These are really great and easy to make. But the best part is that you don’t feel so bad after eating a million of them!

Indredients:
3 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil (microwave a little as it will be hard)
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
1 teaspoon baking power
6-7 ounces dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Mash your bananas until it looks like, well, baby food. Add the vanilla extract and coconut oil. Mix well. Next get your dry ingredients into a separate large bowl- oats, coconut, cinnamon, salt, almond meal and baking powder (to make the almond meal, just pulse the raw almonds in a food processor until it resembles a sand texture).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well then throw in the chocolate bits.

Form small balls of the dough (about 2 teaspoons worth) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, two inches apart. Place in the oven for about 14 minutes or until golden brown (and not burned on the bottom!). Let sit for a few minutes before eating…all of them.

I had a few more leeks leftover this week and was craving some pasta. I found a recipe with leeks and pancetta, which sounded really good. And it was! Some creamy pasta dishes can be a little too much, but this was light enough that I didn’t feel like I was eating a bowl of thick cream. I’ll definitely be making this again!

Ingredients:
12oz box of pasta (I used farfalle)
2 large leeks
3 ounces pancetta
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sherry wine
1/2 cup heavy cream (half & half would work too)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
S&P

First, get your pasta cooking. I always salt my water and add a tiny bit of olive oil, while helps the pasta from sticking. Chop the pancetta and add it to a hot pan, cook over medium heat. While that cooks, slice the leeks. Trim them where the green areas start to get dark, toss the dark parts. Wash the leeks really well to make sure no dirt is wedged between the layers. Thinly slice the leeks. Once your pancetta is browned, add the leeks and cook for about 8 minutes on medium low heat. Then add the butter! Cook another 5 minutes or so until everything is nice and cooked down.

Add the sherry wine and cook for another two minutes. Turn down the heat to a low simmer, and add the cream. After a minute or so, turn off the heat and add the pasta. I find that it is best to add scoops of pasta at a time and not to dump the whole thing in there at once. There’s nothing worse then when you add too much pasta and don’t have enough sauce to cover it all. In cooking you can always add things, but you can’t really take it out once it’s in there! Lastly, fold your pasta into the sauce and add your parmesan cheese. Serve right away. Enjoy!

I had bought some pizza dough at Trader Joes and decided to try making calzones. It was actually a lot easier then I thought it would be! I saw an interesting recipe that used apples and smoked mozzarella, so I thought I’d give it a shot and also add some leeks as well. They came out really nice, very light and flavorful. I’d definitely make these again!

Ingredients: (adapted from Sprouted Kitchen)
Pizza dough, made or store bought
1 leek, sliced
1 half onion, sliced
1 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 medium apple, diced
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup smoked mozzarella, diced
Handful of fresh thyme
Handful of fresh chives
Olive oil
Pepper

Thinly slice the onions and leeks. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook for a couple minutes to break them down a little, then add the leeks. Continue cooking until lightly browned. In the meantime, dice up the mozzarella and chop the chives and thyme.

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Flour your surface, roller, and dough. Roll it out into a rectangle shape. Keep flouring the dough as you go to help it keep its shape. With a shape knife, cut 4×4 squares. Pile the toppings in the center of each square, don’t stuff it so much that you can’t close it though! Next, fold one corner to the opposite side and press together. Use a fork along the edges to seal them up! The dough will soften and get sticky, so try to be quick when filling/sealing. Brush the tops with olive oil and put in the oven for 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool a few minutes before eating. I ate mine with a little side of sour cream.

AMAZING! Now you don’t have to scroll to the bottom to see if it came out ok. I sat in silence and ate my happy steak dinner for one. Then I proposed to myself.

Ingredients: (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
1 boneless rib-eye steak
1 medium onion
1-2 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
S&P

Make sure your meat is room temperature before you cook it, so take it out of the fridge ahead of time. While that’s doing its thing, slice the onion. I used a little more than half but not the whole thing, just my preference though. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a pan or pot, add the onions and cook on medium low until browned, about 5 minutes. Next, chop the mushrooms and add those to the onions. Let cook another minute or two. Add the heavy cream and simmer until the sauce thickens. Lastly, add the blue cheese and cook until fully melted.

