Friday, March 3, 2017

Best Guacamole Recipe

Best Guacamole

I love this guacamole! I eat a whole batch in less than 24 hours with little to no help! It’s just so ADDICTING! I hope you like this simple, easy, FANTASTIC recipe as much as I do!



Ingredients:
2 Ripe avocados
1 Jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
5 or so lightly chopped grape tomatoes
(If you like onions, add onions; I don’t like them in mine)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Cumin to taste
Fresh cilantro if you have some (optional)




Directions:

Seed your avocados and scoop that deliciousness into a bowl. Mash up the avocado to desired texture. (I like mine chunky, and I use a butter knife to just sort of cut it all up) Add in your chopped jalapeno and tomatoes, and add your seasonings. Mix it up and that’s it! A delicious snack, side dish for your dinner, or even breakfast! (I love eating it for breakfast!) 

My Tossed Salad Recipe

Clean Simple Tossed Salad

When I don’t feel like cooking, and I don’t have any leftovers, I love to make this salad. It’s so fresh and it actually fills me up! I use an organic spring mix of greens for mine that I find at Aldi. It has spinach, kale, and several other good greens! You can use whatever you prefer. This is great on the side of a meal as well, or a snack, or however you want to eat it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

           
Ingredients:
          Greens of your choice
            Olive oil
            Salt and pepper to taste
            Halved grape tomatoes
            Handful of sunflower seed kernels
            1 Tbsp milled flax seed
            Optional: Raw almonds



Tossing instructions:
(Make this salad as big as you want!) Chop up your greens how you like them. I like mine good and chopped so that it’s easier to eat! Halve your tomatoes and toss them in. Sprinkle your sunflower seed kernels and flax on top for extra nutrients and deliciousness! If you are adding the almonds add them now. I love the almonds in mine, but I love a nutty salad! Just drizzle desired amount of olive oil over top. Salt and pepper to taste and mix it up! That’s it, now you have a fresh, delicious, nutty salad!


Famous Brussel Sprouts Recipe

Famous Brussel Sprouts


These Brussel sprouts are my most popular dish! I have to make them for my sister for her birthday now. Every time I bring leftovers to work everyone wants some. Let me tell you, they are AMAZING! If you’ve tried Brussel sprouts and don’t like them, TRY THESE! Just to throw it out there, Brussel sprouts make you very gassy… BEWARE!

           
Ingredients:
          Fresh, not frozen Brussel sprouts
            Minced garlic
            Olive oil
            Salt and pepper to taste



Cooking Instructions:
Cut your Brussel sprouts in half lengthwise. Pour some olive oil in a skillet on med-high heat. Put the minced garlic in the hot olive oil, and place Brussel sprouts face down in the oil. PLEASE be careful at this step. The hot oil will pop and it does not feel good! Season with salt and pepper and cover skillet with a tight fitting lid. You may want to turn the heat a little more towards medium. Let them cook with the lid on for about 15-20 min. until the bottoms are nice and brown. I could eat my weight in these things! Enjoy!





Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Smashed Potatoes

           
I love these things sooo much! Can we say comfort food? I was always a French fry lover, but as with my plant-based diet I’m trying to eat clean as well. These delicious crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside salty treats seriously hit the spot! You can eat them as is, or you can top them with ANY number of things! (sautéed mushrooms and onions, beans, cabbage, greens, anything!)

           

Ingredients:
          Golden potatoes (you can also use red, but I love the golden)
            Olive oil
            Seasonings to taste (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder)





Cooking instructions:
Bake your potatoes in the microwave, or however you would prefer, until soft. I usually microwave mine for about 5 mins. It really just depends on the size of your potatoes. I will start at about 3 minutes, and then 1 minute each time until they are done. Once they are done you want to take something with a flat bottom (I usually use a glass) and gently smash your potatoes. PLEASE be careful not to burn yourself. These potatoes are hot right out of the microwave! Turn the stove on med-high, put some olive oil in a skillet, and brown your potatoes on either side. Be aware that with the heat that high, the olive oil can get smoky! I season mine while they are in the skillet. That is it, they are done! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!


Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

Roasted Chickpeas

I’ve got a few fans of these chickpeas! They are oh-so-good with a meal or just to snack on! My sweet 2 year-old niece even loves them. She commandeered my whole bag last time! You can make these babies tasted however you want, but below are a few of my favorite options!
Ingredients:
          1 can of organic chickpeas
            1 tsp Olive Oil
            Seasonings of choice (below I have some flavoring options for you)

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Rinse your chickpeas in a strainer and PAT DRY. They will not get crisp if you do not pat them dry. Mix your chickpeas in the olive oil and seasonings. (I put them in a zippy bag for this) Place chickpeas evenly on parchment paper-covered pan. Cook at 400 degrees F for about 15 mins. If they are not quite to desired crispness, giggle the pan a little to distribute them a little more and cook for a few more minutes. See below for some flavor options that I love!

Salt N Vinegar
            1 Tbsp white vinegar
            Sea salt to taste (table salt is fine if you don’t have sea salt)
            Pepper to taste
           
Chili Garlic
          Salt and pepper to taste
            Chili powder to taste
            Garlic Powder to taste
            Cumin to taste
            (For extra heat add a dash of cayenne)





Best Black Beans Recipe

Best Black Beans
These black beans are AMAZING! They go so well with so much! I could eat these every day! They are very hands off, so very easy to make! I love to serve these over my quinoa rice blend.
           
Ingredients:
            1-2 cans of organic black beans (depending on how many you’re feeding or how long you want to eat on them for)
            Salt and pepper to taste
            Garlic powder to taste
            Onion powder to taste
            Cumin to taste
            Just a dash of cayenne pepper for a kick!
            (Optional: fresh cilantro, sautéed onions, chopped jalapeno)



Cooking Instructions:
Pour beans with juice from the can into a pot, over medium heat. Add seasonings and optional goodies if using. Once heated through, you can lower heat and let sit while you finish cooking the rest of your meal! Easy-peasy!


Quinoa Rice Recipe

Quinoa Rice
So I literally buy a quinoa rice blend at Aldi, but if you don’t have access to that. You can just blend it with your favorite quinoa and rice, or one or the other. I make it as the bag says, and add my flavoring. You can eat this with EVERY meal. Below I will tell you how I use this for my FAVORITE breakfast! I try to keep a batch made in the fridge at all times, because it goes with everything, and it’s just so good!
            Ingredients:
          1 Cup Quinoa and/or rice blend of your choice
            2 Cups water
            Juice from ½ lemon
            Salt to taste
            Garlic powder to taste

Cooking Instructions:
I cook this by the directions on the bag. It says to pour quinoa rice blend into boiling salted water, cover, lower heat, and cook for about 15 min. or until almost all of the water in absorbed. You will then let it sit for about 5 mins to soak up the rest of the water. Once I remove mine from the heat to let sit, I add my lemon juice and seasonings so that they soak up into the quinoa and rice. With the lemon juice, salt, and garlic; this will pair with ANYTHING!



My All-Time Favorite Breakfast, Plant-Based or Otherwise:
All I do is heat up some leftover quinoa rice blend until warm. (NOT LONG) I cut a few little grape tomatoes (about 5 or so) in half, and cube an avocado. I just put those babies on my warm quinoa rice, add a little salt and pepper to taste, and for added nutrients I sprinkle a tablespoon of milled flax seed and a handful of sunflower seeds on top. BOOM! Best. Breakfast. Ever.