Banana and avocado sweet snack

This is a super fast and easy recipe to whip up. I ate it plain for breakfast and snacks. I also made delicious sandwiches with it for lunch. I loved this so much! Raw Rob said you can also use it for a cake filling but I have not tried to yet. This may not be the prettiest of foods, but it sure was really yummy!

I told you it is not the prettiest, but it sure is tasty!!

Banana and avocado sweet snack
Recipe from Raw Rob

  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 banana
  • 2 teaspoons mesquite meal
  • 2 teaspoons lucuma powder

Simply mash the avocado and banana with a fork, then mix in the powders.

Cheesy Butternut Bake

I love Hungry Girl! Most of her recipes are not vegan and many contain sugar-free ingredients but she never claims you should live solely on her food. I have only made a handful of her recipes and I always adapt them a little to fit the needs of my family, but I am always impressed. I know many other family members or friends that love her stuff too 🙂

This was a great one that Michael loved! It can be a fabulous side dish or a snack. This was super fast as well. Of course if you didn’t want to use the microwave, you could boil, steam or bake the squash till soft and saute the onions. Either way I would highly recommend this!

Cheesy Butternut Bake
recipe adapted from Hungry Girl (love her!)

4 cups cubed butternut squash
2 wedges The Laughing Cow cheese, Light Original Swiss, room temperature
1 onion, diced
2 eggs,  whites only
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place squash in large microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, uncover and drain water. Set aside.
  3. Place onions in a small microwave-safe dish with 2 tbsp. water. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, uncover and drain any excess water. Set aside.
  4. Place squash and all other ingredients except for the onions in a blender. (Make sure squash cubes are not still piping hot.) Pulse until thoroughly mixed (but not liquefied). Remove blender from the base, and then stir in the onions.
  5. Transfer squash mixture to a small casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Place in the oven, and bake for 35 – 40 minutes (until edges begin to brown). Then serve with a spoon as you would mashed potatoes! Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Per Serving (1/4th of casserole): 101 calories, 1g fat, 457mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g fiber, 5g sugars, 4g protein

Leek and Feta Frittata, Hashbrowns & Tangerine Juice

Frittatas are always a hit in my house. I love leeks so I figured this would be deelish. Michael really liked it, so I guess it was 🙂 I served this for breakfast so it paired perfectly with hashbrowns (with onions and peppers) and deelish tangerine juice! We love juice in my house, but tangerine juice is just so sweet and deelish, a wonderful treat! We use our Breville Juice Fountain Elite and the juice comes out so creamy it is amazing!

Leek and Feta Frittata

  • 2-3 leeks, washed and chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 8-12 eggs
  • 1/2 cup low-fat milk
  • 1/2-1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté leeks and onions until soft; season to tates with salt and pepper
  3. Whisk eggs,  milk and feta together, till combined
  4. Pour into pan over leeks and onions and cook on stove for 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven for 8-10 minutes till set.
  5. Enjoy 🙂

YUM!!!

Zucchini and Spinach Tofu Scram

YUM! I have never met a tofu scram I didn’t like 🙂 This is one of those stir-fry kind of recipes that you can substitute and play with, with whatever you have handy or is fresh in season. I have eaten tofu scram for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it is always a hearty, healthy and delicious meal. If you want to add something more to the plate, serve this with an english muffin or roll.

Before adding the spinach

Zucchini and Spinach Tofu Scram
6  servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchini, finely diced
12-16 ounces firm tofu, diced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 – 2 tablespoon tamari
5 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup salsa

  1. Heat oil over high-heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes.
  2. Add zucchini, tofu, tamari and chili powder. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add salsa and spinach and stir until wilted, 1-2 minutes.

Butternut squash, Apricots and Apples with Quinoa

This is a great meal or side dish. The apricot and apples add such a nice sweetness and the spices were amazing! I left mine in the slow-cooker on warm for 2 hours after it was done cooking, it was still really good, but I would recommend not over-cooking this dish. I have said many time before how much I love slow-cooking. It is a tremendous time-saver and such a pleasure to come home to a house smelling so delicious and a meal ready to eat. YUM!

Butternut squash, Apricots and Apples with Quinoa

1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 medium, peeled butternut squash
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 1/2 cups quinoa

  1. In a skillet or heatproof slow-cooker liner, heat oil over medium heat and cook onions about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, zest, cinnamon stick, turmeric, salt and pepper, stirring for 1 minute. Add veggie broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. If using a skillet transfer to a slow cooker stoneware.
  2. Add squash, apples, and apricots to stoneware and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until vegetables are tender.
  3. In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa stirring to prevent lumps and return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Strata

More grating! My box grater was sure getting a work out these last couple of weeks. If you hate grating or have a tendency to cut yourself, try using the grating blade on a food processor. It is super simple and fast. I have one and have used it in the past,  but for some reason I love to grate. So box grater it is for me.

