Baked vegetarian taquitos

Before I made this I hadn't had a taquito in probably 15 years. I haven't done a ton of looking around for them, but the ones you can find in the freezer section are definitely not vegetarian. They sometimes sound really delicious though. So I decided to create my own. The secret here is to not let them rest too long before baking because the tortillas will split open like mine did.

Ingredients:

10 corn tortillas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 of an onion, diced

1/3 green bell pepper, diced

1/3 red bell pepper, diced

1 roma tomato, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 can water

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

2 dashes cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it liberally with cooking spray. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and saute onion and bell peppers in oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add beans and water and stir to combine. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the beans are soft. Smash the beans with the back of a spoon (or fork) and mix until the beans become thick and relatively smooth, adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Allow this mixture to cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes. When the filling has cooled, take the tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds to allow them to soften. Take one tortilla at a time (and cover the rest) and spread about 2 spoonfulls of bean mixture about 1/4 of the way up the tortilla. Roll up tortilla as tightly as possible and place seam-side down on the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Spray the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas have crisped up and have begun to turn brown. Serve with salsa, guacamole, or lime-cilantro sour cream.

Lasagna with zucchini and mushrooms

Lasagna is one of those hit or miss dishes for me. I really dislike it when it is watery or when the ricotta is really grainy, which I find is quite often with a lot of frozen lasagnas. I actually thought I hated lasagna for a while but it turns out that when it is made well it can be really delicious. This is not one of those lasagnas out there that uses zucchini to replace the noodles, why would someone want that? The noodles are one of the best parts! This recipe makes two small lasagnas, which is perfect for me - I could make one veggie one and then throw spicy sausage into the other one for the boyfriend. You could just as easily eat one and freeze one for later.

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles, broken in half and cooked
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
dash salt
2-3 cracks black pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
1/2 a small box of mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease two small, rectangular baking dishes. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook zucchini and mushrooms for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Allow them to cool slightly before assembling the lasagna. Pour just enough pasta sauce into each baking dish to cover the bottom, then lay two cooked noodles on top in order to cover the entire bottom. Pour a bit more sauce on top of the noodles, then layer a scoop of ricotta on top and smooth it out, top this with some of the sauteed veggies, then a handful of mozzarella. Continue layering like this until you are out of ingredients. On the top layer, skip the ricotta so it ends with pasta, sauce, mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese begins to brown in spots. Allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Corn chowder

Soup is one of those foods that I could eat pretty much every day and be happy. This is a great soup to make at the end of summer or beginning of fall when there is plenty of good fresh corn around. The corn adds a nice amount of sweetness and crunch, which I balanced out with the creaminess of potato and the spices. It is delicious right out of the pot or, almost better, the next day after the flavors have had a chance to really come together.

Ingredients:

1/2 an onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 cups veggie stock
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 generous dash cayenne pepper (adjust to your liking)
4-5 cracks fresh black pepper
1 ounce cream cheese
salt, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pot over a medium-low flame and saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add potato and cover with veggie stock. Bring to a boil and place the lid on the pot but make sure it is cracked a bit so that a little steam can escape. Cook potato until it is very tender, about 10 minutes. It should be very easily broken down by a fork. Add corn kernels, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes. Blend the soup to your desired level of chunkiness, I pureed about half of mine. Then bring back up to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir to make sure it melts completely. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve topped with fresh corn and green onions if desired.

Pumpkin pie smoothie

Even though tomorrow is the first official day of fall, it already feels like fall to me. There are so many great things about fall; boots, cool nights, beautiful colors, cozy sweaters, and best of all, the food. This pumpkin smoothie really does taste like pie, and unlike a pumpkin spice latte, it actually has pumpkin in it. It is delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 an apple, chopped - I left the skin on and it was fine
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cup almond milk - I used unsweetened vanilla
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon instant oatmeal
5-6 ice cubes

Directions:

Place everything but the ice into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the ice cubes and blend until they are completely crushed and it is nice and thick, add more ice if you'd like it a little thicker.

