Meatless Meatballs

I am not solely a plant-eater, but these meatless meatballs are the best I've ever had!  Not only are they packed with delicious flavor, but the texture rivals the real deal.  Perhaps the best part?  The recipe requires 5 ingredients: cheese, breadcrumbs, onion soup mix, eggs and nuts.  Voila!

However, as always, feel free to play around with this.  I like to do half cheddar, half Parmesan... and I'm sure mozzarella would also be yummy.  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I like pine nuts, SO THERE.  Nut allergy?  I bet finely chopped mushrooms would offer a delicious "meaty" quality.  And while we're talking vegetables, chopped spinach, carrots or zucchini would be ideal to sneak in for some added nutrition.  The possibilities are endless!  

My friend sent me the recipe, and she swears the longer you let them simmer in the marinara, the "meatier" they become.  But you could also let them simmer in a broth for a soup, or a cream sauce or, or... I don't know.  You tell me.  Food is exciting!!  I hope you enjoy.     

Meatless Meatballs

Yields: 15 meatballs

Printable Recipe

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 envelope Onion Soup Mix

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup grated Cheddar

3/4 cups pine nuts, toasted

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

After toasting the pine nuts, place in a food processor and grind until nuts become fine and powdery.  Remove to a large bowl, and mix in all the other ingredients.  Combine and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, allowing mixture to set.  Preheat oven to 375, lightly grease a baking sheet, and roll into balls (roughly golf ball-sized).  Bake for 20 minutes.  If desired, you may then simmer meatballs into a sauce (the longer they simmer, the "meatier" the texture).  Enjoy!

  

Kale, Quinoa and Chicken Salad

People, it's hot.  Like, real hot.  Like, I thought I'd sit outside for a minute with my computer and let my just-showered-hair (after 3, fine 4 days) dry in the summer breeze until I realized my boobs were already sweating HOT.  When it's this hot, I feel the need to eat really light, probably because my body feels bloated and heavy and I also want nothing to do with the kitchen.  This is, eat lots of vegetables (and sip white wine for lunch?) type of weather.  But I always forget how easy it is to throw a salad together for lunch.  For some reason it doesn't SEEM easy, but with leftovers involved and some minor weekend prep, a week-day salad can be effortless.  See the one I just made below...

Kale, Quinoa and Chicken Salad

Serves 3

Printable Recipe

1 bag frozen quinoa with vegetables* (or 2 cups cooked quinoa)

3 cups baby kale

1 cup shredded roasted chicken

1 avocado, diced

3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1/3 cup crumbled greek ricotta** (or goat cheese, or feta)

Balsamic glaze

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Prepare quinoa as instructed on bag (I did this Sunday night and kept it in tupperware).  Assemble rest of ingredients and toss.  Drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

*Found this in the organic section of the freezer.

**Sometimes I get in a feta/goat cheese rut, so I tried this Greek ricotta the other day and I'm OBSESSED!  So creamy.

Snacking Chocolate

I recently discovered that 'snacking chocolate' is a thing that exists in this world.  Now tell me... what is a more brilliant than taking wholesome foods like nuts, seeds, pretzels and coconut, covering them in dark chocolate, sprinkling them with sea salt and proclaiming to the world, eat this snack and feel good about it!?  I'll tell you what's more brilliant... saving some money and making your own.  It's basically chocolate bark... but if you call it 'snacking chocolate' it's much more acceptable to eat at various times throughout the day, like for a pre-breakfast snack and a mid-morning snack and a pre-lunch snack and then a post-lunch snack and a mid-day snack and so forth...

It's super easy to make.  Just scatter whatever you want on parchment paper, in my case pumpkin seeds and broken-up pretzel pieces...    

Melt good quality dark chocolate in the microwave for 30-second intervals.  Pour over snacks using a rubber spatula to spread (it won't be perfect, but that's the beauty of snacking chocolate!), and immediately sprinkle with sea salt (if desired)...

Let harden on counter or in fridge, and then break apart.  Snack away!

Winter Granola (by Inspired Spoons)

Can you believe I have a sister who's still in college?  That makes me so young!!  (I won't mention our large gap in age.)  Her name is Georgia, and she's actually going to graduate soon (I'm still young) from Syracuse as a Nutrition major, and I am certain she will leave her stamp on the food world!  Just check out her beautiful and nutritious culinary creations on her blog, Inspired Spoons, or her Instagram account.  You might be thinking, wait... YOU have a sister that makes wholesome, plant-based foods?  YOU, that girl who fries cookie dough, loves short ribs and would eat cheese in her sleep if that were possible?  Well yes, I do, and I'm telling you that Georgia's blog does just what it says it will do... it INSPIRES you, to try new things and eat better.  

