Grilled Curry Chicken Flatbread

This came together fast and was so tasty! I adapted it from a Cooking Light recipe but changed a bunch of things around. I don't normally cook with curry powder and I don't know why I don't because it is so delicious! This is really filling and topped with veggies and a great yogurt sauce.

Serving size: I'd say about 2 flatbreads? 

What you need:

• 1/2 cup shaved carrot
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt 
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinches of garlic powder, curry, turmeric, salt and onion powder for chicken breast
• 2 cups chicken breast, diced
• Kale
• Fresh cilantro
• Chopped peanuts
• Whole wheat pitas

What you need to do:

1. Combine carrots, ginger, vinegar, 1/4 cup water and sugar. Bring to a boil then remove from heat
2. Combine curry, turmeric and 1 teaspoon oil in a microwaveable bowl and cook 30 seconds
3. Add in yogurt, honey and salt
4. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and sprinkle your diced chicken with curry powder, turmeric, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and a dollop of the yogurt mixture.
5. Cook chicken about 12 minutes or until cooked throughout.
6. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon avocado oil 
7. Wait til the oil is shimmering then place pitas in and cook til char marks start showing
8. Assemble! Top pita with yogurt mixture, chicken, kale, chopped peanuts and carrot mixture. Top with kale and cilantro
9. Enjoy!

Breakfast Yogurt Bowl

Yogurt bowls are my new favorite thing to have for breakfast! They're so easy and you can put whatever you want in them. This bowl has very few grams of added sugar and still manages to be super sweet, plus lots of protein to keep you full.

serving size: 1 bowl

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of yogurt (I used Stonyfield plain organic) 
• spoonful of apricot jam (I useed a brand called Good Good Sweet Sweetness or something weird like that..it had no added sugar so I was pumped)
• spoonful of vegan vanilla chai granola (I used One Degree Organic of course)
• 3 pieces of fresh pineapple
• handful of dried mulberries (I used Navita's Organics)
• sprinkling of flax and chia seeds (Garden of Life Fruit and Flax)
• topped it was honey (Bee Honey! it's so good)

What you need to do:

1. Put your yogurt in your bowl and decorate the shit out of it with toppings!

Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers with Avocado Basil Pesto

Definitely making these a million times in the summer. I didn't even mash the black beans so this was literally the easiest homemade burger recipe I've ever made. And it was crunchy on the outside and softer on the inside and just great! You also have to make this pesto to go on top. GAME CHANGER!

serving size: 4 normal sized burgers, or can make smaller to have sliders. (I definitely had 5 uneven burgers from this batch...haha)

What you need:

For the burgers:

• 1 can of black beans
• 1 medium sized sweet potato, cooked either in the microwave or roasted in the oven
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 whole wheat flour
• 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the pesto:

• 1/2 an avocado
• 2 cups packed basil and spinach
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (sub nutritional yeast to keep vegan)
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

What you need to do:

Burgers:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan
2. Saute onions, sun dried tomatoes and garlic for 3 minutes
3. Scoop out the inside of your sweet potato and combine with black beans in a large bowl
4. Heat 1 more tablespoon in the same pan
5. Next, add in your onion mixture from the pan
6. Add breadcrumbs, flour, basil, salt and pepper
7. You can mash your mixture at this point but I chose not to
8. Form into patties
9. Add patties to heated pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side on medium heat
10. Top burgers with whatever you desire and a dollop of the pesto and you have a delicious veggie burger!

Avocado Pesto:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process til desired consistency
2. Eat on everything!

Paleo Apple Pumpkin Spiced Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

Welp, my whole house smells amazing right now because of this bread. I had a couple old, really brown, scary looking banana's so I knew it was bread time! This bread is paleo, gluten free and refined sugar free!

serving size: 1 loaf

What you need:

• 3 very ripe banana's, mashed
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 maple syrup (I used the Maple Guild's cinnamon infused syrup)
• 1/2 nut butter of choice (I did a cashew/almond mix)
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of ground cardamom
• pinch of sea salt
• Optional Toppings: Dairy free, chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, banana slices...

