10 Ways to Cook Carrots {From Garden to Table}

January 4, 2016 by

10 Ways to Cook Carrots {From Garden to Table}

I know winter just arrived but I’m already thinking about my garden and what I am going to plant in it as soon as I find the time! Now that we’ve moved our chickens to another part of the yard, I can get my garden going again without the fear of them eating just about everything in there. One thing that the kids love to plant is carrots.

Not only are they super easy to grow, they’re also delicious in many different ways. From pulling them up and eating them right out of the ground (after a little washing) to cleaning and chopping them up into our favorite soups, to throwing them in the new Vitamix I got and juicing them!

There are quite a few ways to cook carrots but sometimes you just go with what you know. I find myself just roasting them up or steaming them but I could be doing so much more! Below are 10 ways to spruce up how you’re using carrots. And I’m pretty sure my kids wouldn’t  think twice if I put a few in their mac and cheese!

Ways to Cook Carrots clean after you pick them

10 Ways to Cook Carrots

  1. Maple Glazed Carrots with Bacon | Confessions of an Overworked Mom
  2. Shredded Potato, Beet and Carrot Latkes for Easter Brunch | Handmade in the Heartland
  3. Steamed Honey Glazed Carrot Medallions | It Happens in a Blink
  4. Carrot and White Bean Veggie Cutlets | Amuse Your Bouche
  5. Sneaky Carrot Mac and Cheese | White House Black Shutters
  6. Carrot and Bok Choy Slaw | Confessions of an Overworked Mom
  7. Carrot Orzo Risotto | Food Done Light
  8. Carrot and Sage Soup | Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
  9. Cucumber, Carrot and Edamame Salad | Sarah’s Cucina Bella
  10. Fresh Carrots with Butter and Dill | A Family Feast

Ways to Cook Carrots - eat raw

What’s your favorite way to incorporate carrots into a meal?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Keto Friendly Side Dish: Mashed Cauliflower

November 20, 2015 by

Mashed Cauliflower - the perfect keto friendly side dish to any meal!

I haven’t really mentioned it but after chatting about my new LCHF way of eating, I decided to start a blog solely dedicated to the recipes I try, restaurants I enjoy, and our monthly date nights and how I navigate through the food menus while out and about in San Diego. One recipe I’ve become a bit obsessed with on this way of eating is mashed cauliflower. Now you may be thinking why oh why would you want mashed cauliflower when you can have the real thing? Well on this WOE, a starchy potato loses to cauliflower any day! Plus? I can add tons of fats to this dish to help me meet my macros for the day (I struggle with eating enough fat). Real butter. Heavy whipping cream. And a sprinkle of salt and pepper. That’s all it takes to make this deliciously silky, smooth mashed cauliflower dish.

You can find the recipe, and my new blog by heading over to Low Carb San Diego here.

Like what you see? Follow me on my new social channels at @LowCarbSanDiego on Twitter and on Facebook and see what I’m eating, how I’m doing, and how easy it is to follow a LCHF diet!

Keto Friendly Grilling Meals Mashed Cauliflower with Butter
Pinterest Inspiration

What do you love to mix in your mashed cauliflower?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

May 26, 2015 by

This shop featuring a Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings recipe and mediterranean dinner ideas has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpringIntoFlavor #CollectiveBias

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

One thing I absolutely love about summertime are the fresh flavors of summer. Everything seems to get lighter while still staying just as tasty. And I love including some light fare when hosting friends over for dinner or lunch. Especially when most of the meal is make ahead!

I recently hosted a small group of friends over for a light dinner and went with a mediteranean themed menu including a quinoa tabbouleh with onion rings, delicious sweet potato fries drizzled with homemade tzatziki sauce, and some veggies and pita bread with tzatziki dip. Paired with a great wine, this was a fabulous meal to kick of summer.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings and veggies

All I needed to do was prep a little ahead of time by pairing a quinoa brown rice blend I had left over from dinner the night before and making the tzatziki sauce that morning, I was able to throw this all together in about 10 minutes after the sweet potato fries and onion rings baked.

By prepping 1/2 of my meal ahead of time, I’m able to enjoy my guests and throw things together right before we eat. That means more quality time with my friends and less time in the kitchen.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings and sweet potato fries

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 cup english cucumbers (sliced and quartered)
  • 8 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa and brown rice blend (cooled)
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 5-6 onion rings (baked and chopped)
  1. In a large bowl, mix together tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and combine.
  2. Add quinoa mix to the bowl and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and stir once more.
  3. Add chopped onino rings and lightly toss. Serve with whole onion rings on the top and enjoy!

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings mediterranean spread

By using high quality ingredients like Alexia onion rings and sweet potato fries and pairing them with fresh, in-season produce, a delicious meal can be created with little effort. And you won’t be missing out on flavor.

Every single bite of this tabbouleh is filled with fresh flavor and the perfect texture. Normally a tabbouleh is not made with onion rings but the crunch of these baked rings of deliciousness is an amazing addition.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings bite

You can find Alexia products in the freezer section of your local Walmart. I was able to find a handful of varieties all together right next to one another in the frozen potato aisle.

I absolutely love that Alexia products are made with all natural ingredients and love to keep these on hand for quick meals with the family or when friends come over. Next time I’m picking up a bag of the new Alexia Rosemary fries to try out with my tzatziki sauce!

Alexia Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Fries at Walmart

How do you keep meals light during the summer months?

