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EASY VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

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A friend of mine was recently asking about recipes that use frozen vegetables. It occurred to me that I have always used fresh produce in my recipes here. Fresh is great but there are some huge advantages to using frozen veggies when you can. Frozen vegetables are actually less expensive than fresh ones. I did a quick price check at my local grocery store and a bag of fresh broccoli florets was priced at 21c per ounce. Meanwhile, the bag of frozen broccoli florets was priced at 11c per ounce. That is nearly HALF the price! If you’re on a budget, frozen veggies are a great way to get healthy foods on the cheap. Speaking of being budget friendly, frozen vegetables won’t go bad in a few days which means you’re not tossing anything out at the end of the week. You’re getting your money’s worth! Finally, frozen vegetables are already chopped. Let’s be honest, chopping vegetables sometimes takes longer than actually cooking a dish. Precut vegetables are a huge time saver! So, have I convinced you to buy frozen vegetables yes?!

Now, let’s get down to this recipe. I started making fried rice a few years ago because I was simply wanting to use up some leftovers from the fridge. I have a habit of cooking more rice than we need when using it as a side dish.  Rather than tossing out the leftovers or even eating plain rice again later in the week, I chose to repurpose it. The thing about fried rice is that it is actually easy to customize with whatever vegetables or spices are your favorites. Here, I’m giving you a super easy base recipe for vegetable fried rice. From here, feel free to get creative with what you add in. I’d love to hear how you adapt this to make it your own!

Tips

  • It is critical to use rice that was cooked earlier and then cooled. If you use freshly cooked rice, you will end up with a pan full of mush.
  • This is a basic vegetable fried rice recipe but don’t let that limit you. Feel free to add a protein of your choice or a wider variety of vegetables such as snow peas, bell peppers or edamame.
Print Recipe

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

An easy base recipe for vegetable fried rice.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked, cold brown rice
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas & carrots
  • 1/2 cup frozen chopped broccoli
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Instructions

  • Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  • Add rice and vegetables to the pan and cook until tender. Mix in garlic, sesame oil, onion powder, and tamari sauce.
  • Push rice mixture to one side of the pan. Pour the egg into the other side of the pan and stir with a rubber spatula until curds form. Stir egg into the rice mixture. Add additional tamari sauce if desired.

Notes

  • 4 servings is based on using this recipe as a side dish. If you prefer to use it as your entrée, double the recipe.
  • It is critical to use rice that was cooked earlier and then cooled. If you use freshly cooked rice, you will end up with a pan full of mush.
  • This is a basic vegetable fried rice recipe but don’t let that limit you. Feel free to add a protein of your choice or a wider variety of vegetables such as snow peas, bell peppers or edamame.

TURMERIC SPICE MUFFINS

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My daughter loves muffins. Like REALLY loves them. I think she’d eat muffins for every meal if we let her. Unfortunately, she’s not into having fruit or grated veggies in her muffins right now – I think it’s a texture issue. So, I won’t be making my favorite, blueberry muffins, any time soon. I don’t want to fill her muffins with chocolate chips every time either so I’ve started experimenting with flavors and spices. To my surprise, and delight, my girl gave me her stamp of approval on these turmeric muffins. “Mama, I like your muffins” is pretty high culinary praise when your critic is only two years old.

Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine wants to donate all the muffin stumps? My brain goes to that show every time I make muffins. To be clear, I do eat my muffin stumps and I enjoy them. This particular recipe did something amazing inside the stumps. I tried various amounts of turmeric with each revision of the recipe. The flavor would change slightly but the color ended up with an ombre type of effect regardless of how much turmeric I added. Cut one of your muffins in half before biting in and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Maybe Elaine wouldn’t have been ditching all those muffin stumps if they had been this pretty inside.

Tips

  • You can freeze these muffins and then reheat as needed – about 45 seconds in the microwave should do it.
  • The sugar topping is completely optional but it does add a nice texture and sweetness.
Print Recipe

Turmeric Muffins

Turmeric gives a balance between sweet and savory in these ombre shaded muffins.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast, Muffins, Turmeric, Turmeric Muffins
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Optional: course sugar such as turbinado or demerara for sprinkling on top.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Add milk then remaining dry ingredients.
  • Scoop batter into muffin pan, filling each cup two thirds full. Lightly sprinkle each muffin with course sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Looking for other breakfast ideas?