Sweet potato, corn, and black bean enchiladas

This meal is so good. It is one of those meals that feels like it is really bad for you but really it is fairly healthy, especially if you limit the cheese on the top. I didn't really care about it being healthy so I loaded mine up with cheese. Make sure you let these rest a bit after you take them out of the oven, that way they can set up a bit and you make sure you don't burn your mouth.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon oil, divided
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup corn
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can enchilada sauce
6 corn tortillas
1/3 cup - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop sweet potato into small cubes and toss with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of oil. Roast in preheated oven for 15-25 minutes or until tender. While the sweet potato is roasting, heat remaining two teaspoons of oil in a small sauce pan. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender, add frozen corn and heat 2 more minutes, or until corn has heated through. Add black beans, garlic, cumin, and chili powder and heat for 2 more minutes so the beans warm through. Remove from heat. Add the sweet potato chunks when they are done and stir to combine, season with salt and pepper. Turn oven down to 350. In a small baking dish, place 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom. Take a corn tortilla and stuff with 1/4 cup (or so, just eyeball it) of filling and roll up. Place it seam side down in the pan and repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling. Once the pan is full pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Allow it to rest for about 5 minutes, then top with sour cream, avocado, lettuce, or whatever toppings you prefer.

Veggie pot pie

This is one of those meals that I had been meaning to make for a really long time but just never got around to it because it makes more food than one person can eat and I really don't like eating leftovers for days and days. I was really craving some comfort food recently so I decided to make it and I am so glad I did, it was exactly what I was in the mood for. It was creamy, full of veggies, and the crust was nice and flaky. I didn't brush mine with an egg wash, but next time I would so that the crust would turn nice and brown instead of how it looks in the picture.

Ingredients:

1/2 a small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/3 cup chopped broccoli florets, boiled
1/3 cup chopped green beans, boiled
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups warm veggie stock, or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 ounce cream cheese
5-6 cracks black pepper
salt, to taste
pie crust (store bought or make your own, recipe I used below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Either prepare your pie crust and place it in the fridge or if you're using store bought, just roll out one layer of it in the bottom of a pie plate. If you're making your own you'll do this step later). In a sauce pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute the onion, carrot, and celery for about 4-6 minute or until soft. Once they are soft, add the butter to the pot and allow it to melt. Once it is melted add the flour and stir to make sure that the flour is mixed into the butter. Cook this mixture for about two minutes, stirring to make sure nothing browns. Add the wine and stir until a thick paste forms and the wine cooks down. Slowly add the warm veggie stock, stirring while you add and allow this mixture to come to a simmer, once it simmers it will thicken considerably. Once it is nice and thick (this will take a few minutes), add the corn and peas and cook for about a minute more, then throw in the cooked broccoli and green beans. Stir in the cream cheese and season with garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, and more salt if needed. Turn off the heat and allow it to rest a bit while you roll out your pie crust. When rolling, split the dough in two parts, one for the top and one for the bottom. Place the bottom crust in the pie plate and then add your veggie mixture, place the top crust on and crimp the edges to seal everything in. Brush with egg wash if using. Place the pot pie in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the crust is brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

Pie crust:

1 cup flour
1/2 stick cold butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons ice water

Place flour, butter, and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times until the butter is broken up and it looks sandy. Add 2 tablespoons of water and turn it on again for a few seconds. Check the dough, add an additional tablespoon of water and turn it on again. Continue to do this until your dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Press into a ball and refrigerate until you need it.

Quinoa tabbouleh with chickpeas

I love middle eastern food but I rarely stock things like bulgur wheat in my cabinet. In this version of tabbouleh I used quinoa, something I almost always have on hand, instead of the traditional bulgur. I also added some chickpeas just to make it a little more substantial since I wanted to have it as a main course instead of a side dish. Feel free to leave them out if you don't like them or want it to be a little more traditional.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
Veggie stock (about a cup)
1/3 cup chopped cucumber
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely sliced red onion
1/3 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped and smashed and made into a paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Cook quinoa in veggie stock according to package directions, then fluff with a fork and cool in the fridge. While the quinoa is cooling, combine cucumber, tomato, red onion, and chickpeas in a mixing bowl. Add the cold quinoa and the parsley and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, combine garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir well to make it smooth and thick. While stirring, stream in olive oil and continue stirring until it is nice and incorporated. Taste it to check for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed. Pour this dressing over the quinoa and veggies and stir well. You can serve this right away or keep it in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors come together.

