Healthy-ish Dessert

This is one of our favorite desserts- that you won't feel too guilty eating....only a little : )

It's from college friend, master cook, and now mother of twin girlies- Shelly

Desserts with fruits are the best!

Featured Ingredients:


Hazelnuts: High in vitamins, minerals and protein of course. More of a buttery tasting nut- super delicious roasted. Make sure you rub off the skins after you roast them a few minutes. O- and chocolate hazelnut spread..a nice way to cheat and pretend you are eating some healthy nut-butter. I compared it to peanut butter and its about the same in calories and fat- just a whole lot higher in sugar. (Totally worth it though- I eat it with a spoon) 


Mascarpone- italian cream cheese made with creme fraiche...ummm- Yuuuuuumm. Okay this baby is hiiighh in fat- I won't lie. But hey- it has calcium haha. And this recipe only uses a little dollop! 




FYI- Most of the time we use Grill-Pans on the stove. Less hassle. Also- we use Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Spread with no hydrogenated oils instead of Nutella brand.

                     Grilled Pineapple with Nutella

¼ cup hazelnuts

¼ tsp. pure vanilla

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup Nutella

3 Tb whipping cream

olive oil

1 pineapple- ½ inch in thick slices

Toast hazelnuts in oven 7min. Rub them to get skins off. Chop. In a small bowl- stir mascarpone, vanilla in other bowl combine Nutella and cream. Microwave until warm. Stirring 1 min. total.

Lightly oil grill rack, cook 3 mins,

Drizzle nutella sauce over Dallop mascarpone

Mixture atop sprinkle nuts.

Veggie Bibimbap!

Since my husband served his mission in South Korea- we are huge fans of korean food. I'm posting this one especially for Jenn whose husband also served there.( The man is gunna love you. )

Bibimbap is my favorite korean dish and the only one I can actually make. Korean Cuisine often plays with the elements of hot and cold in their dishes and this is no exception. This dish is basically a rice bowl with different layers of deliciousness. Super filling, yet light and healthy!

Recipe Found here at VeggieNumNum

Featured Ingredients:

Edamame: low cal, high in fiber, protein, and vitamins. Green soybeans are a Pei-Wei favorite- which is where I first discovered them in high school. Delicious in pod, sprinkled with salt, and squeezed into mouth or loose thrown in salads, stir frys, etc. Great substitute for fatty meats!  Kids love to snack on these too- check out the Dora ones in the freezer section. 

Tempeh- High fiber, protein and vitamins. Fermented soybeans- and I'm telling you it's some yummy stuff. Nutty-meaty-mushroom like flavor. If you aren't into meat substitutes- you can pass on it and just use mushrooms- but its healthy and good for you- so why not??

                     Korean Rice Bowl

FYI: We use tempeh but you could use tofu, seitan or any soy meat substitute- or leave it out completely if you wish. We also don't make the chili sauce- we buy bottled Thai Chili sauce which is sweeter and less bitter than korean chili sauce. I haven't tried the recipe for the sauce so if you do- let me know what you think!!! We also use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried.

Serves 2-4

• ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• 250g (9 oz) tempeh
• 1 brown onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece fresh ginger root
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1½ cup sushi rice
• 250g (9 oz) edamame
• 120g (4 oz) baby spinach
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
• 1 cucumber, diced 

Chilli Sauce

• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp minced chilli
• ½ tsp sesame oil

to serve

• 4 eggs, poached or fried (omit if vegan)
• toasted sesame seeds

Place the shiitake mushrooms in a heat resistant bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are tender, strain.

Halve the onion and then slice thinly, breaking the segments apart, mince the garlic and ginger. Slice the tempeh thinly. Combine shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger and tempeh in a large flat dish, pour over the soy sauce, sesame oil and sprinkle with the sugar. Toss the ingredients until well combined and set aside, refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.

To make the sauce combine all the ingredients in a bowl, adding a little water to get a smooth, thickish sauce consistency.

Simmer the edamame in 3 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes, strain and rinse under cold water, set aside. Once cooled slightly shell the them and if you’re like me try not to eat them all before you add them to the rice bowl :)

Prepare the sushi rice to packet instructions, keep warm and set aside.

Heat a good heavy-based frypan over a medium-high heat. Add the marinated tempeh mixture and fry for 5-10 minutes allowing the tempeh to slightly blacken and crisp. Remove from the heat, place on a warm plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan add the baby spinach and cooked edamame, toss, adding a touch of sesame oil if needed, and cook for about 1 minute until spinach has wilted, set aside.

To assemble the Korean rice bowl, dish out the prepared rice in four separate bowls, top with tempeh mixture, then cucumber and capsicum, a serve of the spinach and edamame, finish off with one egg (if using) a good drizzle of the chilli sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

To eat, use your chopsticks to mix the ingredients together with the rice allowing the sauce to combine with all the different elements, creating a complex, exciting and delicious meal, to the very last bite!

