Dessert, Featured, Food

Roasted Figs with Honey and Thyme

September 25, 2017
Roasted Figs with Honey and Thyme

Roasted Figs with Honey and Thyme is a simple yet wildly decadent recipe! Your kitchen will quickly be swarmed with the intoxicating aromas of fragrant thyme and sweet cinnamon.

Ingredients:

  • 8 fresh figs
  • 10 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 400° F. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep X shape through each fig, stopping just before it reaches the bottom. Stuff with two pieces of thyme.
  • Line a small baking pan with parchment paper, letting it come up on the sides. Place figs on parchment paper, drizzle each with two teaspoons of honey, then sprinkle with cinnamon and remaining thyme.
  • Roast figs for 20 minutes. Serve hot with the syrup remaining on the parchment paper. These figs are also great atop a creamy coconut ice cream.

Enjoy! 

 

Breakfast, Dessert, Featured, Food

Autumn Spice Pumpkin Loaf (Vegan + Gluten Free)

September 1, 2017
Autumn Spice Pumpkin Loaf

For those of you who are still grasping onto these last few days of summer, avert your eyes. When I looked outside this morning and saw my yard covered in the remnants of rainfall, I had no choice but to shift my gears into fall.

This Autumn Spice Pumpkin Loaf  fully encompasses fall’s rich flavors and aromatics and is perfect for a blustery morning at home.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs worth of egg replacer (or 2 eggs for a non-vegan version)
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup raw maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut sugar, and maple syrup together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and almond milk. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula. (Just a note: There will be a few lumps. Do not over-mix.) Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
  4. Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

Entree, Featured, Food

Spicy Mexican Lentils with Creamy Avocado Aioli

August 31, 2017
Spicy Mexican Lentils with Creamy Avocado Aioli

It’s that time of year when we start reaching for rich and hearty comfort foods to keep the autumn chill at bay. These Spicy Mexican Lentils with Creamy Avocado Aioli are the perfect addition to your fall recipe arsenal. They’re bursting with flavor and provide you a satisfying meal without giving you that heavy feeling afterwards.

Lentils contain essential nutrients such as:

  • Magnesium – an important macro-mineral that is vital for several different processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure as well as making protein bone, and DNA.
  • Iron – an essential mineral that is responsible for helping transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues.
  • Folate – a crucial B vitamin that plays a role in DNA synthesis and repair. It also encourages cell and tissue growth.

They’re also rich in dietary fiber, plant-based protein, copper and Vitamin B1.

Ingredients

Lentils:

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions:

  1. Add chopped onions and olive oil to a pot and cook until browned.
  2. In the meantime, thoroughly rinse lentils and set aside.
  3. Once onions are browned, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
  4. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are tender.
  5. Spoon over brown rice, quinoa or enjoy plain.
  6. Garnish with aioli, fresh cilantro and/or chopped spring onions.

Aioli:

  • 1/2 cup Forager Project plain, unsweetened Cashewgurt or vegan mayo
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/2 small avocado
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add more salt until desired taste is reached.

I would love to hear how you incorporate lentils into your diet! Share your ideas in the comment section below.

 

Drinks, Featured, Food

Rich, Dairy Free Hot Chocolate

August 28, 2017
Dairy Free Hot Chocolate by The Healthful Model

Even though it’s been hovering around 80 degrees in Seattle the past couple of days, can we pretend for just a moment that it’s a brisk fall day?

I’ve been patiently awaiting the arrival of fall – for that first sign of chill in the air, the kind of light, crisp breeze that feels as flirtatious as it does anew. For the lustrous leaves that shed themselves creating an acoustic blanket of foliage along streets and sidewalks. For morning fog so capacious and sunsets that coat the evening with a glow more grand than gold.

In my kitchen you’ll find ingredients that are unspoken yet essential autumnal rights of passage.

Cardamom. Rosemary. Sage. Allspice. Cacao. Nutmeg. Cinnamon. Apples. Squash. Pumpkin. Cranberries. Oats. Pecans. Bordeaux’s.

While not all of these are specifically fall flavors and aromatics, for myself, they represent something that carries a rooted nostalgia. It represents staying cozy, steaming spiced cider fogging up my readers, culinary aromas that mimic those of my childhood, a thick sweater layered with a wool jacket, the warmth of coming home, new textbooks and the smell of freshly sharpened No. 2’s, clenching a hot coffee en route to class, shared meals, roaring fires and pumpkin-flavored and shaped everything.

To kick off fall here on my blog, I decided to start with something simple: hot chocolate. A classic staple that is the epitome of comfort and cozy. As I often do, I’ve created a recipe that’s slightly healthier than it’s conventional counterpart, but all without sacrificing that divinely indulgent and creamy palate.

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of raw cacao powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons of coconut sugar, honey or raw maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • A pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan over high heat, using a wire whisk to break up any clumps. Continue to stir until smooth and piping hot, then pour into a mug and serve warm.

Notes from the kitchen:

  • Raw cacao can be quite bitter so add more sweetener if desired.
  • Omit honey and use coconut sugar or maple syrup for a vegan-friendly version.
  • For an extra punch of flavor, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cayenne pepper.