For instance, I've never really been into granola.  It's not something I dislike, per say, but it's also not something I seek out.  Until I tried Georgia's "Winter Granola" (which I've named after the subtle flavors it offers like cinnamon and pumpkin spice and cranberries), and I absolutely couldn't put it down.  I asked her if she would share the recipe, and she did.  I made a batch yesterday with the intention of giving some of it away, but I don't think that's going to happen.  IT'S ALL MINE!

Thanks, G :)

Winter Granola, by Inspired Spoons

(Makes approx. 4 cups)

Printable Recipe 

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup unsalted almonds

1/2 cup buckwheat groats (or wheat germ)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 T unsalted butter (or coconut oil)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds and buckwheat groats onto a baking sheet.  Toast in oven for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, spices and salt over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely.  Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.  After the oat mixture is done toasting, reduce oven heat to 300.  Add the oat mixture to the saucepan and stir to coat completely.  Turn the mixture onto the baking sheet (this time lined with parchment paper) and distribute evenly.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure everything cooks evenly.  Remove from oven, immediately add cranberries and raisins and toss.  Let cool and devour!

Pistachio & Pea Pesto

Hi people!!  How are you I've missed you what's going on?!  Did I forget to mention that I'd be taking two weeks off over the holidays?  It actually wasn't my intention, as I had all these wonderful ideas for posts.  But then my house turned into Kevin McCalister's as far as holiday guests go, and the days became full and merry and chaotic and joyful.  So now I'm back with something green because isn't that what you're supposed to do at the beginning of January?  Eat green things?  Again, this wasn't my intention (moderation all year round, my friends).  The real motivation behind this green sauce was the pistachio nut.  I bought a whole bunch of the raw, unsalted kind by accident.  Gross!  Who wants that!?  However, instead of throwing them out, I turned them into pesto with peas and garlic and parmesan and really delicious olive oil.  It's SO good.  Make a big batch and eat it on spaghetti squash or roasted veggies OR... if you're into moderation like me, a gigantic bowl of pasta.  

Come back tomorrow for some very, VERY exciting information.    

Pistachio & Pea Pesto

(Makes approx. 2 cups)

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup raw, unsalted, peeled pistachio nuts

1/2 cup thawed frozen peas

1 clove garlic

1 T chopped basil

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place first five ingredients in a blender (or food processor) and blend until well combined.  With blender still going, slowly add olive oil until you reach desired consistency (more olive oil will result in a smoother pesto, less will result in a chunkier pesto).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spiced Nuts

Look, something without chocolate!  Something spicy - even just a half a teaspoon of Cayenne gives 4 cups of nuts a nice amount of heat - watch out if you're feeding these to kiddos.  My mom always has a bowl of nuts on the counter during the holidays, and this is a fun way to kick them up a notch, as Emeril would say.  It is his recipe, after all.    

M Loves M Guest Post ~ Favorite Healthy Snacks

by Mara at M Loves M...

Hi everyone!  My name is Mara and I blog over at M Loves M.  I'm so happy to be here guest posting for Siri as she's busy welcoming her baby into the world.  Siri has been such a great blog friend since the beginning and I'm so excited for her and her growing family : )  This baby is going to be so loved, and fed a lot of amazing food!  I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite, easy and healthy snacks with you today:

Growing up in California I've always loved avocados.  I've found that they are extremely delicious with goat cheese so my favorite little concoction is mixing 1 avocado with 2 ounces {or more if you like!} of goat cheese.  Spread that on some whole wheat bread and it's delicious!  If you're going to take it to work, or give it to the kids, add a tiny bit of lime so that the acid prevents the avocados from turning brown.

Greek yogurt is so rich and creamy, it's almost like a dessert.  While I eat ice cream a few times a week {maaajor sweet tooth over here!}, on the other nights I'll have some greek yogurt with fresh diced strawberries and honey.  It's so satisfying! 

As we're getting into fall I'm starting to make this roasted nut recipe that my Dad created.  It's always at my parents' house and it's the perfect midday snack because it's so flavorful!  To make: roast almonds for 10-15 minutes depending on size {turn and check frequently}.  Once toasted add olive oil, salt and lots of rosemary.  Make sure you have enough olive oil on to make the salt and rosemary stick.  For 1 cup of nuts I used a little less than 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of salt {you can always add more!}, and 2 tablespoons of rosemary {because it's so good!}.  

For the apples I cut them open, scoop out the centers, fill with peanut butter and top with granola.  So easy and so yummy!

These snacks are really easy and healthy, too.  If you try them let me know what you think!  I'm sure there are a bunch of great variations on all of them, as well.  Thanks for letting me keep you company today!  Feel free to stop by my blog and say hi anytime : )

Peach and Pecan Ice Cream

For the final day of Peach Week, I'm over at The Post Social with a delightful new ice cream recipe.  If you are a fan of sweet and savory, you will love, and if you are a fan of wonderful blogs, you must go to TPS and stay awhile.  They "postmark" great blogs from across the web, as well as create original content - everything from food, fashion, beauty, even something for the kiddos and the dudes.  

