Tag: Herbs

Cauliflower Rice Salad

1 Comment

Hey guys! Today I have a very nice, bright and fresh salad for you that is the perfect base for any protein! It’s full of veggies and has an AMAZING parsley and cilantro dressing that’s whipped up in the blender. The cauliflower base of the salad is created in the blender as well… and let me tell you, I’m loving it!

If sweet potatoes in the microwave isn’t life changing enough, let me introduce you to riced cauliflower! I had half a cauliflower in the fridge waiting to be used up, and I thought I’d do a little something different with it. So I cut it into chunks and tossed it in the blender- yes the blender- and was left with some perfect cauliflower “rice” that makes an amazing base to this salad! I’m really excited to do even more cool stuff with this rice substitute in the future- I stored my extra cauli rice in the freezer for later use. So yes, expect a storm of cauliflower rice recipes coming your way soon:))

In addition to those little grains of cauliflower, this salad has a bunch of other fresh veggies, including cucumber, tomato, chickpeas, and red onion! Definitely getting some nice Mediterranean vibes from this recipe. That red onion adds some extra flavour- onions rock, just so you know. And those chickpeas add a bit of protein so that the whole thing is more filling. This salad is definitely great by itself, but if you’re looking for a more substantial meal you can DEFINITELY top it with a delicious protein of your choice. Some proteins that would be great with this salad are:

  • Chicken breast
  • Steak
  • Boiled eggs
  • Canned tuna
  • More beans

Whipping up a big batch of this and preparing some proteins is a great meal-prep option, and also makes for a great quick and easy school lunch!

Let’s talk about the dressing- it’s pretty darn good. Even though it’s really simple, the bright herb flavours really shine through! I used lots of cilantro and parsley, and brought in some lemon juice for that acid. With some olive oil and the addition of garlic and some salt and pepper, the dressing comes together beautifully! Trust me, this is a container of green gold right here.

So so good! This dressing coats all of the salad ingredients and amps up the flavour of all of the veggies.

This recipe is definitely a quick and easy winner- perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, super fresh and healthy, and VERY TASTY. Enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Cauliflower Rice Salad

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Print

To Make the Cauliflower Rice: Add cauliflower florets to a blender or food processor, and blend until evenly chopped and rice-like in texture. Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower!

Ingredients

For the Salad

-1 1/3 cups riced cauliflower

-1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

-1 tomato, diced

-1/4 of a cucumber, diced

-1/4 of a red onion, diced

For the Dressing

-1/4 cup packed parsley

-1/4 cup packed cilantro

-1/4 cup olive oil

-Juice of 1/2 a lemon

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and set aside.

2. Mix together the salad ingredients in a large bowl, add in the dressing, and toss everything to combine.

3. Serve with a protein of choice.


Fresh Baked Falafel

Leave a comment

Hey guys! Welcome to my first recipe of 2021- I wanted to start the year off right and this recipe is SO GOOD. We’re making amazing homemade falafels that are packed with flavour and are super healthy too! All you’ve gotta so is follow three simple steps; blend, shape, then bake, and you can be poppin’ these bites of deliciousness into your very own mouth.

First off- blend! You’ve heard of a one bowl recipe, but have you ever heard of a no bowl recipe? Probably not until now, but that’s right- this recipe calls for no bowl and only one blender or food processor. All of the fresh and amazing ingredients for our falafels are being thrown in there and simply combined until a nice, even consistency is reached. I didn’t call these FRESH Baked Falafel just for fun either. We’ve got fresh parsley, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped onion, and so many other ingredients to make these chickpea nuggets come to life! I also used some oat flour to bind everything together, but if you prefer to use another kind of flour you can go ahead.

Step two- shape! I got out a little spoon, scooped tablespoon sized amounts of falafel mixture into my hands, and formed them into flat patties. This shape is the best for baking because the outsides get nice and browned while the inside still cooks all the way through. This step is pretty straight forward, and also fun and kind of messy.

Finally- bake! These babes bake for fifteen minutes on one side, then get flipped and bake for another fifteen. The result is a golden brown, toasty falafel that is amazing on or in just about anything. Bowls, salads, wraps, sandwiches; you name it, these will take it up a notch. I recommend making a double or triple batch, freezing them, and pulling them out when you want something fast and tasty.

Hope you enjoy these amazing Fresh Baked Falafels!! Let me know how they turn out when you give this recipe a try:)

Fresh Baked Falafel

Serves: Makes 9-10 Falafels

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 a white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add all of the falafel ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until everything is completely combined.
  3. Scoop the mixture out from the blender by tablespoon fulls and form into discs about 1/4 inch thick. Spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. Place the falafels in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. At this point, remove the pan, flip the falafels, and then place them back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes.
  5. Take the falafels out of the oven, let them cool, and enjoy in bowls, salads, wraps, or sandwiches, or just dip in hummus.

Have fun making and eating these Falafels! See you guys Wednesday with another great recipe:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Smoky Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Leave a comment

‘Sup guys! I’ve done a lot of sweet Christmas recipes so far, but today I have some Smoky Roasted Cauliflower Steaks that are a GREAT vegetarian main or side dish for your Christmas dinner. I also threw some mushrooms on the pan to toast with the steaks because mushrooms are so tasty and remind me of the holidays!

The concept of a cauliflower steak is a thick slab of cauliflower seared or roasted so that it is reminiscent of a steak. I actually love steaks- I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I love veggies too, and these “steaks” are just so good and perfect for switching it up once and a while.

