Ingredients

Ingredients for asparagus pesto

• Approximately 18 spears of asparagus
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fresh cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Clean, trim, and separate your cauliflower into large florets. Blanch  diced potato and cauliflower chunks for approx 15-20 minutes in shallow, boiling water. Once the cauliflower is tender, remove from heat and strain in a colander.  Halt the cooking process by rinsing with ice cold water or plunging florets in a bowl of ice water.

2. While your veggies are boiling, make your pesto. Lightly blanch the asparagus and chill with icy cold water.  Add asparagus along with olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, parm, salt, pepper, basil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to blender or food processor and pulse gently.  Scrape the runaway bits off the side and pulse again until incorporated.  Set aside.

3. Saute onions with a tablespoon of oil, adding the garlic towards the end to prevent burning.  Add the cauliflower, potato, onion, and garlic to your blender or food processor and puree.

4. Transfer pureed cauliflower mixture to a large pot and add a cup and a half of vegetable stock.  Heat to medium-high, stirring frequently and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Once heated, reduce to low and add your evaporated milk or half+half and stir.

5. Season with salt, pepper, a half-tablespoon of  parsley and and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to taste. Once hot, remove from burner.

6. Top with a heaping spoonful or two of asparagus pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Garnish with red pepper flakes, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.  When it’s time to dig in, swirl your toppings into the soup to combine.

Veggie Fried Quinoa – From Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (or edamame)
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Sriracha, for serving

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add broccoli, carrots and zucchini to onion and garlic mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Heat corn and peas in the microwave then add to vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Once quinoa is finished, add veggies.

6. In a separate smaller skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat. Add eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces then . (I did these one at a time)

6. Add ginger, soy sauce, and green onions then gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Hoisin Meatballs – Damn Delicious

* Editor’s note: (I made these with beef as listed in the original recipe and I made them with ground turkey which was equally as delicious!)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sesame oil, Panko, ginger, egg, garlic and green onion. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs.

3. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.

4. To make the hoisin sauce, whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl.

6. Serve meatballs immediately with hoisin sauce, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Tilapia (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

• 4-ounces of fresh or frozen skinless sole, flounder, or other fish fillets, about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped finely in a food processor
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 8-ounce container soft 1/2 fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan (and a little more for sprinkling on top)
• 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

* Disregard the cottage cheese in the photo, that is for the casserole that i was making simultaneously…

Instructions:

I plan to post the rib recipe soon, however, it is a cumbersome process and getting Corey to give up the recipe is not easy, but fear not, I will get it out of him whether he likes it or not

Anyways, on to the goods. A big southern dinner of bone-lickin’ BBQ ribs is just not complete without the corn bread. I found a moderately healthy recipe (as healthy as cornbread gets) and was impressed with the results. The middle didn’t cook all the way though so I would check it first before you take it out. I was in a rush so I didn’t, we had two cornbread casualties as a result.

Healthified Corn Bread (Simplified recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk.)
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 cups fine or medium cornmeal
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar (you can add a bit more if you like your cornbread on the sweeter side)
• 11-oz can corn, drained
• 2 tbsp coconut or regular olive oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Mix the vinegar with the milk, and set aside.

2. Combine dry ingredients and mix very well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, corn, and milk-vinegar mixture.

4. Pour the wet into dry and mix until just mixed.

5. Pour into a greased 8×8 dish and bake for about 25 minutes (like I said, mine wasn’t done all the way through, so you may want to stick a toothpick in the middle to make sure, it may need some more time).

6. Let cool at least 15 minutes before trying to cut, or it will crumble.

Quinoa Corn Edamame Salad (Recipe from Eating Well, Living Thin(er))

Ingredients

• 1/2 cups frozen, shelled, edamame
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa (leftover is great)
• 1 green onion, sliced (just green parts) – We omitted this because we didn’t have them and I never buy them because you only use 1 and the rest go to waste but another great substitute would be yellow onion.
• 1/2 sweet red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Dressing

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Dash cayenne

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to instructions. I use broth instead of water though and for this recipe I cut the quinoa serving in half. So it says 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water; I used 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of broth, and it was the perfect amount. Allow quinoa to cool.

