Sautéed Lemony Broccolini

July 9, 2018Leave a comment

Copy of Copy of Copy of New Moon Celebrations

It’s like summer turned on at the flick of a switch. At that moment, Mother Nature went into full bloom and every summer fruit + veg arrived perfectly and in abundance.

One of my latest discoveries at my local farmer’s market is broccolini. Ever heard of a broccolini?! Though it is commonly called baby broccoli it’s actually its own grownup veggie and is a cross between broccoli and gai lan (Chinese broccoli). It’s tender, long thin stalks have smaller florets and occasionally has some beautiful white flowers which are totally edible. They’re almost nutty in flavor especially when roasted. But we’re in the blazes of summer right now and we are not going to turn our ovens on.

This sauté is perfect as a side dish or even served alongside a pesto coated chickpea or lentil pasta. I love the beauty of green veggies with a green sauce. More green please!

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Maple Roasted Stuffed Acorn Squash

December 4, 2017Leave a comment

The holiday season is upon us!

Thanksgiving marked the beginning of my favorite time of year. I love the summertime because I LOVE the heat, but the fall and winter brings two of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving + Christmas. We decorate the apartment, make coquito or egg nog (check out my vegan coquito recipe here), we make snowflakes and have people over regularly. I practically spend most of my time in the kitchen or cuddled on the couch with Matt listening to our own Christmas playlist (yup, we made our own playlist this year. No commercials. Just straight up seasonal awesomeness).

We hosted for Thanksgiving again this year and a few of our friends actually said they were trying to be vegetarian (like me ;)) so I wanted to present a stunner for the veggie main. Acorn squash are perfect for stuffing and have a nutty slightly sweet taste once roasted.

You can prepare all of this in advance (the quinoa/grain mixture can be prepped a day or two beforehand and stored in the fridge) and just pop in the oven when you’re ready to serve. Now, that’s what I call good hosting!

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Crunchy Af Asian Persuasion Farmers Market Salad

August 8, 2017August 10, 2017Leave a comment

Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (2).png

Summer is made for salads…at least for the two of us. With the fluctuating and confusing weather going from hot to crazy hot to randomly Fall like, we’ve kept it simple. Basically, less cooked foods besides the occasional roasted veg that happens on those below 70 degree days. I mean, I’m going to have my roasted sweet potato because that crunchiness is not replicated on the stovetop. It’s not the same!!!

To get creative and eat outside the box, salads have become entire meals loaded with everything you could possibly need. Protein, check. Healthy fats, check. Crunchy things, check. Greens, check. Delicious dressing, check check and check. Basically any REAAAAALLLY good salad needs at least something crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet and it needs a really freakin good dressing. It’s a must!

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Hubby and I really love that miso ginger dressing that coats every crevice of lettuce at a sushi spot or Hibachi grill. Besides the actually hibachi veggies, the starter salad is WHERE IT’S AT!

If you don’t feel like making your dressing (it’s okay, this is normal human-ness, sometimes I’m lazy af too), there is a creamy miso ginger dressing over by the sushi section at Whole Foods (it’s so damn good). It’s going to run you about 5-6 bucks but it’s worth it if you’re feeling lazy. Or you can give that Newman’s branded sesame ginger dressing a shot. Easy to find. Easy on that budget too 😉

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Very Cherry Coconut Smoothie {Hydrate yo self}

June 11, 2017Leave a comment

After nearly a 2 month hiatus, I’m back ya’ll. It’s hard not to feel guilty for not being consistent posting on the blog but I’m trying not to make this a “chore.” Cooking is not a chore for me and neither is sharing my recipes. I want this to be fun, enjoyable and share some random stories I have for you. I have intentionally created time and space (I got da power!) for, well, recipe creation. I’ve been focusing on simplifying my life even though it seems there are more things filling the space from the things I’ve released. Does that make sense?

Okay, I’ll explain teehee. I recently resigned from my job as a nutrition educator at an elementary school. Around the same time (like less than a month ago) I started my work as a Doula (a birth worker, advocate for mamas) and now I’m working towards completing requirements for certification. I get to nerd out on everything about prenatal, birth and postpartum care. I’m literally reading ALL the time and have hit up the library weekly for books on books on books. While researching up the wazoo (as my husband would say), I’m finding different ways to tie all my passions together. Writing. Cooking. Holistic Wellness. Self Care. Birth. I mean, who said we have to CHOOSE ONE THING. We can do it all without having to do it all, right?

Anywhoooo…even while my brain is on overload, I’m ready for a summer of adventures (and hopefully some births, if ya’ll need a doula holler over here). After a week of weird October feeling weather, it finally feels like June and that heat, is absolutely delicious. Any other heat lovers out there? Or am I alone?

A common theme for me in the glorious heat is to sip on smoothies. I’m really not too big on heavy eating when it’s hot, so anything slurpable and grabable (yes I just made up 2 words) is da bomb dot com. And I don’t know about you but I like things that taste good and keep me feeling AMAZEBALLS as I attempt to get shit done. AMIRIGHT?! lol

Fresh strawberries (they’re in season right now and so damn good) combined with dark sweet cherries and coconut butter, this very cherry coconut smoothie is cooling, hydrating and rejuvenating with high antioxidants (from the berries, YAAAS) collagen (check out Further Food, Vital Proteins or Reserveage), and healthy fats for a gorgeous glow from the inside out.

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Super Stuffed Peppers {Almost Vegan, Perfectly Delish}

July 16, 20161 Comment

Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (4)

When life gets insane in the membrane, meals that are simple to put together and extra nourishing really make everything that much better.

I’m not going to lie, the last few weeks have been challenging for me. I’m adjusting to a new work schedule and I think I’ve spread myself pretty thin (just picture this: I work three jobs- not complaining, I love what I do- I’m planning a wedding that’s 2 months away, I still need to have the time to eat, sleep, cook, get mani pedis and enjoy summer).

Being human is a challenge sometimes.

Some days we sleep less.

Some days we eat less or more.

Balance is such an illusion. It’s not real. We can truly have it all but we don’t need to sacrifice it all in order to have it. I’m not a delusional holistic health guru. I exist in this real world. Sometimes there is no time to slave away in the kitchen and it is too damn hot to turn on the mother flippin’ oven or even stand near a stove and pizza sounds like the best option.

This recipe was born on a day it wasn’t too hot to put on the oven and I just didn’t want a ton of pots going at the same time. I just wanted to take what I already had in my fridge, put it together in a semi-cohesive, orgasmic, healthy dinner.

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