Chard Pesto

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The chard in our garden is extremely plentiful now.  It is so full and no joke, chest high.  I’m no shorty either, standing 5’7.  While I love seeing greens grow abundantly, chard is one where I sometimes am at a loss for how to use it.  It has a very distinct flavor, and can often be very bitter.  I have tossed it into green juices and chopped it up for veggie bowls, but I wanted to make something where chard was the star.

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I’ve seen a lot of pestos using a variation of nuts, greens, and other ingredients, so why not try one with chard?

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The basil helps balance the bitterness of the chard while the walnuts add a mild nutty flavor.  I mixed mine into my favorite brown rice pasta, but it would be so tasty spread on sandwich bread or mixed into a vegetable bowl.

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Chard Pesto:

  • 2 cups chopped chard – mine was 2 large leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves – minced
  • 4-5 basil leaves- ripped up
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • salt & pepper – I used a few dashes
  • 1/4 cup parmesean ( I used a vegan mix of walnuts and nutritional yeast) or 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast – can use regular fresh parmesean if you eat diary
  • juice from 1 small/med lemon
  • olive oil – enough to get things moving

Pack everything into a food processor.  Feed olive oil in, slowly, to get things moving.  blend until smooth.  Smother on your favorite pasta, sandwich, veggies, whatever you can think of.  Enjoy!

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Benefits of chard?  This beautiful green is packed with antioxidants and helps regulate blood sugar (helps pancreas too!).  It is a great source of vitamins C, E, calcium (strong bones!!), beta-caretine, and rich in phytonutrients –>  anti-inflammatory.  Eat up!!

{ source whfoods.com }

 

No Bake Peanut Butter & CC Cookies

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I’m dating the Cookie Monster, not sure if I have told you that yet.  He goes by Erik, but he is for sure the Cookie Monster in disguise.  Though I can get him to eat heaps of veggies and fruits, I cannot keep him from his cookies.  He can down a box of the big, soft, yummy Costco cookies in no time.  I have NO idea where it goes (damn you genetics and being a girl!! ).  Seriously though, boy loves him so coooookies!!

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I’ve neglected this fact so I decided to whip something up before he turned to some boxed crap-ola from the grocery store.  It happens way more than I’d like to admit.

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Raw peanut butter chocolate chip cookies; tasty?  Yes!!  Good for you?  Yes!!  They are gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.  Go ahead, try them out :-)  They won’t hurt the waistline at all!

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cup gluten-free oats + 1/4 cup reserved
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (organic) peanut putter – the natural kind, no jiffy ;-)
  • 3 tbsp agave
  • almond milk – enough to get things flowing in the food processor
  • 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips – reserved

Toss everything in a food processor except the 1/4 cup of oats and the chips.  Add a little almond milk to get things flowing, just about a tablespoon.  Careful not to get the dough too wet.  When well combined, hand mix in chocolate chips and remaining outs.  Roll into balls (it will get a little messy) and refrigerate for at least a half hour.  I lightly pushed mine down with a fork to make them more flat.

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What are you getting in these cookies??  A lot of good stuff, actually.  Oats (good quality) are high in fiber, keeping you full longer and help fight breast cancer, help low cholesterol, and help stabilize blood sugar.  Good quality, natural peanut butter is a good source of monounsaturated fat (healthy heart), vitamin E, folate (helps cells and nerves), protein, and a powerful antioxidant.   Not too shabby for a cookie

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Snaps!

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Oh Snap!  Getting back into the posting routine is feeling pretty darn good.  I’m excited to bring back snaps!  my weekend week recap.  Last week was pretty packed with a girls night dinner Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Apparently Erik time was on the back burner :-(   He’s a sport though and knows girl time is needed and very important!  Friday I got to hit up one of my long time favorites in the OC, Habana with by bestie.  The lovely spring weather made patio dining perfect.

Saturday was perfect beach weather.  Erik and I hit up Santa Monica for several hours.  It was the first time we’d been to a beach since our trip.  I’m not sure where my tan went from laying on a beach for 5 weeks, but it definitely was not present on Saturday.  Quite depressing :-(   We spent Saturday night cooking dinner, watching movies, and enjoying a delicious bottle of Frey Wine.  It’s not easy to find, but if you come across it, I totally recommend it.  It’s a family run winery where they grow organically and bio-dynamicly.  It is different tasting though because there are no sulfates, but I think that lends to its unique flavor.

