Collard Greens Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing

I had a collard greens salad for the first time last year at a restaurant and I had low expectations, but the server assured me I would love it.  He was 100% right and I was blown away.  Collard greens are softer than kale but heartier than lettuce and super, super nutritious.  They have a mild flavor (unlike kale), but a soft, silky texture.  I cannot stop making collard greens salads!  You can try thinly sliced collard greens with any of your favorite dressings. My only caveat is that the greens do not have as long a shelf life as kale, so buy them and eat them!  Once you fall in love with them, you can add them to soups and stir-fries too.  By the way, this dressing is amazing and would be equally good on a chopped salad with romaine or iceberg.  One of the other takeaways from this recipe is using finely crushed crackers or nut meal instead of toasted breadcrumbs for texture. I much prefer smaller crunchy things over big pieces.

Continue reading

Cabbage Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Cacio e Pepe is one of my favorite pasta dishes but it contains no vegetables and is super easy to overeat! It is an ultra simple dish consisting of pasta, black pepper, Pecorino cheese, and oil/butter. Guess what? These ingredients also work smashingly well with cabbage ribbons!  You will not trick anyone into thinking this is pasta, but it’s a delicious alternative if you’re looking for a lighter or a low-carb meal.  If you’re not a fan of the cacio e pepe flavor profile, cook the cabbage in this method and add your favorite pasta toppings!  Cabbage is one of the most underrated vegetables – it is incredibly nutritious, grown all year long, and very inexpensive for how much it yields.

Continue reading

Red Lentil Tortilla Soup Recipe

Every time I made this red lentil tortilla soup at home and posted it on Instagram stories, I realized I still had not posted it on my site.  I taught this soup in 2019 and have been making it on the regular ever since.  Red lentils don’t hold their shape like brown, green or black lentils.  They become kind of mushy but they taste just like regular lentils.  I used them in this soup with Tex-Mex flavors and ingredients to create a soup that tastes like a tortilla soup.  It’s filling but light, and just like tacos you can serve the soup with a great topping bar!  Delish!

Continue reading

Crustless Spinach Feta Pie Recipe

I made this recipe after seeing it on TikTok, and I devoured it for breakfast every day until it was gone.  I love spanakopita and this crustless version was exactly the flavor and consistency I was familiar with but without all the phyllo + butter.  I did not miss the crunchy phyllo dough, because the feta and dill is where all the flavor is!  You might be questioning all the dairy since I don’t eat a lot of it.  I do favor goat and sheep dairy because it’s easier to digest than cow, so I recommend you seek out goat or sheep feta. Cow feta is bland and dry anyway. You can also sub in goat gouda for the mozzarella and omit the Parmesan or swap in Pecorino (a sheeps milk cheese) for the Parmesan. My point is that it’s easy to make this vegan, egg-free, or cow’s milk-free. I am also going to use this formula and swap in other vegetables or leftovers!

Continue reading

Pasta alla Vodka Recipe

This is a classic sauce that is so easy and everyone loves it.  If you don’t eat pasta, serve it over zoodles, spaghetti squash or do what I do – a smaller amount of pasta supplemented with lots of cooked, seasonal vegetables (e.g. asparagus, carrots, peas, mushrooms.) You can make it spicy or not at all. One of the reasons I wanted to share this recipe is to show you different ways you can swap for heavy cream in a savory recipe.  I never have heavy cream just hanging around the fridge, and I also never feel the need to buy it either.  When I refer to a ”rich, homemade cashew milk” in the recipe, I’m talking about making it with a base like JOI and doubling the quantity of cashew base I usually use.  Some people swap coconut milk for heavy cream and don’t detect a coconut flavor; some people do and don’t care for it. Lastly, the vodka is optional, but the alcohol does burn off so you can give this to children.  And, the vodka actually does provide a balancing flavor to the tomatoes and helps to emulsify the sauce.
Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of February 12, 2024

If you are looking for Super Bowl ideas, check out last week’s dinner planner.  I am going pretty traditional with a lot of appetizers like spinach-artichoke dip, guacamole, salsa and chips, vegan queso, carrot dogs in a blanket and friends are bringing stuff too.  Then I’m doing two types of chili, a topping bar, corn muffins, a big salad with slow cooker chicken taco meat on the side and my friends are bringing desserts!  I have Valentine’s Day ideas for you and then maybe you get to relax next weekend for the holiday weekend! Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Continue reading

Vodka Sauce Chicken Parmesan Sliders with Mozzarella and Pesto Recipe

I started a slider series on Instagram in anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday and I am loving all the recipes!  They were so fun to make and even more fun to eat!  I love planning menus for entertaining and these sliders could not be more perfect for Super Bowl Sunday or any game day or movie night or whatever.  Check out my Instagram for the other recipes and I have an epic breakfast sliders recipe in my newsletter!

Continue reading

Sour Cherry Almond Cake Recipe

This is a beautiful and easy olive oil cake that can be enhanced with sour cherries, blueberries, or no fruit at all.  If you want a very tall cake, use an 8-inch round, but make sure it is a deep cake pan.  Otherwise, use a 9-inch round. If you don’t have a 9-inch springform pan, it is worth the investment. I’ve made it with both sizes and I would use a 9-inch if your 8-inch is not very deep. If you want to do something special for Valentine’s Day, you can use the stencil idea for any baked goods or just the pink powdered sugar idea without a stencil. It’s easy and fun!

Continue reading