Baked Beet Salad

This salad was inspired by a coworker/friend’s lunch this week. She is a vegetarian and at times vegan, who always has an interesting combination of vegetables sourced from her local co-op (kind of jealous about that). Being the great friend that she is, she encouraged me to try her baked beets. Initially I scoffed, as beets are one of those foods that I continue eat, despite not particularly liking them. I figure they’re an acquired taste, therefore, I keep eating and hoping one day I change my feelings. Well, thanks to Meg, that day has come. I guess if I’m honest, breading, or in this case almond-ing (I used almond flour as the breading) probably helps anything taste better.

The process is a little time consuming, but only because you first have to boil the beet. This should take about 40 minutes or so, or as soon as you can easily stick a fork in it! (Ha! No pun intended!)

Once your beet is boiled, let it cool (I ran it under cold water because I was impatient), cut off the ends and peel it. I used a peeler, however you could probably use your hands if need be. WARNING: While cooking with beets – your hands and every.single.thing. you or the beet touch, will be beet red (sorry, total pun intended that time). Seriously though, my kitchen looked like a murder scene. Any how, once it’s peeled, slice the beet into 1/4 inch slices.

Next, crack an egg (white) into a bowl. I usually stir it so it’s not weirdly separated. On a separate plate or bowl, use about 1/2 cup of almond meal (or regular bread crumbs). Don’t worry if you feel like it is not enough, you can always add more, but you cannot save any if you over pour initially. Dip the beet slice into the egg, making sure to coat both sides. Do the same into the almond meal or bread crumbs. Once they are evenly coated, place them onto a greased (I used coconut oil spray) baking sheet. Before putting them in the oven, I sprinkled them with some sea salt for added flavor. I baked them at 425F for about 7 minutes on the first side. I then flipped them (you’ll feel that they’re hard), and gave them about 2 more minutes to brown the other side.

While these puppies were browning in the oven, I constructed the rest of the salad. About two cups of arugula, a handful of crushed walnuts, about a tablespoon of feta, and a handful of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans – I use them from a can, rinsed, to remove added sodium).

This salad was SUPER easy, fast, and delicious. I added grilled chicken as a protein and topped with a drizzle of Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze. I don’t personally need a lot of dressing on salads, but if you do, feel free to add any balsamic dressing you usually would.

Recipe:

For the baked beets:

• Preheat oven to 425F. Bake 7 minutes, flip, 2 minutes. Total – 9 minutes.
• 1 Beet
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• dash of sea salt

Salad

• 2 cups of arugula
• handful of walnuts
• handful of chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon of feta
• 1 tablespoon (healthy drizzle) of balsamic glaze

Kale, Brussel Sprout, and Broccoli Salad

Today was yet another snow day in the Northeast. The absolute only perk of the weather this winter is when my school district (which shall remain nameless) closes. I love snow days from work for many reasons, but one of the tops (aside form NOT BEING AT WORK), is that I get to cook a fresh lunch. While technically I did still eat a salad (as I do every other day), this salad was warm, and was so delicious, I almost made it again for dinner (which lets be honest, who dreams about the next time they can eat a salad).

I did not work off a recipe so will be estimating amounts here for you. This took no time at all and is actually exciting to the palette. I will definitely keep this in mind for the next time I’m asked to bring a side dish.

After a recent trip to Trader Joe’s (and a renewed love and obsession for the place), I had packaged kale and packaged shaved Brussel sprouts. I used a large pan, which I sprayed with vegetable oil. I used about 2 cups of kale, 1/2 cup of shredded/shaved Brussel sprouts (feel free to use chopped whole Brussel sprouts), and 1/2 cup of broccoli. I threw those into the heated pan and sprayed those with some vegetable oil as well. I then added garlic powder, red pepper flakes , and a few cranks of Himalayan sea salt (again, Trader Joe’s). After the greens started to turn a vibrant green, I added about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. I frequently tossed and made sure none of the veggies were burning.

While the veggies were cooking, about 5-7 minutes, I threw on some dried cranberries (about 2 tablespoons). I gave it a few more tosses with the dried cranberries added and tasted the veggies to make sure they still had a bit of crunch, but were no longer raw. I took it off the heat and plated. I threw on some sliced almonds, avocado, and drizzled Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze. 

While I opted against recreating this for dinner, I would have added a protein to make it more substantial. Feel free to add or substitute ingredients to your liking and keep me posted how it turns out.

BOMB Black Bean Brownies

When I set out to make these brownies, they were at the request of my trainer and friend, Vanessa (check her out…Bachata and Barbells). She wanted some recipes that could satisfy her sweet tooth, without completely voiding her daily workouts. I should warn you, while they are healthier…I still wouldn’t recommend sitting down and housing the entire batch. 

