Roasted Vegetable Platter with White Citrus Vinaigrette

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veggie platter

Some nights you throw all your veggies into the oven to roast then for some crunch you slice up your cruciferous veggies like fennel and marinate in a tangy dressing. This is that meal and it’s oh so pretty and tasty. You could serve this at a party because it looks fancy!

Ingredients:

Fennel bulb, sliced

8oz sliced mushrooms

8 oz asparagus, ends trimmed

3 parsnips, sliced

Pinch salt and pepper

Dressing:

2 T. white balsamic vinegar

2 T. organic olive oil

2 T. juice of fresh orange juice

1 tsp. fresh orange zest

1/8 tsp pink salt and black pepper

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

3. Rinse and shake off excess water from mushrooms, clean and trim asparagus, slice parsnips.

4. Arrange onto baking sheets then spray with grapeseed oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake mushrooms for 30 minutes, asparagus for 15 minutes, and parsnips for 30-40 minutes.

6. Set aside to cool.

7. Slice fennel and toss with ¾ of dressing. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.

8. Arrange roasted veggies on a large platter along with fennel. Serve with dressing on the side for dipping.

9. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings as appetizer/snack

3-Ingredient Protein Balls

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I made this on a whim and they tasted amazing! I was lazy about it and mixed everything together in this bowl and once I rolled them into balls, stored them in the very same container so why wash it until they were all gone! #timesaver Photobomb by my daughter’s new portable snack holder! These would fit in here very nicely. She’s a little too young too eat these at the moment but she’s getting in her first 4 teeth right now so it’s won’t be too long before she’s eating my homemade protein balls.

3-Ingredients Protein Balls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick oats

1/4 cup sunbutter

1 T. cacao powder

2 T. water

optional, 1 T. maple syrup for added sweetness ( I did not add extra sweetener this time because Sunbutter already has sweetener in it.)

Method:

  1. Stir together all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Scoop by the Tablespoon and roll into balls. I mixed in this bowl then covered and stored in it as well. Saved a few dishes!
  3. Enjoy!

Yield: 8 protein balls

 

Savory {Bacon and Kale} Oatmeal

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Savory Oatmeal

Nothing is better than a warm bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter morning! Kick it up a notch with kale chips and bacon! Add a touch of maple syrup to oats for the perfect sweet and savory bowl of goodness.

2 cups of organic quick oats (divided into ½ cup per bowl)

2 cups hot water (1/2 cup per bowl)

2 tsp. organic maple syrup (1/2 tsp. per bowl)

8 strips of bacon (Look for nitrite free, natural bacon – I love Applegate Farms brand or Trader Joes)

4 kale leaves, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces

Pinch salt and pepper

Grapeseed spray oil

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line baking sheet with foil then place wire rack onto baking pan.

3. Lay strips of bacon onto rack with baking pan underneath.

4. Bake bacon for 17-20 minutes until crisp.

5. Remove bacon from baking pan and set aside.

6. Wash kale leaves and tear into bite size pieces, shake off excess water.

7. Place kale onto baking sheet on top of rack, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray with grapeseed oil.

8. Bake 7-8 minutes until crisp, careful not to burn kale.

9. To make oats: bring water to a boil in a kettle or in a pot on stovetop.

10. Pour ½ cup quick oats into each of 4 bowls. Stir ½ cup of hot water with each bowl of oats and ½ tsp maple syrup. Let sit 5 minutes then top with a handful of kale and 2 strips of chopped bacon.

11. Enjoy!

 

Yield: 4 servings

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Pumpkin is very seasonal and you see pumpkin in everything from the Fall all the way through winter. We are in the middle of winter so I wanted to share my pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe with you. These are a new twist on the pumpkin bars that my husband loves!

Ingredients:

1+1/2 cups Vitacost garbanzo flour

½ tsp. pink salt

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking powder

½ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup coconut oil

¾ cup organic turbinado sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. water

1 T. raw apple cider vinegar

½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine dry ingredients flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder in a medium size bowl.

3. Mix together wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, water, and vinegar.

4. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

5. Stir in chocolate chips or chunks.

6. Scoop out 2 Tablespoons of batter per each cookie (use a medium ice cream scoop).

7. Bake cookies at 375 for 18-20 minutes until done and brown on the edges.

8. Enjoy!

Yield: 1 dozen cookies

No Mayo Potato Salad

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Classic potato salad is loaded down with heavy mayonnaise. Avocado is the perfect substitute for mayo(!!) – it’s loaded with healthy fats that are good for you and won’t weigh you down. A perfect side to go along with your favorite grilled eats. To learn more about avocado, check out 13 health benefits of avocado here!

 

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Ingredients:

10-12 organic red or gold potatoes (small in size)

½ tsp salt for boiling potatoes

1 whole avocado

½ small lemon, juiced

2 T. fresh chives, minced

¼ tsp each pink salt and ground black pepper

 

Method:

1. Rinse potatoes and add to cooking pot with cold water and ½ teaspoon of salt.

2. Bring water to a boil then cook for 10-12 minutes until fork tender.

3. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water and allow to cool.

4. Once potatoes are cool, cut in half then cut each half into quarters (so you get 8 bite size pieces per potato).

5. Mash avocado and combine with lemon juice, chives, salt, and pepper.

6. Mix avocado mixture with potatoes and stir until potatoes are coated.

7. Serve immediately or chill then serve.

 

Yield: 8 servings