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...

Morning Detox Honey Lemon Peppermint Water

February 20, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've heard a lot over the past year about the health benefits of drinking honey lemon water in the morning. So, a few months back I decided to begin testing this theory. But, instead of using plain-jane lemons and honey, I wanted to make an upgrade.

For a long while now, I've been taking a more therapeutic and wholesome approach to my chronic neck/shoulder pain, massive headaches, and debilitating ocular migraines. I've been dabbling with DoTerra Essential Oils quite a bit to help with common household illness, pain, mood, and even with my cooking! I figured that my essential oils would be a great addition or substitution to my new-found morning drink...

Spinach & Pea Tortellini

January 2, 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. #BackToBalance #CollectiveBias

The first time that I ever remember eating tortellini was probably back when I was in junior high (yikes - maybe even further back than that!) My dad must have been in charge of dinner that night because I remember he was the one standing at the stove cooking up those perfect little tender shells stuffed with fresh cheeses. And yeah, he even used BUITONI® pasta back then too.

Now, of course he is and has always been a much different home cook than myself. He had made something that was a little heavier; some sort of Alfredo sauce to go over the tortellini and green peas, which was then topped off with some bits of bacon. Talk about decadent, but at least he had some green in there!

It was one of the most amazing things that I had ever tasted.

I'm not sure where he got the original recipe idea from, but I know that for one reason or another that meal still stands out in my mind today...

Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash Primavera

September 27, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've had this spaghetti squash staring at me from the kitchen counter for a week or two now, and I figured... I ought to put that beauty to some use before it went bad on me.

Now, you may or may not notice that this spaghetti squash is a little smaller than the ones you will find in the grocery stores. That is because... this bad boy was fresh off the farm, and from a local and organic farmer too - which makes it all the more exciting to me!

Fresh local ingredients are always the best and are generally higher in nutrients.

I wasn't quite sure at first just how I was going to do my farm fresh spaghetti squash justice. I suppose I felt as though it needed some careful love and devotion.

During my thought process, I remembered this idea I had seen somewhere about a spaghetti squash primavera that was done in a terribly naughty and yet totally delectable manner. I basically took that idea and ran with it; making it easier, lighter more economical, and still amazingly full of flavor...

Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

September 24, 2014 Amanda Plott

I'm putting pumpkin in everything while I can since it's 'seasonable' for the next couple of months. I love fall for many reasons, but pumpkin has to be pretty close to the top of the list! In my opinion, there just isn't too much that you can't put pumpkin in; drinks, desserts, entrees... You name it, and I've probably already thought of a way to put pumpkin in it, if I haven't already put pumpkin in it before - that is!

This pumpkin soup is pretty great. I'd compare the consistency of it to a creamy tomato soup. In fact, it's color and texture are pretty much the same too but a lot more soft and calm with it's flavors since tomato soup has the zing of acidity....