Farro and Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

I’m working from Delburne, this week – the town in rural Alberta where my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle live – aka. it’s our extended family’s meeting place. There’s something wonderful about visiting Delburne that consistently feels like a travel back in time to a place where you rarely see people on their iPhones and the food on your dinner plate came from the soil or a nearby ranch.

When I’m here, eating vegetables is easy since Grandma’s fridge and freezer are overflowing with the bounty from her garden. But, admittedly, eating a slice of Grandma’s homemade banana cream pie after dinner is equally as easy, too.  Case in point: last night.

Although the weather is expectedly cooler here than it is in LA, it’s still picnic weather and a good enough reason for me to enjoy this plant-based salad with my family.  And with Earth Day being tomorrow, it’s seems fitting to spend some extra time outside, soaking up the fresh air.

Farro and Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

This plant-based whole grain salad features beautiful, well-rounded ingredients – Earthy beets and farro, creamy goat cheese, salty pistachios, and bright blood oranges. It’s the perfect salad for a springtime picnic!

Ingredients:

1 cup farro

1 bunch asparagus

3 large beets

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

1 (4oz.) packet goat cheese

dressing:

2 tablespoons blood orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Cook 1 cup farro with 3 cups of lightly salted water, until tender and water is mostly absorbed. Drain, and set aside to cool.

3. Wash and cut beets into quarters, and steam until tender. Allow to cool.

4. Wash and trim asparagus and steam until crisp. Allow to cool.

5. Remove skins from the cooled beets and cut into bite sized cubes; cut asparagus on diagonal into pieces.

6. Add farro, beets, asparagus, and pistachios to a large bowl and crumble in goat cheese.

7. Toss with dressing and serve.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Thai Sweet Chili Chip Veggie Patties with Ginger Slaw

As a nutrition ambassador for Way Better Snacks, this post is sponsored by Way Better Snacks and I was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I love working with the brand.

I still remember tasting my very first veggie burger. It was more than fifteen years ago at a restaurant called Café Mosaics on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton.

While I’ve always been drawn to vegetarian meals and dishes on restaurant menus, this one in particular left such an impression because it was that good. I’ve experimented with tons of veggie patty recipes since that first veggie burger bite, but this recipe is certainly my new favorite.

I love how uncomplicated making these are, and the Sweet Chili Way Better Snacks gives the veggie patties excellent flavor. Using a 100% whole grain, sprouted chip provides a boost of nutrition over an ordinary white breadcrumb, too.  

These patties pair wonderfully with the Ginger Slaw so I wouldn't skip that step. And any leftover chips can be used to scoop up your favorite dip, such as guacamole, homemade salsa, or hummus. 

In my mind, any meal chock-full with so many good-for-you ingredients, and still makes room for a few extra chips paired with your favorite dip, is a winner in my book! 

Thai Sweet Chili Chip Veggie Patties with Ginger Slaw

Since these veggie patties are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, they appeal to a variety of dietary preferences and are a delicious option to serve at your next BBQ. Top each patty with the Ginger Slaw and avocado for a satisfying, well balanced meal.

Makes 8 small patties

Ingredients:

Patties:

¾ cup crushed Sweet Chili Way Better Snacks Tortilla Chips

½ cup lentils, uncooked

1 (15oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed

½ onion, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon diced Serrano chili

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

¼ cup packed fresh cilantro

~ 2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Ginger Slaw:

2 cup cabbage, thinly shredded

2 carrots, julienned

1 cup snap peas, sliced

2 scallions, diced

dressing:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or vegan alternative)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Directions:

1. Whisk all the dressing ingredients for the Ginger Slaw in a large bowl and toss with the cabbage, carrots, snap peas, and scallions. Set aside.

2. Cook lentils in boiling water until very soft. Drain and set aside.

3. Process Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Chips in food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Remove and set aside.

4. Next in your food processor, add onion, scallions, garlic, and Serrano chili until finely diced.

5. To that, add the beans, cooked lentils, cumin, soy sauce, ginger, and cilantro, and pulse until just incorporated.

6. Lastly add the processed Way Better Snacks Chili Chips and pulse until a soft dough forms together.

7. Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts and lightly flatten into small patties.

8. In a large frying pan, adding about 1 tablespoon of oil at a time, cook the patties in batches, a few minutes on each side, until lightly brown and crisp. Remove to a piece of paper towel to drain.

9. Top the patties with the Ginger Slaw and serve with sliced avocado.

Nutrition analysis for Thai Sweet Chili Chip Veggie Patties per serving:

Calories: 174; Fat: 6.4g; Saturated Fat: 0.7g; Carbohydrates: 23g; Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 7g

Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

A few years ago, McKenzie gave me Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain cookbook for my birthday.  It’s become a butter-stained staple in my kitchen.  I have loved experimenting with the recipes, because they are all wholesome baked goods made from good, simple ingredients.  And because the cookbook is divided by types of flours, it’s a great way to experiment with cooking with different grains. 

My Granny is visiting this week, before we go to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving.  I thought I’d make a little (not too) sweet treat to enjoy with our coffee in the morning.  And since my husband loves chocolate, these muffins sounded just right.

I adapted the recipe from the Chocolate Persimmon Muffins recipe from the cookbook.  Living in a small town, persimmons aren’t readily available.  But I always have a bag of frozen raspberries in my freezer.  I also switched out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour, to add additional fiber to the recipe. 

