Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I feel like this one is an obvious one, but I have so many people tell me they "hate" brussel sprouts.  The yummy, nutty, crunchy flavor of these roasted beauties is hard to beat.  Even my kids like them!

Ingredients:
Fresh brussel sprouts, halved
Olive oil
Himylain salt

1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2.  Toss sprouts with oil and salt.
3.  Spread sprouts evenly on a baking sheet.
4.  Bake 20-25 minutes.

Black Bean Sliders

These are amazing.  Simple and easy.  Seriously.

Ingredients:
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 medium sweet potato
-1/2 cup oats
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp pink salt
-pinch of seasoning of your choice (cumin, chipolte chilie powder, etc)


1.  Preheat oven to broil.  Line a baking sheet with foil.
2.  Wrap the sweet potato in plastic wrap and cook in the microwave for 3-7 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove plastic and let cool.
3.  Using an immersion blender or food processor, pulse oats until it turns into a fine powder.
4.  Add spices and salt to oat powder, stir to combine.
5.  Peel sweet potato (the skin should fall right off) and mash in a large bowl with the beans.
6.  Add oat & seasoning mix to potatoes and beans, combine/mash together.
7.  Scoop out equal portions and form into patties.
8.  Cook the patties for 8 minutes, then flip them and cook again for 3 minutes.*

Makes 6 sliders.

*You'll want to watch them closely in the broiler to make sure they don't burn!

Quinoa & Black Bean Tacos

Photo cred: cookingclassy.com

You won't miss the meat!

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 c cooked quinoa
-1 Tbs olive oil
-1 medium onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 c vegetable broth
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 1/2 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp paprika
-salt & pepper to taste
-1 1/2 c frozen corn
-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Serve with:
-corn tortilla
-chopped lettuce
-diced avocados
-diced tomatoes

1.  Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic, saute about 3 minutes.
2.  Add in broth, diced tomatoes, cooked quinoa, and spices.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3.  Once thickened, add corn and black beans and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Source:  Cooking Classy

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

This one comes together super quick and makes your whole house smell edible!

Ingredients:
-2 Tbs olive or coconut oil
-2 1/2 Tbs curry powder
-1 Tbs ground cumin
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 medium onion, diced
-3 c diced sweet potatoes
-1 can coconut milk
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-1 cup water or vegetable broth

1.  Heat oil over medium-high heat and stir in spices and onion.  Cook until soft.
2.  Add remaining ingredients to pan, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minute (until potatoes are soft).
3.  Continue to simmer until curry reaches your desired thickness.
4.  Serve over rice.

Credit:  Tasty Kitchen

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Yum.  Nuf said.

Ingredients

2 tbls vegetable or canola oil

1/2  of a yellow onion, finely chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

2 tbls chili powder

1 tbls cumin

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat two tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Then add the garlic and sweet potatoes, and saute for another 5 minutes. 

Add in the chili powder and cumin and stir to coat the vegetables in the spices.  Pour in the vegetable stock and using a spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the spices off the bottom.  Add the two cans of tomatoes and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer covered for 10 minutes. 

Add the beans to the pot, and check for seasonings.  Add salt & pepper at the time if you need it.  Cover and let simmer for another 10 minutes.  Recheck for seasonings and serve.  

Credit: Ruminations on Food

PB&J Energy Bites

Yum.  You know those totally-amazing but completely-bad-for-you peanut butter balls that show up at Christmas time?  THESE are an excellent, good-for-you stand in the next time you're fighting a craving!

The "jelly" here is figurative and manifests in the form of dried cranberries.  Really you just want some kind of sweetness/tartness to offset the salty.

These called for chocolate chips, which would be amazing no doubt, but we're currently trying to avoid sugar, desserts, sweets, etc, so I opted for dried cranberries instead.

Ingredients:
-1 c dry oatmeal
-2/3 c coconut flakes
-1/2 c peanut butter
-1/2 c ground flaxseed
-1/2 dried cranberries (or chocolate chips!)
-1/3 c honey
-1 tsp vanilla

1.  Place oatmeal and coconut in the food processor and pulse to desired texture.

2.  Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. 

3.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. 

4.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. 

