almond butter and fig snack

Are you hungry? if not, you will be after you look at these photos. Good news, this is a healthy snack. So go ahead! 

If I am looking for a well balanced snack that will satisfy me without leaving making me feel overly full, this is my go to. Perfect to eat before a yoga class or a run. Or really anytime you I am short on time. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Slice toasted sesame bread (ezekiel)
• Heaping smear of Almond butter 
• Adriatic fig spread 
• Fresh figs 

Essentially this is a gourmet version of an open faced peanut butter and jelly. You could substitute any nut butter and any fruit spread or jam topped with fresh fruit. Have fun with it. Whoever said 'dont play with your food' has no idea what they are talking about! 

Made with love, 

Emily 

Mushroom stuffed mushrooms

I love mushrooms so much that I put mushrooms inside of my mushrooms. This filling and meaty main dish has the depth of 4 different mushroom flavors. The portobello filled with crimini, and shitake shroomies doused in truffle oil.
Along side the earthy flavors of multiple mushrooms, these stuffed potobello caps are also made with the following ingredients.
4 Portobello mushrooms, de-gilled and stemmed
2 c vegetable broth
1 c pearled cous cous
1 c of mixed mushrooms (crimini, oyster, and portobello)
1 c sauteed spinach
1/4 c pine nuts - toasted 
1 medium onion - minced 
1 head of roasted garlic in black truffle oil 
a mix of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and a pinch of parsley
2 tbs black truffle oil 
Sprinkes of shredded vegan cheese (daiya) 

Roast 1 head of garlic, all doused in black truffle oil, in oven for 30 min at 400
Boil 2 cups of veggie broth then add cous cous, simmer and cover for 12-15 min, until done
meanwhile
De-gill portobello mushrooms
Heat 1 tbs of truffle oil in pan and saute onions until soft, add spinach and toasted pine nuts with herbs, eventually add mushrooms and saute until all moisture is cooked off. Add cous cous and roasted garlic, drizzle with additional truffle oil and saute for 3 more minutes. Add salt and pepper.
Spoon the mixture evenly into each of the 4 portobello mushrooms, sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake or grill at 400 for 15 min

This healthy and gourmet dinner took less than 30 minutes to make, and was able to please a dinner party of four with a steamed artichoke appetizer and a side salad.
This recipe will most definitely keep the vampires away with all the antioxidant rich garlic, but you might want to make sure that whomever else attends your dinner party is sure to eat this garlic heavy dish as well, otherwise they may find you to be rather smelly.

Made with love,
Emily

Berry minty strawberies n' mint

Craving something sweet, yet light? 

All you need are 3 ingredients for this sweet little treat. 

Ingredients:

 

 

• Mint, minced.

• Lemon juice, fresh squeezed. 

• Fresh strawberries, sliced. 

Combine the 3 lovely ingredients until well coated. If you are totally tempted, feel free to eat right away. Or if you can manage the wait, it will be well worth it to allow this berry minty mix to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
The natural sugary goodness of juicy strawberries and zesty lemon added to the fresh herbal finesse the mint offers is lively when combined.

Guiltlessy indulge in this summery sweet treat....even for breakfast if you feel so inclined my darlings.

Made with love,
Emily

presto pesto pasta

I am fortunate. I work for a fantastic family as a personal assistant/nanny/chef. Chef being my favorite. They are always up for any culinary concoction I create. Their kitchen, which I like to think of as my office, is a dream. Open, modern,  has every single appliance or tool you could possibly need, artful bamboo cutting boards, great set of knives, the cutest serving dishes, a 3 slot sink great for quick cleaning, and a 6 year old sous chef who loves to assist me.

 When I cook for them I don't have my Nikon with me, so I generally don't post recipes I make for them, but this time I used my phone, so you will have to excuse the iphone photography.

This is a go-to meal, easy, fast, tasty, and healthy. The 4 most important qualities in weeknight cooking.  Some people tend to be deterred by home made pesto. Not sure why, nothing beats the bold flavor of made-it-myself sauce- this pesto is literally 1 min of prep. with impressive flavor.