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No plans on Sunday made for a productive yet relaxing time.  I enjoy these days so much.  We swam one of the dogs for what felt like hours and hours, planted some new vegetables, made cookies, did some shopping, cleaned, and of course enjoyed some Game of Thrones and Mad Men!

Here are a few snaps!  Hope you all enjoyed your weekend, here’s to a fresh new week <3

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{ planing beets. Check out those roots!!! }

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{ super dog! }

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{ cuddles with Ren and Erik }

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheezzzzy Sauce

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Happy Friday!  Told ya I’d be back this week with some recipe posts!  Sure It’s Friday and I’ve only gotten around to one post, but it’s a start, right?!  Moving right along ;-)

Erik and I were wandering the grocery store the other day hoping something would spark our interest for a dinner idea.  We were in that zombie starving state of mind where we thought everything would take like a bazillion hours to make or just wouldn’t be satisfying enough.  We ended up with a some beers and decided to order in, still took a bazillion hours!  How is it that in a huge store filled with food it is sometimes so hard to figure out a meal??

DSC_0611    Before we bailed, we were in some random isle gazing around when Erik picked up the bright blue and yellow box from childhood, the Mac ‘n Cheese.  He asked why I couldn’t just be easy and whip up that poison in a box some easy comfort food.  Seriously?  It was like he forgot who he was dating.  I’ll blame it on the hunger.  Ugh, sorry but I cannot believe that use to suffice as a meal when we were kids.  Even though I wouldn’t touch that now, it did make me want to make a way healthier and vegan version.

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This was super easy to throw together!  You could enjoy it straight from the pot or bake it with some breadcrumbs for some real comfort food!!

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Vegan Mac and Cheese:

  • 1 package of GF Pasta – I used a quinoa pasta
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 med potato – peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion – chopped
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (I think any non dairy milk should do)
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • juice from 1 small lemon
  • 1 garlic clove – minced
  • 3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast (add to liking)
  • 1 tsp salt – I added a little more for taste
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder
  • dash of cayenne pepper – i gave it a large dash
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Optional:  bread crumbs
  1. If baking, pre-heat oven to 375.  Grease a small oven safe dish, preferably a 9×9.
  2. Prepare pasta according to directions.  If baking, place cooked pasta in dish.
  3. In a small saucepan, bring the 1 cup water, potato, and onion to a boil for a few minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. (This was actually when I cooked the pasta)
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients to a high-powered blender, preferably a Vitamix.  When potato and onions are done, add to blender, with water.  Blend for a couple of minutes until completely creamy.
  5. Spread cheese mixture over pasta, folding and mixing with pasta.  When combined top with bread crumbs.
  6. Cover with fold and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and broil for another 5 minutes.  Watch closely to not burn the bread crumbs.  Remove and cool slightly, serve and enjoy!!

DSC_0622Far from the standard baked Mac and Cheese full of fat and unhealthiness, this dish will not leave you feeling guilty.  Some pros: Quinoa (in the pasta) is a complete protein, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is high in calcium.  Creating a non dairy, non soy cheese sauce, has pluses too.  The cashews are a low-fat nut, rich in copper, and magnesium (healthy nerves and bones!)  Turmeric is also amazing an amazing addition.  It helps the body is SO many ways, a couple being a huge anti inflammatory and aids in prevention of disease (cancer).

So go ahead and blend up some creamy, healthy, hearty cheese sauce and enjoy over some yummy pasta!

And, I’m Back!!

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Hey hey hey!!

Probably thought I was gone for good, huh?  Nope, still here.  I’m not going to get into all the crazy details, but I will give you a brief explanation for the absence.  Erik and I took a 5 week vacation in the beginning of February, and while I was trying to post from the ten places we went to, I completely failed.  To be honest, I was just not in the mood to write and was trying to enjoy every minute of being detached from “real life”.  When we got home, I tried to recap the remaining places, but again, failed.  I had to take a week-long vacation out to DC (rough life) for a family wedding, followed by a trip to Colorado for work.  Needless to say by the end of March, I was exhausted from traveling.  I spent all my free time catching up on work, with friends, laundry (never seemed to end), and getting my life back in order.  I finally feel put back together and ready to post again!

Yep, I’m back and feeling super inspired to share so much with you!!

