Skinny Lean & Green Cauliflower Colcannon

March 6, 2015 Amanda Plott

A while back I had made this yummy Cauliflower & Hominy Smash as a lower carb and lighter alternative to mashed potatoes, and trust me... it is so sooo good. So, when I was trying to come up with a way to make a traditional Irish colcannon healthier, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.

Don't know what Colcannon is? Colcannon is basically an Irish dish that's made out of smashed potatoes with green cabbage and/or kale with cream, butter, salt and pepper. For this recipe, I basically used the same idea of the Cauliflower & Hominy Smash, but added in some kale and green cabbage to sort of combine the two ideas into one...

Whole Wheat Broccoli Rabe & Ricotta White Pizza

March 2, 2015 Amanda Plott

I haven't had broccoli too many times in my life. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the amount of times that I've eaten it. Now, that isn't to say that I don't like it. No, no, no. That isn't the case at all. It's just that rapini was never something that my parents cooked, so I guess it just never became a part of my personal food culture.

For a while now, I've been playing off and on with an raw food service that offers delivery of organic whole groceries directly from their farmers and/or local businesses to your house. Pretty nifty, right? Well, I always like to get their 'local box' which is loaded with different local seasonal produce each week. It's fun because I have gotten a lot of interesting new things to try. It's a fun little challenge for me as a home cook.

What can I say? I watch a lot of Chopped...

Vegan Cauliflower Rice Taco Bowls

February 26, 2015 Amanda Plott

A while back I came across the idea of cauliflower rice. At first I was a bit skeptical, but after the first time I tried it, I knew it would be an instant hit. I've made it several times now and somehow it just never manages to make it here, for one reason or another.

I knew that I wanted to make the cauliflower rice to go in some sort of taco bowl, but wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go with it beyond that. Then I remember that I had made this green goddess dressing a while back, and absolutely fell in love with it. I kept trying to think of other ways in which to use it and finally came to the conclusion that the most of the ingredients in it would make for a perfect cilantro lime avocado dressing.

Aha! Perfect to go with my cauliflower rice bowl!

Once I had some of the basics nailed down, I let my local produce for the week speak for me and I ended up with a veggie-full bowl of wonderfulness...

Açaí Breakfast Bowl

February 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

Start your day off right with this bright and healthy fruitastic breakfast bowl! The only thing in this bowl of awesomeness is fruit, fiber, and enough fuel to get you powered through your morning with ease.

Seriously, this is a really filling breakfast.

As I've said before, I'm not really much of a smoothie sort of person. I suppose that the idea of drinking my breakfast is something that escapes me. I'd much rather sit, chew, and enjoy. This breakfast bowl is basically a smoothie in a bowl; you've got your smoothie on the bottom and your tasty tidbits on top...

Loaded Green Goddess Sweet Potato Fries

February 10, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #GameTimeGrub #CollectiveBias

For me homegating is the way to go with any sport. Who doesn't like tailgating from the comfort of home? It's the best of both worlds! I get to watch my favorite teams live on television without the hassle of the hustle and bustle of crowds, lines, and over priced concession stand foods. Of course, to me, that's the best part - creating my own game day grub!

I always strive to put my own fun and healthful twist on what some might consider traditional. Fries and dips are always a staple of any good game day spread. So, today I give to you these rather guilt free, sophisticated, fiber full sweet potato fries.

My inspiration for this dish started with a stuffed sweet potato that I made a few weeks back. I had loaded a baked sweet potato up with sautéed spinach, black beans, and some homemade green goddess dressing. It was definitely not your typical baked potato, and was amazingly delicious. So, when I was deciding what to do with my Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, I had the perfect direction to start heading in...

Healthy Mixed Berry Gummy Bears

February 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

My little one is entirely obsessed with anything that is gummy. Hearts, bears, and bunnies - oh my! Lately, I've been buying some fancy all natural, gluten free, organic gummies to put in her lunch, because it makes me feel a bit better. But, oh-my-goodness those things are expensive! Especially when she's eating her weight in them every day.

Sort of defeats the health benefits I'm trying to get into her too!

So as I was sitting here pondering my gummy dilemma I happened to remember a while back I came across this great idea on how to make your own gummy fruit snacks. I was a little early since I've tried to do this a time or two before and could never seem to get them to come out right. But, I thought it was time to give the homemade snacks another try anyway.

And boy am I glad that I did!...