Fried Rice

I love fried rice, but depending on where you get your Chinese take out the fried rice may have mystery meat in it. I've seen bright pink chunks of meat in some restaurant's version. This recipe is really simple and tastes just as good as take out, plus it is probably healthier and there is zero chance of pink mystery meat. This comes together really quickly if you have leftover white rice or if you cook your rice in advance.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1 large (or two medium) carrots, chopped in small cubes
1/2 cup cooked peas
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon sriracha
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
5-6 drops sesame oil
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once pan is hot, cook your eggs by swirling them around the pan until they have set up. Then flip the egg over and cook for about 30 seconds, or until the egg has been fully cooked through. Remove the egg from the pan, cut it into pieces, and set it aside. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onions to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until have softened a bit. Add the carrot to the pan and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to soften them. Add the peas, sriracha, and garlic powder and stir to combine. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the rice. Stir and break up clumps of rice for about 3-4 minutes, or until the rice is heated through and has started to get some color from the oil and veggies. Add the egg and then the soy sauce and sesame oil and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly making sure none of the rice sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and serve with extra soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha so that people can adjust the seasoning to their preferences.

Pierogi

I have to admit, these do require a bit of work, but I think they are worth it. This recipe makes enough for several meals, which means that you can keep the leftovers in the freezer and have them whenever you'd like. You can pretty much top these with anything. I topped a few of mine with cheese and hot sauce and a few others with sauteed mushrooms, both were delicious. These work the best with leftover mashed potatoes since they are a little more sturdy to work with.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3/4 cup water
2 cups of cold mashed potatoes, seasoned however you'd like*

*I seasoned mine with butter, sour cream, cheese, leeks, and salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and garlic powder (and cayenne pepper if you're using it). Make a little well in the flour and add the egg and the yogurt. Slowly and gently combine the ingredients and then add water. Stir to combine and then turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead a few times to bring it together, then let it rest for a while. After it has rested, roll the dough out pretty thinly. Mine took up most of my counter space. You'll want it to be thick enough to make sure it doesn't tear but thin enough to not be gummy or tough. Using a cookie cutter or an upside down pint glass cut dough into 3-4" circles. Fill each circle with a scoop of cold mashed potatoes and press the sides together to seal. Repeat until you've used all of the dough. Store these in the fridge while you're working so that they can get nice and chilly. Once you're done filling them, take a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Drop 5-6 into the pot of water and stir to make sure they don't stick to the bottom. Cook them about 3 minutes, or just after they float to the top of the pot of water. Remove from the water and repeat until you've cooked all the dumplings. Allow them to cool a bit, then add as many as you'd like to eat to a saute pan with a little butter. Cook the dumplings for a few minutes over medium heat until they get a little crispy and brown on the bottom. Remove from heat and serve with whatever toppings you'd like.

You can freeze the rest of the boiled dumplings. To serve those just toss as many as you'd like into a saute pan with a pat of butter and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Then add about a 1/4 cup of water. Cover the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking until they are crispy and brown on the bottom, maybe 1 minute more.

Vegetable bouillon

I am about to share with you my ultimate cooking secret weapon. This is absolutely a staple in my kitchen, and if you've looked through some of my recipes you've probably seen that I use it in almost everything. It is so much better than store bought stock or bouillon cubes and is better than stock made with scraps, which is never that consistent. Yes, there is a lot of salt in this, but it also makes a lot of bouillon. I promise this still is less salty than store bought. Also, I originally found this recipe on a blog called "In Jennie's Kitchen" and you can certainly still find the recipe there, but I've made this a few times and I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes. The one below is my take on her original recipe.

Ingredients:

4 full sized carrots, tops cut off
3 ribs celery, cleaned
1 small onion
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms
1 leek, white and very light green parts only
10 sun-dried tomato halves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons salt

Directions:

Get out your biggest food processor. Roughly chop all vegetables and add them to the food processor. Turn it on and run it for about a minute until everything is starting to get smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the food processor on for another minute or two until everything is completely smooth and thick. Store it in the freezer. To use this as stock, dilute 1 teaspoon in 1 cup of hot water (then adjust to your liking).

