Vegan

Vegan

Vegan Eggnog

Vegan-Eggnog-5Copper Mule Mug:  Sur La Table

Vegan-Eggnog-1Vitamix 750: Sur La Table (on sale)

Vegan-Eggnog-2 Vegan-Eggnog-3 Vegan-Eggnog-4Copper Mule Mug:  Sur La Table

December has been FLYING by. I cannot believe that 2014 is coming to an end. I just arrived home on Friday from visiting Matt while he was on tour in Chicago, and hosted my annual Ugly Sweater party the next night (Saturday). Photos to come : )

I am I am so so so so so excited because (drumroll please) today I finished my Christmas shopping! I started off overly eager online holiday shopping before Thanksgiving this year and then as soon as mid December rolled around I was more behind than anyone I knew! How the heck does that even happen?! Today I conquered Target (twice) and Ikea. It was no easy feat, but I took the furthest parking spots away and “hoofed it” as my mom would say, battled the crowds, survived the lengthy lines, and conquered Christmas shopping! WOHOO!!!

One of my favorite things in the world is giving gifts. I never ask my friends of family for lists – not because I want to get them random things, but because I listen to them all year long and compile a little secret list and surprise them when Christmas comes around. Gift giving is kind of my thing. I will do anything to get the perfect gift for someone, a la Arnold Schwarzenegger looking for TurboMan in “Jingle All the Way” (such a good movie)! It gives me so much joy to see my friends and family excited and surprised when they open gifts. There’s nothing like it!
Anyone else finish their Christmas shopping already?!

Now that the shopping talk is done, it’s time to cozy up by the fire, watch christmas movies, and sip on some vegan egg-less nog!

Traditional eggnog is filled with sugar, heavy cream, and egg yolk, which equals tons of saturated fat and cholesterol – yikes! Of course you can buy vegan eggnog in stores, but most of them contain loads of refined sugar. This eggnog recipe is made from whole plant based foods (with the exception of rum extract!) and natural sugars from Medjool dates!

You might ask, isn’t this recipe a little heavy on the fat (nuts)? Yes, it’s definitely a treat, but the fats from nuts are healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).

Why are MUFAs good for you?
Monounsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Research also shows that these good-for-you fats may even target body fat where it’s hardest to lose – in your belly! Eat fat to lose fat! Good fat, that is!

Vegan Eggnog
By Chef AJ
Serves 4

3 cups almond milk
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp rum extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Ground nutmeg & cinnamon sticks for garnish

Blend all ingredients together in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy. Best when served cold.

Healthy Happy Holidays,
xo-Catherine

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees + Giveaway

Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-10Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-1 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-4Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-2 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-3Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-5 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-6 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-8 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-9Seasons green-ings little bunnies! Christmas is approaching and it’s time to think outside of the box, I mean bowl (salad bowl, that is!) for creative healthy holiday appetizers! I created these adorable Christmas tree appetizers out of pita bread, pretzel sticks, homemade spinach hummus (made with Dole Baby Spinach), and red bell peppers as decorations. There is no cooking required, which makes it a win in my book, plus they’re great for kids and adults. These adorable little appies will be the talk of any holiday party! Lettuce celebrate! ha ha ha!

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees
Makes about 1 1/4 cup of hummus
Each pita round makes 8 “trees”

Dole Spinach Hummus
2 cups Dole Baby Spinach, packed
1 cup chickpeas
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 – 1 whole clove garlic
pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly mixed. Scrape down the sides of food processor with a spatula occasionally if needed.

Christmas Trees
whole grain pita bread
pretzel sticks
1 red bell pepper

Cut each round of pita bread into 8 triangles. Gently poke a pretzel stick into the bottom end of each pita using a twisting motion. Spread a thin layer of spinach hummus on each piece of pita. Thinly slice and chop the bell pepper into small pieces and decorate the pita trees (like tinsel or garland).

For more healthy holiday recipes, try Dole’s Laurel RougeWinter Citrus SaladButternut Hummus Tartine with Parmesan, and Green Pancakes with Pear-Lime Relish!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 21st at 11:59 PM (PST).
1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, December 22nd.

This post has been sponsored by Dole. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich

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This Thanksgiving, Dole and I are encouraging families and individuals to include greens in their meals! We know that Thanksgiving can be a hard holiday to eat healthy for, but with a few little swaps and the addition of fresh Dole greens, it can be done!

