Baked Sweet Potato Fries

If you read my last entry (for vegan cauliflower fried rice), you'd know by now that I am a sucker for carbs. I love potatoes, rice, pasta, you name it. My greatest weakness of all of these is probably French fries.

They are a vehicle for delicious sauces and they are pretty darn delicious on their own. An embarrassing story (that my sister loves to tell) is that I used to eat plates of French fries as a meal when I was in elementary school. I always look at my mom with the 'what were you thinking' look as she tells the story. But really, she's the greatest mom around and wanted to do whatever made me happy, which unfortunately, was eating plates of French fries.

So yeah, French fries, I can't get enough. I've recently started making the switch over to sweet potato fries when I go to out eat (if they're an option). Honestly, not much healthier. However, that's why I'm bringing you this post today. I wanted to turn one of my favorite foods into an easy, healthy version to make at home and enjoy guilt-free.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 giant sweet potato - if you look at that picture up there, my sweet potato was literally the length of my cutting board (or 2 medium sized sweet potatoes)
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
-1/2 tsp chili powder (if you do not like spicy, skip the chili power or use 1/4 tsp because they will have a kick)

Instructions:

1) Preheat your over to 400 degrees F.
2) Cut your sweet potato into fry-like strips. I prefer thinner fries, so mine were probably about 1/4"x1/4"x3".
3) Throw the potato pieces in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. Add the olive oil, pepper, salt, and chili powder. Close the container or bag tightly and mix it all around.
4) Lay the fries on a baking sheet so that they are one layer and aren't on top of each other.
5) Put the baking sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes.
6) Take the fries out, flip them, and place them back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until they reach your level of desired crispiness.
7) Remove the fries from the oven. I find that they're a little bit better/crisp if you let them sit for couple of minutes.
8) Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to sign up for e-mail updates on new recipes.

Spiralized Greek Salad with Chicken

I’m not sure if my extreme love for Greek salads is shared everywhere, of if it’s a tri-state area thing. Either way, everyone should try a Greek salad. It is a perfect mix of everything that is delicious. The sweetness from the red onion and tomato mixed with the saltiness of feta and olives, and don’t even get me started on the dressing. They’re just amazing and also versatile. They can easily be made vegetarian of vegan, or you can add in some anchovies or chicken.

I had my first (and favorite) Greek salad at a diner. I still go to this specific diner just for the Greek salad. They’re typically made with lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta, and sometimes bell peppers and anchovies. I decided to take one of my all-time favorite salads, and give it a little twist using my spiralizer.

Here's what you'll need:

For the chicken:
-8 oz chicken breast, cubed (about 1” cubes)
-1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-1/2 tsp oregano
-dash of salt and pepper

For the salad:
-2 cucumbers, spiralized (I used the 2nd blade for a little bit of a thicker cucumber noodle)
-2/3 large tomato, chopped
-1/8 of a red onion, chopped
-20 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
-6 anchovy filets (optional)
-4 tbsp feta

For the dressing:
-2 tbsp red (or white) wine vinegar
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp oregano
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to tast

Instructions:

1) Heat up the 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, and add the clove of garlic. Gook for about a minute, and add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink (about 10-12 minutes).
2) Add the 1/2 tsp oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute or two to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked through. Remove from heat.
3) Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, and set aside.
4) In two bowls, split the cucumber noodles. Top each with half of the onion, tomatoes, olives, and feta. Add anchovies as desired.
5) Top each bowl with half of the chicken.
6) Add desired amount of dressing, and enjoy!

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, feel free to leave off any meat and/or cheese. It will still be delicious, trust me! Let me know what you think, and please subscribe to e-mail updates for new blog posts below.

Healthy Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Grilled food is without a doubt some of my favorite food. I get so excited when it starts to get warm in the spring because that means that grilling season has finally arrived. Not to say that I won't grill in the winter because, trust me, I will. Over the past couple of months, I've grilled everything from salmon to turkey burgers to kabobs, but I wanted to try something a little different.

