Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls

Warm weather calls for fresh, cool foods that leave you feeling full but still okay to throw on your bathing suit (or skinny dip) and go swimming! I am pretty sure these spring rolls will rock your world and you will be rolling ’em up all summer! Not too many ingredients and shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes overall to complete the recipe… What’s not to love about that? Go ahead, get started!!!

Ingredients

• Sesame oil
• Tofu, sliced
• Spring roll wrappers (rice paper)
• Carrots (shredded or julienned)
• Spicy sprouts
• Enoki mushrooms
• Green onion, diced
• Thai basil

Directions

1. Season the tofu with salt, pepper, garlic salt and ginger. Cook in sesame oil until brown and crispy on both sides.
2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Soak rice papers, one at a time, in water. Lay the paper on a flat surface and place one slice of tofu, one basil leaf, carrots, sprouts, green onion and mushrooms piled in the center. Fold the sides of the wrapper inward and over, and roll tightly.

YEAH! Roll that up and smoke it! No just kidding, don’t smoke, just eat these little guys!!! They are so easy to make! You really can put anything you want in them too, so don’t ever feel limited to the ingredients I use. They would be delish with shrimp, cabbage, cucumber, rice noodles.. Really anything you can fit inside! Dipping wise, I like to use straight Sriracha! If you like sweeter sauces, try hoisin! Or you can concoct your own with peanut oil, hoisin, soy sauce, chili sauce,rice vinegar etc… Any way you eat these cute little spring rolls, you won’t feel guilty! Enjoy!

Health & Love <3

Quick Kale Chips

Do you all LOVE kale as much as I do??!! I seriously eat it almost once a day! Substituting it for lettuce in salads, sauteing it as a side dish, using it to stuff in other veggies.. The possibilities are endless! But I have to say, one of my favorite ways to prepare kale- CHIPS! They will take you no more than 20 minutes to make, but if you are anything like me, you will devour them in a quarter of the time!

Ingredients

• Kale (get a big bunch, it shrinks majorly)
• Olive oil spray
• Seasoning of choice (I use red pepper flakes, garlic salt and cumin)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Tear the leaves of kale away from the stem, but keep in decent size chunks. Spread them out on baking sheet as a single layer.
2. Spray with olive oil and season the kale leaves and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until browned. 

Ummm epitome of easy??!! YES! They are so delicious and crunchy! Perfect for a totally nutrient-packed, guiltless snack! You can play around with the seasonings too. They would be so yummy with barbecue seasoning, Chinese five spice, or simple salt and pepper! Go experiment and enjoy!

Health & Love <3

Orange & Beet Spring Salad

WOW! I am averaging one post per month since February! How horrible! Not to excuse my neglect, but the past month has been quite a transition period for me. I moved into my very own solo apartment and have been slowly but surely settling in… Oh and I currently bum internet off of nearby restaurants. AWESOME! Not. Ha! Regardless, my kitchen is fully functional so I really have no reason not to be posting, and so here we are :)

I know a lot of you are probably thinking my first post back is going to be some crazy recipe, but sometimes you just gotta go back to basics! With spring in full force, I have been on a salad BINGE! This salad not only full of every flavor profile you can think of, but also extremely beautiful. Go get your paper and pen and start writing down the ingredients! I promise, you won’t be underwhelmed….

Ingredients

• 2 beets
• 1 orange
• Your choice of greens (I used kale)
• Herbed goat cheese
• Avocado
• Kalamata olives
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Clean beets thoroughly and pat dry. Place beets on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
2. Once your beets are finished baking, let them cool and then peel the skin off. Slice into medallions or cubes. Rinse your choice of greens and pay dry. Slice oranges into medallions or cubes, prepare avocado into slices/cubes, crumble goat cheese, and add olives. Season with salt and pepper.

ET VOILA! So easy! Great as a side salad, but you can also make it into a meal by adding some meat (rotisserie chicken anyone?!) or nuts (walnuts would be phenomenal!). Also, I know not everyone enjoys salad without dressing like I do, so if you are in need of dressing try something simple like a lemon vinaigrette (3 parts olive oil; 1 part lemon juice; lemon zest; touch of Dijon mustard). The components of the salad really are so flavorful that the dressing should just highlight that, not overwhelm. Try swapping kale for watercress, arugula or spinach – YUM!

I sincerely hope you all are excited to have me back up and running!

Health & Love <3

Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

It has been a little bit since my last post, I know.. Hope you all didn’t miss me too much- ha! Regardless, I’m back at it with nothing other than another stuffing recipe! I told you all I have a stuffing problem :) How can you not love eating veggies that taste comforting, filling AND fresh?! Well, what are you waiting for?! Get to preppin!

Ingredients:

• 2 Zucchinis
• 2 large/3 medium Mushrooms
• 4 cloves of fresh Garlic, minced
• Olive oil (about 2 Tablespoons)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Parsley
• 3 Tablespoons of Goat cheese
• 1/4 cup homemade breadcrumbs
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 375. Slice zucchinis in half, lengthwise; scoop out insides with a spoon. Place zucchinis on baking sheet and set aside.
2. Roughly chop mushrooms into desired size (I like to keep the chunks varying in size for texture, but whatever floats your boat!) Add minced garlic, thyme, parsley, homemade bread crumbs (or store-bought if you want) and goat cheese to chopped mushrooms. Salt and pepper as desired.
3. Add olive oil and lemon juice to stuffing mixture. Fill the zucchinis with stuffing, then spray with olive oil spray.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until stuffing is lightly toasted/browned.

As always.. Gluten free? Omit the breadcrumbs, or substitute for almond meal! Don’t like goat cheese? Try bleu or Parmesan! Add sauteed spinach or kale to the stuffing for some extra veggie action! Ditch zucchini altogether and use squash instead! The possibilities are endless in the kitchen, you just have to dare to be creative! Enjoy :)

Health & Love <3

White Fish in Tomato-Saffron Stew

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to let you all know this is not my recipe. I made a couple of alterations, but the overall concept is from the book “Power Foods” by the editors of one of my favorite magazines, Whole Living.

It’s super light, but filling enough for a full meal. Really simple, but totally flavorful. TRUST ME, you NEED to try this ASAP! It’s a great dish to impress someone with-they will never know how effortless it was to make (hint, hint Valentine’s Day).

All you need is…

•  Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 pound of (your choice of) white fish (I used cod)
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 cup cliced almonds, toasted
• 2 scallions

Directions

1. Heat oil in pot or big flat pan.  Slice garlic thinly and cook in heated oil with red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and saffron. Cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
2. Add tomatoes and lightly salt (about 1 teaspoon). Stir/crush the tomatoes into smaller chunks. Bring the “broth” to a simmer and cook on low for about 15 minutes (or until it has thickened a bit).
3. Chop fish into small cubes (I like mine bite size) and season with salt and pepper. Add fish and capers to tomato broth, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir the stew carefully (you don’t want to break the fish down) and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Serve and top with almonds and sliced scallions.

The only ingredient I switched out from the original recipe was using capers instead of dried currants. I wanted to stay salty instead of adding little sweet notes like currants. Try the original if you don’t trust my judgement, I mean I am no Martha Stewart! One thing you should trust me on is serving with a glass of wine and some homemade garlic bread… Mmmmm!!!! Go on, live a little!

Health & Love <3