Michael really enjoyed this one! It can be a great side dish, breakfast or even a vegetarian entrée. Super simple, yet I love the way it came out with great color!

Zucchini Strata
Serves 4

4 zucchini
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated
1 teaspoon curry powder

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grate the zucchini and place in a sieve with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let is drain for about 15 minutes and then rinse well to remove the salt. Squeeze the zucchini with a towel to get as much water out as possible.
  2. Whisk the eggs and add the bread crumbs, cheese, curry powder, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Combine with zucchini and stir until combined.
  3. Pour the mixture into a sprayed/greased 8×8 baking and pat down until smooth. Bake for 15-20 minutes. If there is still liquid on top, blot with a paper towel and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Raw Chocolate Mint Coconut Cookies

These are DIVINE! I love anything chocolate, mint and coconuty so this is the perfect snack for me! YUM! They were incredibly fast to throw together and were ready and set super fast in the fridge. I was surprised… normally it takes at least a half hour to an hour for my desserts to set and this one was ready so fast! I would suggest doubling this recipe if you want them to last at all 🙂

If you are not into mint, I would recommend leaving the peppermint oil out and making them chocolate coconut cookies. I am sure that would be deelish as well!

YUM!! Such chocolate goodness!

Cookie batter is always so good, but now that I know how good this was Done, I was happy I waited 🙂

Spoonfuls, ready to start setting

So easy to peel these off and munch!!!

ENJOY 🙂

Raw Chocolate Mint Coconut Cookies
1/2 cup Cold Pressed Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Raw Cacao Butter
1/4 cup Agave
2 Tablespoons Raw Honey or agave
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
5-10 drops organic peppermint oil
1 1/2 cup Raw Cacao Powder
1 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut

  1. Combine all ingredients except the cacao powder and coconut in a Vita-mix or food processor and process for 2 minutes till completely combined.
  2. Place the Cacao Powder and Coconut in a bowl and pour the liquid mixture on top and combine with a wooden spoon.
  3. On a small baking tray lined with wax paper, place tablespoon spoonfuls of the mixture and set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. By the time you know it they will be ready to munch on. Be careful, they go quick 🙂

Brussels Sprouts and Pistachios

As much as I love my go-to brussel sprouts, I wanted to try something new. Instead of chopping up the brussel sprouts I peeled the leaves off individually. This gave them such a light a deelish texture.I really loved this dish, but then again I have never met a brussel sprout I didn’t like. 🙂 They have such an amazing nutty flavor that I love to pair with nuts. I chose pistachios this time over my usual pine nuts. Loved it! This is also an incredibly fast cooking recipe once the sprouts have been prepped.

SO Bright and Gorgeous!!

Brussels Sprouts and Pistachios

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 pound brussel sprouts, trimmed, and leaves peeled
1/2 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper

In a non-stick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat and saute shallot for 30 seconds. Add Brussels sprout leaves and pistachios, and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Low-fat Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

This was a great side dish or snack. I also thought it came out so pretty! I love my box grater and shredding so this was a joy for me. But please be careful with your fingers, they can be easily hurt in the grater, eek! Feel free to add in different herbs,  flavorings and veggies to this. You can use the recipe as a skeleton and just add what you like.

Low-fat Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
adapted from 101 cookbooks
serves 6-8

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 cups fat-free or part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil

  1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan (or tart pan).
  2. In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.
  3. In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).
  4. At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn’t quite golden, zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature.

Pretty in Pink Frozen Strawberry Dessert

I love frozen desserts! It’s funny, I am craving soup to keep me warm and then I end up making some frozen deliciousness to end my meal. Good thing I have my fabulous husband and my snuggie to keep me warm 🙂

This was so delightful and I loved the color so much that I had to feature it in a special glass. I always make banana ice cream as my go to dessert (see my Banana Ice Cream Love) and decided to make strawberries the star this time around. YUM!!!!!

Pretty in Pink Frozen Strawberry Dessert
serves 2

2 cups Frozen strawberries
1 banana
5 dates, pitted
4 tablespoons agave
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 – 2/4 cup Cashews (optional)
fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)

In a Vita-mix, processor or blender combine everything except the cashews and fresh strawberries. If you are having some trouble blending add a little bit of water. Pour into a pretty glass or bowl.

If you prefer to have this a little creamier add cashews to the blender with all the other ingredients and blend away. I chose to do a half and half…. I poured out half the mixture into our bowls and then added the cashews. I poured that mixture on top of the bowls. Add fresh strawberries on top and enjoy tremendously! YUM!

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