I was completely stumped while trying to think of a healthy Thanksgiving recipe until I saw my friends Taryn and Julia the other day. I asked them, what is a dish that gets left out during Thanksgiving? Something uncommon. That’s when it hit us as we were all talking – there’s plenty of delicious side dishes for Thanksgiving, but there also tons of leftovers, and not much to do with them – except for eat the same meal over and over again for an entire week. I’ve surprisingly never made a sandwich out of leftover Thanksgiving food, but I am alllllll over it this year!

Since most Thanksgiving leftovers are pretty rich, I added some fresh Dole Spinach and my new favorite type of “bun” to my Thanksgiving sammy! I just recently discovered sweet potato buns, and I seriously wish I knew about them sooner. When baked with olive oil, they taste amazing as a bread or bun replacement, plus they’re loaded with beta-Carotene which is excellent for vision.

Sweet Potato Buns

The biggest (widest) sweet potatoes you can find.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice sweet potato into 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch thick slices. Coat both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sweet potato rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes. Flip the sweet potatoes halfway through baking.

Leftovers Sandwich Ingredient Ideas

Dole fresh spinach or sautéed spinach
Tofu Turkey (or regular turkey)
Cranberry sauce
Creamed corn
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Gravy
Green beans
Stuffing

I hope you have a happy & healthy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!
xo-Catherine

For more healthy thanksgiving recipes, check out Dole’s Butternut Squash with Eggplant-Pomegranate Sauce, Caramelized Pear, Roasted Tomato and Lentil SaladVegetable & Kale Au Gratin, and Roast Turkey Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 26th at 11:59 PM (PST).
1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday, November 27th.

This post has been sponsored by Dole. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Evolution Fresh Green Lemonade

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite little afternoon refreshers. I work from home on my computer, surrounded by food, while creating new recipes for my blog, as well as brands that I work with – so sometimes it gets tricky to not eat everything that I make. I will usually sip on a green juice while I’m working in the kitchen to keep myself from shall I say… over sampling recipes, but I’ve noticed that I drink them pretty quickly and then start snacking and munching on the recipes even though I’m not hungry – just out of habit. That’s why I’ve started making green juice ice cubes and enjoying them in fresh lemonade!

When I freeze my fav Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens cold-pressed juice and pour lemonade over it, I sip on it much slower while the green juice cubes defrost into the lemonade and give it a healthier and earthier flavor! It’s really refreshing and it’s a simple way to get a daily dose of greens! It’s also a great way to introduce green juice to kids if you’re looking for ideas!

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Green Lemonade
Seves 1-2 (if you like sharing!)

1 bottle Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens with Lemon
1 cup RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

Shake Evolution Fresh green juice well. Pour green juice in an ice tray and freeze over night. Fill a glass with ice cubes and then fill to the top with lemonade. Start sipping and enjoy as the green juice starts to defrost into the lemonade. Add lemonade as desired.

RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

6 fresh lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon Liquid Stevia (Lemon Drop Flavor is my favorite for this recipe)
4 cups of water
1 cup ice cubes

Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apple

All of the sweet and tasty goodness of a traditional apple crisp, stuffed and baked inside a fresh Autumn apple. Serve it alongside some vanilla Greek yogurt for an extra filling fall dessert, for one!

This single serving recipe is so easy to make, plus it’s gluten free, and vegan!

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If you’re new to my blog, you will notice that the majority of my recipes are single serving – for one person. I’ve always struggled with portion control… If I made a recipe that serves 4, I know I’d end up eating the whole thing… so that’s why I started making all of my meals only 1 serving. That way there’s no leftovers for me to eat, and no question as to how much of the meal is an appropriate portion. I always had a hard time with diet/nutrition books that would give recipes for 4-6 servings. I know I could measure out the appropriate servings and store them in their own tupperware, but if there are leftovers or extra in the fridge, I know I will end up eating them when I shouldn’t! Maybe that’s just me, but I’ve found that single serving recipes work best for me to stay on track! Single serving recipes are also great for someone who lives alone, but they’re easy to double if you’re cooking for another person as well!

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Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apple
Serves 1

1 Fuji Apple
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Earth Balance Olive Oil Buttery Spread (or coconut oil)

Preheat oven to 375. Wash and carefully hollow out the apple making sure not to cut too deep through the bottom of the apple. Mix oats, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon together and pour into the apple. Fill the bottom of a small baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water. Place the apple in the baking dish lined with water. Place 1/4 tsp of Earth Balance or coconut oil on top of the oats. Bake for 30 minutes.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: apple
Whole Grain: oats
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: Earth Balance or Coconut Oil

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: Complete this meal with a cup of milk, or 1 cup of Greek yogurt as your serving of protein.

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