Next, salt and pepper your steak well. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and get it nice and hot. Add the steak and let it cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. I like mine medium rare. Remember, the meat will continue to cook once off the heat. I place mine on a cutting board for 5 minutes before cutting in.

Doesn’t that steak look like a turtle? Strange. Anyway, put some of the sauce on the plate and top with your steak! It’s a rich meal, so I recommend having some simple veggies on the side. This was my intention until I got so excited to eat the steak that I forgot to make my broccoli. Oh well! Next time.

It’s not often that I put ricotta in my salad, but I like it a lot with my kale. It adds a nice light flavor that goes well with the bitterness of greens. Add some fennel, pancetta, and radish to it and you’ve got yourself a nice little salad!

Ingredients:
Bunch of fresh kale, washed and chopped
1 radish (I used a black radish)
1 lemon
1 fennel bulb
Pancetta
Hazelnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ricotta cheese (I used regular ricotta, but ricotta salata would be nice too)
S&P

Wash and chop your kale, toss it into a bowl. Squeeze half a lemon over it and mix. Place the bowl in the fridge to let the lemon break down the kale a little while you do the rest of the work. Slice the fennel and the radish (forgot radish photo!) then chop and fry the pancetta. Next, chop and toast the hazelnuts. About 2 minutes.

Remove the kale from the fridge and add the fennel, radish, hazelnuts and olive oil. Toss together. Put in your bowl then add the pancetta and small dollops of the ricotta cheese. Enjoy!

Squash is the best, and there is so much you can do with it! But simply roasting it is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. I had some leftover mustard and collard greens and decided to make a healthy little dinner for myself incorporating some roasted squash.

Ingredients:
1 small acorn squash
1 cup barley, cooked
Collard or mustard greens (I used both)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for dressing
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Parmesan cheese, for topping
1 lemon
1/2 cup hazelnuts
S&P

One of the benefits of getting my CSA vegetables every week is that it makes me learn to try cooking things I might not have bought on my own. Like mustard greens for example. I’m sure I’ve had these at some point in my life, but until they were staring at me from my counter did I realize that I didn’t know these greens very well. I took a bite of it raw- tasted like spicy mustard! I thought it might be too intense as a raw salad, so I decided to sauté it like I usually do with my collard greens. I loved it. Very flavorful but not too overpowering. I can’t wait to see how else I can cook them!

By the way, here is the lovely CSA that I am constantly referring to: http://www.nextdoororganics.com

Now, back to my pre-thanksgiving attempt at eating healthy…

Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds. Slice into half inch wedges. Add the maple syrup, olive oil, and s&p. Mix well so that all the squash is coated. Place the squash in a row on a baking sheet and bake for 45-50mins, or until fork tender. Next get your barley cooking, as this will take about the same amount of time as the squash. Add your barley to a pot of boiling water and cook until all the water has been absorbed, about 50mins. About half way through the squash and barley cooking, wash your greens well and give them a rough chop. Sauté with a little olive oil for about 4-5mins so that they wilt a bit but keep their nice green color. Add the greens to the cooked barley, with the juice of one lemon as well as 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss together and s&p to taste. Next, chop the hazelnuts and toast for a minute or two. Put your barley mixture in a bowl, add the roasted squash, and top with shaved parmesan cheese and toasted hazelnuts. Done!

I love potato cakes, so when I had a huge sweet potato leftover I decided to make myself a breakfast treat- sweet potato cakes with a lemony mustard greens and cilantro sauce.

Ingredients: (makes enough for 8 cakes total)

Cakes:
1 large sweet potato, diced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
S&P

Sauce:
Big handful mustard greens, rinsed well
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cilantro
Half lemon
S&P

Other:
Eggs
1 cap full cider vinegar (for cooking eggs)
Butter (for cooking cakes)

Put on a pot of boiling salted water. Wash and peel the sweet potato. Dice it up and add it to the water once boiling. When fork tender, drain and set aside.

Add some olive oil to a pan and cook the onion until translucent. Drop in the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the onions and garlic to the sweet potatoes, s&p to taste. Toss in the turmeric and red pepper flakes as well. Mash the ingredients until it’s a workable texture to create the cakes.

