convinced my neighbor that I had to see the rooftop Club 50 on top of our building; so many people had boasted about to me, so I had to see what they we’re talking about. We took the elevator up to the 50th floor and I was sucked in immediately by the gorgeous infinity pools and Latin music. We called it a night soon after we arrived and before I shut my eyes, I made sure to put Club 50 on my, “top places to meet hot Latin men,” list. Oh yeh.

If you’re curious, I am including some pictures of my new apartment at the Viceroy, designed by renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler. I am just so in love with the simplicity and the style. I feel so comfortable here, and I’m happy to call this home–for now!

I’ve been shooting video for you guys on my trip to Miami, and I am working on putting together a, “Model in Miami,” video series. I’m new to editing film, so be patient.

Hope you all are staying warm up north! Ta for now!

A lot of you have expressed your interest in modeling to me and I wanted to share an interview that www.plusmodels.com posted with my agent, Aida Brigman, at CLICK Model Management in NYC.

This interview addresses most of the questions that I had when I was going through the process of deciding whether or not I should pursue modeling as a career. Aida answers questions about tattoos, size, height, mistakes new models make, current state of the industry, and much more.

Click here for link to interview

You can find a similar interview on Plus Models with my other agent, Dorothy Combs, with Dorothy Combs Models in Miami.

Click here for link to interview