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a loaf tin
3. Combine banana's, eggs, maple syrup and nut butter until smooth and very little chunks.
4. Combine flour, spices, baking soda and powder and salt
5. Pour dry ingredients into wet and stir well 
6. Top with any additional toppings you want
7. Bake for 50 minutes
8. Enjoy!

Easy Tropical Fruit Yogurt Bowl

I love yogurt bowls. I wish I could have a different one for breakfast every day. So easy and filling and you can customize them to whatever you love! Today's breakfast bowl was packed with fruits and protein. It was kinda tropical ish so I just went with it. If you halved the yogurt in this and froze the fruit, added a splash of almond milk..this would make a killer smoothie, just sayin'!

serving size: 1 bowl

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of yogurt (my fav is Siggi's plain, but I used Stonyfield's organic, plain, whole milk)
• half a banana
• 1 slice of fresh mango, diced (freeze the rest for a smoothie or put in the fridge for a yummy midday snack)
• 1 tablespoon of your fav granola (I used One Degree Organic's Veganic Vanilla Chai)
• 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal (I used Garden of Life's Fruit and Flax)
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened coconut chips
• 1 tablespoons nut butter (I used Julie's Real cacao espresso almond butter)
• drizzle of honey

What you need to do:

1. Lay down your yogurt, then pile on your toppings and EAT!

Copycat Taco Bell Egg Tacos

This was really good, really easy and kinda messy but so worth it! Great weekend breakfast meal that will keep you full for awhile!

serving size: one taco! with some leftover fillings

What you need:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil or coconut or avocado
• cooking spray
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups spinach or kale, roughly chopped
• 2.5 teaspoons minced garlic
• pinch of salt and pepper
• little bit of your cheese of choice, I went for goat!

What you need to do:

1. In your first skillet, add oil and cook bell peppers and onion for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. transfer to bowl for later
2. In another skillet add your oil of choice and saute greens for about 3 minutes, until wilted. add your minced garlic. transfer to bowl with peppers.
3. In a bowl, add your 2 eggs, cheese, salt and pepper and whisk
4. In anotheeeeeeeeeeer skillet, spray with cooking oil and add your egg mixture. let cook until it's like an omelette, around 5 ish minutes. flip and repeat cooking until it's like a pancake.
5. Assemble! add any optional fixin's! I put hemp seeds and sriracha

Turkey Burger Tomato Soup

Soup! Because, snow! Lots of snow here so I went with a homemade soup tonight and paired it with my paleo seed bread and a rainbow heart salad and it was all so amazingly great! This soup actually surprised me on flavor because I feel like sometimes it's hard to pull out flavors in my soups and stews because all my stocks/broths/tomatoes that I base them off of are no salt added or low salt. But this packed a great flavor punch and I'm really happy with how it turned out! Instant Pot recipe below!

serving size: A lot. I'd say almost 12 bowls of this stuff

What you need:

• 1 pound ground, lean turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced and diced
• 3 cups of kale, chopped with stems removed
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup of 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon minced, dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons salt (if you're using no salt/low sodium things)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

What you need to do:

1. In a blender, add diced onion, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, milk, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. I did this in 2 parts because my blender isn't big enough!
2. Add in your avocado oil to your instant pot, turn on the saute button, add in your ground turkey, minced, dried onions and garlic powder.
3. Brown turkey slightly then add in your tomato blender puree.
4. Add your carrots and mix everything together.
5. Lock your instant pot lid in place, hit the pressure cook button, turn your valve to sealing and set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
6. Let your pot work its magic! After the 10 (longer since it has to create pressure) minutes is up, release pressure by turning the valve to venting.
7. Once venting has stopped, lift the lid and add in your kale.
8. Stir and place the lid back on for 5 more minutes
9. It's done! Eat it up, I topped mine with some nutritional yeast for a slight cheese flavor!

