Avocados – most definitely one of my food obsessions. I have missed them so! I really didn’t eat much of them this winter.
Chia seeds are pretty much amazing. How are such teensy little things jam-packed with so much fiber, antioxidants, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids? That I don’t know, but what I do know is that chia seed pudding is one of the best guilt-free desserts I’ve ever eaten.
Peanut butter – how I missed thee! I was without it for about the past week, until my planned trip to the grocery store last night, and it would not be exaggerating to say that my life felt a little emptier during that time. My workday was not the same without my mid-morning snack of apple slices and peanut butter, and while tahini paste makes an excellent ingredient in hummus and dressings, it was not the greatest substitute for my favorite nut butter in my oatmeal. Now I’m three-cans flush with the stuff, so life is good. And in homage to one of my favorite foods ever being back in my life, I’ve created this granola.
It was Easter Sunday, a mild, early-spring evening – not exactly the setting that inspires the creation of a traditionally cold-weather recipe. But I really wanted to put the butternut squash languishing in my refrigerator and my last three sweet potatoes to use. So this butternut squash and sweet potato soup was born.
I’ve been wanting to try making crispy oven-roasted chickpeas for a while now. It was just a matter of dreaming up the perfect flavor to try. Chili-lime was the idea that stuck with me, and I have to say, it turned out to be a pretty delish one! The rich savoriness of the chili and garlic powders, the vibrant tang of the lime juice, and the slight heat of the cayenne pepper meld into an addictive explosion of flavor.
I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian, but I often like to eat that way. If you do, too, then you’re gonna love this spicy bell pepper bulgur bowl, which becomes vegan when vegetable stock is used in place of chicken stock.
With spring finally here and the snow hopefully melted where you are, it’s time again for running/outdoor exercise season. You need snacks that are portable, tasty, and provide some serious fuel – which means energy bars for most people. Those are healthy, right?
One of the first things I did last year after reading the amazing book, The Sugar Smart Diet, was to eliminate packaged cereal from my diet. I had known for a long time that the great majority of cereals – even the supposedly healthy ones – were chock-full of sugar, but I had pushed this uneasy knowledge aside, not wanting to have to consider ways to change.