Whoa. This time of year. 

I should have been more prepared for the speed in which it seems that time flies.

I walked into Starbucks early last week, and they were already playing Christmas music and brewing Christmas blend. I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!! I am super excited about this time of year, it just came up a bit more quickly than I was ready for!  

Last week was unexpectedly crazy and jam packed with things to do. One night, after a day at the vet with Lainee, we hoped to go home, eat dinner and then workout. 

Except for then I found water under our kitchen sink. 

I resisted the urge to shove all of the brown paper bags back under the sink and pretend like I didn't see anything. 

Annoyed that our time was hijacked by a stupid problem that we still haven't entirely figured out but seems to be fine at the moment, I did not feel like making much for dinner. 

I've been roasting squash and sweet potatoes almost daily trying to perfect recipes for Thanksgiving sides, and after eating squash all day I wanted something opposite of roasted root vegetables.

I turned around and looked at the groceries waiting to be put away. A head of romaine, some raw pepitas, and a bag of unsweetened cocoa. 

Romaine! Romaine is crunchy and crispy! So are pepitas!  I used to be kind of against romaine lettuce. After using it for green smoothies daily and for grilled romaine (MY FAVORITE SUMMER GRILLING ADVENTURE aside from grilled pizza), I have a new found love for romaine. 

This is so easy to make its not even funny. The hardest part is blending the ingredients for the dressing, and that isn't even hard!! The toasted pepitas are integral, they are slightly spicy and add a lovely crunch. All I did was throw them in a small pan over medium heat, and then I added cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, and kosher salt. You can definitely modify the spice of the pepitas depending on your taste! 

Forks are all dirty? No problem. Use your hands!! I did and you should too! In fact, the photo above is a really fun serving idea!! I added a dish of pepitas and a small bowl of Bright Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette dressing to a pan. This way you can ensure the right amount of dressing and the perfect amount of crunch in each bite! Pick up a strong piece of romaine, drizzle some dressing on it, sprinkle with pepitas, and eat!! Its like a mini dreamboat! 

With the Holiday season quickly approaching, this is a great quick and healthy option! It is also really easy to make it look fancy. Make this and let me know what you think!! Leave me a comment below! Post a photo of your romaine love boats on Instagram, tag me @corrielanderson, and use #itsallofit so I can see your lovely creation! 

Romaine Wedges + Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette + Toasted Pepitas

Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson
Recipe Type: Vegetarian, Side, Entree
Serves: 2 - 4

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce

• 2 - 4 tablespoons Bright Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup raw pepitas

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• Optional: 1/8 tsp cayenne, chili powder, garlic salt, or cumin

• Sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove damaged romaine if there is any, and make sure Romaine is rinsed and dried as much as possible. Cut each head of romaine into four quarters. Place on plate.

2. Toast pepitas while romaine is drying out. Add raw pepitas to a small pan over medium heat. Sprinkle kosher salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic salt, cumin, and chili powder over pepitas. Turn and toss the pepitas constantly to avoid burning. This will take about 5 - 7 minutes. ** You don't have to use all of those spices if you don't have them!

3. Drizzle some Bright Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette on those romaine quarters, top with pepitas and ENJOY!! You might not even need a fork...