Tried and True

I'm a pasta lover and when I saw it was paired with another one of my favorites- avocado, I was sold. 
This salad is super creamy and filling. Not to mention all that GREEN: peas, avocado, spinach, green beans- now thats emerald eats. 


Read more about it on Veggienumnum. It's an awesome veggie blog - check it out. Can't wait to post more of our favorites from this site!


Also- It's Vegan. However, we break down and add Parm. I love me some cheese.

Featured Ingredients:


PINE NUTS: rich in Heart-healthy fats, Vitamins, and antioxidants. Buttery and sweet little nuts. When you toast these babies- Don't walk away. They are pricey and if they get extra-toasty they won't be extra tasty! 


GREEN BEANS: No Fat, Low Calorie, Packed full of vitamins, minerals and Fiber. What more can I say? Fresh is really the only way to go. Unless you have no teeth- then you can go for the soft canned kind : )

           Pea & Avocado Penne

Preparation time: 25mins
Serves 4

Pea & Avocado Pesto

• 45g (1.5oz) pine nuts, toasted
• 2 cups baby peas
• 1 avocado
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• lemon juice

Pea & Avocado Penne

• 300g (10.5 oz) Penne Pasta
• 250g (9 oz) green beans, trimmed
• 1½ cups butter beans (tinned or cooked)
• olive oil

Cook the penne pasta to the packet instructions, strain and set aside.

Bring about 3 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan, cook the peas for 1-3 minutes until just tender; strain, rinse and set aside.

Roughly chop the toasted pine nuts reserving a few for garnish.

In a bowl mash the avocado with the cooled peas, garlic, chopped pine nuts and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Mash well to get a nice creamy texture but insure not to squash everything to a pulp : ) then stir through the shredded baby spinach until well combined.

Steam the green beans for 3-4 minutes until just tender; set aside.

Heat about two tablespoons of oil in a large deep pan; add the steamed green beans and butter beans toss for 1-2 minutes over a medium heat. Add the cooked pasta and toss well.

Reduce the heat to low and toss through the pea and avocado pesto. Toss until well combined and warmed through.

Serve topped with reserved toasted pine nuts and a few baby spinach leaves. Great warm or cold; a perfect vegan pasta dish for dinner or your lunch box.

Meat, Who needs it?

Cats do.  But if you're human like me- you don't : ).


As a vegetarian I get asked for recipes....well, a whole heck of a lot. Most all the recipes I will post won't be original- I'm no iron chef- however I do have a real nice collection of delicious meat-free recipes and I LOVE cooking. 


The recipe for today is from vegetariantimes.com. It is a favorite of my hubs and I. You seriously feel like a million bucks after eating it. The salty pistachios, and sweet red grapes- it's sooo yummo.  It's a great fast dinner option, or easy to pack up for left-over lunches : )


Featured Ingredients:


LENTILS: Cheap, high in protein, lowers cholesterol, improves digestion. Nothing negative about these babies. If you don't think you like lentils- this is the recipe for you! I admit- I used to think I wasn't a fan- until I tried them in this. Now- I'm totally converted and addicted to the little legumes.  TRUST ME on this recipe- make it, eat it, love it. I was skeptical at first too.


FETA: Good Protein, good calcium. However High in saturated fats- so don't go eat a whole case of it. Most people have found a fondness for this soft cheese- but I don't think you've really tasted feta until you've had the fresh stuff. I like the Fresh Cows Milk Feta from Whole Foods-(or ask your cheese counter at your local grocery store) ....To Die for. It comes packed in water which makes it so moist and delicious. Seriously a whole new feta experience. Traditionally feta is made from sheeps milk, or a mixture of sheep/goat, but I've only tried the fresh cow's. It has a much lighter, milder taste. Ill let you know when I try the fresh sheeps milk feta. 


   Warm Lentil Salad with Grapes, Feta, and Mint

Red grapes are the surprise element in this cold-weather version of a classic Mediterranean salad. They create little bursts of sweetness in each bite. Serve over a bed of baby spinach, if desired. 

• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (1 3/4 cups)
• 2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
• 2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
• 1 17.6-oz. pkg. cooked lentils, gently broken apart, or 2 cups cooked lentil
• 1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted pistachios
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped mint
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, and cook 7 to 9 minutes, or until tender and translucent, stirring often. Remove from heat, and stir in sherry vinegar and mustard.

2. Combine lentils, leek mixture, grapes, pistachios, mint, and parsley in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and top with crumbled feta. 

Nutritional Information

Per 1/2-cup serving:

Calories	373
Protein	16g
Total Fat	17g
Saturated Fat	3g
Carbs	44g
Cholesterol	8mg
Sodium	464mg
Fiber	13g
Sugar	14g