Tuna Apple Pasta Salad

It’s been one of those weeks where I haven’t gone food shopping and have limited ingredients on hand, so a pantry staple meal was a bit of a must. This tuna apple pasta salad is my absolute go-to. It’s the perfect lunch, dinner, or side and has been a favorite of mine for years! It’s made with five simple ingredients, three of which are pantry staples. The flavor combo may sound a bit weird, I know, but, trust me, it’s amazing!

Making this tuna apple pasta salad is always a bit of a comfort for me. I feel like pasta dishes are always a bit comforting, and this one specifically reminds me of my mom. She first made this for me when I was in high school after adapting it herself from some recipe she found. Since then, I’ve been making it for myself (and friends) on repeat with a few tweaks over the years. It’s super simple, and you can make a nice batch to last you for the week (although it will probably be gone in a day or two in my experience).

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 8 oz cooked pasta of choice (I like to use chickpea pasta to make it GF)

• 2 cans tuna, drained

• 4 celery stalks, sliced

• 1-2 granny smith apples (depending on size), cubed

• 1/2 cup avocado oil mayo (or mayo of choice)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix together the cooked pasta, tuna, celery, apple, mayo, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. That’s it! Enjoy!

Whether you’re enjoying this for lunch or making it as a side for a party, it’s sure to be a hit. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Autumn Harvest Salad

Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love the weather, the colors, and the holidays. But most importantly, I love the flavors, specifically the produce. That’s why this salad combo is one of my favorites and an absolute go-to. It’s packed with brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and apple and all brought together by a delicious spicy honey mustard vinaigrette.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 8-10 brussels sprout, de-stemmed and sliced

• 1/3 of a sweet potato, cubed

• 1-2 cups of your greens of choice (I used mustard greens)

• 1/3 Granny Smith apple, cubed (can sub with another apple or pear)

• 3-5 cherry tomatoes, sliced

• 2 tbsp chopped pecans

• 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles

• 1/4 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp spicy honey

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp EVOO

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss the brussels sprouts with 1-2 tbsp avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1-2 tbsp avocado oil, the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Roast both in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

2. Make your dressing by whisking together the apple cider vinegar, hot honey, mustard, EVOO, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

3. Assemble your salad - add the greens to a bowl and top with the apples, nuts, cheese, tomatoes, and roasted veggies. Drizzle the dressing over the top of everything.

4. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Spiralized Apple and Brussels Sprouts Frittata

So I'm just going to get right to it - I know the combo sounds a bit odd. apples and Brussels sprouts? But I'm telling you it is just SO good! It's one of those you need to trust me until you try it, because it's life changing. I've been making this combo for a little while now, whether is a frittata, omelet, or scramble. But regardless, it's seriously F-ing delicious. I don't want to waste any more time - let's just get to the goods.

Here's What You'll Need:

-5 eggs, whisked
-15-20 Brussels sprouts, bottoms removed and either halved or quartered depending on size
-1 granny smith apple, spiralized (can be chopped or shredded as well)
-1/4 cup red onion, sliced
-2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-1 tbsp ghee (or non-stick spray or coconut oil)
-Sea salt, black pepper, and any additional seasoning to taste (I LOVE this one, and you can used the code juststacy15 for 15% off)

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) In an oven-friendly pan, melt the ghee over medium high heat on the stove top. 
2) Once melted, spread the ghee all over the bottom and sides of the pan, and add in the Brussels sprouts and cook alone and covered for about 5 minutes.
3) Add in the red onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts really start to soften and brown a bit (about another 5 minutes).
4) Add in the spiralized apple and cook for 2-3 minutes until the apple just starts to soften a bit.
5) Spread out the veggies and apple mixture evenly in the pan, and sprinkle the parm over everything.
6) Mix your seasonings into your eggs, and pour the egg mixture evenly over your apple, veggie, and cheese mixture.
7) Cover the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes until the sides look cooked and start to come away from the pan a bit.
8) Once this occurs, remove the lid, and pop the entire pan into the oven on broil, cooking for about 5-8 minutes until the frittata is cooked through and a light golden brown on the top.
9) Remove the pan from the oven, flip or remove the frittata with a spatula onto a cutting board. Slice it in half, serve, and enjoy!

