Broccoli Stir-fry

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into florets

1 1/2 cups white button mushrooms, slice the large ones in half otherwise keep whole

1 tsp ghee

1 can lentils, drained & rinsed

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup whole wheat couscous

2 cups filtered water

Sauce

2 Tbs shoyu (soy sauce)

2 Tbs rice vinegar

1 Tbs good hot sauce

1 Tbs grade B maple syrup

1/2 Tbs sesame oil

1/2 tsp grey salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil, add the couscous, bring to a boil, place on a lid, reduce heat to simmer, cook for 5 minutes, turn off heat, allow to sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with fork.

2. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 4-5 minutes until tender

3. In a large cast iron pan, melt the ghee and cook the mushrooms until golden and tender

4. Mix the sauce ingredients together, add to the mushrooms, mix in the broccoli, and cook on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes

5. Gently mix in the lentils (you want them to keep their shape), couscous, and sesame seeds-cook until heated through and garnish with cilantro

I made this for lunch yesterday when I was wanting to use up some broccoli I had in the fridge. I was in the mood for something with a little spice and lots of flavor. I have been loving couscous lately because it cooks up so fast and it's delicious. I wanted to add more protein to the dish and make it feel more substantial so I added the lentils. Plus, I had just read an article about how great lentils are for you, so I felt the need to incorporate them into the meal. For an extra nutritional kick, I added the unhulled sesame seeds, which has about 4 times as much calcium as milk in each serving. I made this dish right after a workout, so I could feel good about what I was eating and that my hard work wasn't a waste.

Roasted Veggie Pasta with Almond Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb angel hair pasta (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)

1 red pepper, julienned

2 cups white button mushrooms, larger ones sliced in half

2 cups red kale, stems removed & chopped

3 carrots, julienned

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp grey salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/4 cup chives, chopped (garnish)

Almond Sauce (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

2 cups slivered almonds

2 1/2 cups filtered water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbs fresh chives, chopped

1/2 tsp grey salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place all veggies on baking sheet, coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper-mix well to evenly coat veggies

3. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until veggies are tender

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, cook pasta 4 minutes, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, and drain remaining water.

5. Meanwhile, boil the 2 1/2 cups of water, add the vegetable bouillon cube to make the vegetable broth for the sauce.

6. In the food processor, add all the ingredients for the almond sauce (besides the chives) and process until smooth (the almonds will still be small and chunky)

7. Pour the almond sauce into a large pan and bring to a boil, continually stirring, for 4 minutes, until the sauce has started to thicken, reduce to simmer, and garnish with chives

8. Mix together the pasta, veggies, almond sauce, 1/2 cup of pasta water, and garnish with more chives

I had watched an episode of Giada making an almond sauce for a pasta dish, so I thought I would take the basic foundation of the sauce and then make my own spin. I was very happy with the results and I know I will be making this again. I knew I wanted to have a ton of veggies to make it healthier, but I wanted to make them stand out more, so I decided to roast them because I knew it would bring out their natural sweetness. It also made the recipe really simple because you just threw them in the oven and forgot about them while you made the rest of the meal. I had never roasted mushrooms at that high of a temperature, so I was a little concerned, but they were so flavorful! The original almond sauce recipe had chicken stock in it and lots of cream, so I made it vegetarian, skipped the cream, and I felt that I didn't miss out on any flavor. I feel this was one of the best recipes I had made in awhile. I highly recommend making it! It's the perfect comfort food, but with a healthy spin.

Couscous with Marinara

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked

1 jar good marinara sauce

4 slices tempeh bacon, diced

2 cups fresh spinach, cleaned & stems removed

1/2 tsp ghee

parmesan, grated (garnish)

Directions

1. Melt the ghee in a large pan and saute the tempeh bacon until crispy, about 2-3 minutes

2. Wilt spinach with the bacon, about 1 minute

3. Stir in the cooked couscous and marinara sauce, heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes

4. Serve and garnish with some freshly grated parmesan on top

This was a super quick supper that I came up with to use up some leftover couscous and a jar of marinara sauce. It's a super simple meal, but it was so delicious I just had to share it! It warmed up great the next day for lunch.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers in a Chipotle Sauce

Adapted from Whole Living

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 large poblano peppers

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp ghee

1 Tbs chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce

1 tsp adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp grey salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup quinoa

1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 cup frozen corn

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup crumbled aged goat cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, rub peppers with olive oil. Roast until slightly blackened and softened, 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. When cool enough to handle, remove skins. Make a small slit in each pepper and carefully remove seeds, keeping stem end intact.

In a blender, combine chipotle, garlic, 3/4 cup water, adobo sauce, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse once to combine.

In a small saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the ghee over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes; add corn and beans and cook until heated, about 2 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese and quinoa.

