Green Beans with Lemon, Tarragon & Chia Seeds

This green beans with lemon
recipe is another one of those super simple, “too tasty and easy to be
true” dishes for an easy lunch or dinner side dish. Sometimes
demonstrating that you can grab one vegetable from your garden or the Farmers
Market, and easily turn it into a fairly complete meal or tide-over, is the
best way I can use my blog space! The chia seeds provide extra complete
protein and healthy fats to this, making it a decent light meal. And you can
always add more chia seeds to suit your own nutritional preference and taste.
So enjoy this one and let me know in the comments all the different ways you
did! I used some rattlesnake
beans
from my garden for this recipe.

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Chia Infused Zucchini Black Bean Burgers

Whenever I encourage my clients
to eat more plant based foods, the most popular response is, “but what
about the protein?” That’s where awesomely magical ingredients like chia
seeds come in handy. Nature’s miraculous formula of essential fatty acids,
protein, and fiber give chia seeds the unique ability to act like a binder
similar to an egg, helping to hold these burgers together, while also provide
a complete protein, in addition to the protein found in the beans and the
zucchini. When a plant provides a complete protein, it means it delivers all
the essential amino acids that your body can’t produce and therefore need to
be consumed in meals. So, whip up a batch of these babies and take them on
your next summer picnic! Read More


Seared Chinese 5-Spice Figs with Cashew Cheese

Okay, I warned you that there
would be more than one post for figs this week. Here is a very simple and
quick way to enjoy figs on a lazy summer Sunday. Even the cashew cheese is a
“quick” version that does not require fermenting or any other drawn
out process. The figs used in this recipe were Turkish figs, which have
gorgeous striped outer skin, but you can use any tree ripened fig. I hope you
get an opportunity to enjoy this soon. Read More


Cocoa-Mint Spirulina Chia Pudding

Spirulina has been around the
block a few times with all of us. But in spite of its past trendiness and ups
and downs with the limelight, it is definitely worth keeping in your pantry
due to its many awesome nutritional benefits. Luckily for all of us, there
are companies out there that are passionate about keeping spirulina relevant
in our lives and finding new, innovative ways to deliver it to us. Whenever
that happens, if I happen to be in the know, I get my hands on it and get to
work seeing what can be done to enjoy it the best ways possible. That brings
us to this incredibly simple dessert that is more of a nutrition powerhouse
than it is a transitional dessert, packed with almost 20 grams of vegan
protein, vitamin b12, and essential fatty acids. It can be enjoyed as a
sugar-free dessert, or as a quick breakfast or snack on the run. This
immediately became a regular in my kitchen. It is worth adding that it’s also
paleo and keto friendly! Read More


Roasted Yam Salad with Kale & Figs

Warning: Fig season is here!
Which means that I may post more than one recipe with figs over the next
week or two. Since figs are one of those fruits that you simply can’t find
when they’re out of season, just enjoy and soak it up while you can!
I’ll start with this easy mid-week salad that can practically serve as a
weeknight meal, a lunch, or a side dish with something off the back yard
grill. These figs were given to me by my neighbor, artist Bill
Wheele
r.
The roasted yams and onions seem to give
the figs and kale a nice caramelized hug…yes I said hug!! You can even
roast the yams on your barbecue if you want, for some extra smoky flavor.
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Cauliflower Diablo Tacos with Mango Slaw

It’s
hard to overlook cauliflower’s recent rise to food fame. It seems like
everyone is going bananas for this cruciferous, that until now has endured a
long reputation as a pretty boring vegetable. It’s because cauliflower is
undeniably and extremely good for you, and therefore, more and more people
are looking at ways to bring cauliflower to the forefront of their dinner
plates. But what happens when you just want a good old taco? Can
cauliflower hold up to carne asada, carnitas, or shrimp? Well, I gave it a
whirl last night and it came out pretty yummy. Check out this vegan spin-off
of the Baja style shrimp taco and decide for yourself.
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