Get another pot of salted water boiling. Give the mustard greens a good rinse and add them to the boiling water. Cook about 4 minutes. Strain and squeeze out the leftover water. Add to food processor with sour cream, lemon, olive oil, and s&p. Give it a good mix. Add the fresh cilantro and pulse until incorporated.

Next butter up the pan. Form small patties of the sweet potato mixture and add to the pan. Cook until they start to brown, then flip over and brown the next side.

While the cakes cook. Boil some water for your eggs. Once it’s boiling, add a cap full of cider vinegar. This will help your poached eggs to be fluffy! It also helps to crack the egg into a small bowl and pour it into the water. This helps the egg to keep its shape. The small details can make a big difference!

Place your cakes on the plate. Add the poached eggs. And top with the mustard green sauce. I added some chopped curly parsley and squeezed a little lemon as well. Enjoy!

If you haven’t had greens in your smoothie before, then I could see how it might sound strange or unappealing. But it is GREAT! And great for you as well. My sister ordered her own green concoction the other day and it was so delicious that I ran out and bought all the ingredients myself. I’ve made it almost every day this week and notice immediately that it gives me a good boost when I’m feeling “off” at all. Give it a try! You’ll be surprised.

Ingredients:
Big handful raw kale, rinsed
1 cup almond milk (I use unsweetened original, but vanilla is good too!)
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg
Small handful raw almonds
Small scoop of protein (I used vanilla whey protein powder)

I’ve included other items like goji berries and dates for example. Basically anything that has good nutritional value I’m throwing in there. Using just the main ingredients (kale, almond milk and banana) is just as delicious…so you could always start there and experiment as you go.

Add all the ingredients together and blend away!

Something magical happened in the kitchen this morning. Homemade pumpkin pancakes! They were hands down the best pancakes i’ve made to date. I’m slowly getting closer to topping my fathers famous pancakes. I think I still have a ways to go though, his are abnormally delicious.

Ingredients:
(adapted from Pioneer Woman)

3 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin purée
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Butter
Maple syrup
Whipped cream
Chopped walnuts or pecans for topping

Mix together your dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and milk. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture in batches until fully incorporated and mixed well.

Butter your pan, or use non-stick spray. Pour small batches of the mix into the pan. Once you see a decent amount of bubbles, you know it’s time to flip. My dad always butters the pancakes after he flips them, which is a great idea because the butter melts into the pancakes. Yum! I always stack my pancakes on a big plate and cover with aluminum foil so they keep warm.
I had some leftover whipped cream in the fridge and thought it would be good idea if I mixed in a little vanilla extract. Turns out this was a GREAT idea. I topped my pancakes with maple syrup, chopped walnuts, and my vanilla whipped cream. I ate them standing up in the kitchen because I couldn’t wait to dig in.

I had some Japanese sweet potatoes and rutabaga from my CSA vegetables this week, both of which I had never cooked before. I also had a couple leftover carrots and scallions and wanted to use those up as well. I found a vegetarian shepard’s pie recipe and figured I would give it a shot. Plus I’m sort of stuck inside due to the hurricane, so I had a whole bunch of time to kill…

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Dula Notes)

1 cup lentils (I buy mine pre-cooked from Trader Joes)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped (I used half an onion and my leftover scallions)
2 small carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can corn
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop the sweet potato and rutabaga. Toss them both in a salted pot of boiling water. I wasn’t sure what either of these would taste like. The Japanese (white) sweet potato doesn’t taste like your regular sweet potato, it was almost like a normal potato and a sweet potato had a baby. And the rutabaga is from the turnip family. Mashed together they were really great!

While the potatoes and rutabaga are cooking, chop your onions (and/or scallions) garlic, and carrots. Once the potatoes/rutabaga are fork tender, put them in a big bowl, add your milk and butter, and mash away!

Add your oil to the pot and throw in the onions and garlic, cook one minute. Next mix in the carrots, cumin, thyme, and lentils.

Add the worcestershire, tomato paste, and 1 cup of water. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes.

Put your lentil mixture on the bottom layer of your dish. Spread the corn next, then top with your potato and rutabaga mash. Put in oven on 375 for 25-30mins.

This came out really great. And it’s healthy too! So I didn’t feel as bad later when I ate a dozen cookies…….