Peanut Butter White Bean Blondies

If you’ve read this blog before, you might know that I like to try to sneak healthy ingredients into my meals in unexpected ways.  I’m always happy throwing some spinach into a smoothie or having turmeric with breakfast.  Which is why I was thrilled to find Chocolate Covered Katie’s incredible recipe for Peanut Butter White Bean Blondies.

Instead of using flour, the batter is based in white beans…but you really couldn’t guess it based on the taste and texture.  In fact, I’m thinking we might want to change the name to “Dense, Gooey Pieces of Peanut Butter Heaven”.  Who’s with me?  And while you’re enjoying your decadent treat, you can feel smug about all the protein and fiber you’re eating.

Perfect for a Fourth of July picnic.  Or for my inevitable anxiety snacking as I begin my final term of nursing school with a night shift clinical rotation and impending licensure exam and job hunt.  What?  Oh I’m fine.  Just fine.  (Eats another blondie.)

Does anyone else have big plans on the horizon for the summer?

Peanut Butter White Bean Blondies
makes 1 8×8 pan
from Chocolate Covered Katie’s recipe

Note: I didn’t really make any changes from the original recipe, but katie lists a few options for how to make these.  This is the version I used.  Check out her original recipe for substitution ideas!

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white beans
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Blend all ingredients except for chocolate chips in a food processor until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.  Fold chocolate chips into batter and pour into an 8×8 inch baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy.

* I added this post to this week’s Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, and Wellness Weekend.

Strawberry Matcha Smoothie

Rhetorical question: What’s a girl to do with a freezer full of strawberries?

Last week, a friend and I headed out to a strawberry farm about 30 minutes from home.  The weather was perfect and strawberries were in their prime.  In just a few hours, I picked 22 pounds (not including the ones I ate…I really think these u-pick farms should weigh me before and after I go out in their fields in order to charge me more accurately).  To be clear, these were not your run-of-the-mill grocery store strawberries imported from California.  These were a variety called Hood strawberries that are smaller, more flavorful, and rare treats given that their harvesting season lasts about a month or less.  I was determined to come home with enough to last me through the summer.

For all their good qualities, Hood strawberries can’t boast a long shelf life.  One they’re picked, they want to be eaten in a day or two.  Their thin skins quickly become too soft and, as I learned, piling more than a couple of layers in your picking box will yield a layer of strawberry mash at the bottom.  Which means that I had my work laid out for me when I got home from the farm.  There was not time to waste.  The rest of my day was spent washing, topping, and freezing strawberries.  It’s so satisfying to open my freezer door to see the “fruits” of my labor staring back at me.  :)

Because it’s strawberry season, I’ve been seeing tons of tempting strawberry recipes around the web.  To name a few:

• Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Oat Topping from Sweet Remedy
• Strawberries and Cream Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen
• Honey Strawberry Jam from Naturally Ella
• Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake from Joy the Baker
• Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes with Strawberry Topping from The First Mess

I want to make ALL of these.  But for now, I’ve been perfectly happy blending them into creamy smoothies.  Jeremy has been even less fancy…he eats them straight from the freezer!

Strawberry Matcha Smoothie
serves 1

Ingredients:
- 1/2 banana, the riper the better
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp cream (optional)
- 1 tsp matcha powder

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Enjoy right away.

* I shared this post with Seasonal Recipe Roundup, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, My Meatless Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, and Mix it Up Monday.

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Raisins

One of my favorite bits of kitchen wisdom is that good things can come from mistakes.  My new favorite summer salad began as a failed attempt to make an Indian carrot halwa.  For some reason, I decided that if I was already grating one carrot for the recipe, I might as well grate half a dozen more.  I ended up with about 8 cups of shredded carrots but decided that I hated my halwa (my fault…I did not even remotely follow the recipe!).  What to do with the rest?

This moroccan carrot salad was the perfect solution.  I ended up making a single serving of it every day for about a week.  The pre-shredded carrots stayed fresh in an airtight container and the salad came together in no time.  I highly recommend this for days when it feels too hot to cook.  It is best eaten on a patio in the shade!

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Raisins
makes 2 servings

Ingredients
-  2 cups shredded carrots
-  1 Tbsp olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp raisins

Mix everything together and serve.

Related articles

• chickpea, carrot & raisin breakfast muffins (plumsintheicebox.typepad.com)
• Moroccan spiced carrots – simple recipe adds spice to an ordinary vegetable (moroccotomorrow.org)
• Go-To Salad Recipe: Peanut, Carrot and Cabbage Slaw Recipes from The Kitchn (thekitchn.com)

* I shared this post with this week’s Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Pennywise Platter and Wellness Weekend.