Grocery Hauls

Just sharing my latest grocery haul with the blog! I try and keep my fridge stocked with fresh fruits and veggies every week and grab the essentials when I'm running low.

Lightened Up Veggie Pasta Alfredo

This was mighty tasty with minimal ingredients and more green veggies than you can imagine! I adapted this from the new Cooking Light magazine but of course changed a couple things around! I didn't want to use cream cheese so started researching what would be a good substitute. I was just gonna sub Greek yogurt for it but a couple places in Internet world we're saying neufchatel..what the fuck is that? Lower calorie cream type cheese! So, I grabbed that and threw it in and it was so creamy and delicious! Was very happy with how this turned out.

serving size:6-8 servings

What you need:

• 1/2 - 1 box of whole wheat pasta
• 1 pound green veggies (I used asparagus, snap peas and green beans)
• 1 1/4 cup low fat milk (could use unsweetened almond milk here)
• 1 teaspoon whole wheat flour
• 3 ounces neufchatel cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon minced onion

What you need to do:

1. Fill a large pot up with 5 quarts of water
2. Bring to a boil, add veggies and cook 4 minutes
3. Using a slotted spoon place cooked veggies in a colander to strain excess water
4. Add your pasta to the boiling veggie water and cook according to package directions
5. Mix your milk and flour together
6. After pasta is cooked, drain and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water
7. To the same pot, add in your tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of minced onion and minced garlic
8. Saute for about 30 seconds
9. Then add in your milk mixture and cook for about a minute until thickened slightly
10. Next, add in your cheese and cook until its melted
11. Add in your pasta, veggies and reserved water, stir to coat everything
12. Enjoy! I added some goat cheese but it would be great with Parmesan cheese too

Cauliflower "Risotto" Bowl

I'm such a fan of cauliflower rice because I LOVE cauliflower. This was simple to throw together because I was a liiiiittle hung over (read as A LOT HUNGOVER) today and quite tasty because of the spicy tangy sauce on top. Pile on some extras and this is a meal.

serving size: I'd say 2-4 people

What you need:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut milk, divided
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon chili paste
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• *Extras* i threw walnuts, spicy banana peppers and a couple slices of cucumber

What you need to do:

1. Rice your cauliflower
2. Make the sauce. Add the avocado, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 3 teaspoons minced garlic, salt, pepper, coco aminos, honey and ginger to a food processor. Depending on how you like your sauce, add in the tablespoon of water (or olive oil) if you want to thin it out. 
3. Next heat your oil up and add the onions and saute about 3 minutes, then add in your garlic and cook til fragrant about 30 more seconds.
4. Next add in your cauliflower rice and bell peppers and cook for 7 minutes
5. Add in your other 1/2 cup of coconut milk and simmer til all the flavors are blended
6. Top with any of your extras and EAT!!!!

Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

Here's a super quick, easy and filling breakfast to start your morning! Prep the fresh fruits the night before and this is a 5 second breakfast to throw together before work!

serving size: one bowl

What you need:

• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used Siggi's plain)
• a handful of fresh fruit (strawbs and blubs)
• about a 1/4 a cup granola (I used One Degree's Veganic Vanilla Chai)
• a little bit of dried fruit (I used Navita's Organics dried mulberries)
• 1/2 tablespoon any nut butter (I used almond)
• I sprinkled mine with some flax but it's not necessary
• drizzle of honey! (totally optional cause this is already naturally sweet)

What you need to do:

1. Lay down your yogurt then assemble! and eaaaat

Baked St. Patrick's Day Paleo Gluten Free Donuts

Happy almost St. Patrick's day! Even though I really don't care about this holiday, I had to make some green donuts! These have 2 cups of spinach packed into them too, so they're a healthy dessert. 

Serving size: 12 normal sized donuts

What you need:

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup cassava flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• *Extras* I topped mine with Enjoy Life's mini (dairy, gluten, soy, everything free) chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut flakes. can also make a frosting with powdered sugar and water!