I love the fact that these muffins are not very sweet, which makes them perfect for breakfast or a coffee break.  They don’t taste like dessert.  They are also delicious toasted and spread with butter and raspberry jam.  In fact, that’s when they’re best.

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Adapted from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain

Makes 12 muffins

Butter for the tins

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 cups frozen raspberries

¾ stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)

2 eggs

½ cup plain yogurt, 2% or whole

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cup into pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Rub the inside of a 12-cup muffin tin with butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda.

Place 2 cups of the raspberries in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thawed.  Mash the raspberries to make a pulp.

Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of stand mixer (or use a hand mixer).  Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.  Add the eggs and mix until creamy.  Add the yogurt and raspberry pulp and mix until combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined.  Add the chocolate pieces and the remaining 1 cup of raspberries.  Stir those into the mixture until evenly combined.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, evenly distributing it between the 12 cups.  Make for 30 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back lightly when pressed.  Take the tins out of the oven.  Remove the muffins and let them cool slightly on a wire rack.  They are best served warm, or reheated in a toaster oven and spread with butter.

Enjoy, preferably with someone you love! 

Disclaimer: We were not compensated for this post. All opinions are our own.  We are the consulting dietitians for the National ProcessedRed Raspberry Council, but we're sharing this recipe simply because we love it! 

Pumpkin S'mores Bars & A Recap of Blog Brûlée

My attendance at Blog Brûlée was partially funded by the Sponsors of the event. I was not compensated to write this post, and all opinions are my own.

You can’t beat the fresh air in Vermont. I discovered this during my 45-minute car ride from the airport to the hotel in which I kept the car windows down the entire time. And the people in Vermont are the sweetest. I had this realization when I made immediate friends with the girls at the check-in counter at Smuggler’s Notch, the beyond gorgeous resort I stayed at last weekend.

 

on a walk at Smuggler's Notch

taking the road less traveled

And Vermont is now so special to me because it is home to the first ever Blog Brûlée, a healthy blogger conference that gave this blog a new spark of creativity and a stronger sense of community.

I reconnected with old friends and built new friendships with some truly amazing bloggers – friendships that I think will be ongoing both online and off. Take a peek at their blogs!

Jessica of Nutritioulicious

Diane of Cape Fear Nutrition

Kylie of Immaeatthat

Meme of Living Well Kitchen

Danielle of Food Confidence

Kara of The Foodie Dietitian

Kristina of Love & Zest

Julie of RDelicious Kitchen

Karman of Nutrition Adventures

Jenna of Fresh Food Perspectives

Marissa of Marissa Moore Nutrition

Jennifer of 30 Seconds with A and J

Ann of Dunaway Dietetics

Holly of Grass Roots Nutrition

Jen of Down-to-Earth Dietitian

Ashley of The Fresh Beet

Rachel of An Avocado a Day

The conference was educational. I learned a lot from some of the writers, recipe developers, and photographers I admire most, including:

EA Stewart, The Spicy RD

Brierly Wright, editor of Eating Well Magazine

Anne Mauney of FANNEtastic Food

Carolyn Ketchum of All Day I Dream About Food

Janice Bissex and Liz Weiss of Meal Makeover Moms

And the amazing Blog Brûlée founders:

Gretchen from Kumquat, a gluten-free blog with photos so beautiful, I could look at them for hours.

Deanna from Teaspoon of Spice a food-loving blog that makes me inspired to whip up something new every time I read it.

Robin from Robin’s Bite, a blog I fell in love with a few years ago for making healthy eating fun and approachable.

Reagan of Healthy Aperture, with food photos that are beyond drool-worthy.

I laughed. My roommate, Jen (who I adore) and I hit it off right away and found ourselves bonding over Davidson Safe Eggs in the morning and giggling uncontrollably at Jimmy Fallon videos at night.

This Wheel of Musical Impressions with Adam Levine was Jen’s favorite.

And this Lip Sync Battle with Paul Rudd was mine.

The conference was delicious. We shared stories while enjoying jicama salad and shrimp skewers for lunch, sesame-crusted salmon for dinner, and chocolate, Cabot Creamery cheese, and Boyden Valley Wine in-between.

But, most of all, I left feeling happy and connected. I left with a better understanding of the things I’m good at, and the things I’m not so good at – not from a judging perspective, but from the perspective of a friend that wants me to do my best.

It also served as a good reminder that life is really what you make it. And if you have good food and good people around you, life is pretty sweet.

I’m already missing the Blog Brûlée crew but am so thankful to have them as our new friends and part of our blogging community.

A HUGE thank you again to the incredible sponsors who made the Blog Brûlée weekend possible:

•   Cabot Creamery

•   Smugglers’ Notch

•   Boyden Valley Winery

•   Welch’s

•   The Soyfoods Council

•   Mountain States Rosen

•   Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs

•   Kashi

And now for a recipe inspired by the pure joy I felt while roasting marshmallows with new and old friends last weekend.

(We may be in a serious heat way in Southern California, but it’s not stopping me from welcoming autumn with full-force. I got my first taste of autumn in Vermont and I’m just rolling with it.)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin S’Mores Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 cups whole wheat flour

pinch of sea salt

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

2 cups marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla. Stir until well-mixed.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, flour and salt. Stir until well-mixed.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until well-mixed.
5. Pour the batter into a pre-greased 9 x 9 baking pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take out of the oven and pour the chocolate chips and marshmallows onto the warm bars. Place in the oven for 2 more minutes. For 1 more minute, turn the oven to broil so the marshmallows turn golden brown (keep on an eye on them so the marshmallows don’t burn!).

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.