Recipe: Loaded Salad

Loaded salads are baaack!

I remember planning for a vegan pregnancy. 2 months into the pregnancy and I craved a hamburger. I still ate a lot of #veggies and fruit, but meat was back on the menu. Salads weren’t satisfying anymore, which totally bummed me out. Any of you who’ve dealt with pregnancy cravings KNOWS what I’m talking about when I say, “What baby wants, baby gets!” Now I’m past breastfeeding and starting to feel more in control of my eating. Enter stage left, the grand and ggloriousLOADED SALAD!! This salad tastes great and fills my belly.
Ingredients per salad:
5 oz lettuce
1 roma tomato, diced
3 sweet mini bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup hummus
3 tablespoons spicy nut mixture
1/4 cup salsa for salad dressing
5-6 kalamata olives, pitted

Directions:
🍅Using large bowl, layer in this order
🍅Lettuce
🍅Salsa sprinkled on lettuce
🍅Hummus in corner with kalamatas on top
🍅 Tomatoes in 2nd corner
🍅Bell peppers in 3rd corner
🍅Peanut mixture in 4th corner

Optional toppings:
Radishes
Avocado
Celery
Carrots
Seeds – chia, sunflower, and/or #pumpkin

Fill your belly and feel great! I’ll see you at the table!

Recipe: Stuffed Bell Pepper and Steamed Asparagus

17438080_494117124045466_2501886692655366144_nHealthy veggie based meal: stuffed bell pepper and steamed asparagus.
Ingredients:
4 yellow bell peppers, tops cut out and seeds rinsed out
1 package of saffron rice, prepared per package directions
1 roma tomato, small dice
1 zucchini, small dice
1 small yellow onion, small dice
3 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook saffron rice per package directions
3. On medium heat, saute onion and zucchini in olive oil or water for 5 minutes, then add tomato and garlic and saute for 1 minute.
4. Add cooked rice, parsley to zucchini mixture and stir to combine. Using a tablespoon, scoop rice mixture into bell peppers.

Note: You can use other bell peppers, but I prefer the mild, sweeter flavor of yellow.
5. Place 4 stuffed bell peppers into 8×8 glass baking dish. Add water around the outside of peppers, 1/3 the way up the pepper.
Note: If you’re preparing ahead of time, store in refrigerator for up to 2 days, covered in plastic wrap. Add water when ready to bake.

6. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the skin of peppers begins to wrinkle. If your peppers are really thick, you may need 5-10 more minutes. Better to over bake than under bake.
7. Serve with steamed asparagus.

For a more robust meal, serve with crusty bread and large green salad.
I’ll see you at the table!

Restaurant Review: Subway – Utah

subwayI was running between appointments starving but needed something fast for  lunch. So, thought I’d give Subway another try. Pleasantly surprised to find they have a Veggie Patty option now. It was surprisingly tasty, moist and filling. Trying to avoid too many bread carbs, I went with the 6″ size. Loaded with as many veggies as you like, it’s a pretty good option. Mine had spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, banana peppers, and green bell peppers. I opted for sriracha for sauce instead of mayo or mustard. All-in-all, I thought the service at The District Subway was great – friendly, reasonably fast, and helpful.

 

Restaurant Review: Finca – Utah

finca

Restaurant review: Finca is a little slice of Spanish divine cuisine in Sugar House. Met a friend for business lunch to discuss my upcoming trip to Spain (stay tuned for awesome restaurant reviews in late December). James Gehrke is quite the foodie too, so I knew this would be an epicurean delight! When I showed us, he had the cheese and fruit platter already at the table. Nibbling on almonds, grapes, manchego cheese, crispy toasts and dried fruits, we asked the helpful waitress for suggestions. She highly recommended a tapas assortment since it was both our first time there. We enjoyed sardines on creamy cheese spread with sauteed onions and bellpeppers… an explosion of salty creamy sweetness. Wow. The moist meatballs, albondigas, floating in a creamy tomato sauce were mildly spiced but oh so delicious! Garbanzo beans with chard and butternut squash was a wonderful autumn inspired vegan dish. My favorite dish was the roasted brussel sprouts… My mouth is watering again thinking about that dish. Totally looking forward to returning for dinner sometime soon. Simply put into one word: fantastic.