Savory Spinach Turnovers

Farm-Style Biscuits

Vanilla Almond Granola

SHEET PAN DINNERS FOR BUSY WEEKNIGHTS

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People often think that as a food blogger, I must have it all together in the kitchen. They assume my meals are always planned ahead of time. That I choose healthy options and only indulge occasionally. That dinner is easy to prep regardless of any other activities going on. These assumptions are completely off base. I certainly do enjoy cooking. Why else would I do a food blog? However, dinner at my house is often as last minute as any other household. I reach for convenient foods as often as I do healthy foods. I get in food ruts and end up fixing the same meals every week for a month. My biggest struggle is honestly just getting to the grocery to even pick up any ingredients. What is your biggest struggle for getting dinner on the table? I would genuinely love to hear from you on this.

I’ve met and follow some incredible people through food blogging. One of the things I love most about this community is the support people provide. Blogging is always a work in progress. We work to improve our recipes, our writing, our photography, our styling. My fellow food bloggers understand every aspect of what goes into creating a post. When you start following someone closely, you see their progress. We cheer each other on. We congratulate one another when we see something inspiring. We sympathize when struggles hit us in the kitchen. It is a wonderful thing to have companionship in this space.

Weeknights are about to get easier. For this post, I’ve collaborated with eight of my favorite food bloggers to create sheet pan dinners. I love sheet pan dinners because of how easy they are to make but also how easy they are to clean up. With the school year now in full swing, everyone has a busier schedule and could use an easy dinner recipe. I have been blown away by the variety and creativity in this project. A huge thank you goes out to each and every collaborator for helping me put this together. I hope that you’ll stop by their sites and check out more recipes from these incredible food bloggers!

SHEET PAN BBQ CHICKEN MEATBALLS & VEGGIES

Created by Laura at Ways To My Heart
https://www.waystomyheart.com/sheet-pan-bbq-chicken-meatballs-veggies/

CURRIED PORK CHOP AND POTATO SHEET PAN RECIPE

Created by Nicolas at Blogtastic Food
https://www.blogtasticfood.com/curries-pork-chop-sheetpan-recipe/

SHEET PAN GNOCCHI AND SAUSAGE

Created by Mansee at One Girl. One Kitchen.
https://www.onegirlonekitchen.com/sheet-pan-gnocchi-and-sausage/

SHEET PAN HARISSA CHICKEN WITH BROCCOLINI AND CHICKPEAS

Created by Indi at With Spice
https://www.withspice.com/blog/sheet-pan-harissa-chicken-with-broccolini-and-chickpeas

DUKKAH AND PARMESAN CHICKEN TRAY BAKE

Created by Teresa at Cupcakes and Couscous
https://cupcakesandcouscous.com/2019/08/28/dukkah-and-parmesan-chicken-tray-bake/

SHEET PAN CHICKEN FAJITAS

Created by Melissa at Keeping it Simple
https://keepingitsimpleblog.com/food/dinner/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas/

EASY SHEET PAN DINNER WITH SAUSAGE, POTATOES & VEGGIES

Created by Julia at Julia Recipes
https://juliarecipes.com/2019/08/30/easy-pan-sheet-dinner-with-sausage-potatoes-veggies/

SHEET PAN ITALIAN MUSHROOMS AND GARLIC BREADSTICKS

Created by Will at Hangry White Male
https://www.hangrywhitemale.com/sheet-pan-italian-mushrooms-and-garlic-breadsticks/

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

Created by Sarah at Slice of Honey
https://sliceofhoney.com/2018/10/12/sheet-pan-shrimp-fajitas/

THREE BEAN PITA SANDWICH

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The great thing about food blogging is that inspiration comes three times per day, at a minimum. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Any time we go out to eat or have a meal at a friend’s house, I am surrounded by inspiration. My husband recently requested a bean based sandwich. My brain instantly went to the three bean salad available at the Jason’s Deli salad bar. Why not make something similar and pop it into a pita?

I love a dish that can be served more than one way. This is that kind of dish. You can easily serve this up as a pita sandwich (as described in the recipe) but you could just as easily eat it as a salad. Alternatively, I think it could also make a great topping on a baked sweet potato. Main dish or side dish. Either way, I call it delicious. I always keep chickpeas and black beans in my pantry. This recipe is a perfect example of why they are staples.

Tips

  • You can eat this right away if you want to. However, you will get better flavor if you let the bean mixture marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes before eating it.
  • If you are packing this for lunch, I recommend packing the bean mixture and the pita bread separately so the bread doesn’t get soggy.
Print Recipe

Three Bean Pita Sandwich

This three bean pita sandwich turns pantry staples into a delicious meal.
Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Keyword: Beans, Pita, Sandwich, Three Bean, Three Bean Pita Sandwich
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 small cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 small red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
  • 4 6" whole wheat pita breads, cut in half

For the dressing

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together all of the beans, vegetables and fresh herbs. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over bean mixture and stir until evenly coated.
  • When ready to eat, use a slotted spoon to scoop bean salad into pita halves.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also be interested in my curried chickpea salad sandwich or my veggie wrap with homemade jalapeno hummus.

MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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I promise I’ve been trying to focus on healthy recipes. In fact, I have a few waiting in the wings for the blog. However, sometimes I get distracted by sweets. Let me be honest here, chocolate chip cookies are typically not my jam. I mean, I’ll still eat one if that’s what’s available – let’s be reasonable, there’s still chocolate involved. But if I have other options, I will pick almost any other cookie on any given day. Maybe I’ve just had too many super plain tasting chocolate chip cookies in my day? I know you know what I’m talking about. Something mass produced for a cafeteria. Something lacking flavor and or quality chocolate.

Given my history with this all-American cookie, it is a wonder I was craving them the other night. I saw a friend post some chocolate chip cookies in her Instagram stories and I just couldn’t get them out of my head. So, I did it. I made some cookies from scratch and THANKFULLY wrote the recipe down as I created it. My cookie loving world has been forever changed! I’m going to make a big statement here and people will might try to argue with me (I’ll be respectful of your opinions if you’ll respect mine). These cookies turned out to be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I know you love your grandma’s recipe but I feel like that is only because you haven’t tried these yet. Bonus? They are still simple to make!!! Be sure to eat one (or four) while they’re still warm from the oven. You can thank me later.

Tips

  • The toffee bits add a beautiful sweetness that is different from the chocolate chips. However, if you’re serving these to friends who have a nut allergy, please leave them out.
  • Quality ingredients do make a difference in the cookie, especially when it comes to the chocolate. This recipe is the perfect reason to splurge a little and get the more expensive chocolate chips.
Chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk.
Print Recipe

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Slightly crisp outside, slightly chewy inside. A perfectly balanced chocolate chip cookie.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup toffee bits

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar.
  • Mix eggs and vanilla into butter mixture.
  • Gradually stir in flour mixture until all ingredients are fully combined.
  • Stir in chocolate chips and toffee.
  • Scoop cookie dough into golf ball sized balls and place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Leave 2 ½ inches between cookies. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove cookie sheet from oven and transfer the cookies from the parchment to cooling racks.

While these are certainly my favorite chocolate chip cookie, I understand that people have strong preferences when it comes to such a classic cookie. If you prefer soft batch, I’ve got you covered. You can check out my soft batch chocolate chip cookies here.

SOUTHWESTERN HASH BROWN WAFFLES

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I went to the grocery store today and came across a group of volunteers asking for donations of school supplies. They handed me a list of what they were needing. I can’t lie, it took everything I had to not start crying. Guys, there are families in your very own town who can NOT afford school supplies for their kids! I’ve been aware of this for a long time but I suppose I’ve never really known what to do or how to help. These volunteers made it so easy for me to help. With tears welled up in my eyes, I gathered notebooks, dividers, highlighters and a backpack. It doesn’t even feel like enough but I’m hopeful the volunteers will receive enough to make a difference in my community.

Southwestern hash brown waffles

When kids don’t have school supplies, learning becomes more challenging. Similarly, when kids don’t start the day with a good meal, they have a hard time focusing. With school starting later this month, I wanted to create a breakfast recipe that is easy to freeze and reheat. Furthermore, I wanted to create a recipe that isn’t bread based – I love pancakes, muffins, etc. but we can do better. Let’s start our day with some protein and vegetables! I’ve taken the ingredients of an omelet, scrambled them together and cooked them in a waffle iron. Once they are cooked, you can easily freeze them and reheat as needed.

Tips:

  • Depending on the size of your family, you might want to double this recipe.
  • No waffle iron? Feel free to scoop some of the mixture onto a skillet and cook these like you would a pancake.
Print Recipe

Southwestern Hash Brown Waffles

A hearty breakfast dish that is easy to freeze and reheat as needed.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Back to school, Back to school recipe, Breakfast, Easy Breakfast, Easy Recipe, Eggs, Hash browns, Meal Prep
Servings: 8 wedges

Equipment

  • Waffle Iron

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup frozen hash browns
  • 1/4 cup black beans
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons jalapeño, stemmed, cored and finely chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional Toppings

  • avocado
  • salsa
  • sour cream

Instructions

  • Preheat waffle iron on medium high setting.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk eggs together. Stir all remaining ingredients into eggs.
  • Spray heated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop ¾ cup of the mixture onto the waffle iron (amount will vary based on the size of your waffle iron). Close iron and cook until golden brown (approximately 5 minutes).
  • Let waffles cool completely. Cut into wedges and freeze in freezer bags. To reheat, remove from freezer bag and microwave 30 seconds.

Notes

  • Depending on the size of your family, you might want to double this recipe.
  • No waffle iron? Feel free to scoop some of the mixture onto a skillet and cook these like you would a pancake.

KALE SALAD with LEMON VINAIGRETTE

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What is your go-to when you really don’t want to cook? Maybe I should back up a bit. What are the staples in your fridge or pantry? The items you know you can always make a meal out of in ten minutes or less? My staples include kale (don’t roll your eyes at me), chickpeas, tortillas and eggs. At my laziest, I will toss together a kale salad. The toppings vary as far as which cheese or seeds I might sprinkle on top but I always include chickpeas for protein. My other go-to quick meal option is a breakfast taco. I live in South Texas and down here, there is no room for not loving breakfast tacos.

I get it that there are plenty of people who don’t like kale. Heck, there are plenty to mock it and shout their hate for kale from the rooftops. However, I think those people either haven’t actually tried it OR it wasn’t prepared well for them. In raw form, it can be really tough and fibrous. If the stem isn’t removed, you’ll feel like you’re gnawing on a tree branch. HOWEVER, if prepared well, it is delicious and has lots of nutritional value. At the very least, it is worth trying. If you still don’t like it? Hey, more for me!

Tips

  • I created this recipe as a side salad. However, you can top it with chickpeas, a hard-boiled egg or even grilled chicken to turn it into a meal.
  • To make this recipe go even faster, you can use a store-bought vinaigrette instead of the one I created for this salad.
Print Recipe

Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

My go-to salad recipe – perfect as a side salad or turn it into your main dish.
Course: Salad

Ingredients

  • 5 large handfuls kale, destemmed and torn into pieces
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons roasted & salted pepita seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the Vinaigrette

  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Place kale, lemon zest and salt in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of water. Sauté 2-3 minutes or until kale is bright green and slightly tender. Remove from heat immediately and put kale in a medium bowl.
  • Toss kale with pepitas, parmesan and red pepper flakes until ingredients are evenly distributed.

For the vinaigrette

  • For the vinaigrette: whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad as desired.

BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE NO CHURN ICE CREAM

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I have lived in several states during my adult life – Kansas, Missouri, New York, Colorado, California, Texas. Most places I’ve lived were simply because I felt like moving and exploring a new city/state. However, my journey to Western New York is a little different. Deciding to pursue a degree in Audiology required me to look outside of my home state of Kansas. At the time, there were no doctoral programs in Kansas – that has changed since then. As I was filling out grad school applications, I was initially drawn to places with a nice climate or places where I already had friends. I had a huge stack of applications and most of them were not distinct from one another. However, I vividly recall grabbing the application to SUNY at Buffalo and thinking “Why would I want to live there?” as I tossed it into the garbage. I was getting burned out on completing applications and I had senioritis in a bad way. At some point, I realized that I should probably apply to just one more school – acceptance into specialty programs can be competitive and there are no guarantees. So, I browsed online and discovered SUNY at Buffalo had an incredibly easy online application. I filled it out and didn’t really think twice about it because I had full intention of attending one of the other schools on my list. I think we can all see where this is heading, right? Each school I applied to had a unique situation as to why I ended up not going there. I’ll spare you those details but yes, I ultimately ended up moving to Buffalo and completing my degree there.

I spent a total of six years in Buffalo and surrounding towns. There were ups and there were so many more downs. To be honest, I have a hard time looking back and seeing the high points but I know there were some good times had in the midst of it all. One thing that I do recall fondly, though, is the food. Buffalo wings, anyone?!?! But also, the pizza and sub sandwiches. And even better? Perry’s ice cream. Now living in Texas, Blue Bell is the go-to option in the stores. However, I’m convinced it is only because Perry’s is not available here. (Sorry, Blue Bell.) My all-time favorite flavor was blackberry cheesecake. It was only available occasionally, and only at the local ice cream stands. It was never available in the stores. But man, oh man, this was THE flavor for me! I haven’t found it in any other brand since then. Naturally, the next best thing was to create my own version. My friend, Nicolas, from Blogtastic Food challenged me to create a new no churn ice cream and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I truly hope this no churn blackberry cheesecake ice cream gives you the same joy I experienced when I had the original from Perry’s back in the day.

Tips:

  • Be sure to cool the berry mixture before adding it into the whipped cream mixture so that it doesn’t melt the whipped cream.
  • Don’t sub out the homemade whipped cream for the premade stuff. There is a difference in texture and sweetness.
Print Recipe

Blackberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream

No Churn ice cream is easy to make – no ice cream maker needed. This blackberry cheese cake ice cream is the new favorite in our house.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Blackberry, Blackberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream, Blackberry Ice Cream, Cheesecake, Cheesecake Ice Cream, Dessert, Easy Recipe, Ice Cream, No Churn, No Churn Ice Cream
Author: Sarah Baade

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fresh blackberries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 16 oz heavy cream
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 9" premade graham cracker pie crust

Instructions

  • Stir blackberries in a medium pan over low heat until berries start to break down.
  • Stir in vanilla extract and cream cheese until cream cheese is melted and mostly incorporated with berries.
  • Remove berry mixture from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  • In a large, chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form.
  • Mix sweetened condensed milk into heavy cream until fully incorporated.
  • Add berry mixture into cream mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
  • Gently stir in entire graham cracker crust – do not fully incorporate the crust – chunks are fine here.
  • Pour ice cream mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.

More No churn Ice Cream Recipes

This recipe was developed as part of a collaboration with several other talented food bloggers. I am including the links to their recipes for you to try out as well.

Bonus Recipe

You can also check out my own No Churn Chocolate Chunk Coffee Ice Cream here.

PATRIOTIC PARTY SNACKS

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I’m so glad I ended up taking this Friday off from work. I’ve been needing a four-day weekend and 4th of July is the perfect excuse for one! I’ve mentioned before that Texas holds some great childhood Independence Day memories for me. Since moving to San Antonio almost eight years ago, I’ve been making wonderful adulthood memories as well. This year, we will be celebrating our great nation with family. I can hardly wait to watch my daughter play with cousins she hasn’t seen since Christmas. We’ll be hanging out poolside for most of the weekend which means I’m all about the easiest snacks I can make happen while still pulling off a patriotic theme. I’ve put together a short list of what you can make to keep things simple, mostly healthy, and definitely delicious.

Watermelon Salad

Honestly, you can further simply this easy recipe by skipping the dressing. Sure, it adds a little extra something to the dish but if you’re in a hurry, just stick to the basic salad.

Print Recipe

Watermelon Salad

Fresh flavors that are perfect for summer snacking

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 8 cups watermelon, cut into 1" cubes
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients.
  • In a blender, liquefy the dressing ingredients.
  • Drizzle dressing over individual servings of salad, as desired.

Snack Tray

The key here is finding a variety of red and white snacks and adding in some blueberries. Use whatever snacks you like best. Here’s what I used: star fruit, blueberries, cherries, mini toast crackers, grape tomatoes, white cheddar cheese slices, yogurt covered pretzels, red bell peppers, white crackers, and pepperoni.

Fruit Bruschetta

Fruit Bruschetta One thing I love about this recipe is that you can change up the fruit toppings based on preference or what is seasonal. For 4th of July, I opted for blueberries and raspberries

Print Recipe

Fruit Bruschetta

A sweeter, summery take on bruschetta.
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Ingredients

  • 1 Ciabatta baguette
  • 8 oz goat cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • honey, for drizzling

Instructions

  • Set oven to broil.
  • Slice baguette diagonally into ½” thick slices. Lay out the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, flip each slice of bread over and place back in oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove cookie sheet from oven and let bread slices cool completely.
  • In a bowl, combine goat cheese and chopped mint leaves. Spread goat cheese onto bread slices (be generous, it’s delicious!). Top with fruit as desired then drizzle with honey.

Notes

You can change which fruits you use based on preference or what is in season.

Infused Water

The key to infused water is to prepare it a couple of hours ahead of time. Place sliced fruits in a large pitcher and add water. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For this one, I used star fruit, strawberries and blueberries.

Stir-N-Drop Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box and I love using it for holidays. You can change up the colored decorating sugars to adjust for the right color theme.

Print Recipe

Stir-N-Drop Sugar Cookies

Quick and easy cookies perfect for any holiday.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • additional colored sugars for decorating

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs with oil, vanilla, zest and sugar. 
  •  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 
  • Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
  • Drop dough by the tablespoon full onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 
  • Grease the bottom of a glass with butter or cooking spray. Dip glass into colored sugar then gently press on ball of dough until dough is ¼-inch thick. Repeat on each ball of dough.
  • Bake 5-6 minutes or until edges of cookies start to turn golden brown.

Chips & Pico de Gallo

Place a small white bowl of pico de gallo inside a larger white bowl. Fill remaining space in large bowl with blue corn chips.

Print Recipe

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

  • 6 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, stemmed, cored and finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  • Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
  • Stir before serving with tortilla chips.

Flag Cake

This is about the decorations more than following a recipe. Grab a box of white cake mix and bake as instructed on package. Once cooled, cover with cream cheese frosting or cool whip. Top with blueberries and sliced strawberries in the shape of an American flag.

PARMESAN ASPARAGUS & TOMATOES

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As some of you may know, I followed a pretty strict vegetarian diet for about a year in 2017-2018. I’ve loved vegetables for as long as I can remember so it wasn’t too far of a stretch for me to jump in completely. When I took the time to truly plan my meals, it was a relatively easy diet for me to follow and I truly enjoyed it. When I didn’t take that time to plan and prep though, it was rough. Every Wednesday night my husband and I join two other couples for what we call small group. Fellowship is probably a better word to describe these evenings. We share a meal, talk about Jesus and talk about life. I love our Wednesday nights and these friends are really more like family. However, cooking on those nights became stressful. I would make a dish for the non-vegetarian group of friends. Cook something for my daughter (who wasn’t eating with us or I would have served her the same thing). And after each of those, I was still cooking a vegetarian dinner for myself. It was too much. Too much to accomplish within a small window of time after work and before getting our group together. Ultimately, the diet wasn’t worth the cooking chaos and I started reincorporating meats into my routine. Perhaps down the road I will give it another go but right now it isn’t the right option for me.

I still enjoy cooking vegetarian based dishes at home when life isn’t too crazy though. This is why I have kept the blog as primarily vegetarian. I love the challenge and health benefits of keeping more plants on my plate than meats. Even when we go out to dinner I often choose a vegetarian option. One of my favorite things to do is to order a few different side dishes or appetizers and eat those as my dinner rather than ordering an entrée. I feel like I have more options that way. Plus, I feel like I get to try a wider variety of what the restaurant has to offer. With this in mind, I also enjoy making side dishes at home and claiming them as my main course. I discovered last week that I can eat about a pound of asparagus on my own. Sorry to my husband for not sharing, haha! This recipe is a new one for us but is so easy and tasty that it might very well make it to the usual rotation of favorite recipes.

Tips:

  • Feel free to swap out the grape tomatoes for whatever small sweet tomatoes you can find at your local store.
  • I highly recommend sticking with fresh herbs on this one. Dried herbs will not give the same fresh flavor.
Sauteed asparagus and tomatoes with parmesan.
Print Recipe

Parmesan Asparagus & Tomatoes

A flavorful, savory side dish that is quick and easy to make.
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: Asparagus, Easy Recipe, Side Dish, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Recipe
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 3 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stir frequently. Add asparagus, stirring occasionally, and cook until slightly tender and starting to get char markings, about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano and thyme. Push asparagus to one side of the pan, place tomatoes on other side. Cook tomatoes until they soften slightly and start to get char markings, about 3 minutes. Add parmesan and salt, stir all ingredients together in the pan until well combined.