Arugula and feta pasta salad

Pasta salad is one of the best summer foods. You can make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for a few days so you don't have to cook on super hot days. This pasta salad is a little different from how I normally make it (Dana posted that recipe to her blog, so if you want a non-creamy version you can get my recipe from her website). I loved the feta in here though, I used a fresh feta that almost dissolved into the vinaigrette to make it really creamy but still nice and light. If you don't have (or don't want) feta feel free to use cubes of mozzarella or swiss.

Ingredients:

1/2 box of pasta (shells or bow ties work well in this)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1 1/2 - 2 cups arugula
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons vinegar (white or rice vinegar)
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Boil pasta according to directions, once fully cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. While pasta is cooking, combine veggies and cheese in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine mustard, honey, dill, salt, and garlic powder together and mix well - it will create a thick paste. Add vinegar and whisk until it starts to loosen up. Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking until it is all combined. Add pasta to the veggies and cheese, then top with the dressing. Mix well until everything is coated in the dressing. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Watermelon salad

This salad is slightly spicy but is really refreshing on a hot day. This is a great way to use up the rest of a watermelon if you have some left over after a barbecue. Feel free to adjust the spice by adding or reducing the amount of jalapeno, or even replacing it with serrano peppers if you want it hotter.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped watermelon
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 a jalapeno, sliced
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
salt, to taste

Directions:

Place everything in a mixing bowl and stir to combine, season with salt according to your tastes.

Zucchini and feta cakes

One of the easiest veggies to grow in the summer is zucchini, which means you can almost always find someone looking to give a few away at the end of the season. This is a really good way to use them up. When you're making these just be sure to squeeze out as much water as you can from the zucchini.

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, shredded on a box grater
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
lemon wedges

Directions:

Squeeze out as much water as you possibly can from the zucchini and then place it in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the feta, egg, dill, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne and mix well. Stir in the flour and the baking powder and mix very gently until it is just combined (don't over mix). Heat a cast iron skillet over low heat and when it is hot (wait a minute or two for it to really heat up) add the oil. Place spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into the oil and gently push them into a flattened patty. Cook for about 3 minutes, flip, then cook for another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt while still warm, then serve with lemon on top. I served mine with arugula, lemon, and tomato and then a runny egg on top.

Soft pretzel sticks

Growing up we always called these "hot pretzels", I've been told that no one else says that. Just like no one else calls nachos "chips and cheese". Whatever, soft (hot) pretzels are delicious and relatively easy, although they do require a few steps and a bit of time. These are delicious served with cheese sauce or this mustard (or this mustard!).

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour
10 cups water
1/2 cup baking soda
coarse salt for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Combine butter, water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixture. Stir things together and allow it to sit until it becomes nice and bubbly and the yeast has dissolved into the water. Then add salt and flour and mix with a dough hook for 3-5 minutes on medium-low until the dough is smooth, elastic, and forms a ball that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead it for a few times by hand and then place back in your bowl. Cover with a towel and allow it to rise for 1 - 1.5 hours until it doubles in size. After it has risen, preheat oven to 425 and bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Cut dough in six pieces and roll each into a log with your hands that is about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut into sticks that are about 3-4 inches in length (or however big you want them, but just remember that they will puff up). Roll out all the dough, then drop four pieces at a time into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, then place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the boiled dough with coarse salt and repeat with dough until your cookie sheet is full. Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool pretzels on a cooling rack and continue with the rest of your dough.

Spinach artichoke dip

I love spinach artichoke dip. It's creamy, warm, and gooey, but it is also loaded with veggies which always makes me think that I'm being at least somewhat healthy. It is actually not that hard to make your own, feel free to change the amount of cheese or veggies to your liking. I've also added a shredded zucchini on occasion, which is also really tasty.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup veggie stock
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 a small onion, minced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a sauce pan, melt butter over low heat and add flour. Whisk together and cook for a few minutes until it is thick and bubbly. Slowly whisk in stock to the roux and simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken (it should be able to coat the back of a spoon). Season with garlic powder, pepper, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and stir until melted. In a separate pan heat oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes until softened. Add spinach and artichokes and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add this mixture to the roux. Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes so that everything comes together and is thick and bubbly. Transfer this to an oven-proof dish that is sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes, but watch it carefully. Serve with crostini or tortilla chips.

