Crunchy Veggie Medley with Fresh Lime

This fresh pop of flavor is great as a snack, on tacos, 

as part of a salad, or anything you can think of! 

Crunchy Veggie Medley with Fresh Lime:

1 organic cucumber

1 organic red yellow pepper

1 organic green pepper

2-3 organic celery stalks

1 organic lime

Optional: fresh spearmint and a variety of other crunchy veggies like red peppers!

Dice the veggies to the size of your liking (I think the smaller, the better), combine them in a bowl, and top with the juice from the lime to taste. That's it!

Healthy Life Tip: prep this at the beginning of your week and separate into several different grab-and-go servings for an easy snack! 

Pairs excellently with these BBQ Seitan Skewers 

and may also want to check out this Pepper & Lime Salsa:

         

Rosemary & Thyme Potato Wedges

Rosemary & Thyme Potato Wedges:

6-8 organic Russet potatoes

organic extra virgin olive oil

fresh organic rosemary

fresh organic thyme

ground organic black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the potatoes and then cut them into wedges. Toss in a large mixing bowl with EVOO until coated. Then stir in the rosemary, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper.

Add them to a glass roasting pan and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, flip them over and add more EVOO if needed and put back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until they begin to brown.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Enjoy these as a side to your protein and other veggies in a main meal, or even serve as an appetizer to dip in this Avocado Lime Dip:

Warmed Sweet Potato w/Avocado Lime Spread

After making a batch of Avocado Lime Spread for my Quinoa Veggie Burgers, I had plenty of spread left over and didn't want any to go to waste so I looked around to see what else it would pair well with. I decided to bake a sweet potato and it turns out they are the perfect combination of tangy and sweet and can be a great snack, or a perfect little side dish! 

So easy too!

Warmed Sweet Potato w/Avocado Lime Spread: 

Organic Sweet Potato(s) - the quantity will depend on how much you want to make. Consider 1/2 sweet potato per person.

For the spread:

2 organic avocados
1 organic garlic clove, minced
1 organic jalapeño, chopped
juice from 2 organic limes
1/2 tbsp freshly chopped organic cilantro (more to taste)
1/8 tsp organic cumin

Simply bake sweet potatoes (skin on) at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the Easy Avocado Lime Spread and set aside.

Once soft, peel the skin off (it should be very easy to remove at this point) and then slice into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Top with spread and enjoy! 

6 Classic Recipes for a Healthier Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving doesn't have to be an unhealthy mess. Here are 6 ways to make some classic dishes taste amazing without throwing your body under the bus.


Tahini-Garlic Mashed Potatoes: These 0 cholesterol, low sodium mashed potatoes are creamy and tasty without any butter or nonsense!





Homemade Cranberry Sauce: This amazing, guilt-free, and fresh tasting cranberry sauce leaves the preservatives, sugars, cholesterol, and sodium behind! A must! 0mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, and only 70 calories for a 1/4 cup serving!




Thanksgiving Gravy: A thanksgiving must-have that won't clog your arteries while you enjoy it! With only 35mg sodium and 10mg cholesterol in a 1/4 cup serving, you can enjoy this gravy without worry.





Bacon, Cranberry, and Mushroom Stuffing: A twist on the traditional stuffing drastically reduces sodium to only 180mg per serving, contains 8g protein, and only 3.5g fat! A must-try that is packed with flavor!





Warm Winter Greens Salad: Start your meal off with this warm and flavor-filled salad. With 0mg cholesterol it will help digestion and prepare your palate for the flavors to come! Great ad-on tips in the recipe too!





Winter Squash Crostini: This fun and healthy spread is great to serve as guests arrive

For More:

Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Strips!

Easy Vegan Version Coming Soon. 

Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Strips:

Makes 12 Strips:

2 organic zucchini 

6 tablespoons organic panko breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons organic Italian breadcrumbs

2 organic egg whites

4 tablespoons organic flour

5 tablespoons organic vegan parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Optional Seasonings: organic parsley, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

Spread flour onto a dish and set aside. Scramble both egg whites with about 2 tablespoons of water, place onto a separate dish and set aside. Mix both types of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese together. Add any optional seasonings of your choice to breadcrumb/cheese mixture and place onto a separate dish and set aside.

Cut each zucchini into 6 strips by first cutting in half lengthwise, then cutting each half into 3 individual strips.

One strip at a time, first roll in flour, then egg whites, then into breadcrumb mixture covering it fully, and place onto parchment paper. 

Bake for 15-20 or until strips become crispy, checking occasionally. Serve with a side of maranara sauce and enjoy! 

For a quick and healthy maranara sauce you can make while your strips are cooking, check out my Quick, Clean, & Easy Marinara Sauce.

Helpful tips: To help four stick initially, I dab zucchini on all three sides with a very little amount of water. Also, make sure egg is covering all of the zucchini strip before dipping into breadcrumbs while also letting any excess egg fall off first.

Nutrition Info for a serving of 3 sticks:

161.3 calories, 2.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 4.4mg cholesterol, 231mg sodium, 26.5g carbs, 1.2g fiber, 2.6g sugar, 8.5g protein

Minted Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta Cheese

Minted Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta Cheese:

Orzo Salad:

8oz organic whole wheat orzo (Delallo)
28oz rinsed, drained organic chickpeas
2oz organic crumbled vegan feta cheese
3/4 cup chopped organic white onion (could also use red)
6 tablespoons chopped organic fresh basil
3/4 cup chopped organic mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped organic celery

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup organic red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground organic black pepper
1 organic garlic clove finely minced
1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons organic agave

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in blender and pulse until combined, then set aside.

Begin cooking orzo as directed on package. Thoroughly rinse and drain chickpeas and put into large bowl. Chop onion, basil, mint leaves, and celery and add to bowl. Once pasta is cooked completely, rinse gently to cool and remove excess starch (note: only rinse pasta when including in cold dishes such as this one). Once cool, add orzo to bowl with other ingredients and fold ingredients together gently. Next, slowly drizzle vinaigrette over salad while continuing to fold over ingredients until coated. Once coated, top with feta and set any extra vinaigrette aside.

Makes 6 servings. Works as a great side dish to a cleanly prepared protein. Also packs well for an easy to-go lunch.