5.  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Credit:  Pinterest via Gimme Some Oven

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

I've been wanting for awhile to make some fun, healthy, wholw-food grab-and-go breakfast and snacks.  This one is better served warm, but is sooooo delicious!  Folks, around here we have a couple of these and some yogurt and call it lunch :)

Ingredients:
-1 c unsweetened applesauce
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
-1 1/2 c old fashioned oats, uncooked*
-2 ripe bananas, mashed or pulsed in the processor
-1/3 c raisins
-1/4 c chopped walnuts, toasted or not

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Mix vanilla and cinnamon into the applesauce.
3.  Blend applesauce mixture with all other ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes.
4.  Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet and flatten cookies into rounds.
5.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden and done.
6.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.
7.  Once completely cooled, store in an air-tight container.  I suggest microwaving them for a couple seconds when you serve them, but it's not necessary.


*I pulse these in the food processor to give them a finer texture.

Credit: Pinterest via Watching What I Eat

Kale Chips

This will satisfy your craving for potato chips, I promise!  And now they are carrying a LARGE bag of organic baby kale at Costco - yippee!

Ingredients:
Baby kale
Olive oil spray
Salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Spread kale on a parchment lined cookie sheet
3. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
4.  Bake for 5-7 minutes.  Watch them carefully, they can burn quickly!!

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1 c carrot, chopped
-1 celery stalk, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
-1 (15oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
-3 c broth
-dried or fresh basil to taste
-salt and pepper to taste
-2 c chopped fresh or frozen spinach*
-2 c cooked small pasta**
-parmesan cheese for top**

1.  Rinse and drain beans.  Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in processor or blender.
2.  In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, purred beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3.  40 minutes before serving, add spinach.  Cover and cook 30 more minutes.  Add cooked pasta and cook 10 minutes more.
4.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with paremsan cheese.


*If using frozen, be sure to defrost and wring out water before adding it in.
**Omit if observing Daniel Fast.

Carrot Soup with Honey

We went through a bout here last week where everyone was in serious need of an immunity boost. I made this nutrient rich soup in the hopes of bringing everyone back around to healthy. It worked, and it was delicious!

Carrot Soup with Honey

Ingredients:
-Olive oil
-2 onions, chopped
-2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
-3 lbs carrots, chopped
-minced garlic, to your taste
-1/2 tsp dried majoram
-4-6 cups water or broth, or a combo of the two
-2 Tbs honey
-1 tsp nutmeg
-salt and pepper

1. Saute the onion in a large skillet in a bit of oil. Cook until soft.
2. Put in crockpot: potatoes, carrots, garlic, and herbs. Add the onions and oil. Add enough water/broth to cover everything.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour.
4. Turn crockpot to low and cook for 5-7 hours, until veggies are soft.
5. Puree in batches in a food processor (or right in the crockpot if you happen to have an immersion blender!).
6. Stir in honey and nutmeg, season with salt & pepper. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Lentil and Red Pepper Soup

A little work in the morning (or the night before) and this serves up hot for dinner! Serve it up alongside a green salad, grilled cheese, or some crusty bread. Perfect for this unusually March-ish weather we're currently having here!

Lentil and Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients:
-2 Tbs olive oil (or just a couple turns of the pan)
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-4-6 cloves of garlic chopped
-1 tsp paprika
-2-3 red peppers, roughly chopped
-1 c dried lentils
-5 c water
-2 tsp salt, or to taste
-pepper to taste
-1-2 Tbs white wine vinegar

1. Place onion, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Put processor contents plus olive oil in a skillet and saute until veggies are tender. Stir in paprika.
3. Put skillet contents into the slow cooker. Add water and lentils.
4. Cook on low 7-9 hours, until lentils are tender.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and white wine vinegar. Serve hot!

Raw Granola Bars

First, I challenge you: If this sounds like something you wouldn't like, I dare you to try it anyway. It's like nothing you would expect. I'm not a fan of coconut or dates, but I LOVE these!

Second, I can't wait to share this recipe with you! This is another recipe from our "raw food" theme week at Mom's Group, made by a friend. I am indebted to her for introducing me to these! What an awesome, healthy, easy-to-make snack for my granola bar loving family.

Seriously, try them...

