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

Faux-Fried Sriracha Chicken

WHAT?! FRIED CHICKEN ON A HEALTH BLOG?! Umm… notice the “faux” part! It’s baked, I swear! But your mouth and tummy would never know if you ate it blindfolded! Seriously, I know this is another somewhat “simple” recipe, but it’s a staple of my diet. Maybe I should feel guilty making this once a week, but I definitely don’t. Everything in moderation including moderation, right? Well, that’s my story and I’m stickin to it! I have a feeling once you try this recipe yourself, it will become one of those things you just keep going back to. Get ready!!!

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken (I like using tenders)
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup cornflakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup Sriracha
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Olive oil spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Prepare chicken in desired size; As mentioned above, I like using tenders but you definitely can use whole breasts or cut into small “nuggets.”
2. In a bowl, whisk together egg whites, Sriracha and mustard. If its too thick, add small amount of oil (safflower or olive).
3. In a separate bowl or plate, break the cornflakes into smaller pieces (you can put them in a food processor on pulse a few times, or do it by hand- go ahead and get some aggression out!). Mix cornflakes with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
4. Dip chicken in Sriracha/mustard/egg wash and then dredge in cornflake/bread crumb/Parmesan mixture.
5. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray and place the coated chicken on the sheet. Spray the chicken lightly as well. Bake until golden brown and crispy (usually about 25-30 minutes, but depends on the size of your chicken pieces).

NOM NOM NOM NOM… Sorry what did you say??? I was too busy shoving this crunchy chicken in my mouth. YEAH, it’s that good! If you read my blog, you know I usually offer substitutions for the ingredients that I list in my recipes. For this one, I really don’t know what would be better than what is already perfected! I encourage you to try this recipe “as-is,” but if you think of something, then leave me a comment and let me know! I’d love your feedback :) 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

Quinoa Cakes with Parsley and Lemon Zest

Nom nom nom.. YEP that’s what you’re going to be saying once you pop these bad boys in your mouth! The quinoa is light but hunger-satisfying, and the lemon zest really makes the simple, fresh flavors pop! These cakes would be great as a side dish at a BBQ or the main squeeze of a vegetarian meal. Any way you decide to enjoy them, you probably need the recipe don’t ya?

What you will need:

• Quinoa, 1 cup
• 2 cups water
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Salt
• Pepper
• Safflower oil (about 3 tablespoons)

1. Place 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water; let boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until all liquids are absorbed. Remove quinoa from heat and let it cool completely.
2. Once the quinoa is cooled, add egg and egg white, Parmesan, parsley, shallot and lemon juice/zest, salt and pepper (as desired); Mix ingredients by hand for best results.
3. Form mixture into patties, should make 8 cakes, but you can make them any size you please! It is best if you allow them to chill in the fridge for an hour or so because they will hold a little stronger. You can definitely cook them right away, just be extra gentle!
4. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of safflower oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cakes and allow them to brown and form a crust (about 3 minutes), then flip.

Easy as pie! Or I guess easy as cake? Whatever! I like to top mine with avocado, mmm! You know what’s coming next.. Ingredient swaps! Try blue cheese instead of Parmesan; add pureed garbanzo beans for a thicker quinoa cake with more substance; try orange or lime zest/juice instead of lemon; add Sriracha or cayenne pepper for some heat. The possibilities are endless, as always! Do what makes your tummy smile!

Health & Love <3

Rosemary Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms

Two words: Stuffed. Mushrooms. I don’t know about you all, but stuffed ANYTHING sounds pretty delish to me. Yeah I like to stuff, I got a stuffing problem. No but really…

I know I have said this about almost every recipe I’ve posted, but these mushrooms really are so simple to make. The majority of the ingredients needed for this recipe you should have on hand. Did I mention they are super yummy and practically guiltless??!

All you need is:

• Mushrooms
• Garlic (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• Olive oil
• Rosemary (1 tablespoon fresh, 1 teaspoon if dried)
• Green onions (2)
• Parmesan (1/4 cup, grated)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil spray

1. Twist the stems off of the mushrooms; place empty mushrooms on baking sheet and set aside. Chop the stems coarsely. I like to leave them in variable sizes for texture.
2. Mince garlic, rosemary and green onion; add to chopped mushroom stems and parmesan. Coat mixture with olive oil enough so that it is cohesive (about 2 tablespoons). Season with salt and pepper as needed.
3. Spoon mixture back into the hollow mushrooms (I love making them overflow a little bit). *IMPORTANT* Spray with olive oil, otherwise they will majorly shrink in the oven! Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until stuffing is light brown.

Don’t be afraid to add other herbs like sage, parsley or basil or swap out parm for bleu cheese or feta.. GET CREATIVE! You can make any recipe your own with a little imagination. Go ahead, get to it! :)

Health & Love <3

Crunchy Chickpeas

Crunchy beans? Weird right? Ummmm, no… TOTALLY BRILLIANT!!! I am currently obsessed with baking chickpeas! They are perfect as a finger food to snack on, great crunchy alternative to croutons in salad, and super yummy as a topping to any dish you choose!

There isn’t really a real “recipe” for these tasty little bites, just an easy method. I tend to like spicy, so my “recipe” may have a little kick to it.

You will need:

• 1-2 cans of chickpeas (I usually make 2 because I can’t resist snacking on them)
• Olive oil
• Garlic salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Onion Powder

The most important step in this process is making sure you rinse, drain and DRY the chickpeas. I usually let them sit in a colander with a paper towel for about 10 minutes just to ensure they are fully dry.

Once dry, I toss them in light olive oil (just enough to coat) and then sprinkle with the spices listed above. You really can choose any spices that you want depending on the dish or your mood! Then just pop them in the oven at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes (or until they are toasty).

I promise you are going to be as in love with these chickpeas as I am! HAPPY HEALTHY SNACKING!!!

Health & Love <3

Simple Baked Apple

Remember that old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?”  Well consider me a doctor repellent because I definitely eat my daily apple dosage! Once in a while though, the mundane crunchiness will deter me from consuming my persistent apple fix; this morning was one of those days.

So what’s a girl to do? BAKE!

The recipe below is super simple and quick to make in the morning (or very easily the night before).

 

 

• One apple (I prefer granny smith because of the tartness and the antioxidant properties)
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• 1/2 banana
• Rolled oats
• Agave
• Vanilla extract
• Coconut flakes

1. Cut the apple in half and core it. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, measure rolled oats (I usually do about 1/4 of a cup so I have extra) and lightly coat with agave and a dash of vanilla extract. Mix together and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, adding coconut flakes for the last 5 minutes.
3. Once the apples have finished, stuff with 1/2 banana (mashed with a fork) and top with vanilla coconut oat mixture.

Enjoy this morning treat knowing you are starting your day off on a healthy foot!

Health & Love <3