Last weekend, I managed to scarf down two doughnuts before we left the parking lot of the Franklin Farmer's Market. I felt like I needed some greens to balance me out. The crisp, crunchy greens paired with the sweetness of satsuma oranges would be good enough on its own, but add in creamy burrata with flakes of salt sprinkled on it and a drizzle of tangy balsamic vinaigrette?? DREAMY!
Vegan Lentil Mushroom Meatballs
I have been making Lentil Mushroom Meatballs on the reg for the last two years. After a long history with veggie burgers, I welcomed the challenge of developing a recipe for flavorful 'meat'balls. I figured it was an attainable goal since veggie burgers are one of my favorite things to eat. In the process, I found two magical ingredients that really make these AMAZEMEATLESSBALLS!!!
Crispy Herbed Chickpeas over Bucatini with Tomato Sauce
Things are hectic right now. It seems like every minute during this season is filled with holiday activities, whether its shopping for Christmas presents, attending Christmas functions, watching Hallmark Christmas movies, or baking Christmas treats! Busy times plus the fact that my diet has recently consisted of pumpkin molasses cookies, espresso shortbread with butterscotch glaze, the bag of potato chips someone left at our house from our Christmas party (I don't even like potato chips but these are just so DELICIOUS), and citrus fruit.
This is why it is KEY to have a couple healthy, easy, quick recipes on hand! Add warm and filling to the list, and here you have the perfect winter dinner!
Spicy Almond Chickpea Salad Sliders
I love to be sneaky and trick people who usually shy away from anything labeled 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' into eating exactly those kinds of things and then watching their reactions of surprise and delight.
This is a GREAT recipe for that purpose.
Avocado Toast with Spicy Sauce and Seeds
Last week, we started a new chapter in our lives. We moved to into our first house!! Our house seems to have been built with our family in mind, and our neighbors are fantastic! The kitchen was a MAJOR selling point for us, I finally got the gas range I have been lusting after. Now if I could just get the hang of cooking on it... Until then, we will be eating toast for most of our meals until I can figure out how to not burn everything aside from eggs and soup. This recipe is for those times when you need a healthy, delicious, somewhat creative snack or a lovely vegetarian/vegan pleasing appetizer (and for those times when your brain must still be packed somewhere).
Healthier Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
These bars are already healthier than your average cookie or dessert bar, but I wanted to see if I could make them even healthier by using a mix of different flours, some wheat bran, flax seed eggs, and cutting down on the sugar and coconut oil by adding dates. My thought was that I could use them on my long runs, since I had run out of Picky Bars. The second version was packed with fiber….and therefore not a good choice for before or during a workout…. Know what I’m sayin?
I finally found the perfect mix! It just happens to be gluten free, and includes the option to make them vegan/egg free.
Blood Orange Kale Salad with Farro and Crispy Rice Clusters
One of the highlights of Citrus Season are Blood Oranges!!! They are so beautiful and happen to be one of the most nutrient dense citrus fruits out there! The next best thing about this salad aside from the blood oranges, are the crispy rice clusters. They are SUPER easy to make, delicious, and add a slightly spicy crunch to the salad. Who knew they would be so DARN good on a salad? They are also really good on their own. I've been eating these clusters by the handful....
Roasted Squash with Farro, Toasted Pepitas, Pomegranate & Warm Maple Cinnamon Drizzle
In walks you, tamer of delicious Thanksgiving vegetable delights. Carrying a platter of beautifully roasted butternut and delicata squash, topped with savory barley and farro, pomegranate and toasted pepitas, topped with warm maple cinnamon drizzle. As soon as you reach the table, the compliments start flowing, even conservative Aunt Janice pipes up!
Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wild Rice Dressing with Roasted Hazelnuts
My least favorite Thanksgiving dishes seem to be the items that no one would ever dream of replacing. Every Thanksgiving, I see the sponge like, wood colored stuffing along side the worm-like green bean casserole. I usually pass up both of those options, and not just to make room for pumpkin pie. Now that I am in charge of Thanksgiving, I look forward to more than just rolls and pumpkin pie! One of the highlights of our holiday meals is definitely my Wild Rice dressing. It has been a mainstay on our table for about five years now, and was one of the first, more creative vegetable dishes I made when we started cutting meat out of our diets.
Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas
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! And then, Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas were born.
This recipe is so easy to make, its not even funny. You don't even need utensils!! With the Holiday season quickly approaching, this is a great quick and healthy option! It is also really easy to make it look fancy...