Browsing Tag

carrot

Tasty

Vegan/GF BBQ Salad

March 17, 2014

IMG_8002 This week is all about getting Spring Break ready!  While being a college grad/adult, I may not get an actual “Spring Break” on my calendar anymore.. but I am lucky enough to get to tag along on my family’s annual vacation – thus gifting myself a “Spring Break” each year.

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That being said, working 8-10 hour days everyday takes a toll on your body, and getting spring break ready is a lot of work… so this week is going to focus on some key points.  First up – health.

The past few weeks I have been focusing on clean eating – a lot of produce and fish, and minimal red meat/gluten, and no processed foods.  That being said whole eating is a priority, and here is one of my go-to salads (great for dinner or lunches for the week).

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BBQ Veggie Salad

  • 1 head of Romanesco cauliflower (or regular cauliflower)
  • Lentils or black beans
  • Radishes
  • Carrots
  • Red Onion
  • Avocado
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  • Vegan Ranch Dressing
  • Tortilla Chips (optional)
  1. Cut cauliflower into florets and roast at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
  2. Brush BBQ sauce onto cauliflower and bake 3 minutes more.
  3. Assemble salad with ingredients of your choice.
  4. Top with more BBQ sauce and/or ranch dressing.

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* Disclaimer: The joy of this salad is it doesn’t really need a recipe – you can add (or not add) whatever you would like – other ideas include cilantro, corn, celery, cheese (if you don’t want to go dairy free), etc.

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Tasty

Coconut Carrot Soup

February 19, 2014

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Shutterbean is one of my favorite food blogs, and when Tracy posted a write up on “Meal Prep” a couple of weeks ago, I was transfixed.   Honestly, read it if you haven’t.  IMG_6318 I love planning meals ahead of time, but realized that sometimes that doesn’t work for my life.  On weeks where my husband is going to be working late, or the weather is really nice and I don’t want to spend it in the kitchen, following Tracy’s game plan is a no-brainer.  IMG_6325 I have had her Coconut Carrot Soup pinned for FOREVER, so when she mentioned making a batch on Sunday to have for lunch throughout the week, it re-sparked my interest.  I had just received a bunch of gorgeous carrots from my Farm Fresh to You box, and actually had ALL of the ingredients in my house (that NEVER happens).  IMG_6330 So, the next day before work, I chopped the carrots/onions and put them in a Ziplock bag, and laid out the (non refrigerated) ingredients for later that night. Once I got home from work, I followed the very short directions… and voila! Dinner and a few lunches were prepared with (hands on time) of 10 minutes!  AWESOME!!!

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Coconut Carrot Soup

Adapted from Shutterbean

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 lb. carrots, peeled & chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1  14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (I used sriracha as a back-up)
  • 1 lime
  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are softened, 15-20 minutes.
  2. Stir in broth, coconut milk, and sriracha.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 40-45 minutes.
  4. Let soup cool slightly, then puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
  5. Reheat in the saucepan if needed.
  6. Add the juice of one freshly squeezed lime and stir.
  7. Divide soup among bowls, and drizzle with sriracha and top with cilantro.

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Tasty

Miso Veggie Tofu Bowl

January 6, 2014

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This week, I am focusing on fresh starts and new ways to begin this calendar year (sorry if that’s super cliché… I personally love the whole New Years concept)! I wanted to begin with a delicious and healthy meal option that I’ve been loving lately! I have always loved miso – some of my all-time favorite recipes include this one and this one. But recently have a new obsession Smitten Kitchen’s Miso Veggie Bowl recipe.  I whipped it up for dinner a few weeks ago and immediately added it to my recipe line up.  The major perk (apart for the flavor?!) the fact it makes a great lunch the next day (although there is rarely enough left over for that).

Here is the original recipe – and here is what I’ve been whipping up:

Dressing:

  • 2 T white miso
  • 1.5 T almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix with an immersion hand blender until combined.

The Goods

  • Tofu (I prep it using this recipe)
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Butternut Squash
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli

Roast according to Smitten Kitchen’s directions and serve over rainbow quinoa and top with the miso dressing!
I love how you can create the dressing, while the veggies are roasting… And you can be flexible with whatever veggies/protein you use… I love it’s versatility! You easily can use this recipe as a veggie dipping sauce if you wanted to as well…

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PS if you aren’t familiar with Smitten Kitchen, I highly recommend you do so.  I have followed Deb’s blog for sometime, but recently treated myself to her cookbook – it is amazing!

What is your favorite week day meal lately?

Sip

Rabbit Rum Cocktail

September 6, 2013

I’ve been dieting lately (yuck), but have been having a really hard time letting go of my fun drinks.  How does one try to balance this issue?  Well I grabbed some carrot juice (healthy right?) and got to mixing!

Carrot Rum Cocktail

Rabbit Rum Cocktail

  • 2 oz Carrot Juice
  • Juice of 1/2 a Lime
  • 1.5 oz Rum
  • Few Sprigs of Cilantro
  • 1/4 inch slice of Ginger
  • 2 tsp raw sugar (or simply syrup)

Mix the following ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Top with ginger ale or club soda if you want some extra bubbles!

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Tasty

Summer Supper

July 29, 2013

Chicken Dinner

Summer weekends call for most of my time being spent reading by or in a pool.  A prefer to cap off a lazy day with a freshly decadent meal and a great glass of wine… but who has time to slave away in the kitchen when you are working through a perfectly great book!?  Introduce the impressive yet easy menu!  A little prep work in the morning, tan your way through the day and then an hour of so of cooking and dinners on!

Nectarine Caprese with Honey Balsamic Reduction

Summer Veggie Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

BBQ Chicken with Carrot Puree

BBQ Chicken

Root Beer Floats

Tips:

  • Caprese: Use great ingredients and this will be a crowd pleasure! You also could cube the nectarines and serve on a skewer with tiny mozzarella balls and basil.
  • Veggie Salad: We used fresh corn and didn’t grill it.  Sweet, fresh corn is super tasty (and as my sister mentioned) full of nutrients when in it’s original/”natural” state.
  • BBQ Chicken: I used nice BBQ sauce and substituted thighs with boneless/skinless breasts.  We let it marinate all day in BBQ sauce (in the fridge) and then added minced garlic and seasoning right before we put it in the oven.  Make sure to have the chicken sit out for 30 minutes or so before putting it in the oven.  The meat turned out super moist and so flavorful!
  • Carrot Puree: The carrot puree is also out of this world and definitely something I will serve with other meals.  The color is gorgeous!  You can also substitute 1 cup of half & half for 1 T of melted butter and the remaining amount of 1 cup with milk.