I was trying to come up with what I should cook for dinner for my boyfriend and myself. Chicken parm, one of his favorites, instantly came to mind. But I wanted to grill and I wanted to make something healthy. Then it dawned on me - why can't I have all three? How about healthy chicken parm burgers. I even stuffed in some spinach because I love getting in greens wherever I can.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 lb ground chicken
-1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
-1/4 grated parmesan cheese
-1 tsp dried basil
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 cup spinach
-1/3 cup tomato/marinara sauce
-1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
-1/4 tsp ground black pepper
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
-1/3 cup part skim mozzarella, shredded

Instructions:

1) Mix together all ingredients except for the mozzarella in a  bowl.
2) Form mixture into 3 to 4 burger patties depending on the size patties you'd like. We made 3 because we were going bunless.
3) Grill the burgers for about 8 minutes on each side. Watch the burgers closely because cooking times may vary by grill.
4) Add the shredded mozzarella to the tops of the burgers and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5) Remove the burgers from the grill and serve as desired. You can also add some additional sauce if you'd like.

I also grilled some broccolini (tossed in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes) and whole tomatoes as sides. They were both delicious and highly recommended! The tomatoes were great with the burger and are a good substitute for adding additional sauce.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! Let me know what you think, and feel free to subscribe to e-mail updates on new blog posts below!

Vegan PB&J Overnight Oats

This past weekend was hectic. I was up by 7 and out of the house before 8 both days, so breakfast wasn't a main priority. Even some weekdays I don't give myself enough time, and I'm rushing around to throw something together before work. Peanut butter and jelly toast is a nice quick option, but I really prefer to get other forms of nutritional value in my meals.

Then it dawned on me - why not make my breakfast the night before? It's easy, and it would make my morning routing less chaotic. I could do overnight oats. Just throw the ingredients in a Tupperware container at night, and I'm good to go in the morning. But I wanted to amplify it a little, and with PB&J on the brain, I came up with this recipe for PB&J overnight oats. It's a great source of fiber and protein (and also sneaks in some fruit).

Here's what you'll need:

For the peanut butter oats:
-1/2 cup rolled oats (these are different than instant oatmeal, so make sure you grab rolled oats)
-1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-1/2 tbsp black chia seeds
-1 tbsp vanilla hemp protein powder (I used Nutiva brand)
-1 tbsp peanut butter

For the jelly:
-1 tbsp natural fruit preserves (the preserves should match the fresh fruit of your choice. I used strawberry)
-2 tbsp chopped fruit (I used 3 strawberries - 1 to top the oats)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the ingredients for the peanut butter oats the night before.
2) Store and refrigerate over night.
3) In the morning, slice the strawberries or other fruit, and mix 2/3 of the fruit with the tbsp of fruit preserves.
4) Place the fruit and preserve mixture at the bottom of your bowl or glass, add the oat mixture, and top with the remaining fruit slices.
5) Enjoy!

Also feel free to layer the fruit throughout instead of just at the bottom. It's just a matter of what you prefer. Let me know what you think!

Zucchini Noodle Vegan Pad Thai

Something you probably didn't know about me is that my entire immediate family (except for myself) is a combination of vegetarians and vegans. My mom became vegetarian over a decade ago and switched to veganism within the past 4 or so years. My sister and brother-in-law have also gone between vegetarian and vegan over the past several years. Needless to say I've been surrounded by and had my fair share of vegan meals, and let me tell you, they can be pretty damn good. 

Another fun fact about my family is that we love Thai food, specifically Pad Thai. So what would be better than a vegan Pad Thai? How about a healthy vegan Pad Thai made with zucchini noodles.

Here's what you'll need:

For the sauce:
-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-6 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
-juice of one lime
-1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
-1/2 cup water
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-2 tbsp hoisin 
-2 tbsp chili garlic sauce

For the Pad Thai:
-3-4 large zucchinis spiralized (I actually used 5, but they were small)
-1 sliced bell pepper
-1 cup shredded carrots
-8 oz of bean sprouts
-2-3 chopped green onions
-12 oz firm tofu
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-2 tbsp sesame oil
-1 clove garlic
-1/2 cup roasted peanuts
-chopped cilantro to top (about 2 tbsp or as much as you'd like)

Instructions:

1) Cut the tofu into cubes (a little less than 1"), heat up the coconut oil in a pan, and add the tofu. Cook until slightly browned on all sides (~10 minutes).
2) Heat up the sesame oil in a different pan. Add the garlic and let cook for about a minute before adding the zucchini noodles. Let them cook for about 3-5 minutes on their own (tossing every couple of minutes to evenly cook).
3) Add in the red pepper, green onions, and roasted peanuts. Cook for another 2 minutes.
4) In the meantime make your sauce. Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds to a minute.
5) Add the carrots and bean sprouts to the Pad Thai pan. Cook for an additional minute. 
6) Add in the cooked tofu and blended sauce, remove from heat, and put into a serving dish.
7) Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy!

My family gave it two thumbs up, but let me know what you think!