Ayurvedic Vata Apple Breakfast Bowl

When I was in high school, I was obsessed with personality quizzes.  You know the kind, they came every month in Seventeen magazine (or Cosmo, if you wanted to be more risqué).  There were entire websites dedicated to helping visitors learn what kind of friends they were, which Jane Austen characters they most closely resembled, and, of course, whether or not their crushes liked them back.  I remember losing hours immersed in these quizzes…talk about wasted youth.

Apparently, I still have a penchant for that kind of entertainment because when I stumbled on a site offering an Ayurvedic dosha quiz, I just couldn’t resist.  Basically, in Ayurveda (an ancient system of medicine originating in India) there are 3 basic body types, or doshas: Vata, Kapha, and Pitta.  I have to admit to knowing very little else and so I encourage you to do a web search if you want to learn more.  HeyMonicaB is a fun site for that.  From my quiz (ok, I took a few) I learned that I am a Vata type, which is wonderful news because Vatas are encouraged to eat plenty of butter or ghee and sweet things.  Woohoo!  On the flip side, a lot of raw produce is discouraged.  :(

This is the breakfast I devised based on what I learned about Vata diet recommendations. I can’t guarantee that it is faithful to Ayurvedic principles, but I can assure you that it is absolutely delicious!

Vata Apple Breakfast Bowl
serves 1

Ingredients:
- 3/4-1 cup water
- 1 apple, cubed
- 1/4 oats or 1/2 cup leftover cooked rice
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- several dashes cinnamon
- a dash each of ground nutmeg and cloves
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- a generous pat of butter

Heat water over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add apples and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  While the apples are cooking, add remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir occasionally.  The liquid that is not soaked up will form a delicious, flavorful syrup. Serve hot.

* I shared this post on this week’s Simple Lives Thursday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Peanut Butter Oat Clusters (GF, Vegan)

It was the perfect day for a potluck picnic and I decided to bring something wholesome but with an edge of sweetness.  That’s how these chocolate-studded bite-sized peanut butter clusters came to be.  By the end of the picnic, they were all gone.

Oh, and just because the dough contains some healthy ingredients, try not to ruin your dinner by standing over the mixing bowl and eating it by the handful.  Do as I say, not as I do.  :)

Peanut Butter Oat Clusters
makes 40-50

Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cup oats
- 3/4 cups brown rice flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix oats, brown rice flour, baking powder, and flax seeds together.

Melt the coconut oil in a medium bowl in the microwave.  Add peanut butter and use a fork to mix until smooth.  Add brown sugar and vanilla and mix until well-combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Using a Tablespoon, drop dough onto a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  They do not really spread out while baking and so you can put them quite close together.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just starting to brown.  They will firm up as they cool.

* I added this post to this week’s Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mix it Up Monday, Monday Mania, and My Meatless Mondays.

Roasted Vegetables with Red Curry and Coconut Sauce

For some reason, I have recently been reminded of my age at every turn.  In epidemiology class, we were presented with statistics about birth problems related to women over 30 (I’m 27, unmarried, and just don’t see a pregnancy on the horizon…even though every little child I see sends me into “wannabe mommy” mode).  When filling out paperwork, I have to think for several seconds before remembering just what my age is.  And at my annual exam, my healthcare provider told me that I was really getting to the age where I need to be doing my monthly breast exams.  I’ve never been told that before!  I’m investing in more high-quality skincare potions and thinking about when I’ll be ready to take the leap and buy my own house (hint: not anytime soon).  The truth is, that I just thought that I’d have more things figured out by now.

On the bright side, I’m learning to love certain foods that my childhood self would have cringed at.  I now consider olives to be a treat and, just in the last few months, I’ve begun to reconsider the eggplant.  Once a completely unwelcome guest at my table, eggplants are showing up in more and more of my dishes.  It started with my ratatouille and continues with these thai-inspired vegetables.  Of course, the dish is completely malleable to your personal tastes.  If you don’t like eggplant, choose another vegetable you do like or need to clear out of the fridge!  If you’re on the fence about eggplant, give it a try…you may be able to coax out your inner eggplant love!

What foods have you learned to love since childhood?  

Roasted Vegetables with Red Curry and Coconut Sauce
makes 2 servings
adapted from Love and Lemons 

Sauce Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (the kind from the can)
- salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small eggplant, quartered and cut into 1/2-in pieces
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- a few handfuls spinach, washed and dried

- cooked rice or quinoa to serve

Preheat oven to 400F.

Prepare the sauce.  Mix all sauce ingredients together except for coconut milk, set aside.  You will use some to cook the vegetable in and some will be reserved to complete the sauce.

In a large bowl, toss prepared onion, eggplant, and bell pepper with about 1/2 of the sauce.  Mix until vegetables are coated.  Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes, stirring about halfway through, until they are soft and beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and pour into a large bowl.