What you need to do:

1. Preheat over to 375
2. Grease a donut or muffin tray
3. Add your flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar to a large bowl
4. In a blender, blend spinach, almond milk, maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla on a low speed
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well
6. Scoop your batter into the greased tray, filling only halfway
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until tops start to brown slightly
8. Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes to cool
9. Enjoy! These make your house smell AMAZING

Deconstructed Vegan Stuffed Pepper Bowl

This came together quite quickly which was really awesome, cause I was running late getting home today and then on top of being late, I got pulled over!! Sheesh. That already cubed tofu really came through for me though, wooo. You can obviously use meat with this recipe, I woulda preferred turkey but I only had tofu on hand and it still came out delicious.

Serving size: A lot. I also made a beef/rice version for Sean so there was tons

What you need:

• 1 block of cubed tofu/any kinda protein you want (I'd use a pound of ground meat)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• little more than half a cup of tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• Extras* baby bell peppers, scallions, hot sauce, cheese, greens

What you need to do:

1. Drain tofu and squash out all excess water for about 20 minutes
2. Meanwhile, make your quinoa
3. Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat
4. Once heated, add tofu cubes and cook 8 ish minutes or until they start to brown
5. Add in onion and cook 2-3 minutes then add in your garlic and stir til fragrant, about 1 minute
6. Next, add in your bell pepper, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes
7. Add in your tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook 3 more minutes or until all your ingredients are incorporated
8. You're done, assemble your bowls!
9. Top with allllll the toppings

J. Cat Beauty Lip Swatches

Here's another fun little video I did at work swatching some of the J. Cat Beauty lipsticks! This brand is cruelty free and these lipsticks are all matte but stay slightly creamy aaaaand stay put on your lips! When they do start to fade, it's natural and you don't look like a crazy person with smudgy, smeary lipstick. 

Vegan Beet Sauce with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach

I was inspired to make this after seeing someone I follow on instagram do a beet pasta sauce. I am definitely just starting to like beets, like..I despised them a month ago but here we are! And I mean, the pasta is freaking pink! How could you not love it? Anyways, I've been giving beets a shot ever since Valentine's day dinner. I had a beet salad with my meal and it was so so so good. So, here's me, tryin' to like beets with this awesome pasta dish! Enjoy

serving size: I was only working with 8 ounces of dry pasta so my serving size was 4

What you need:

• 2 cooked beets (I used Love Beets already cooked beets cause I'm lazy)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup veggie broth (chicken works here to, just won't be vegan)
• 1/2 cup boiled cashews
• 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• one yellow onion, chopped
• frozen spinach
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 box of pasta (I used Andean Dream's quinoa shells)

What you need to do:

1. Boil your water for your pasta
2. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a separate pan and heat over medium high heat
3. Add your beets, veggie broth, drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, cashews and nutritional yeast to a blender (not food processor!!!)
4. Blend until creamy
5. Once your pan with the olive oil is heated through, cook onions for about 6 minutes then add in your spinach and garlic and cook til warm/not frozen
6. Drain your pasta and add to your spinach/onion mixture
7. Throw your sauce on top of the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes, until warmed and flavors are blended together
8. Viola, you're done!
9. Top with vegan cheese, green onions or whatever your heart desires
10. Eat, eat, eat

Greek Turkey Burgers

This recipe was taken from my new Cooking Light magazine that came in the mail. Although, of course, I added to it, switched some things around and made it my own. This came together super quick, like our Banza mac n' cheese took longer to make! Sean had his burgers on a bun but keeping with the whole "Greek theme" I threw mine into half a whole wheat pita! It was great. The burgers were nice and juicy and had great flavor. This will definitely be a repeat dinner for me (especially in the summer!)

serving size: 4 burgers

What you need:

• 1 pound lean, ground turkey
• 1/4 mayo (I used Just's vegan mayo)
• whole wheat bread crumbs, I just eyeballed this so maybe a tablespoon?
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper divided
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• half a lemon, juiced
• olives I used about 1/4 of manzanilla olives because that's all I had on hand
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• sliced cucumber and red onion
• whole wheat buns or whole wheat pita's