I’ll be back this week with some fun new recipes, but until then, I’ll share some pictures from the last half of our travels.

{ Erik. crossing the Costa Rica / Panama boarder }

{ Erik. crossing the Costa Rica / Panama border }

{ chita. monkey love }

{ chita. monkey love }

{ Bocas del Toro, Panama }

{ Bocas del Toro, Panama }

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{ boat ride in San Juan del Sur }

{ boat ride in San Juan del Sur }

Ometepe, Nicaragua

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The island of Ometepe. Well this update will be fast seeing as I couldn’t get off the island fast enough!

Before I launch into why this was my least favorite spot, I understand why some people love it, we just aren’t those people! The island of Ometepe sits in Lake Nicaragua. It has two large volcanos, one of which is active. When we visited Granada last year, we took a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua. We heard such great things about Ometepe, we knew we had to include it in this years travels. There are basically two sides to the island to stay on, the side you arrive, which doesn’t have much more than a neat museum on it, or other side closer to all the outdoor activities. We chose the active side. After a $30 cab ride we arrived to a place where they suddenly didn’t have room for us. Not only did they not have room, the next 5 places our cab driver tried were all full. We finally found a place on the “beach”. We spent the first afternoon researching ways to get to activities which included kayaking, hiking, visiting a large permaculture farm, and seeing the “Ojo de agua”. We found out we could not walk to any of the activities, but we could rent atv’s for $70 or take a cab for $30 each way. Then we had to pay to do the activities. The reviews on the kayaking and volcano hike were average, which bummed us out even more. We realized we would have to spend a lot just to get somewhere (when we felt like we were so close) only to do a mediocre activity?! We decided to stop wallowing in how disappointed we were and get some food and drinks. All I can say is we probably ate more bugs than actual food. Their beach restaurants, which are the only ones walkable, were completely taken over by some little fly gnat things. Im talking EVERYWHERE. We even went in the water and realized we couldn’t swim far enough to get away. Definitely not the best day.

Day two, after walking up to an ant infestation and covered in bug bites, we decided to turn it around, try to have a better outlook, and do the one thing we could walk to, Ojo to Agua. It was described as a large mineral water spring. After a long walk along a volcano in 95 degree heat, through a cow pasture, and then through a palm tree farm, we arrived. Majorly disappointed, yet again. It was basically a public swimming pool. Covered in bugs,again. And Mosquitos. It was terrible. We were so hot though, and had a long track back, so we quickly jumped in then out and bailed. Even though we were trying to make the best of it, we decided that place wasn’t for us and we didn’t need to waste any more time. We stayed one more night then took the first ferry out!! The topper on the way out was rushing to get the 10am ferry that was randomly cancelled so we got to sit in the hot sun until noon. Yay! Not :(

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Corn Islands, Nicaragua

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Oh my, the Corn Islands.

We were pretty bummed to leave Roatan, but we read such great things about the Corns, so we were pretty excited to get there. After an extremely uncomfortable evening of travel (slept in the Managua, Nicaragua airport…SCARY) we arrived on Big Corn Island early in the morning. From what we read, Little Corn was the best island for us, so we cabbed over to the ferry. The island is only accessible by these specific large speed boats. By far the craziest boat ride yet. They CHARGED through the open ocean, powering through gusty winds and huge waves. People were getting soaked, a few sick, and Erik walked away with a bruised wrist from my death grip (I was freaking out on the inside).

Anyway, once we got to the Island, we cruised to the other side. There are no cars, only bikes and your feet, pretty cool! The side we stayed on was breathtakingly beautiful. In contrast to the side we arrived on, which had a tiny beach and seemed to be pretty much just for divers, our side was a white sandy beach with crystal blue green water. There was nothing more than some random huts people rented, including us. I fell in love.

Our few days there were spent completely relaxing…laying out, reading, beach walks, good food and drinks. I loved almost every minute of it. Almost, because I’m pretty sure the apocalyptic wind and rain storm that hit one night made me think our tin roof would be torn off and I would get washed away in some crazy storm. Yeah, I have a rather vivid imagination sometimes, especially when I don’t sleep a wink.

Sadly though after a few days of paradise it was time to continue on our way. We spent on more day and night on the Big Corn and then said goodbye to that little paradise off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.

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Hope you guys are enjoying the updates! Thanks for following!!