Place the spinach in the same pan the vegetables were just removed from.  Put in the oven for 2-4 minutes, until wilted.  Add to the bowl with the other vegetables.

Complete the sauce by whisking the coconut milk into the reserved half of the miso-curry mixture.  Pour over the vegetables and stir well.  Serve hot over rice or quinoa.

Related articles

• Thai Coconut Curry with Eggplant & Tofu (plantbasedparadise.com)
• “Sister Kitchen, Oh the Time Has Come, And You Know That You’re the Only One” (shedrinksheeats.wordpress.com)
• Thai curry is cooking for dinner! (healthfoodienut.wordpress.com)
• Thai Chicken Meatball Curry with jasmine Rice (quickasianrecipes.com)
• Calling All Spicy Vegans: Thai Coconut-Curry Soba Noodles with Tofu (johannaelsemore.com)

* I submitted this post to this week’s Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Foodie Friday, and Wellness Weekend.

Goji Berry Power Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Now that I’m on a little break from school, I have the time to make healthy to-go snacks…the kind that would have been perfect to take with me to school.  Sigh.  I guess that’s life.  I really shouldn’t be complaining, though.  These little bars turned out wonderfully and they’re packed with healthy ingredients.

Here are just a few reasons for why they are so good:

Dates: Instead of using refined sugar, I used dates as the sweetener.  Dates  are full of fiber, potassium, magnesium, and copper.  Yes, they contain quite a bit of fruit sugar, but I think it’s nice to get vitamins and minerals at the same time.

Hemp protein: Hemp protein is another fiber powerhouse and the protein gives these bars a bit more staying power.  And did I mention that hemp protein is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids?  Well, now I have.

Chia seeds: Chia seeds might be my favorite new-to-me food.  They really help bind other ingredients together and they are full of antioxidants, calcium, and omega-3′s.

Goji berries: Have you had these bright red little berries, yet?  If you haven’t, I urge you to give them a try.  They’re not incredibly sweet, but they have nice, complex flavor.  They have incredibly high antioxidant power, meaning they’ll save your cells from damaging free radicals and they’re just pretty to look at.  They can tend to be slightly hard when dried, which is why this recipe requires soaking them in hot water before use, but I still think they are a great addition to oatmeal and trail mixes.

I hope these bars can help sustain you through your busy weeks.  As for me, I’m on my way to enjoy a sunny barbecue at the park.  School’s out for…well, 2 weeks!

Goji Berry Power Bars
makes 8 bars

Ingredients
- 1 cup dates
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp hemp protein
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup goji berries

Start by softening the goji berries.  Place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Allow to sit in the water for 5-10 minutes.  Drain.

Place dates, cashews, coconut oil, hemp protein, and chia seeds in a food processor.  Process until dates have formed a paste and ingredients are completely mixed.  Add oats and goji berries.  Pulse the mixture until everything is well-distributed.

Press mixture into an 8×8 pan.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (this will allow the coconut oil to harden so the bars will hold their shape).  Cut into 8 rectangles, remove from pan, and wrap in tin foil so they’re ready to pop into lunch bags.  Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

* I shared this post with this week’s Gluten Free Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Fat Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday.

Paleo Lamb Mini Meatloaves

With the exception of the recipe I am about to share, this has been a somewhat disappointing week in the kitchen for me.  I spend a lot of time scouring recipes and deciding what to make and what kinds of alterations I’d like.  And then I spend a lot of money (an embarrassing portion of my budget, actually) buying the best ingredients I can get my hands on.  And then I set to work in the kitchen.  I’m always excited to get started on a new cooking project.  As I chop my vegetables, I think about just how to word something in my upcoming blog post.  I daydream about the photos I’ll take as I pop something in the oven.  But sometimes, it’s just not meant to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll usually end up with something that I’m perfectly happy to eat myself.  But many times I have to make the decision that it’s just not up to sharing standards.  Perhaps the texture is off or I’ve ended up having to improvise so much that I don’t have anything resembling a recipe at the end.  It was that kind of week for me.

Luckily, I had a serendipitous encounter with a farmer (shepherd?) selling grass-fed ground lamb at the farmer’s market this week.  I really didn’t have any plans for recipes involving ground lamb but, as I heard more about his farming operation, I decided I had to try his product.  The next day, I knew that it had to be meatloaf.

These mini-meatloaves saved my week.  Sometimes you have to work through some disappointments before you get to something amazing.  I think this holds true for the kitchen and life.

Paleo Lamb Mini-Meatloaves
makes 6 (serves 3-4)

Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
- 3 Tbsp almond flour
- 1 Tbsp flax meal
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix well for a few minutes.  It’s important to try and evenly distribute the flax meal so you don’t end up with little “pockets”.  The coconut oil may harden and not completely mix in, which is ok.