Raw vegetable flatbread

Sometimes I really just crave fresh veggies, especially if I've been eating heavy foods or eating at restaurants quite a bit. This flatbread is fairly light and is packed with veggies. We used to eat something like this growing up but I put my own spin on it. This recipe uses half a package of crescent rolls, you could double this to make a big one or you could use the other half for Cheaters' stromboli like I did.

Ingredients:

1/2 a package of crescent roll dough, pressed out into one rectangle
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dill
1 1/4 cup chopped veggies (any amount of each depending on what you like):
     -broccoli
     -carrot
     -cucumber
     -tomato
     -red onion
     -green pepper
     -red pepper
     -green onion
1/2 an avocado, mashed well
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of salt
1/2 a lime, juiced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions:

Cook crescent rolls according to package, remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. While it is cooling, mix cream cheese, garlic, salt, and dill together. In a separate bowl, combine avocado, sour cream, garlic, salt, lime, and cilantro together and mix until very smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag, cut one corner off the bag so that you can pipe it easily. Once crescent roll dough is mostly cooled spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Spread chopped veggies over the cream cheese and press down a bit to make sure it sticks. Take the bag with the avocado cream and pipe a small line over the entire flatbread. Cut in squares and serve.

Asian quinoa salad

I brought this dish to work for my coworkers recently and a few of them asked me to post the recipe here, so here it is guys! This recipe is really flexible, so feel free to add or change the veggies based on what you have on hand or what sounds good to you! The amount of each veggie is also really subjective so just use this as a guideline

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup veggie stock
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup cooked, shelled edamame
2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 sizable handful cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 a lime, juiced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, made into a paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 green onion, sliced in rings
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Cook quinoa in veggie stock according to package directions. While that is cooking, combine veggies and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. After quinoa is done cooking, allow it to cool for a while and then add it on top of the veggies. In a small mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients (oil through red pepper flakes) and whisk to make sure there are no lumps of garlic left. Add half the dressing mixture to the quinoa/veggie bowl and stir well. Taste and continue to add dressing until you're happy with the flavor of the salad. Serve warm or cold.

Blueberry muffins

Muffins are a great breakfast food or snack and the best part about them is that they freeze really well, which means that you can make a batch and then have them whenever you want. I like my blueberry muffins with a bit of lemon, but if you don't then just leave it out.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir in half the flour, all the salt, and baking powder and mix. Add in the buttermilk and the rest of the flour and stir until mostly smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin pans with liners and spray with non-stick spray. Fill muffin cups most of the way full with batter (they will look really full, thats ok!). Top with a sprinkling of sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

Lemonade by the glass

Lemonade is delicious and the powdered versions don't come close to the real thing. This recipe makes just one glass and uses just one lemon, which makes it really simple to throw together on a hot day. I typically make a huge batch of simple syrup and then store it in the fridge, which means that you can sweeten pretty much anything whenever you want.

Ingredients:

1 lemon, cut in eighths

3 tablespoons simple syrup*

1 1/2 cups cold water

ice

Directions:

Squeeze each section of the lemon into a glass, trying to get as much out of the lemon as possible. Add simple syrup to lemon juice and mix. Top with cold water and ice. Stir to combine. Add more syrup if necessary. 

*simple syrup is made by dissolving equal parts sugar and water together in a sauce pan. Simmer it for about 5 minutes, then allow to cool. 

Asparagus, sun-dried tomato, and olive quinoa

Quinoa has a ton of protein in it, which makes it a perfect food for vegetarians to rely on. This is served warm, but you could just as easily eat the leftovers cold as well. If you don't like olives you could swap them out for mushrooms. If you use the mushrooms instead just slice them and saute them with the asparagus.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons quinoa, rinsed
3/4 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup asparagus slices
1 tablespoon oil
3 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked in hot water
5-6 black olives, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper
salt

Directions:

Combine quinoa and water and cook according to package directions. While this is cooking, saute asparagus in oil over medium-low heat for about 5-6 minutes or until tender. Season asparagus with salt. Remove tomatoes from the hot water and slice in small pieces. When quinoa is finished, add parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and all of your vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.