Raw Granola Bars
Ingredients:
-2 c raw almonds
-3 c shredded coconut
-2 c chopped, pitted, dates
-1 Tbs coconut oil
-the zest of 1 orange or lemon

1. Put the almonds in the food processor and process until they become a fine grain/dust.
2. Add the coconut and continue processing until finely ground. Put the coconut/almond mixture in large mixing bowl.
3. Put the chopped dates and coconut oil in the food processor. Process until they create a paste. NOTE: The coconut oil is extremely important here. Without it, my processor moaned and groaned and almost broke the blade because the dates were too sticky.
4. Add date paste to the almond/coconut mixture. Add zest and thoroughly combine all ingredients. (I found it easiest to take off my rings use my hands.)
5. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate. (You can serve them before refrigerating, but they are super crumbly. Refrigeration helps hold them together.)
6. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
3.

Apple Cereal

My awesome Mom's group meets weekly and each week they choose a theme for the refreshments and ask for volunteers to provide them. Always up for a challenge in the kitchen, I signed up for the "raw foods" week. Most of the appealing raw food recipes I found involved dehydrating something at some point. Now that was a little more of a challenge than I was up for this week. Then, happily, I stumbled upon this recipe. It was an interesting combination of ingredients and everyone seemed to enjoy it. While I'm pretty sure I'll never be on an entirely raw food diet (oh, how I LOVE my cooked food, especially in the winter!), this was fun and something I would definitely make again.

Fair warning, I'm not a fan of specifying ingredient quantities in something like this where you can really adjust according to your own tastes, so below is my best guess of what I included but you should feel free to adjust according to your own taste.

Apple Cereal (for a single serving)

Ingredients:
-1 apple, finely chopped
-1 banana, small dice
-1 palm full of almonds, chopped
-1 pinch of coconut
-splash of almond milk
-drizzle of honey
-sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and serve immediately (unless you don't mind the appearance of browned apples and bananas!).

Lentil Soup

It was cold and dreary here a couple of days last week and this family needed some comfort food. This did the trick for dinner and several lunches thereafter. A great vegan/vegetarian option if anyone is interested.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
11 cups vegetable broth (can substitute water)
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the lentils, mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils and barley are tender, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

Sorry, I didn't get a photo of this one, but regardless it's worth your attention. Packed with good-for-you ingredients, this is a fall winner for sure!

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chilli

Ingredients:
-1 Tbs olive oil
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 onion, chopped
-1 sweet pepper, chopped
-2 Tbs chili powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 butternut squash
-14oz vegetable broth
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 can chilies, chopped
-1 c frozen corn
-1 can black beans
-salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half and place flesh side down on baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until soft.
2. Turn squash over and spoon the soft baked flesh into a blender or food processor. Process until pureed, using vegetable broth to smooth it out. Set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat oil then add onion, garlic, and sweet pepper 8-10 minutes until soft.
4. Add cumin, oregano, squash puree, remaining broth, tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add corn and beans and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

If you want to make this earlier in the day, it holds up really well in a warm crockpot!

Bean Curry and Rice

This was unexpectedly awesome. Added bonus: it makes the whole house smell amazing and makes great leftovers!!

Bean Curry and Rice

Ingredients:
-2 Tbs olive oil
-1 large onion, chopped
-1/2c dry lentils
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-3 Tbs curry powder
-1 tsp cumin
-1 14oz can diced tomatoes
-1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-salt and pepper
-8 c. cooked brown rice

1. Prepare the brown rice according to package directions.
2. Heat oil in a large pot and cook union until tender.
3. Mix in lentils, garlic, curry powder, and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over rice.

Unstuffed Peppers

I wish I could take credit for the clever name on this one, but all credit is due to a smart woman who wrote into the Rachel Ray mag. All the delicious flavors of the labor intensive stuffed pepper without all the labor. What more could you ask for? I took her fabulous idea and tweaked it to match my family's preferences. And I'm telling you... NOTHING gets me excited for dinner like a giant pan of colorful veggies!

Un-stuffed Peppers

Rice:
-If you've got some cooked and stored in the fridge, this becomes a one-pot wonder!
-If not, then cook up the rice of your choosing while you're prepping and cooking the veggies.

In a large pan or wok, combine:
-Crush, minced or chopped garlic*
-Bell peppers, chopped
-Mushrooms, chopped
-Onion, chopped
-Olive oil or coconut oil
-Salt and pepper

Saute to desired tenderness.
Top with cheese of your choosing (optinal).

*(I prefer fresh garlicbut this is a GREAT alternative found in your grocer's freezer section!)

**We used this as one of our vegetarian meals for the week and with all the great veggie flavors, we didn't miss the meat one bit. If you do want to add something in, the original recipe called for ground sausage.