Want to eat healthy in the new year? Don’t make it complicated: start with this easy meal plan. Continue reading New Year, New Meal Plan
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Do you like potluck dinners as much as I do? It’s great fun to have a low-budget gathering with friends, where you only have to bring one dish! Potlucks also can give you ideas for new and exciting recipes. Today, I’m going to tell you about three potluck recipes that are easy, healthy, and vegan-friendly. Continue reading Three Easy, Vegan-Friendly Potluck Recipes
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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February is the perfect month for comfort food. The days are short, cold, and (at times) gray. All you’d like to do is curl up with a warm blanket and a big bowl of comfort food. In this post, you will learn how to cook healthier comfort food. I will talk about seven tips you can use when you are trying to make your comfort food recipe a little healthier. Continue reading How to cook healthier comfort food: seven tips
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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These last few weeks have been oh-so-cold all across the country (even here in Texas). So, I figured it’s time to break out my recipe for warm, comforting bean soup. This humble bean soup is anything but boring. In this post, I include one recipe for vegans and another for bacon lovers. Both are hearty, filling and flavorful. And, because this soup is made in the slow cooker, this soup is super easy to make. Continue reading Slow Cooker Bean with Bacon Soup (plus a vegan option!)
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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This time of year in Texas, okra is in abundance. Okra is an early fall/end-of-summer veggie, and I love it. The texture is my favorite – those lovely little seeds in okra are like little pearls! So, I felt incredibly lucky the other the other weekend when my mom gave me some farm-fresh okra from her CSA.
The funny thing was, I had been craving Bhindi Do Pyaza (okra with onion and spices) from my local Indian restaurant. Instead of placing an order, I decided to cook a dish like it myself. So, I found a recipe for bhindi masala. After reading it, I decided to go for it! However, I did change up the ingredients a bit. I love lots of spices, especially if yogurt is in the dish to cool it down. So, in my recipe, I added cashew milk yogurt. And, I wanted my dinner to make a complete protein, so I also added garbanzo beans. The results were delicious, and I was able to bring the leftovers to lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp mustard seed
2 small onions, chopped (I enjoy a mix of purple and white)
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon ginger
2 cups chopped okra
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
1/4 cup yogurt
Spice mix:
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Directions:
1. Add olive oil to a medium pot. When the oil is hot (it shimmers), lower the heat add the cumin and mustard seeds. Stir them around the pot until they become golden brown.
2. Then, add the chopped onions and stir.
3. Once the onion becomes translucent, add the garlic and ginger.
4. Next, add the okra. Let the okra brown before moving on the the next ingredient (this prevents it from becoming too slimy).
5. Add chopped tomato and tomato paste until well incorporated.
6. Then, add the garbanzo beans. NOTE: Make sure you rinse your garbanzo beans so that the icky, salty liquid goes down the drain.
7. Let all your ingredient marry together before adding the ground spice mixture (turmeric thru cardamom, above). The dish will become dry. That’s perfect!
8. Take everything off of the heat, and stir in the cashew yogurt.
9. Serve over brown rice. The meal is complemented well by garlic naan and a crisp, fresh green salad.
The dish is deliciously spicy, and has the perfect balance of acidity from the tomatoes, smokiness from the roasted okra, creaminess from the garbanzos, and coolness from the yogurt. Yum!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Don’t you just love the flavor of key limes? They are citrusy fresh, have a tangy bite, and bring out sweetness in a whole new way. Today I am going to give you a dessert recipe. The best part? This sweet treat has no sugar added (and, no fake sugar either). Even though there isn’t any sugar added, the key lime bites are incredibly sweet and delicious. And, the recipe only calls for three ingredients. How simple is that?
This post includes three recipes for no sugar added key lime bites. Each recipe includes just three ingredients, and the only special equipment you need is a food processor and a handheld juicer. I have tested a couple of different ingredients and encourage you to try each variation.
This has to be my favorite version. The creamy nuttiness from the walnuts pairs perfectly with the tangy bite of the key limes. I love it when key lime pie includes nuts, and the walnuts are reminiscent of that wonderful pie crust.
INGREDIENTS
10 key limes
1.25 cups walnut halves
1 cup pitted dates (no sugar added)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Begin by roasting your walnuts in the oven until they turn a golden color. This will bring out the flavor of the nut.
