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....
Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie (NO BAKE!)
I made this Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie and then realized it was perfect for our vegan friends. The other reason I made these is because I have a friend who much prefers savory over dessert, and Take 6 bars are her favorite. I wanted her to be able to enjoy a little something sweet too! And anyways, I have never met someone who didn't like a peanut butter/pretzel/chocolate combo. Have you?????
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.
Blue Corn Cakes Topped with Avocado and Herby Heirloom Tomatoes
This summer, our favorite thing to eat is Grilled Romaine and Grilled Pizza. Last summer it was Grilled Panzanella, and the summer before that, it was Corncakes with Tomato Salsa. I recently made these, and we remembered how much we L O V E D them, that and it is the perfect 'cold' dish to serve during the heat of the summer!
Four great things about this dish: 1) it can be served as an appetizer or as a side, 2) it can be served cold, 3) it utilizes delicious heirloom tomatoes, 4) it harks back to traditional southern cuisine, but in a healthy way.
Snowed In and Roasted Sweet Potato, Farro, Kale Salad with Warm Cinnamon-Honey Dressing
If you are making a trip to the grocery store, you should pick up some ingredients to make this rockin' Roasted Sweet Potato Farro Kale Salad with Warm Cinnamon Honey Dressing. This recipe is great for the following situations:
- Showing off at a dinner party
- Bringing the best salad to a potluck
- Providing the only healthy item at a potluck (Are potlucks generally unhealthy or is that just a Southern thing?)
- Tricking people into eating something healthy thats actually VERY delicious
- Meatless Monday!!!
- A warm meal for a snowy day
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili - Fourth Item in The Grateful Plate Series
Sometimes after a long day, the best kind of dinner is the one where you just throw a bunch of stuff into a pot. You use up some of those vegetables that you forgot you had, pop open some beans, throw in some canned tomatoes, and not only do you have a delicious dinner, but you have some marvelous, healthy, delicious, leftovers for the week. (LEFTOVERS ARE THE BEST)