So what'd ya think? Has your mind been blown by this delicious, sweet, and savory combo? Let me know in the comments below!

Vegan Apple Cranberry Stuffing

I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but Thanksgiving is just about a week away. Seriously where did the time go?! I'm pretty sure it was just August. Either way, I'm definitely not disappointed. I love getting to spend time with family and eating some delicious food!

I've recently been partnering with Whole Foods Market on Instagram to share some of my holiday traditions and recipes, and I decided that I wanted to create something new this year. The majority of my immediate family is either vegan or vegetarian, so coming up with Thanksgiving options isn't always so straightforward. I figured it would be best to start with a Thanksgiving staple, stuffing.

It was pretty easy to keep this recipe vegan given the goodies I picked up at my local Whole Foods, and I decided to give it a bit a twist with the added sweetness. It has officially been vegan family member approved (this dish was gone pretty much immediately), and as someone who isn't vegan, I can say that I think everyone at the dinner table will love it! The sweet and savory combo will make it the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Here's What You'll Need:

-10 oz package of organic 365 Everyday Value multigrain stuffing mix
-1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
-1/2 cup dried cranberries
-3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
-1 celery stalk, chopped
-2 pink lady apples, chopped (can sub with other varieties of apples)
-1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
-1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
-Olive oil cooking spray (optional)
-Sea salt to taste
-Black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2) Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
3) Add in onion and celery, and cook for about 5 minutes.
4) Add in the apple, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
5) Mix in the fresh sage, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper. Remove from heat.
6) Mix the apple, onion, and celery mixture into a large bowl with the stuffing package contents, dried cranberries, walnuts, and vegetable broth.
7) Spread the mixture evenly into a 2 quart baking dish, cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes,
8) Coat the top of the stuffing with a quick spray of olive oil cooking spray (optional), and return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes until browned.
9) Serve, and enjoy!

Let me know know what you think in the comments below! I'd love to hear how you incorporated this dish into your holidays!

Gluten Free Apple and Blue Cheese Quinoa Flour Waffles

If you haven't already heard me say it, I love Waffle Wednesday! I love it even moreso now that I have a waffle maker. It's one of my favorite days to just play around and try to come up with something interesting and delicious. So if I'm being honest, a decent amount of my Tuesdays are spent brainstorming about what I want to put in my waffle the next day.

This week I was lunching on a cobb salad, and I thought what about blue cheese? It's a little out there, but pairing it with something sweet like apple really sounded perfect. Plus I had just tried Bushwick Kitchen's Trees Knees Cinnamon Maple syrup, and that seemed like the perfect flavor to pull it all together. 

I decided to keep it gluten free because I've been loving everything I've made with quinoa flour recently. And of course I love that it gives an option to anyone with Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance or allergy. Plus it adds in some extra protein from the quinoa.

Here's What You'll Need:

-3/4 cup quinoa flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 egg
-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
-1/4 cup water (can use all 3/4 cup almond milk or all water if desired)
-1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
-1 small pink lady apple, chopped or spiralized
-3-4 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (depending on your affinity for blue cheese)
-1 tsp pure Maple syrup
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1) Mix together the flour, almond milk, water, egg, baking powder, salt, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a bowl.
2) Add in the apple pieces and mix.
3) Heat up your waffle maker, and pour 1/4 of the mix. Spread 1 tbsp of blue cheese over the mix, and finish the waffle off with another 1/4 of the mix.
4) Cook the waffle according to your waffle maker instructions.
5) Repeat for the second waffle.
6) Serve each waffle, and top with additional apple slices, blue cheese, and maple syrup as desired.
7) Enjoy!

Let me know what you think of this sweet and savory combo in the comments below!