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Hummus Without Tahini from Vegan Beans from Around the World

May 20, 2014 by

Hummus Without Tahini

For quite a while I have been on the hunt for the perfect vegetarian/vegan recipes to help change my family’s view of non-meat dishes. My husband seems to think that a meal isn’t a meal without meat.  So when I was asked to review Vegan Beans from Around the World by Kelsey Kinser I thought it’d be a great opportunity to try again and change the way my family thinks about mealtime.

I started small with a few appetizers and sides to test their limits. Then I went straight in and prepared some vegan dishes for dinnertime. And you know what? They ate it! And not only did they eat it… they enjoyed it.

While I haven’t quite convinced my husband that meat does not need to be in each meal, I have gotten him to open his eyes to new possibilities and new flavors thanks to the amazing recipes in this book.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Easy Lunch Ideas: Eggplant French Bread Pizza

May 5, 2014 by

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Barilla®.

Eggplant French Bread Pizza

One thing I love about lunchtime on the weekend is the fact that I get to eat lunch with the kids and my husband and sit down together during the day – something that doesn’t happen often.  The family table we’ve created at dinnertime has helped us connect more as a family and truly enjoy each meals together but enjoying lunch together is like an added bonus.

Unlike dinners, lunches are usually sporadic last minute plans that just happen to come together. And that means I need a great arsenal of easy lunch ideas – like this delicious eggplant french bread pizza – ready to use when I don’t have a clue what I want to make.

Another great tool I have at the ready is a pantry full of Barilla® sauces and a garden full of veggies. For those times that I just need something the whole family will enjoy and eat but is still  nutritious, I grab my favorite Tomato & Basil sauce and start creating. You’ll taste the difference because Barilla Sauce has a real taste from real vegetables and all-natural, quality ingredients like vine-ripe tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and fragrant herbs.

Paired with a great salad, this pizza is the perfect weekend lunch. And the whole family will eat it! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, Giveaways, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With:

Growing Communities through Community Gardens plus a Hash Brown recipe

March 28, 2014 by

 I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community. This shop featuring growing communities and an #OreIdaHashbrown recipe is part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Growing Communities through Community Gardens plus a hashbrown recipe

While our community garden has brought our community together through growing food, it stays together as we share meals with one another and truly get to know each other. So when I considered how I could give back to my fellow gardeners, I thought it would be wonderful to share our first meal of the growing season together with a delicious Hash Brown recipe.

I invited all of the plot renters/growers to meet my family and me at the garden for a nice meal we could share. It would be the perfect excuse to get together between our community garden meetings and chat about more than what we’re growing. Plus I’d do all the cooking and clean up! Win-win, right?

By sharing these meals with one another we are truly growing communities and establishing strong roots in our neighborhood. I couldn’t imagine not having these wonderful people in our lives.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

November 24, 2013 by

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

I absolutely love a good, hearty bread with a bowl of soup when it’s cold outside. And this week it’s gotten pretty chilly! So when I stumbled upon this delicious Apple Cheddar Quick Bread recipe over at Simply Stacie I knew I needed to try it.

From it’s deliciously soft inside to the crunchy crust on the outside, this is the perfect comfort food to go alongside your favorite warm dish. And it’s so easy to throw together!

In true Danielle fashion, though, I did make a few changes to the recipe to tweak it a bit to our liking. Our version is below but I highly suggest checking out Stacie’s too! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

10 Fantastic Eggplant Recipes

October 4, 2013 by

eggplant recipes

We’ve had a surplus of eggplant in the garden so I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out how to use it all up. But I’m lucky. My friends are superstars and have the best eggplant recipes to try.

From eggplant philly sandwiches, to ratatouille, to eggplant parmesan these dishes are not only delicious, they have helped me go through my eggplant. The problem is I have three more almost ready to harvest.

We’ll definitely continue to be creative when it comes to making dishes. I’m thinking an eggplant chili next! What do you think? What should I make? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Slow Cooker Ratatouille Recipe

September 27, 2013 by

slow cooker ratatouille recipe

We’ve been growing eggplant in our garden this year for the first time and I cannot believe how well it’s doing! So much so that I’m starting to exhaust my resources with what to do with eggplant. I mean you can only make so much eggplant parm. So this week I went to my favorite slow cooker ratatouille recipe. Easy, simple, and tastes amazing!

I gotta say though, the one reason why I hadn’t shared this recipe on the blog yet was because I can never get a good photo of this ratatouille. Seriously. I can’t. So if the photos don’t look as appetizing as some of my other dishes, don’t be scared away! This truly is a delicious vegetarian dish that I love.

And if you have any other eggplant recipes to suggest please send them my way! I’ll be needing them. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Sweet Potato Zucchini Latkes

June 11, 2013 by

 

Sweet Potato Zucchini Latkes landscape

So this morning I was pulling out all of the veggies in our raised bed to make room for new plants. Our swiss chard and parsley were taking over one side of the bed and a weird plant I couldn’t identify was taking over the other.

I had pulled out the swiss chard and parsley and was just getting ready to pull out the weird plant when I found something… a sweet potato!

Now that was pretty weird because we hadn’t planted sweet potatoes in like 2 years. Somehow this little guy was buried under there and the unidentifiable plant was indeed a sweet potato plant!

So I did what any good gardener would do and thought of the perfect way to consume this awesome find. Sweet potato zucchini latkes! These ones are pretty healthy and I made them fit into my Nutrisystem plan. How awesome is that?

Sweet Potato in the garden

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, weight loss Tagged With: , , ,


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