Pour sauce in a 8X8 baking dish. Stuff peppers with filling and arrange in dish; dot with remaining cheese. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

I found this recipe when I was looking at vegetarian recipes on the Whole Living website. I made my own little spin on the recipe. Originally the recipe served 4, so I downsized it, but yet I still made the extra quinoa filling so I could have leftovers for another meal. I also displayed a picture of the chipotle in adobo because I wanted to share a little trick that I learned from Rachel Ray. If you have ever bought chipotles in adobo sauce you know that you usually only need 1 or 2 chipotles in a recipe because they are so spicy. The problem is that you are given way more than you need in a can. So if you are like me and hate to waste, you try to use the chipotles in every recipe you make to try to use them up or maybe even make dishes too spicy just for the sake of using up the chilis. So Rachel Ray suggested taking the leftovers and run them in the food processors and store in a plastic bag in the freezer until you need to use some. I changed it a little by separating the chilis from the adobo sauce, that way if you only want adobo sauce and not the extra spice you have it. This trick has really helped me out!

Healthier Chocolate Cake

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks (cake) & Vegetarian Times (Glaze)

Ingredients

Cake

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup non-alkaline cocoa powder
1 Tbs baking powder (non-aluminum type)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup barely melted coconut oil
1 cup grade B maple syrup
2 eggs, (vegan egg replacer-Ener-G)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla coconut milk
8 oz good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Glaze

¼ block soft silken tofu (from 14-oz. container), drained and patted dry

3 Tbs. pure maple syrup

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¹⁄8 tsp. salt

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350F degrees with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour 2 round cake pans. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup until it looks like caramel. Whisk in the egg replacer, vanilla, and then the coconut milk. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the flour mixture and stir until barely combined. Add the chocolate and stir until everything comes together and is no longer dusty looking - avoid over-mixing. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pans and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until a clean toothpick comes out of the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan before frosting.

To make Glaze: Blend tofu, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in food processor until smooth. Add chocolate to tofu mixture and blend until smooth. Spread the glaze in between the cake layers, then coat the sides and top of the cake layers.

Eric and I were in the mood for chocolate cake, but we didn’t want to eat a ton of sugar and butter, which is in most traditional chocolate cake recipes. So after looking at several different recipes online I was able to come up with a cake recipe that didn’t make me feel awful after I was done eating a slice. I used the glaze recipe that I used for my super moist chocolate cupcakes and I found a great cake recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks. I made a few adaptations to each recipe and it turned out amazing! I was a little concerned about using whole wheat flour because I thought it might be too grainy, but it made the cake even better. Eric would even eat a slice for breakfast! I guess he was getting some whole grains:)

Kale Pesto Sweet Potato Pasta

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

Pesto

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped

1/2 cup walnuts

2 Tb water (kale cooking water)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chives, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp grey salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1 pkg egg pappardelle noodles

2 sweet potatoes, diced

Directions

1. Place kale and 1 1/2 cups of water in a large pot, cover, and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes until the kale is wilted but still bright green.

2. Save 2 Tbs of the cooking water and drain the rest. Allow the kale to cool on a towel.

3. Finely chop the walnuts and the garlic in the food processor.

4. Add the kale, 2 Tbs of cooking water, chives, and salt & pepper to the food processor.

5. Blend until smooth while slowly drizzling in the olive oil.

6. Once everything is blended, mix in the parmesan cheese by hand.

7. Meanwhile, steam the sweet potatoes until tender, about 8-10 minutes, depending on size.

8. Cook the pasta according to directions, drain, and immediately add all the pesto to the warm pasta, then mix in the sweet potatoes.

I have been reading pesto recipes made out of kale for awhile and I always wanted to try it since it would be a healthier option. Plus, it's a great way to start getting more greens in your diet, if you are not a big fan of eating them whole. The kale is cut up so fine you don't even know what you are eating, which is great for kids who wouldn't normally eat greens. I found a version of kale pesto in my Vegetarian Times, so I thought I would add my own spin on it. I made this for a quick lunch and it was delicious! This was also my first time using the pappardelle pasta noodles. I have seen them on a variety of cooking shows and I thought they looked really interesting. Feel free to use any variety of nut in the pesto, like pecans, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, or cashews. You can also mix up the greens and use spinach, cilantro, or traditional basil. The great thing about cooking is that your options are unlimited.

Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen cranberries, thawed

juice of 1/2 lime

zest of 1 lime

1/4 of red onion, minced

2 Tbs honey

1 jalapeno, half seeds removed (if want spicier add all seeds)

1/2 cup cilantro

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until desired consistency (about 20 seconds).

I had cranberry salsa for my first time at a little shop on Grand Ave and I was inspired to make my own because I loved it so much! The first time I made the recipe I used all the seeds in the jalapeno and it was super spicy, so I wasn't a huge fan at first. But once it sat for awhile and the flavors went through I actually liked it better. Some jalapenos are not very spicy, but the ones I have been getting lately are really spicy. I recommend serving the salsa with some high quality corn tortilla chips.