Easy Charred Cherry Tomato Jam

Homemade. Tomato. Jam. Amazing.

If your garden tomatoes have gone crazy this year, this is the recipe to the rescue. I do not have that problem.

All About Chocolate

Homemade chocolate offers the most rich, smooth depth of flavor, simply incomparable to any chocolate I’ve tried, even the expensive gourmet kind.

Amazing Black Bean and Quinoa Enchiladas

These turned out good. My husband couldn’t stop talking about them. I started out following a recipe from a cookbook, but after starting I realized I didn’t have almost any of the ingredients the recipe called for. So I took things into my own hands.

Antioxidant Cherry Berry Smoothie

Another green smoothie for you! What’s exciting about this one is that it is banana-free. Don’t get me wrong…I have nothing against bananas. In fact they are a staple in my kitchen. But I love this smoothie because it’s sweetened only with the most nutrient-dense, high-fiber, low(ish) sugar fruits. (No offense, bananas. I still love you and your lower fiber, higher starch attributes). Enjoy this nutritious start to your day!

Ingredients

• 2 handfuls spinach or chard (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 tbsp chia seed (optional)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (probably optional, but if you omit this, you may need to add more fruit to keep the spinach from overpowering the flavors)

Directions

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Granola Breakfast Cookies

Oat-y goodness like this is just good to have on hand.

These oat cookies are healthy and hearty so they make a great breakfast or snack, but sweet enough to make a satisfying dessert.

To be honest, writing baking recipes does kind of intimidate me…it’s such a science. As much as I love baked goods, I’m much more of a cook than a baker.

 

But I couldn’t find a oat cookie recipe that was exactly what I wanted, even to modify. So after lots of googling things like “correct flour to liquid ratio for cookies” and “benefits of using both baking soda and baking powder” I gave up and just took a stab at it. It worked!

I can tell these are going to be a staple in my kitchen from now on.

Ingredients
Use gluten-free certified oat products for that option
Makes 8 large cookies

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs ground chia seed (or ground flax)
• 2 tbs coconut sugar
• 1 tbs maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 tbs coconut oil, liquid
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 ripe banana, mashed

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix until well combined. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork or potato masher, keeping some chunks. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Scoop into mounds onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten/shape with your hands (they won’t spread at all). Bake until firm and brown around the edges, about 18 minutes in my oven. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a smear of nut butter or a cup of your favorite tea!

Apricot Jalapeno Fiesta Salad

 This salad is oh-so-good, folks. The apricots and jalapeno create the perfect accent to the flavor profile. Think of this as a taco salad, but….more exciting. 🙂

Ingredients

Salad:

• ~4 cups spring mix, or salad greens of your choice
• 1 ripe apricot, sliced
• 1/2 -1 avocado, sliced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 cups black beans

Dressing

• 2 1/2 tbs natural apricot jam
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tbs water (or as needed)
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• heaping 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbs diced shallot (about 1/2 plump shallot)
• salt to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients except water together until smooth. Add water in, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Prepare the salads by dividing the salad greens between 2 bowls, and arranging the apricot, avocado, jalapeno, and beans on top. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy! Recommended: serve with tortilla chips.