Presto Pesto Pasta

Ingredients 

•  Pasta, I used Fettuccine
• Asparagus
• Sun dried Tomatoes
• Artichoke 1 can
• Leeks chopped
• Garlic minced
• Mushrooms (I always add shroomies in mine, but I leave them out by request of their daughter)
• Olive Oil 
• S&P 
• Pesto  (home made) -put following ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth
• 2c fresh basil
• 1/4 c pine nuts
• juice of 1 meyer lemon
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 c EVOO
• 2tbs nutritional yeast
• S&P
• a few splashes of H2O if it is really thick

 

saute garlic and leeks until tender, meanwhile cook pasta according to pkg and

 chop asparagus, sun dried tomato and quarter artichokes

 Add all veggies

And S&P

 Once the pasta is done and drained combine with pesto and veggies. Lovingly stir until every inch is coated in the flavorsome pesto.
Serves 4 and takes 20min to make.

 

Made with love, 

Emily

Couscous a food so nice you say it twice

This week has been a bit busy. We are leaving for a backpacking trip tonight. All week we were occupied with planning and prepping our survival for the coming weekend. So for our dinner had to be quick, healthy, tasty, and full of protein. This couscous dish is just that. It is such a versatile dish, and can be made so many ways as long as you have a grain, bean, nut, dried fruit, fresh herbs, vegetables, garlic lime, dried cumin, cinnamon, and other spices you are all set. It can be made for dinner, lunch, cookout, picnic, potluck...
possibilities are endless.
This particular night I threw all these goodies into the mix:

• 1c. whole wheat pearled couscous
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/4c pine nuts
• 1c. apricots
• 1 bunch green onion
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• garlic
  
• 1tbs cumin, and cinnamon (the marriage of the two are delightful)
  
• S&P

 While the couscous is cooking (according to pkg directions)

dice dried fruit

 mince mint

chop green onion

 and rinse garbanzo beans.
The couscous should be done by now, add all the ingredients in the pot and mix until well coated with the herbs and you have created a beautiful mosaic of color. This dish can be served hot or chilled.
It literally has all the flavors you could wish for: sweetness of the dried fruit, spice of cinnamon, depth of cumin, crunch of crisp green onion, zest of citrus, and bold flavor of fresh mint. 

 

**The lime should give the dish enough  juice to moisten it up, but if you want to give it a little extra creaminess add some earth balance or EVOO. 

In the past I have made this salad with white beans, dates, pistachios, mint, and pomegranate seeds. Or black beans, cilantro, pepper, mango and cucumber and avocado. Or basil, sun dried tomato, parsley, almond, pepper and onion.... again the possibilities are endless! This dinner doesn't have to involve a trip to the market, just look in your kitchen and play around.

Made with love, 

Emily

tasty energy bites

I love to cook in my kitchen. But, sometimes, the the oven heats things up a bit too much. That old saying, "If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen" should actually go something more like "If you cant handle the heat, make a raw vegan treat" 

'Cause that is what I did.

These lil' balls pack a powerful flavor. I think they taste like apple pie. Luckily these are much more healthy than grandma's warm apple pie. You will not be able to eat just one, nor should you have to.

Ingredients:

1c. Oats 

2tbs flax

1/2c  nut butter -I used almond

1 Fuji Apple -finely chopped

1/4c  Agave nectar

1tbs Cinnamon

1/2tbs apple pie spice

1/8-1/4c almond milk 

Grab a bowl, mix all ingredients.Gradually add the milk, only enough to moisten yet still maintain a thick batter. Use an ice cream scooper to ball these treats up, give em one good roll between the palms and place them onto a mini cupcake wrapper or right onto a plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 min to harden slightly. 

**So many variations you could make with these 

chocolate peanutbutter

coconut almond

honey banana 

sunflower rasin

...

use any kind of nut butter, any kind of non dairy milk and your favorite spice and you, my dear, have yourself a mighty treat. 

Made with love, 

Emily