Eggplant 'Meatballs'

August 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've been eating less and less meat around here, not for any particular reason other than that's really just how it's worked out, oddly enough. I've been telling my family for years now that I could be a vegetarian at the drop of a hat and with little to no cravings creeping up.

Vegetables are my best friends, however, I have a well known love-hate relationship with one of my friends; eggplant. I happened to get an eggplant in my local produce box this last week, and I didn't want to do the same things that I've done with it before.

I find that I sort of have to disguise and hide eggplant from myself otherwise I tend to have a hard time with eating it and I'm not entirely sure why...

Skinny Brown Bag Taco Popcorn (On the Cob or Not!)

August 26, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've got to admit, I'm not exactly a huge fan of popcorn. Ugh! I know. I really wish I was. But, I do have a lot of popcorn fans in my family. ... Okay, so pretty much everyone else but me is a huge over-the-top popcorn lover.

As the season has it, I happened to get popping corn on the cob in my local produce box the past couple of weeks. I've had it sitting with my other dry produce on the counter for a while, looking at it and waiting. I was trying to decide what exactly I wanted to do with it when popped. Personally, if I'm going to eat popcorn, I like for it to have a really fun and amazing flavor. I find that it helps get me more interested in it.

Yes, I'm the one always wanting cheddar, ranch, or any other seasoning on my popcorn...

Fig, Chia & Flax Granola Cereal

August 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

While it's still pretty warm here in Texas, I'm trying to start sneaking in fall flavors where I can and as I can without burning myself up with the oven or stove too much. This granola cereal is the perfect end to the summer and beginning transfer into fall; one of my most favorite seasons! The warm spice of cinnamon, pecan, and fig warm the tastebuds while the crisp of the granola and cool milk keep me grounded into the last few days of summer.

A moment of honesty? Before today, the only fig that I ever had was in the form of a jelly or within that familiar sandwich cookie that we all know and love. I had full intentions of using fresh fig here, unfortunately my local grocer was all out - so I had to go with dried figs.

Avocado Caprese & Olive Oil Caviar

August 19, 2015 Amanda Plott

I got to have some extra fun in the kitchen today with my lunch. With it still being rather hot here in Texas, I've been trying to keep my lunches pretty light and fresh. Caprese salads are always one of my staple go-to keeping it cool sort of lunches. They're easy to make, taste great, and are pretty healthy to boot.

I've had this little jar of olive oil caviar sitting on my counter for a while now. It's something that I haven't tried before and one of those things that I was nearly so excited to use that I couldn't think of a use for application that I felt would do it's genius justice. Then... it struck me!

Traditionally a caprese salad is drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, so I thought this would be the perfect way to show off the olive oil caviar in a simple and extremely tasty dish that takes little time and effort to toss together; using the olive oil caviar in place of the drizzle...

Cheesy Spinach & Kale Verde Enchiladas

August 10, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, I made a test run of these enchiladas a few weeks back. I've had some enchilada scares in the past before, and always made them way more complicated than they needed to be. They were so good the first time that I just knew that I had to make them again with just a few minor tweaks!

These bad boys were so awesome that my brother's finance left me a note (or two) which I found the next morning after our family dinner saying that she loved them so much. Thanks Jess, that really tickled my pickle!

With it being so hot here right now, I was forced to bake these on our outdoor grill, which ended up working out just as well as in the oven so long as I kept an eye on the grill's temperature. How's that for being clever? The Texas heat will force you to be resourceful!...

Blueberry, Banana & Coconut Parfait

August 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

Introducing #TopItTuesday – Tuesday is the perfect day of the week that could use a little bit more love. For my de{light}ful #TopItTuesday, I decided to make a parfait. Not just any parfait either, but one of my most favorite parfaits!

Blueberry, banana and toasted coconut chips - oh my! That's how I add a little flavor to my life. This parfait is a perfect little treat to enjoy fro breakfast, lunch, or even as dessert to stave off that insistent sweet tooth after dinner.

What's better is that this tasty treat is gluten-free and vegan! Plus, with under 350 calories in a rather nicely sized portion there's nothing to feel guilty about - other than not having made it before. The tartness of the blueberries, the sweetness of the banana and yogurt, and the bit of a crunch with the toppings makes this a perfect bite...