Fresh. Clean. Radiant. Living life on the sunny side.
So how does it work? The recipe (from the vegan bloggers over at Minimalist Baker) uses almond milk in the filling, thickened with cornstarch and coconut sugar, rolled oats and coconut oil in the crust, and–the winner–coconut cream for the topping. I’ve never used coconut cream before, but the result was so delicious that I think I might make the switch for normal recipes too!
Next time you invite friends or family over for breakfast or brunch and want to impress them, this is your dish. In fact, it’s so good that our family still talks about it weeks later! For an extra touch and the perfect blend of breakfast-inspired sweet and savory, I love serving it with this Pear Ginger Smoothie.
How do I make this wonderful creation? First, I love using rainbow chard as a side to make the dish unique. Haven’t heard of it before? It’s similar to kale nutritionally speaking but it’s much less bitter and really absorbs the flavors in the dish. Plus, the stem is literally “rainbow” colored, which is so fun and adds so much color to your plate! To cook it, I sautee freshly chopped garlic in olive oil in a large pan until slightly brown, and then throw in the chard for about 10 minutes, covered, until it wilts. Season with salt and pepper and set aside–so easy! Tip: Chard cooks down quickly, so you’ll want about 2 large bunches for a breakfast with 4 people. I generally use 2 cloves of garlic per bunch so there’s a lot of flavor!
While the chard is cooking down, I throw sweet potatoes (whole, washed, and with the skin on) into a large pot of boiling water, cooking them until tender, also about 10 minutes depending on size. As they boil, saute olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, half of an onion, chipped, 1 tbs coriander, and 3 tbs. thyme in a large saucepan. Drain potatoes, pat dry with a paper towel, and slice into large, bite-size pieces. Add sweet potato into the saucepan and saute with onion and spices until tender to taste. Set aside. Fun fact, did you know that coriander seeds actually come from the cilantro plant?
Finally, the poached eggs! These often get a bad rep as being hard to cook, but with the right technique they’re actually the easiest eggs to make in my opinion. In a large saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water to a rolling boil and add in 2 tsp white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or another light, mild tasting vinegar will also work–this helps the eggs to form, and you won’t be able to taste it later if you use this small amount. Using a small amount of water–rather than using a full pot of water like you would for hard boiled eggs–will also help here.
Turn down the water to a simmer and begin to stir the water clockwise, making a gentle “current” that moves around the center of the pan. With the water and vinegar still moving in a clockwise motion, carefully crack the egg into the center of the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Pat dry carefully with a paper towel and add to plate, seasoning with your garnish of choice–here I used a hint of paprika, fresh chives, and a lemon wedge on the side for the rainbow chard. Thyme, rosemary, or any other earthy herbs would also be wonderful. Add in your sides of choice, and enjoy!
I absolutely love chocolate, so I was so excited to learn this healthier way of preparing it. The star ingredients in this recipe are raw cacao-chocolate its natural form- and avocado! Unexpected, right?
Here, the avocado adds creaminess, while the cacao adds that rich, chocolatey flavor that makes the mousse so decadent. Unlike the overly processed Hershey’s powder you find in the store (cocoa), cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any other foods known to man and is one of the highest whole food source of magnesium, which helps to mitigate the symptoms of stress. Win, win!
I hope that everyone is enjoying summer as much as we have these past few months! There’s nothing better than long days at the beach–not to mention the amazing summer produce out there right now!
I don’t know about you, but when it’s so gorgeous outside the last thing I want to be doing is staying inside in the kitchen cooking hot meals (as much as I love cooking!). This recipe is just the ticket, and it’s the perfect unexpected, colorful, and a quick side for the last of your picnics and barbecues this season. Enjoy!
Let’s be honest, salads can get boring sometimes. But, this one is a far throw from your typical salad (teaser: it doesn’t even have lettuce) and I love that it combines my three favorite summer ingredients all in one beautiful, colorful dish! Who would think that peaches, avocados, and tomatoes go well together? I’m so glad they do.
These oven roasted sweet potato wedges (like sweet potato fries) are one of my go-to sides every week because they are so easy and so good! They also have tons of fiber and are incredibly versatile, perfect for any meal, salad, or in smoothies during the week.
To sweeten the deal, I like to use cinnamon and a drizzle of orange blossom honey. I think that they are flavorful enough on their own, but you can also skip the honey and serve with a quick honey mustard dip (3/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 3 tbs honey). Enjoy!
Most nutritionists will tell you that they love salmon, and for good reason. This fish is loaded with lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids (critical for cardiovascular health), vitamin D, is lower in mercury than most fish, and even supports brain development. Here’s the quickest, easiest way to prepare it that you’ll enjoy every time.
First, sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. I also add herbes de provence, a blend of dried French herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram, and thinly sliced lemon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
When paired with leafy greens, the proteins, B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in salmon are a complement their vitamin C and antioxidants. I usually make my salmon with this salad with arugula, avocado, and asparagus with a citrus vinaigrette (pictured above) and they go beautifully together.
When there’s such beautiful produce in the summertime I love experimenting with recipes from our local farmer’s market. This week my favorite farmer was selling the most beautiful tomatoes and I knew I wanted to find a simple summer side to compliment them.
This corn salad is the perfect summer side–it’s light and has lots of crunch and fresh flavor. I also love that it is so wonderfully colorful and cheery!
If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you might remember the homemade green matcha latte I made back in the winter–now it’s time for the summer version!
Matcha is a natural source of caffeine that will energize you and help to focus the mind for the rest of the day. Add in some fresh fruit and you get a creamy, refreshing, healthy treat made under 5 minutes. So good!
There’s nothing more quintessentially American than a good BBQ dish. In preparation for the Fourth of July next Monday, I’m sharing one of the quickest, simplest BBQ recipes out there. It doesn’t require a grill or any crazy marinade times, and you can literally cook it overnight so that it’s ready for you when you wake up. As my one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten, always says, how easy is that?
The steps are so easy. First, add two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast to your slow cooker, pouring over about 12 oz. of your favorite BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s), 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 white vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed and cover on high heat for 4 hours.
After a while, you’ll see that the natural juices in the chicken will create a more watered down sauce. Let sit for another 2 hours until this thickens and is completely absorbed.
After 4-6 hours, remove chicken from crockpot and shred into pieces. You may need to mix in some additional sauce for extra flavor as desired…
Finally, serve on a brioche bun with the side of your choice and enjoy! This recipe keeps especially well in the fridge and I think it actually gets better overnight.
Finally, in case you need some inspiration, try serving with these baked sweet potato fries:
Or this strawberry, mint, and goat cheese salad:
