Honey Za’atar Roasted Cashews

Contrary to whatever the holiday carols say, I must insist that autumn is in fact the most wonderful time of the year. The air is fresh and sweet, your hair stops frizzing, the leaves are pretty, Halloween happens, and DID I MENTION YOUR HAIR STOPS FRIZZING?!?! It’s also a free pass to become totally basic for two months out of the year, because everyone else is being basic too. Basically.

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Part of me isn’t ready to let go of summer, though. With new school years come new responsibilities, and with this specific school year comes a new degree and decisions I don’t particularly feel like making yet. I mean seriously, didn’t I just graduate college? Wasn’t I JUST an unfertilized egg? EVERYTHING IS STRESSFUL.

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Blueberry Muffin Granola (PLUS: How-To DIY Custom Granola)

There are very few breakfast foods I love more in this world than the blueberry muffin.

Whether it’s fresh out of the oven or one of those generic ones you get in plastic wrap at the corner store, there’s just something about a blueberry muffin that is so satisfying. Not a chocolate muffin, not a poppyseed muffin, and definitely not a CORN muffin (Pointless. WHY? Just eat some cornbread). I don’t know if it’s the buttery flavor, the sweet blueberries, or the temporary carb-induced euphoria, but whatever it is, I loooove it.

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PB&J Donuts

Donuts are my kryptonite. There are very few things in this world that make me forget that I have self control, and donuts are pretty much all of them.

I usually avoid them for this reason, but while on Spring break earlier this month visiting my cousins in North Carolina, I decided to treat myself to a toasted amaretto donut. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. And in those few, all-too-short minutes of edible bliss, I fell head-over-heels. Of course, the honeymoon was short lived, because I came sugar-crashing back to reality almost instantly. But it was worth it.

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Gooey Cookie Pie for One (Vegan!)

I have a confession to make… I’m boycotting Valentine’s Day. *cue dramatic gasp*

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may even recall last Valentine’s Day, when I officially dubbed February 14th  “Violin-tine’s Day.”  (Note to self: Totally making that more of a thing again this year.)

 

 

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. Sarah, you’re just a crotchety ol’ Scrooge because you’re single on Valentine’s Day. Well, OK, that last part might -technically- be true. In reality though, I’m actually a huge romantic. I’m a total sucker for the cheesiest things! Eating my food and telling me I’m pretty usually does the trick too, though. I’m not difficult to please. (Edit: I can actually be pretty difficult to please. Maybe that’s why I’m single on Valentine’s Day…)

 

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For me though, true romance is unconditional, and there’s something about having a holiday specifically for it that just feels forced. You know wha’m sayin’? I truly believe that showing someone else how much you care should be an all-the-time thing, and needs no occasion. Regardless of how you show it, every day should be like Valentine’s day.

 

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Not to mention, the holiday does kind of put a lot of undue pressure on single folk. I have friends who really dread Valentine’s Day, and THAT makes me sad more than anything. I also get it, because I used to feel the same way.

So that’s why I say, celebrate self-love this Valentine’s Day! Regardless of who you choose to date, marry, etc., only you get to spend your whole life with you. Just like only you get to eat this cookie pie.

 

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Aaaand so, that was my long winded way of explaining why I made you a recipe for one. And it is a reallllly good one. This is the gooiest cookie pie ever, and you’ll never know it’s egg and dairy free.

So I say, make and eat a whole freakin’ cookie pie by yourself this Valentine’s Day (or, any day). Then top it with some dairy-free ice cream, because why the heck not. This cookie pie will be there waiting just for you, because you deserve it. Also, because it’s vegan (and gluten free), that pretty much means it’s healthy by default. Right? Usually wrong. But today, right.

 

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And if you are planning to spend your Valentine’s Day with someone special, you could just as easily double the recipe. Why split a dessert when you can each have your own? Everybody’s happy, and nobody has to fight over who gets to eat what part or who gets the last bite. See? I’m saving relationships everywhere.

 

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Gooey Cookie Pie for One (Vegan)


Description

Because you deserve a dessert all to yourself.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/3 cup oat flour
  • 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 Tbs. dairy free chocolate chips
  • 1 Tbs. chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 Tbs. pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tbs. melted coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. Combine flour, salt, pecans, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil.
  4. Mix wet ingredients into flour mixture.
  5. Grease a wide, shallow ramekin. Pour batter into ramekin and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until set in the center.
  6. Serve with a small scoop of dairy-free ice cream of your choice, if desired. (And trust me… You desire.)


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

Mini Spinach & Artichoke Mac and Cheeses

“I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time.”

 

They say it’s football season, but I don’t watch football. I’d rather cook game-day food for you while YOU watch football. 

I’ve been going to Superbowl parties for years, and have never been in the room where the game is on for any time period exceeding five minutes. I’d need three hands to count the number of times I’ve had football explained to me, and it’s just never going to happen. Thus, my job is to wander aimlessly between the dining room and the kitchen, sampling the waves of various bite-size things that come out of the oven. You know, for quality control. 

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Usually, the standard fare for football games or Superbowl parties are bite-sized treats: wings, mini hot dogs, mini meatballs, mini quiches, mini pizzas, etc. Another big thing is dips, and one of my all-time favorites is spinach artichoke. So, I combined all of these concepts into a super creamy mac and cheese, and then baked it in little paper baking cups I found at Michael’s. (*Note: to be more eco-friendly, bake these in a muffin tin.)

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Did I mention that it also contains two kinds of cheddar cheese? Cabot Creamery was kind enough to send the Recipe Reduxers (count ’em) SEVEN different kinds of cheese this month. You can imagine my heaven. I am a huge Cabot fan, because not only is the cheese amazing, but they’re owned by family farmers and give all of their profits back to the 1200 farms that provide the dairy for their products. Just when I thought I couldn’t love cheese any more.

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I used two cheddars for this recipe: Cabot’s Seriously Sharp and Alpine Cheddars. I’ve always loved the Seriously Sharp just for straight-up snacking. It is SO good that once, I bought the cracker cuts to try and control my portions. The opposite effect occurred, so I (begrudgingly) went back to buying the block. 😛

The Alpine, which I’d never had, was delicious and super nutty, kind of like a parmesan. It totally reminded me of the melty parm blanket that sits atop a big bowl of spinach artichoke dip (*le drool*), so I threw it in. I also included some Cabot greek yogurt in the mix, which upped the creaminess by about 200%. SO good.

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I’ll just leave all of this here. Go forth and be cheesy.

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Mini Spinach & Artichoke Mac and Cheeses


Description

Perfectly portioned servings of creamy mac and cheese for your next game day party!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 paper baking cups (available in crafts stores) -or- a muffin tin with 12 compartments
  • 1 lb. whole wheat elbow macaroni pasta
  • 5 large canned artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 package frozen spinach (810 oz.), thawed, squeezed thoroughly, and chopped
  • 4 oz. (1/2 block) Cabot Alpine cheddar, grated
  • 4 oz. (1/2 block) Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar, grated
  • 1/2 cup Cabot Greek-style yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Topping

  • 1/2 cup unseasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbs. olive oil
  • 1 tbs. Cabot Alpine cheddar, grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. Put pasta into a pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil to the water. Bring water to boil. Shortly after coming to a boil, the pasta should be cooked. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
  3. Return the reserved pasta water to the macaroni. Add cheese and mix until melted.
  4. Add yogurt and garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Fill each baking cup with a generous portion of macaroni.
  6. Combine topping ingredients and mix until oil is evenly distributed.
  7. Sprinkle topping evenly over the individual mac and cheeses.
  8. Bake until topping is golden, about 10 minutes.

Notes

  • Depending on the size of your baking cups, this recipe may yield up to 16 servings.
  • For an eco-friendly/less-waste approach, use a muffin or mini-muffin tin!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 12

 


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