Fudgey Vegan Brownie Bites

Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (2)

Ah Valentine’s Day, the day of chocolate…oh and love. I’ve been trying to perfect the ultimate vegan brownie that doesn’t take like sawdust, require more than one or two bowls and makes my honey ask for “more of those chewy amazing brownies.”

It’s hard to find a vegan brownie that doesn’t require a ton of ingredients and that leaves something to be desired. And I can’t seem to find a brand or company that makes them the way I like them, so lo and behold, these baby brownie bites were born. There’s no real elaborate story leading me to this recipe. Honestly, I woke up one day and decided it was time to make a vegan brownie that didn’t taste like crap and didn’t make me feel like crap. I believe indulgence should be full of pleasure and without any guilt or ill feeling the next day. All love baby 😉

Continue reading

Spicy Corn Chowda’

Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (6)

I know, I know. I did a vegan version of this soup nearly 2 years ago today. But this soup is just SO DAMN good and I needed to really make this a creamy chowda. And lately many of my soups have involved a LOT of coconut milk and I think I need to play around with some different creamy additions. This recipe combines cauliflower with a bit of heavy cream to balance out the heaviness of the cream and give it a little veggie boost.

But in all honesty if you’re not diggin’ the heavy cream, you can combine coconut cream and cauliflower or make it SUPER vegan and soak some raw cashews in warm water for about 4 hours, blend on high and add the cauliflower for a really nourishing creamy aspect.

If you want the full vegan version of this recipe, check out this recipe here.

Continue reading

7 Ways to Eat Healthy Without Spending Your Whole Paycheck

Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (2)

What’s a girl (or guy- but we’re talking about the ladies real quick) to do when it seems easier and ridiculously dirt cheap to pick up a quick meal at the taco spot instead of eating an $11 kale salad!? I know you’re trying to eat healthy, but convenience seems to get the best of you. And that freakin’ sucks. Why does the healthy stuff have to be so damn expensive?! Even though I’m all about eating really really good (high quality may cost some extra dough), I don’t believe in spending every last penny at Whole Foods. You can still eat the good stuff without burning a huge hole in your pocket. Trust me, I have some tips and a look at what I usually spend on a grocery store trip 😉

Continue reading

Oven Baked Apple Chips {After all, it is fall}

Tangy watermelon salad (2)

I’m back! Yea I’ve been a little MIA but I needed some time to just do absolutely nothing. Have you ever done that? That’s exactly what Matt and I did for the last 2 weeks. We decided that instead of going on vacation we would just enjoy time together at home, binge-watching The Walking Dead and just savoring every moment of nothingness. And a few trips to Momofuku Milk Bar for some Cereal Milk Icecream (don’t knock it till you try it- it’s heaven).

Of course, this gave me an opportunity to really start experimenting with some new fall recipes, plan our wedding without stress and gear up for the fun of the upcoming season. I just want to decorate the house with pumpkins. I kid you not we have about 10 baby pumpkins and you can count on me to add even more to the house.

There is something refreshing about the fall. Even though the summer is great and all of that, I just feel like the fall is a great time to start over. To get back on track and get ready to get shit done. And for the last month of summer I’ve felt lazy. I just wanted to sleep, I just didn’t even want to think about the to-do lists or working out every day. I just really wanted to enjoy the fruits of summer. And you know what? That’s totally okay. Summer is meant to be a vacation (and it really should be- we all work hard!) and the fall is back to the grind. I am so ready for it.

Continue reading

“No Way It’s that Easy” Cauliflower Crust Pizza

2015-05-30 15.20.56

Where did summer go?! Hey, Mother Nature! What’s happening? It has been a long week of gloomy cold weather. I’m not digging it. I was so excited for the summer and the beach friendly weather…but no. We got thrown for a loop and now I don’t know what to do! But…thankfully it’s not that big of a deal. I still had my sweatshirts within reach and not in storage yet. I’m just glad it’s not snowing.

I know I had posted that even in the heat I use my oven, well…now us New Yorker’s can use our ovens without worry and without sweating out our blowouts. At least for a few more days…so you can make this recipe.

Last weekend I hosted a healthified and simplified Italian dinner workshop with roasted artichokes (with a lemon yogurt dipping sauce), peach and strawberry sangria AND this ridiculously easy cauliflower crust pizza with spinach pesto. My students were stunned at how easy it was to make this recipe and how few ingredients were required. This is not a recipe that will break that bank and that’s FAB! And as an added bonus, you won’t even notice the cauliflower. It’s a great way to get the kiddos to eat veggies without realizing it. And I dig that.

2015-05-30 14.24.35-1

Continue reading