2. While the walnuts are roasting, zest the key limes and set the zest aside.
3. Then, juice the key limes, and set aside.
4. Once the nuts are golden, add 1/4 cup of them to the food processor. Process the nuts until they are chopped into very small pieces, but not quite sand-like yet. Set this aside in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Now for the easy part. Add your and walnuts, zest, and dates to the food processor. While they are mixing together, pour in your key lime juice until a big globby ball is formed.
6. Use your hands to form tablespoon-sized balls.
7. Roll the balls in your chopped walnuts that you set aside in the mixing bowl.
8. Put on a tray and pop in the freezer until you are ready to serve!
The green pistachios add a fun pop of color to they key lime bites. Since pistachios are not as soft as walnuts, you do have to chop them in the food processor for a little longer.
INGREDIENTS
10 key limes
1.25 cups shelled pistachios (unsalted)
1 cup pitted dates (no sugar added)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Begin by roasting your pistachios in the oven for a few minutes. You definitely don’t want these to burn.
2. While the pistachios are roasting, zest the key limes and set the zest aside.
3. Then, juice the key limes, and set aside.
4. Once the nuts have been roasted for a few short minutes, add 1/4 cup of them to the food processor. Process the nuts until they are chopped into very small pieces, almost like sand. Set this aside in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Now for the easy part. Add your and pistachios, zest, and dates to the food processor. While they are mixing together, pour in your key lime juice until a big globby ball is formed.
6. Use your hands to form tablespoon-sized balls.
7. Roll the balls in your chopped pistachios that you set aside in the mixing bowl.
8. Put on a tray and pop in the freezer until you are ready to serve!
Ok, so this variation does include the sugar from the graham crackers. I include this variation for folks who are dealing with nut allergies. Plus, if you are ok with some sugar, these bites taste JUST like key lime pie served in a graham cracker crust.
INGREDIENTS
10 key limes
6 sheets of graham crackers
1 cup pitted dates (no sugar added)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Zest the key limes and set the zest aside.
3. Then, juice the key limes, and set aside.
4. Add 2 sheets of graham crackers to the food processor. Process until they are crumby. Set this aside in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Now for the easy part. Add 4 sheets of graham crackers, zest, and dates to the food processor. While they are mixing together, pour in your key lime juice until a big globby ball is formed. If the ball is too sticky, add a square of graham crackers until the consistency is solid.
6. Use your hands to form tablespoon-sized balls.
7. Roll the balls in your graham cracker crumbs that you set aside in the mixing bowl.
8. Put on a tray and pop in the freezer until you are ready to serve! Especially with this recipe, popping in the freezer keeps the graham crackers from becoming too soggy.
I love the way my cheeks feel when I take a bite of my key lime bites. Yum!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Summer is in full swing! For those of you with a garden, a farm share, or a farmers’ market down the street, you know what that means: an abundance of zucchini! I love the humble zucchini – the lovely texture, simple taste… it’s a wonderfully versatile vegetable. Continue reading Zucchini Five Ways: Kitchen Gadget Cooking
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Have you ever made chimichurri? I made my first this week. My mom had gotten me cute little tomatillos from the farmer’s market, and I had just harvested the first Anaheim peppers from my garden. I usually make a white bean chili with these ingredients. Instead, I decided to grill up the veggies and blend them in this special sauce. And, it turned out to be a hit! The recipe is so simple, and the results are delicious. Continue reading Five foods you can top with tomatillo chimichurri
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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A few weeks ago, I hinted at the idea of getting backyard chickens to have fresh eggs. Well, it has happened! And, today our backyard chickens have been with us for one week. What a week it has been. I have learned so much from those three little chickens. My interactions with them have introduced to me new ways to be creative, examples of purposeful living, and I have gained a new perspective on healthy living. Today, you are going to read about seven lessons about healthy living from backyard chickens.
Continue reading Seven lessons on healthy living from backyard chickens
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Most of us know it’s important to get your fruits and veggies. I aim for 7-9 servings each day. What many of us don’t know is how to get THAT MANY fruits and veggies into your daily eating routine. That’s what this post is all about: six sneaky ways to include more fruits and veggies into your day.
Continue reading Six ways to sneak more fruits and veggies into your day
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
