om nom nom

Zoodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce courtesy of New Zealand

/ Brienna / 2 Comments

While I was in New Zealand, I came across some spicy peanut butter, called Smoke and Fire. It looked so amazing, I knew right away I had to buy it, even though I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it.

smoke and fire peanut butter

I’ve been trying to eat healthier lately, and focus on eating more whole foods, like veggies and less processed crap and definitely less processed/refined carbs. And what better way is there to exemplify this style of eating than zoodles? And what goes great with zoodles? PEANUT SAUCE!

I started off looking for a recipe for raw pad thai, and this came out as sort of an adaption of a recipe I saw online, modified a lot based on what I had on hand and my own preferences. It turned out amazing! I think it would be even better with more vegetables to add variety to the dish, so I will definitely be making this again.

zoodles with peanut sauce

Zoodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Serves 2 (1 if you’re hungry and/or not eating anything else with it)

Ingredients:

  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1/4 c peanut butter
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (honey or agave would also work)

Directions:

  • Peel the zucchini and carrots
  • Use the vegetable peeler to cut the zucchini and carrots into zoodles/slices (a spiralizer would also work)
  • Slice bell pepper into small thin strips
  • Combine peanut butter, orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce and maple syrup
  • Mix the carrots and bell pepper with the peanut sauce and serve on top of the zoodles

Variations:

  • If you don’t have spicy peanut butter, I would recommend adding Sriracha to taste (start with 1 tsp and see how it goes). I would also add some fresh ginger or garlic (1 tsp). 
  • more veggies – bean sprouts, chickpeas, cabbage
  • garnish – cilantro

meal planning is not my thing.

/ Brienna / Leave a comment

I have a confession. I am terrible at meal planning. When I attempt to do it, I rarely make anything on the plan, instead opting for going out, something quick, or something less healthy. The main thing I struggle with is that I hardly ever feel motivated to invest time in cooking during the week. 

The simple solution? Quick, easy things to eat during the week, like veggie burgers or zucchini pad thai from Urban Remedy (this is delicious, by the way.  I recently discovered Urban Remedy at Whole Foods, and these are my new go-to for quick, healthy meals). I still have a bad habit of buying a lot of random stuff that looks good and then figuring out what to do with it later.

Tonight, I tried to figure out how I could use my cauliflower and Brussels sprouts before they went bad, and I was in the mood for something with tofu.

This is what I came up with, and it was actually really tasty.

dinner

The tofu was pre-made and pre-seasoned, and it was my least favorite part of the meal. For the cauliflower, I roasted half of it with coconut oil and some curry spices (cumin, ginger, turmeric, and garam masala).  The sprouts I roasted with lime infused olive oil, garlic, and chipotle, and they came out great. The rest of the cauliflower I turned into “rice” with my vitamix.

Hodo tofu nuggets

All in all, prepping the veggies took the most time, and of course, waiting for them to roast.

Maybe someday I’ll get the hang of meal planning, but for now, I’m satisfied that when I put in the time and energy to make a healthy meal, something good often comes out of it.

Next weekend, I’m visiting my mom, and I think cauliflower might make another appearance, but this time in tacos!

Anyone else out there have issues with meal planning?

how to make a salad that’s not boring

/ Brienna / Leave a comment

Here’s my handy guide to salad making.

IMG_2523Base – start with a nice, tasty green base

examples: spinach, baby kale, mix greens, spring mix, but PLEASE not iceberg!

Fruit – I love fruit in my salads

examples: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or apple slices are some of my favorites

Protein – for me, a salad is not complete with some protein

examples: marinated tofu, white beans, chickpeas, black beans

Seeds or nuts – my version of croutons 🙂

examples: sesame seeds, pistachios, candied walnuts, sunflower seeds

Spice it up! – If you like a little kick, add some!

examples: shallots, red onion, garlic

Other – other fun things to add

examples: quinoa, cauliflower rice, corn, grape tomatoes, radish

Avocado – goes with any salad if you ask me!

Dressing – there’s so many choices, my personal favorite is olive oil and pineapple white balsamic vinegar

Today’s salad (pictured above):

  • baby kale
  • sliced strawberries
  • white beans
  • shallots
  • sprouted sunflower seeds
  • green tahini dressing

spicy cilantro lime hummus

/ Brienna / 3 Comments

I’m hosting my book club tonight, and I decided to make hummus, bread, and avocado dip. I have always loved hummus, but I get bored with regular old hummus, and I’m never super satisfied with the store brands. So this week, I thought I’d try my hand at creating a new hummus recipe with some cool flavors.

Spicy Cilantro Lime Hummus Recipe

Spicy Cilantro Lime Hummus Ingredients:

  • 1 can white beans
  • handful of cilantro (about a 1/2c)
  • garlic (4 cloves for me, use more or less depending on how much you like garlic)
  • 1 Serrano pepper (seeds removed! I used 1/2 of one pepper and mine is pretty spicy)
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/4c olive oil

Add everything to the blender and voilà! 

If it’s a bit thick, you can add water, more olive oil, or the liquid from the canned beans. I used about 2 spoonfuls of the liquid I saved from the canned beans and ended with a perfect, smooth and creamy hummus.

What’s your favorite brand or flavor of hummus?