I’ve made black bean brownies before these completely blow all the others out of the water. Wow! This recipe is so good that I had to make a second batch. I will be honest, the second batch was necessary because I ate too many (I brought a few to Vanessa) and no longer had enough to bring to work and allow for everyone to have seconds (and I knew that they would all WANT seconds). Now, the obvious perk is that they are of course, a healthier alternative to regular brownies. Another perk – they’re easy to make!

I love recipes in which the time required is minimal and all you do is throw the ingredients into a food processor, blend, and pop in the oven. This recipe, is just that. It is that easy. That quick. If you have a dishwasher, the clean up is that simple too. 

I will list the entire recipe and portions below. I modified a recipe I found on Chocolate Covered Katie. I didn’t change much but what I did change, you would never know. The base of the recipe is 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained). I use a colander to ensure that the bean juice is fully rinsed and of course drained. Tip: Don’t try and get fancy and swoosh around the beans – it makes a mess. Whoops! 

After blending the beans alone in the food processor, add oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, coconut oil  (I modified from vegetable oil), baking powder, pure maple syrup (or agave nectar), organic coconut sugar (recipes uses regular sugar). You will also need chocolate chips to fold in after everything is blended together. I used organic dairy free chocolate chips. I also folded in walnuts to add more texture and crunch. YUM. Fair warning, the batter is just as delicious as the brownies.  Once you have blended the ingredients and have folded in the chocolate chips (and walnuts, if you so choose), spread the batter into a greased 8×8 pan. The first batch I used a 10×10 pan and the brownies were thinner than I would have expected. The second batch, I followed directions and they were a better thickness. Make sure it is evenly spread throughout the pan so that all your brownies are the same size (another whoopsie from the first batch).     Stick it in the oven at 350F and let cook for 15-18 minutes. I cooked on the lower end to make sure I didn’t dry out or burn the brownies. Once it passes the toothpick test (the toothpick comes out clean), you know your brownies are good to go. Let them cool fully before cutting into them. If once you cut, you find they are too gooey inside, you can pop them in the fridge over night and they will firm up to the right consistency.     These are so yummy, I will warn you to be careful not to eat them all (or too many) in one sitting. They taste just like regular brownies but are packed full of healthy ingredients. I challenge anyone to detect the black beans in these heavenly brownies. 

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix ingredients in food processor. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

• 1 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed very well)
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (can use agave or honey)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top

Recipe Link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/

Birthday “Funfetti” Cookies

These cookies ended up being beyond delicious. Disclaimer: they are more like muffins than a true cookie but were a huge hit nonetheless. They were nice and moist, and remain as such the next day (I’d imagine longer, but those suckers didn’t stand a chance among 10 girls). They are healthy, loaded with protein, and come in at just about 50 calories per cookie. That’s my kind of cookie. Not to mention, they look pretty cool. They just scream cellllllleeeebraaation (come on, you know you sang that). I made two batches, which came out to roughly 30 cookies (okay, maybe 32, but 2 didn’t make it past the cooling stage).

The ingredients are fairly standard. I modified it a bit in that the recipe from Peanut Butter and Fitness (two things I can definitely get on board with) called for Cellucor Cake Batter protein powder, but I used vanilla protein powder and no one knew the difference (sorry, girls).

First preheat your oven to 350F. While thats heating, as always, you want to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. I feel it’s important, especially when using eggs since it’s much easier to scoop out any broken shells.

For the dry you will need 1/2 cup oats, 2 1/2 scoops of vanilla (or cake batter) protein powder, 1/8 tsp baking powder, and 3 tbs Jello vanilla pudding mix (sugar and fat free). 

As for the wet, you will need ripe (funky looking) bananas. {See picture below.} Mash the bananas until you have about 3/4 cup – I used 1 1/2 bananas, 1/4 cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla), 1 egg, 1 egg white, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. {Full recipe below}

After mixing the ingredients separately, add the wet ingredients into the dry. Once the ingredients are blended together, fold in the sprinkles. I chose the candied sprinkles that look like little balls. ( 🙂 )  I can’t say I measured the amount, but I used enough shakes to add lots of color.

I threw some more on that ***** after I tablespoon-ed the mixture onto parchment paper.

Finally, you stick ’em in the oven for about 15 minutes, although, as always, I went under and cooked them for about 13 minutes. You’ll want to watch them. I checked the bottoms as an extra measure. When the bottoms were golden brown, I made a judgement call and pulled them out and put them on a cooling rack.

I let them cool for about 15 minutes or until they are cool to the touch. I put them in a sealed tupperware and saved (most of them) until I could share them with the birthday girl the next day.

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool.

• 1/2 cup quick oats, ground
• 2.5 scoops vanilla protein protein powder
• 3 tbsp sugar free/fat free Jell-o vanilla pudding mix
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• SPRINKLES (or Jimmy’s for you weirdos)

Recipe Link: http://www.peanutbutterandfitness.com/2014/05/birthday-cake-protein-cookies.html