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Quinoa + Veggies

As a vegetarian, this is one of my go-to meals for something quick, tasty and nutritious. If you don't know already, quinoa contains all essential amino acids needed to be considered a complete, high quality protein; one reason why it's praised by many vegans and vegetarians who don't (always) obtain their protein from animal sources. It's also a good source of B vitamins and is loaded with several minerals (iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium). I often cook my quinoa in vegetable broth to add a little extra flavor.

Farro Likes to Party...

With other vegetables, that is. This time, my farro meshed quite well with some asparagus, mushrooms and peas. It also enjoyed being surrounded by a scarf of raw mustard greens, and being lightly sprinkled with some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Breakfast Quinoa

Time to switch up the typical bowl of oats and use quinoa instead. As one of the few complete protein sources from plants, quinoa tastes just as good with milk, cinnamon, fruit and nuts. A 1 cup serving of this nutty tasting grain nourishes your body with 12g of high quality protein and 20% of your daily value for Iron.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Oh how I love these sweet little potato dumplings. Gnocchi isn't terribly difficult to make, it just takes some time. A little olive oil (or butter!) and some herbs finishes them off nicely.

Spice Up Your Salad

Last night for dinner I threw together an arugula salad with pears, toasted pecans and blue cheese. It was so lovely I wanted it again for lunch today, but this time I added some red onion and topped it all off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. SO good.

Tasty Baked Tofu {+ Lemony Kale)

 

Throw out all your preconceived notions of tofu, and give this guy another chance. Marinated and baked, tofu can be flavorful and seriously satisfying. Baking slightly dries out the tofu pieces giving them a rather meaty and chewy texture. Soy is packed with high quality protein and these tofu pieces are sure to fill you up quickly.

Healthy Obsession at it's Best

Pumpkin Cranberry Oats!

My parents stopped in Greenville on their way home to Florida from Michigan, and my mom delightfully  brought us a loaf of her famous pumpkin-cranberry bread. She makes a ton of these breads during this time of year and gives them to friends and family. It is truly amazing bread. Moist, sweet and pumpkin-y. I absolutely love it. I'll have to get the recipe and share it with you all.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup {+ Ginger}

Apples and squash marry beautifully in this soup topped with slightly salty goat cheese, crunchy pepitas and sweet grape must. I could eat several bowls of this velvety squash slosh. It's great as a starter to a meal, or as a meal itself, paired with a nice salad and crusty bread.

Pistachio Pear Cake + Ginger Butter Cream

A friend of mine found this recipe in Garden and Gun Magazine and had the wonderful idea to make it for her Thanksgiving desert. She decided to make it a two-tier rather than three-tier cake, and use the leftover batter for cupcakes so we could put an end to teasing our taste buds.

Spiced Cider and a Walk Down Memory Lane

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. It's wonderful to come home and visit with family and old friends. My mom seems to always dig up something from my childhood, and this year, it was a children's cookbook she gave me for my 6th birthday:

{Recipe ReDux} Vintage Dishes: Waldorf Salad

Ah, waldorf salad. Apples, grapes, celery and walnuts all melded together with some of that good ole fashioned glue we call mayo. I used to love this stuff. But my taste for mayo has changed and I can't bear to eat things covered in it. [Well, except maybe egg salad-but I'm modest with the mayo]

What a Delicious Mistake!

During my endeavor to create the Spanish Potato and Spinach Tortilla recipe from this months Cooking Light magazine, I quickly realized it was going to be a bust.
I knew from the beginning that I didn't quite have all of the necessary ingredients, but I thought I would improvise. I had purple sweet potatoes, not red skinned white potatoes; parsley, not spinach; and I wasn't planning to make the accompanying red pepper sauce either. Oh, and I added tomato. Not to make excuses, but I was also trying to multi-task; which, I'm usually pretty good at, however, prepping hummus and butternut squash soup all while cooking this tortilla was just a bad idea for the sake of properly executing this recipe.

Banana Cherry Oatmeal and a Suspected Oatmeal Thief

First morning back home from our little vacay in Kiawah and I couldn't wait to have my morning oatmeal! Today it's bananas, dried cherries, pepitas and almonds. Mashing up a banana into oatmeal adds sweetness without having to use other sweeteners. Fruit is nature's sugar - take advantage of it. My friend Riley here would if you let her...

Super Quick Lunch on Kiawah Island

I know, I know... I'm actually blogging about a processed, store bought meal. But hey, I don't eat this stuff very often and something about warm soup on this cold 50 degree day sounded extremely appealing.

Salad Nicoise

Pronounced "knee-swah", this French salad is not your typical light fare. Salad Nicoise is a mixture of tomatoes, green beans, onions, olives, tuna, hard boiled egg and potatoes tossed in a vinaigrette and placed over salad greens. The potatoes, tuna and hard boiled egg give this salad a nice heartiness.

Salmon with a Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

Salmon is my favorite fish by far. In addition to its heart healthy fat profile and its beautiful orange color, Salmon is a mighty fish, able to swim hundreds of miles upstream fighting against strong currents. Its strength makes me feel strong.

Olive Tempeh Burgers

Every now and then I love me a good veggie burger. I'm pretty picky with my burgers, as we all should be. MorningStar makes a pretty good burger, as does Monk's Grill in Tallahassee, FL. Let me rephrase: Monk's Grill makes a killer veggie burger. You have endless cheese, topping, sauce and bread choices, giving you the option to create a different burger every time. It really is perfect.

Daisy: The Newest Member of the GMO Family

Self-labeling shenanigans at the grocery store.

The more I read about GMO's, the more confused I become. While there may be detrimental long term health effects from consuming such products, there are also some positive environmental outcomes. I listened in on a GMO specific webinar last week featuring the Director of International biotechnology from UC Davis in California. She demonstrated a good amount of propelling evidence in favor of using this technology, but she also stressed that there's a time and a place for its use.That hit home for me. There is a time and a place for the use of this technology; however, the majority of authority figures in the US do not comply with this perspective. We want instant gratification. Convenience. Money. We want a lot of things and we want them NOW. 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I love the simplicity of grain salads. They can be made in large quantities ahead of time and eaten throughout the week. It makes lunchtime a little easier and you are still guaranteed a flavorful and nutritious meal.