What you need to do:

1. Combine ground turkey, mayo, bread crumbs, oregano, cumin, salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in large bowl
2. Form mixture into 4 patties
3. Grease a skillet over medium high heat 
4. In a separate bowl, mix Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chopped olives, garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper to make your sauce
5. Once skillet is heated, add your burgers
6. Cook 5-6 minutes each side
7. Slice up your onion and cukes and top your burgers with them and your yogurt sauce
8. Eat it, yum!

theBalm Mini Lippie Review

Sometimes, (okay, a lot of the time) I buy myself new clothes and shoes and makeup because I really enjoy those things too. I thought it would be neat to include a tiny post about what I get to do sometimes at work which is a lot of fun for me. (I mean, how could playing with lipstick at work not be fun?) Check out my review of theBalm's lipsticks! I love these lippies, 'fo real..not just saying it for work. They're super matte, smell like peppermint and I can eat all the greasy french fries I want and these HARDLY move. Like, sometimes they don't come off at all, amazing.

Vegan Minestrone

This was a really easy thing to whip up for dinner and actually didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would to make. (My homemade bread was done about 20 minutes after this was!) I think I seasoned this perfectly, which sucks cause at the end, I just started dumping stuff so I will try my best with measurements. Vegan and gluten free! 

Serving size: lots of soup! no idea, honestly...

What you need:

• Olive oil or coconut oil
• 1/2 a yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup edamame (can use green beans or even celery..doesn't matter)
• 1 can chick peas (can use any type of bean really)
• 1 can diced, roasted tomatoes
• 6 cups veggie broth (I used chicken cause it's all I had on hand...)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 carton Pacific Foods tomato stock
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 shakes of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar (can sub regular sugar)
• 2 cups of pasta
• 2 cups kale
• 1 cup spinach
• I really just dumped a bunch of salt and pepper in, adjust to your taste buds!

What you need to do:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat
2. Add oil and once shimmering, add in onion and garlic and cook a minute or 2
3. Add in your carrots and edamame with some salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until carrots are tender
4. Add zucchini, tomatoes, stock, spices, sugar and chick peas
5. Increase the heat until you get a nice simmer, then add in your pasta and cook according to package directions (around 11 minutes)
6. Add in your greens and cook another 5 ish minutes until slightly wilted
7. Taste and adjust to your liking (more salt probably!)
8. Enjoy with some of that Paleo Seed Bread!

***Mine wasn't vegan because I added Parmesan cheese and chicken broth but you can add vegan cheese or use veggie broth!

Paleo Seed Bread

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS I'VE EVER MADE! And I'm already thinking of all the different ways you can make this! Takes awhile to bake, but man oh man, is it worth it! I cut mine up after 5 minutes and grabbed a slice and topped with ghee and it was delicious! Great gluten free and nut free bread for someone with allergies! 

serving size: one loaf of bread

What you need:

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (I used Pereg's)
• 6 eggs (can sub flax eggs to make this bread vegan)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (if you're making a more savory bread, otherwise just use 1/3 cup coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 4 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• optional toppings: pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, pepitas...

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease a loaf tin. Mine was 9x5 I think
3. Mix both flours, salt, seasonings, baking soda, and flaxseed meal
4. In separate bowl, mix eggs, oil and vinegar
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing thoroughly
6. Add your mix into greased pan and add any additional toppings
7. Cover and bake for 20 ish minutes
8. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more
9. Slice and eat quickly as it's SO GOOD warm!