Scoop the mixture into a muffin tin.  You should have enough for 6.  The lamb will release a fair amount of juice and you may want to place a pan beneath to catch drippings.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and browning on top.  Cool for a few minutes before serving.

* I added this link to this week’s Foodie Friday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Traditional Tuesday, Seasonal Sunday, Monday Mania, and Melt in Your Mouth Monday.

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Today, I completed my nursing school coursework!  No, I’m not quite finished with my program…this summer, I will be doing an intensive practicum on our hospital’s Med-Surg floor.  I’m so nervous/excited to get started.  It’s hard to believe that this journey has gone by so fast and that I’m just months away from being a nurse!  I still have a lot to learn and I suspect that will hold true for the rest of my life.

Now for the obligatory nursing humor:

Source: tumblr.com via Karen on Pinterest

As I move ever closer to a challenging and rewarding career, I am gaining a greater understanding of the importance of self-care.  In some instances, self-care might take the form of humor (see above) or it might mean going to a yoga class.  For me, a huge component of caring for myself as I slog tough coursework and clinicals is cooking nourishing food.  One of the winning recipes I found this week was this mushroom soup, from VeggieNumNum.

Served with my new favorite kale salad.

I played around with the types of mushrooms in the recipe and settled on mostly crimini and shiitake with a few maitake thrown in.  I’m sure you could play with this and try and endless number of combinations.  Regardless, you’ll end up with an impressive nutritional profile.  Mushrooms are a wonderful source of B vitamins.  Different types will provide different micronutrients but you don’t have to go the exotic and expensive route to get amazing health benefits.  The common crimini (the baby version of portobellas) may provide even more immune system and anti-inflammation benefits than shiitakes.  Now, I still love shiitake mushrooms for the taste but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to spend a fortune to get all the health benefits of eating mushrooms regularly.

I hope you enjoy the soup.  You can just think of it as your daily dose of self-care!

Creamy Mushroom Soup
makes 4 servings
adapted from VeggieNumNum 

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 lb crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1/4 lb maitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cooked rice (jasmine works well)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk of your choice
- salt, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add garlic, shallot, and celery and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add mushrooms and fresh thyme.  Cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes and then add vegetable broth.  Gently simmer for about 15 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and aromatic.  Add rice and cook for a few minutes until warmed through.

Remove thyme sprigs.  Use a blender to puree soup.  You may need to do this in batches or you can use an immersion blender if you have one.  Return soup to pot and add milk.  Season to taste with salt and serve hot.

* I shared this link with this week’s Mix-It-Up Monday, My Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodie Friday, and Wellness Weekend.

Pasta Salad with Fried Zucchini and Edamame

The day has finally arrived.

I’m finished with the “white carb detox”!  For those of you who didn’t see my beginning post, I basically decided to eliminate sugar (except for fruit) and white flour from my diet for 3 whole weeks.  I can’t say that it was always easy and I won’t lie and tell you that I didn’t have any slip-ups (there was one illicit piece of pillowy focaccia bread and some nasty frozen pizza at a crazy party).  Nonetheless, I am 100% glad that I did my very best for 3 weeks.  By the end, I was eating a ton of vegetables and healthy protein and fat, I was feeling satisfied and energetic, and the dreaded belly bloat was almost nonexistent.  Too bad I wasn’t able to go to my 5-year college reunion…I was looking good!

Since my 3 weeks ended on Monday, I have to admit that I’ve been much less virtuous.  Nothing over the top, but there has been some kind of white bread or pasta every day.  These foods are just so darn convenient and simple!  And so, of course, I have a pasta salad for you today!  Of course you could use whole-grain or gluten-free pasta, but for me, sometimes, being bad just feels too good.  :)

Pasta Salad with Fried Zucchini and Edamame
serves 4
adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil
- 3 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 10 oz bag frozen edamame
- 2 cups basil, cut into ribbons and divided
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp small capers
- 6-8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces

Fry the zucchini: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Gently add slices of zucchini in batches and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden.  Place on paper towels to drain.

Cook the edamame: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add edamame.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, drain, and place in a large bowl.

Cook the pasta: Refill your pot with salted water and bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain, rinse with cool water, and place in the bowl with the edamame.

Make the dressing: Combine 1 cup of basil, all the parsley and olive oil in a food processor.  Puree, scraping down the sides as needed.  The dressing may not be completely smooth and uniform…that is ok.

Put it all together.  Add the zucchini, red wine vinegar, and basil dressing, lemon zest, and capers to the pasta and edamame.  Stir well.  Season to taste with salt.  Add the mozzarella and remaining basil before serving.

* I shared this post with this week’s Full Plate Thursday.