Salted Honey Cashew Butter

This nut butter is absolutely heavenly. Sweet, salty and flecked with fresh vanilla bean. The cashews are baked with floral honey and then processed into a creamy indulgence. Add a scoop to your morning oatmeal or spread on apples or bananas.

Salted Honey Cashew Butter

2 cups raw cashews
3 TBSP honey
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (try experimenting with different specialty salts, I love flaky maldon salt)
seeds from 1/3 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread the cashews in a single layer on the pan and toss with the honey.

Bake for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice until golden brown.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then scrape into your food processor.

Process  and scrape as necessary for about 12-15 minutes. Until buttery and creamy.
Add the salt and vanilla and process again until smooth.

Beware : This butter is highly addictive!

Roasted Veggie Bowl

When I first began cooking I was very precise and rigid, always following recipes to a T. Now I just love to be creative in the kitchen. Getting my inspiration from what is fresh and in season, and playing with different flavors, textures and techniques. I love veggie bowls because they are healthy and filling and the possibilities are endless.

Last nights dinner was a combination of roasted parsnips, roasted brussel sprouts with lemon zest, steamed broccoli, avocado, walnuts and raisins. I also topped mine with some grilled chicken I had left in the fridge.

I like to prepare the vegetables ahead of time so after a long day  I can just throw everything in a bowl and dinner is served! Simple and delicious :)


Roasted Parsnips

1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into medium size cubes
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.


Toss the parsnips with olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread on a parchment line baking sheet and roast until tender and golden. Aprox 45 minutes.

Ezekial with scrambled eggs and avocado

Something about this simple egg toast is so comforting. I love the sprouted crunchy toast piled high with creamy avocado and warm scrambled eggs. A healthy balance of protein, carbs and good fat!  I could literally eat this every day...

1/2 ezekial english muffin, 1/2 avocado. 2 scrambled eggs, pinch of sea salt

Green Chia Smoothie

It is officially winter and I have pretty much hit my limit of starchy vegetables. Getting in more greens for me is always a challenge. By now I am sure you know how much I love my breakfast smoothies!

I have recently been experimenting a lot with overnight oats. Most recipes I find on the internet call for chia seeds. I have yet to embrace the texture it brings to oats, puddings and the like. Something about the gelatinous little seeds just turn me off. But blended up in a smoothie they act as a thickner and add healthy does omega 3's

This smoothie literally tastes like cookie dough. Well I don't indulge in much cookie dough, so I have to get my kicks else ware. Sweet, energizing and GREEN! What more could you ask for out of breakfast.

I usually use water as my smoothie base but the almond milk here makes it super creamy and feel like dessert!


Green Chia Smoothie


2 handfuls of spinach
1 frozen banana
1 scoop sunwarrior vanilla, classic or warrior blend
1-2 TBSP chia seeds
1/2-1 cup almond milk (I used homemade unsweetened vanilla almond milk!)

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend. The longer the better, resulting in a thicker smoothie!

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

I love frittatas! They are the perfect dish to make ahead of time to guarantee a quick easy protein packed meal. Healthy, convenient, portable. Delicious at any time of the day and at any temperature!

This fluffy frittata is filled with rich savory roasted vegetables. I also added some broccoli which I first steamed and then mashed with a fork. I know broccoli is nothing like cheese but it added a fluffy quality the the frittata.

I have been avoiding dairy and had experimented leaving it out. Which resulted in a very dry and eggy frittata,  not recommend. I tried replacing it with coconut milk. Rich and flavorful but I was overwhelmed by the coconut taste. In the end I settled on 2% cows milk. I mean a tablespoon of milk is not going to kill me. I am curious experimenting almond milk. Will keep you posted...


Roasted Vegetables

1 red onion, cut into 1" pieces
2 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 yellow bell pepper
1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the vegetables with oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a cookie sheet. Roast the vegetables for 45-60 minutes or until softened and browned.

Use about a cup of the vegetables for the frittata. Reserve the rest! They are delicious.

Frittata

2 servings:

3 large eggs
1 egg white
2 TBSP milk
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste
A few florets of broccoli, steamed and mashed

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Oil or lightly spray a 6-inch cast iron skillet or a small oven proof pan.

Whisk together the eggs, whites, milk, salt and pepper. Add half the veggies and stir to combine.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes or until it is set.

Roasted Broccoli Salad

Over the weekend I went to my favorite restaurant ABC kitchen. I by passed the kabocha toast in place of the salad special. A salad of roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes with pistachios and mint. A perfect balance of flavors and textures.

Roasted Broccoli with Sweet Potatoes, Pistachio and Mint

I was inspired by a new way to prepare broccoli but also had some ingredients in my own kitchen that deserved some attention. I recently received a shipment of meyer lemons, walnuts and avocados from California. I also had some baked sweet potatoes on hand so a healthy veggie mix was minutes away.

Though my vegetable side did not match the magic of ABC it was a great success and a welcoming addition to the dinner table. The lemon adds a fresh briteness to the savory roasted vegetables. The potatoes provide a sweet heartiness that makes these veggies fit for a meal. And just because I love texture the avocado and walnuts complete the dish. 

Meyer Lemon Roasted Broccoli with Sweet potatoes, Avocado and Walnuts

Roasted Broccoli

2 lbs broccoli, cut into florets

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

olive oil

sea salt and pepper

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon juice

(fresh basil would make a lovely addition)

Preheat the oven to 425

Toss the broccoli with 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, sliced garlic, salt and pepper.

Roasted broccoli for 20-25 minutes till golden.

Remove from oven and immediately toss with 1 TBSP olive oil, lemon zest, juice, fresh herbs and salt to taste. 

Combine broccoli with...

Toasted walnuts

Avocado

Baked sweet potato, diced

Cinnamony Peach/Pear Probiotic Smoothie

I recently finished 4 months on antibiotics due to my lymes. At the worst of the treatment my stomach was sensitive and my cravings were pretty limited to bland soft foods. My friends called it my baby food diet. I pretty much lived off scrambled eggs, applesauce with nut butters, smoothies and baked sweet potatoes. I also tried to get in as many probiotics as humanly possible.

I came up with this simple probiotic smoothie late summer when the farmer stands were bursting with juicy peaches, and pears were making their debut. Where as most of my smoothies tend to be on the sweeter side this smoothie has a nice tartness with warming notes of cinnamon.

Cinnamony Peach/Pear Probiotic Smoothie

1 serving

1 cup goat or cow kefir, raw if possible
1/2 cup frozen pear
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 TBSP flax
1/3 vanilla bean or 1 tsp extract
1 tsp cinnamon
raw honey to taste


Combine all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend!