Salt and Vinegar Zucchini Chips Healthy Recipe

Christmas is over and New Year’s Eve is upon us.  As a mom of 3, going out to a New Year’s Eve party hasn’t happened in years!
I’m not proud of this fact, I wish it were different sometimes, but it is what it is.
We are party poopers. In recent years the hubby hasn’t even made it up to midnight lol!
The last time the hubby and I went out for a night on the town was when I was pregnant with my first born who is going to be 15 in May! That tells you though we much prefer to be home with our family anyway. We could probably get a babysitter but like I said, we prefer home with our kids to going out to a party.
A few friends in recent years who have children as well have had an annual party and you bring the kids. It’s a great idea if you don’t mind driving after midnight with cranky, tried kids in the car.
I will pass on that thank you. 

Salt and Vinegar Zucchini Chips Healthy Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 2-3 medium)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Instructions

1. Use a mandolin or slice zucchini as thin as possible.
2. In a small bowl whisk olive oil and vinegar together.
3. Place zucchini in a large bowl and toss with oil and vinegar.
4. Add zucchini in even layers to dehydrator then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
5. Depending on how thin you sliced the zucchini and on your dehydrator the drying time will vary, anywhere from 8-14 hours.
6. To make in the oven: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay zucchini evenly. Bake at 200 degrees F for 2-3 hours. Rotate half way during cooking time.
7. Store chips in an airtight container.

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ZUCCHINI ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

I mean, I was ready to have about 100 of those. But after devouring that entire donut in 0.152545 seconds, I turned to this instead.
This creamy, buttery, garlicky, melt-in-your mouth alfredo sauce, loaded with freshly grated Parmesan. But don’t worry. It’s completely low carb with these zucchini noodles.
It’s pretty much an alfredo recipe that you can enjoy without worrying about calories – instead, you’ll be sneaking in all those veggies!

ZUCCHINI ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 pound (3 medium-sized) zucchini, spiralized*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk, or more, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup half and half*
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and heated through, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
2. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the saucepan. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
3. Gradually whisk in milk, thyme and oregano. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Stir in zucchini and gently toss to combine.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Note

• This is the spiral slicer that I use. It’s so easy to use – it honestly just takes minutes to spiralize!
• Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream

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Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup Healthy Recipe

This soup recipe has been a long time coming! Over the years, I’ve made some lackluster lentil soups that never saw the light of day on this website. No vegetarian food blog would be complete without a proper lentil soup, though, so I’ve been perfecting one of my own lately.
Here it is. My lentil soup is made with mostly pantry ingredients but includes hearty greens and a squeeze of lemon for bright, fresh flavor. It’s seasoned with a few of my favorite spices and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Honestly, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.

Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup Healthy Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
• Juice of ½ to 1 medium lemon, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. One-fourth cup olive oil may seem like a lot, but it adds a lovely richness and heartiness to this nutritious soup.
2. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, in order to enhance their flavor.
3. Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
4. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Protect your hand from steam with a tea towel placed over the lid and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the puréed soup back into the pot and add the chopped greens. Cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking.
5. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the juice of half of a lemon. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for several months (just defrost before serving).

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Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl Healthy Recipe

Is there such thing as vacation coma? Even though BL and I arrived home from our trip earlier in the weekend, I feel like I’m been in a foggy daze for the past 48 hours. A mix of insomnia, apathy, fatigue and excitement.We arrived back to our home late Friday night, wired with caffeine and buzzing from the post-vacation high. After plowing through 5 episodes of Making a Murderer (obsessed) with take-out pizza, we greeted the sunrise by finally heading up to bed.I’m relishing these moments of zero-responsibility. Sure, there are suitcases to unpack, emails that need responding, and a zillion other to-do tasks, but right now I just want to ease back into the busy pace of life as slowly as possible.

Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl Healthy Recipe

Ingredients
Tofu Bowl

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cups shredded carrots
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or additional sesame oil, divided
• 1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed, if using canned)
• salt/pepper
• 16 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

Peanut sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• ¼ cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cube tofu and place in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes. If you aren't using a non-stick baking sheet, lightly spray with cooking spray. Remove from oven and place in a shallow bowl.
2. Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce (sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, chili garlic sauce, peanut butter) until creamy and smooth. Add ½ of the sauce to the tofu bowl and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
3. Toss the broccoli with 1 teaspoon sesame or olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes until just tender.
4. Heat remaining olive or sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu, in batches, along with the marinating sauce until crispy and golden browned, about 3-4 minutes.
5. To assemble, divide the brown rice among 4 bowls, top each bowl with ¼ cup shredded carrots, ½ cup spinach leaves, ¼th broccoli, ¼ cup garbanzo beans and a few pieces of tofu. Drizzle with remaining peanut sauce.

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CHEESY VEGETARIAN CHILI MAC HEALTHY RECIPE

It’s been really cold here (well, cold for me) and that makes me want comfort food. One dish that I absolutely loved in the past but haven’t had a chance to remake is my One Pot Chili Pasta from the SNAP Challenge in 2014. That pasta not only saved my life as far as filling me up on an extremely restricted budget, but it was SO GOOD. I was really excited to make it again this week, but I had already spent a large part of this weeks budget on pork for my Nam Sod, so I decided to transform the old One Pot Chili Pasta into a new Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac.

CHEESY VEGETARIAN CHILI MAC HEALTHY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 1 yellow onion $0.31
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 2 Tbsp flour $0.02
• 2 Tbsp chili powder* $0.60
• 15oz. can diced tomatoes $0.79
• 15oz. can tomato sauce $0.88
• 15oz. can kidney beans $0.89
• 15oz. can black beans $1.15
• 15oz. can pinto beans $1.49
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.44
• 2 cups vegetable broth $0.26
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles $0.50
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar $1.25

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
2. Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
3. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
5. When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
6. Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.

NOTES
*This chili powder is a blend of mild red chiles and other spices. Some brands may contain spicy cayenne, so just be aware of whether your chili powder is spicy or mild.

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