2. Put edamame and corn in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1:30. Drain well and cool completely.

3. In a large bowl combine the edamame, corn, quinoa, green onion (if using), red pepper, and cilantro.  In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, chili powder, black pepper, thyme and cayenne until emulsified.  Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.  Cover and chill for at least two hours. (For the sake of time, we didn’t do this but I’m sure it would really bring out the flavors if you have the time/patience)

Per Serving: Calories 133; Protein 7 g; Fat 6 g; Carbs 14 g; Fiber 3 g; Sugar 1 g; Sodium 82 mg

Jalapeno poppers

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 15 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tablespoon skim milk
• 1 1/2 cups crushed corn flake cereal

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese and mayonnaise. Stuff jalapeno halves with the mixture.
3. Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place crushed corn flake cereal in a separate small bowl.
4. Dip each stuffed jalapeno half into the egg and milk mixture, then roll in corn flake cereal to coat.
5. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Patriotic Cheesecake Squares

Herb and Panco Crusted Baked Tomatoes

Salt and Vinegar Kale Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Vegetable Strudel

Portobello mushroom burger (Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients

• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• Olive oil
• Seasoning – You can use Italian, a poultry seasoning, really anything!
• Salt and pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• Optional: bun, cheese, onion, basil or lettuce, tomato, mayo

Directions

1. Wash mushroom caps and scoop out the majority of the black part (no need to get aggressive with it)

2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices.

3. Brush mixture over mushroom caps. Sprinkle salt and pepper as needed right before you put it on the grill. Grill the mushroom caps 4-5 minutes per side.

You can also make mushroom skewers as a fun appetizer. Toss mushroom caps in the same mixture, thread on skewers and grill! Easy as it gets!

And that is when my torrid love affair began with this tummy-friendly delicacy. It is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy and when paired with any one (or more) of their wide variety of toppings (including healthy fruit options), you can pretty much guarantee nirvana. Well, at least that was my experience. This is truly a crowning moment for those of us whose bodies refuse to properly digest dairy. But even if you are one of the lucky folk who can eat anything, I suggest you give it a swirl (get it?)!

Frozen kefir can also be purchased at your local grocery store and to make this tale even sweeter, it’s only 90 calories per serving. And just to make sure my facts are correct, it is actually 99% lactose-free (which is as good as dairy-free in my book).

More on Starfruit and Lifeway Kefir

Lifeway’s Starfruit Cafe is a new, healthy, probiotic breakfast & dessert alternative. It serves custom kefir parfaits, smoothies and frozen soft-serve kefir with delicious toppings like fresh fruits, berries, granola and much more. All Starfruit treats are made with 99% lactose free Lifeway Kefir, which contains seven to ten billion CFU’s (colony forming unit) of twelve live and active, probiotic cultures per cup instead of the two or three typically found in yogurt. Probiotic cultures encourage the growth of good bacteria in your digestive system. They also care about the environment! All of their cups, plasticware and paper goods are all biodegradable and compostable.

• Boost your immune system and prevent infection; highest antioxidant amount of any fresh fruit
• Blueberry rich diets improve motor skills, memory and learning capacity. They are considered a “brain food” because of research showing that they can slow or even reverse many of the degenerative diseases associated with an aging brain. They’ve also been shown to help neurons in the brain communicate with each other more effectively, thus supporting memory
• Rich in dietary fiber, act as a cleansing agent and fight bacteria
• The darker the blueberry, the more antioxidant filled it is and will promote healthy skin and hair. Blueberries have more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds than any other fruit
• A handful of blueberries can help meet your daily fiber requirement, according to BlueberryCouncil.org
• They are on the dirty dozen list so you should buy them organic

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Feel free to share any awesome blueberry recipes you have