Hope you enjoyed Peach Week!  And Zucchini Week!  Next week is just going to be a week, ok.  Just a regular old week.  I hope you're ok with that friends.      

My Rules for a Great Chopped Salad

I'm a big fan of chopped salads, or garbage salads as I like to call them - basically an unattractive name for a salad with everything in it.  It's the easiest way to empty the produce from your fridge and it makes a great lunch, dinner side or even a main dish if a protein is added.  But I have some rules.  Oh yes, I always have rules.  Ask me sometime about the handbook I wanted to write as a child about The Etiquette of Christmas Lights.  Yup I named it that.  Ok onto my salad rules...

1. SIZE: Nothing bothers me more than a salad with giant pieces of lettuce (wedge excluded), or long, chunky pieces of vegetables that need to be cut with a knife.  Salads are meant to eat with a fork (like this).  So it matters to me that everything is proportional and roughly the same size...

2. HERBS: You know when you're at a restaurant and you're eating a great salad and there's that ingredient that's making you say, "what IS that??"  It's probably fresh herbs.  Basil, cilantro, mint, etc. - they can turn a good salad into a great salad by making everything taste fresh and vibrant.  My go-to is always freshly chopped basil.

3. CRUNCH: Texture is very important to me in a salad.  Some lettuces and vegetables offer a nice crunch but I need more than that.  I need nuts or croutons or crushed tortilla chips.  My go-to is toasted pine nuts.  I love their nutty flavor and of course, crunch.  

4. CITRUS: Carson's mom always squirts fresh lemon juice over her salads in addition to dressing, and now it's something I always do too.  Much like herbs, citrus adds a vibrancy and freshness to the salad and brings out all the flavors of the vegetables.  

5. DRESSING: I usually make my own dressing.  It's much less intimidating than it seems, and I'm sure you have the ingredients at home.  Olive oils, balsamic vinegars, mustards, herbs, garlic, etc.  You can mix and match just about any of those and come up with an excellent dressing.  Click here for what I've done in the past.

Fall Salad

My friend Katy introduced me to the BEST.SALAD.EVER.  She made it this past weekend while our moms were in town visiting, and because I spaced and didn't take pictures of it, I decided I had to remake it.  Of course I didn't have any of the right ingredients for the salad, but for the dressing I was set.    Balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, chopped shallots, olive oil and maple syrup.  I could bathe in the stuff.  Why is there an 'E' at the end of bathe?  I hate that.  Recipe found here.

Pesto Green Beans

Do you ever buy green beans in a bag?  Oh you don't??  Oh you hand select them and wash and trim each one??  Oh.  You're better than me.  Well, I occasionally (all of the time) buy the pre-washed, pre-trimmed beans in a bag.  So there.  And they're delicious, especially if you make them all fancy.  

Last night I melted a tablespoon of butter in a skillet, added a Dorot cube of garlic and a cube of basil (if you can't find these miracle cubes, you could use minced garlic and finely chopped fresh basil, about a teaspoon of each) and 1/4 cup of pine nuts.  I sauteed that until the pine nuts started to toast...

Then I microwaved the bag of green beans for 3 minutes (you heard me) and threw them into the skillet, tossing them until they were coated with the butter/herb/garlic/pine nut mixture.  A little salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese on top - Pesto Green Beans.  The perfect shortcut side.

Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

Wanna get all fancy on your people? Buy some regular old Marcona Almonds. Drizzle them with a teensy, itty, bitty amount of good olive oil. Add some freshly chopped rosemary and a sprinkle of sea salt. Stir. Serve and eat. Unreal.

(I stole this idea from Trader Joe's, cheaper to do it yourself!)

Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Chopped Walnuts

...aaaaaaaaaand a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. What.

(Thanks for the idea mom!)

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Butter, Hazelnuts & Sage

Something about fall screams BROWN BUTTER to me. Narrowing it down to one season makes it even more special and besides, 365 days of butter sauce is a bit much. I guess. When you brown butter, you are left with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with fall flavors like...


...sage and hazelnuts. Pour it over acorn squash and you've got a scrumdiddlyumptious side dish! Pour it over anything. I mean it.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Butter, Hazelnuts & Sage
(Serves 4)
Printable Recipe

1 acorn squash
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 T unsalted butter
4 sage leaves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 425. Cut acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and discard of stem. Scoop out seeds (we saved them to toast later).


Cut squash into slices. In a baking dish, sprinkle 1 T of olive oil and spread around. Place squash in dish and sprinkle with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.


Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. While baking, melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until it starts to brown. Add sage and hazelnuts and saute for 5 minutes. Season with a little salt.


Remove squash from oven and pour brown butter sauce all over. Serve hot.