In this recipe, I amped up the meatiness of the cauliflower by using liquid smoke in the marinade!! My family and I made some homemade beef jerky the other week (it was so good I highly recommend), and an ingredient in the marinade was liquid smoke. It gave it such a good flavour! So I thought, why not add it to my cauliflower? And it worked its magic there too. Liquid smoke is used in a variety of vegan and vegetarian recipes because it does give that savoury, meaty flavour, so it’s worth picking some up. Also in the marinade, we have balsamic, garlic, and a bunch of spices that all work together to create a ziploc bag full of deliciousness😂

I marinaded the steaks for 4 hours- flipping the bag halfway through to make sure that everything got coated evenly. This made the cauliflower so flavourful! I then placed the steaks on a sheet pan in the oven, but not before tossing some sliced mushrooms in the leftover marinade and throwing them on the pan as well.

Everything roasts up SO nicely in the oven, getting crispy and tender and steak-like! These steaks, along with the mushrooms, would be great alongside some mashed potatoes (or sweet potatoes), more roasted veggies, and maybe some vegetable gravy! They’re super tasty and have a wonderful texture.

Hope you enjoy this vegan holiday dish!

Smoky Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Serves: 3

Total Time: 5 hours

Ingredients:

For the Steaks and Mushrooms:

  • 1/2 a head of cauliflower, washed and cut lengthwise into about 3/4 inch slabs
  • 5-6 white mushrooms, sliced
  • Sprinkle of dried oregano and dried rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Marinade:

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • Red chilli flakes to taste

Directions:

  1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large resealable bag. Add in the cauliflower steaks and place in the fridge for 4 hours, flipping over the bag halfway through to make sure that the marinade gets to every part of the veggies.
  2. Once the 4 hours are up, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the steaks from the marinade and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Toss the sliced mushrooms in the remaining marinade, and then place them on the baking sheet as well. Sprinkle some dried rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper over everything, throw the pan in the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven and serves the mushrooms and cauliflower warm.
  5. Enjoy!

Hope you’re all having a wonderful Christmas-week so far! I’ll see you on Wednesday with another holiday recipe🥰

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Butternut Squash Spaghetti

2 Comments

Anyone craving pasta? Stupid question, I know. Pasta is just one of those comforting and delicious things that I’m down for anytime🙌 Today we’re both health-ifying and fall-ifying some spaghetti by using butternut squash, roasted garlic, and juicy tomatoes. Yes please!

The butternut squash sauce for these noodles is INSANELY easy and INSANELY good. First, you oven roast some squash (I used frozen squash chunks for extra convenience), a tomato, and garlic. Then all of that goodness is blended with herbs that remind me of fall- rosemary, thyme, and sage, and lots of salt and pepper. This makes a sauce so with an amazing flavour and an even more amazing colour😍😍 Yum!

I used some nice whole wheat pasta as a base for my sauce, because it’s a great way to get more nutrients in👌 I also love lentil or chickpea noodles, which have lots of protein! Even if you’re using regular pasta, this is still a delicious and healthy meal. We need carbs people! They give us energy so we can be our amazing selves😉 Also, they’re really tasty. So it’s a win-win!

Hope you enjoy this fall pasta dish! I know it’s going to be on repeat at my house all season long🥰

Butternut Squash Spaghetti

Serves: 2

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 servings of whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups frozen butternut squash chunks, or fresh butternut squash cut into centimetre cubes.
  • 1 large tomato, cut in half
  • 5 cloves of garlic, in the skins
  • 1/4 tsp ground sage
  • 1/4 tsp ground thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add the tomato and the butternut squash onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and toss with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic cloves in tinfoil to create a little packet, and place that on the pan as well. Throw it in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the squash and the tomato are soft.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Once the veggies are done roasting, toss them into a blender or food processor with the thyme, rosemary, sage, and some salt and pepper. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins and add them as well. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
  5. Add the sauce to the pasta and coat the noodles evenly. Serve warm and enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked:)

Lentil and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Leave a comment

It seems too early to be transitioning from fall to winter, but it’s kind of already happening. Why the heck is it so cold? And why is the sun rising at like nine and setting at like six? These are questions we have yet to answer, my friends. But in the meantime, we might as well embrace the freezing darkness that is winter and enjoy these stuffed peppers.

Stuffed peppers are an amazing comfort food🥰 They’re hearty and delicious, perfect for a cold winter night. These ones also happen to be super healthy, as well as vegan and gluten free. I used lentils and quinoa for the meat substitute, and it makes a filling that is INCREDIBLE. My advice is to double or triple the recipe so you can have tasty peppers for lunch all week long.

Also, if you don’t feel like cooking for hours or washing a TON of dishes, these are for you! I used canned lentils and already cooked quinoa for increased simplicity. You just need to fry up some onions and basically mix everything tightest in the pot. Then stuff your peppers, pop em in the oven, and let them get nice and soft on the outside, warm on the inside, and crispy on top😍 (Those crispy bits are the best part). You’re left with a meal that is so flavourful and filling that you’ll be like, take that, stupid winter. So yeah, the season might not be too bad if you’ve got these hanging around!

Hope you enjoy this recipe!:)

Lentil and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 2

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 large bell peppers, any colour
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can of tomato paste (6 oz)
  • 1 cup cooked lentils (I used the brown canned variety)
  • 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the diced onions and cook for 6-8 minutes, until translucent.
  2. Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Then dump in the tomato paste, lentils, quinoa, balsamic, soy sauce, herbs and spices, and stir to combine.
  3. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the spinach and continue to cook until it’s wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the heat.
  4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut out the tops of your peppers so that a round hole is left. Full each pepper with half of the lentil and quinoa filling, then place in a glass baking dish.
  5. Bake the peppers for about 15 minutes in the oven; then reduce the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the top of the filling is crispy.
  6. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Hope you guys are having a great week! I have another great pumpkin recipe for you guys on Friday. We’ve got to milk this pumpkin and apple stuff before fall is over, am I right? See you then!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))