Easy Ground Chicken Lettuce Wrap

I LOVE LETTUCE WRAPS! These are really versatile (like, you can even use tofu or turkey as the "meat") and you can customize with your fav veggies! (think: chopped cabbage, peppers, bean sprouts...) This took me maybe 30 minutes from start to finish, so great weeknight dinner. Let's goooo

serving size: varies. I used butter lettuce and I'd say it makes around 16 wraps

What you need for the sauce:

Head of lettuce! I used butter lettuce, so they were smaller

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 5 tablespoons liquid aminos (can sub for tamari or soy sauce, I used Bragg's)
• 1 tablespoon Gochujang (chili garlic paste)
• 1-2 tablespoons lime juice (I used 1)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder

What you need for the stuffing:

• 1 pound lean, ground chicken
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (I used Whole Food's brand)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon minced dried onions
• pinch of chili pepper flakes (I used Mother in Law's)
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 large scallion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted cashews
• 1 large carrot, grated or chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen edamame
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts
• optional: cilantro, sesame seeds, extra cashews for topping

What you need to do:

1. If using frozen edamame, I recommend throwing them in a bowl and heating them in your microwave to thaw them
2. Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk well, until honey is incorporated. Set aside
3. Heat toasted sesame oil in large skillet over medium high heat. 
4. Add in your ground chicken and spices. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. 
5. Throw in your cashews and cook 3 minutes.
6. Next, add your sauce in and cook 2 minutes
7. Lastly, throw in your veggies and cook 1-2 minutes or until heated
8. Assemble lettuce wraps and enjoy!

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these for Valentine's day but really they're delicious any time of the year. Mine didn't turn out as red as I woulda liked and I think it's because I used actual beets instead of a beet powder but not sure. I definitely want to make these again with the powder and see how they turn out.

Serving size: 12 muffins

What you need:

• 2 cooked beets
• 1 cup sweetened or unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup of cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt

What you need to do:

1. Preheat over to 375 
2. Grease a muffin tin
3. Puree your beets in a food processor 
4. Whisk together almond milk and lemon juice
5. Add in sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract and beets
6. In a separate bowl add the flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt and mix together
7. Mix the wet with the dry ingredients
8. Add your mix to the greased muffin tray
9. Bake around 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
10. Let cool around 10ish minutes
11. You can make a quick icing out of confectioners sugar and water! (I used Swerve's confectioners sugar!)
12. YUMMMMM

Whole Wheat Vegan Lemon Chia Berry Donuts

These are so good! And seriously satisfying if you love lemon poppy seed because these taste pretty darn close. These can also be muffins if you don't have a donut tray.

Serving size: This made 12 muffins and 6 mini muffins....

What you need:

• 2 cups flour (I like King Arthur's whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (I use Wholesome)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups nut milk (I used almond)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of one medium sized lemon
• 1 cup frozen berries

What you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. Grease your tray
3. Add all the dry ingredients first. Flour, chia seeds, coconut sugar, baking powder. Mix well
4. Next add in your milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Stir well then fold in frozen berries.
5. Be sure not to add too much donut mixture to your baking tray as these expand.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until tops are browned slightly.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes then enjoy!

Wild Caught Salmon with a Pesto Coconut Milk Sauce

I really just threw this together in about 20 minutes and it was SO GOOD. Minimal ingredients, minimal chopping (!) it's a great, quick weeknight meal. Checkkkk checkkkk it out below!

Serving size: 2 fillets of salmon

What you need:

• Wild caught salmon, 2 fillets
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (can sub olive or avocado, I used Nutiva's that's magically always liquid)
• salt and pepper
• half an onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup stock (I used chicken)
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 2 tablespoons pesto (I used my homemade spinach/pine nut/nutritional yeast pesto)
• pinch of dried basil 

What you need to do:

1. Dump in your coconut oil
2. Pat your fillets dry
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried basil
4. Once oil is hot, place your fillets in and cook 4 ish minutes each side
5. Remove fillets then add your chopped up garlic and onions
6. Cook about 2 minutes, don't burn the garlic! Keep stirring it
7. Add in your broth and pesto and cook another 2 minutes
8. Dump in your coconut milk and spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes
9. Place your fillets back in the pan and simmer for about 3-4 minutes
10. Woah, you're done. Eat it up! 
11. Would be great with a side of grains