spiced watermelon wedges

i love good ideas. i love innovative solutions to problems i see in the world, big and small.

i love watching shows like shark tank, where people come up with the craziest concepts 

and make them become a reality. i also love finding, seeing and experiencing new things - 

and then wondering - why didn't i think of this??? am i the only one?

when i saw a recipe for a savory slice of watermelon, i stopped in my tracks.

either it was the worst idea ever, or one of those 'wait, why didn't i think of that???'

before you read any further - let me just tell you. it's definitely the latter. 

these were incredible. definitely different than biting into your classic slice of watermelon - 

 but so incredible refreshing - and savory!!! honestly, i thought these were genius.

so simple. such a crowd-pleaser. and immediately upgrades a super simple snack 

to be side-dish worthy. you have to try these. there are probably endless ways 

to vary this recipe, but i was pretty obsessed with this Mexican flavor profile. 

recipe via cooking light

serves 4

be sure to adjust this recipe to the size of your watermelon. i bought a smaller, 

personal size watermelon and had plenty of spice mix based on the below recipe.

ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoon grated lime rind

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coupon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4 watermelon wedges

or however many your heart desires

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

directions

1. preheat oven to 200 degrees

2. spread lime rind on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until slightly dried.

3. combine dried rind, chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

4. arrange watermelon wedges on a platter, drizzle with oil 

and sprinkle evenly with spice mixture and cilantro (if using).

note - the drizzle of olive oil was delicious but not necessary. 

i ate my first plate of wedges with olive oil, and then finished the rest of my watermelon 

(don't judge me) sans olive oil - just sprinkling the spice mix strait on. 

also - i skipped the cilantro, but kept it in the recipe above for those of you who love it!

cauliflower pizza crust

most people know that i like to cook. they also maybe have the misconception 

that i'm trying a new recipe almost every night of the week. the truth is that 

roughly half of the week i'm trying at least one new thing in the kitchen... 

be it an appetizer, main course, cocktail or dessert. while the other days 

we're either grabbing take-out or making one of our favorite go-to recipes. 

take out for us really only consists of pizza from PCC or thai food. 

while the pizza we buy isn't super unhealthy (it's thin-crust, etc),

i wanted to try my hand a home-made 'dough' that could cut the carbs.

voila, cauliflower pizza crust to the rescue!

trust me, this isn't as weird as it sounds. 

in fact, i'm thinking you'll love it as much as we did!

the only caveat i have on this is it took me a few times to perfect the recipe a bit, so don't 

give up if you have a bad first experience! i've also added some notes and tips below :)

recipe via simply real health cookbook

ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, florets only, approximately 3 cups

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons almond flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

desired toppings for your pizza

directions

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

add cauliflower florets to the powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

don't over-process, blend just until there are no big visible pieces.

2. place the pulsed cauliflower in the middle of a clean dish towel. 

wrap it up and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. 

there will be a lot! open the towel and place the cauliflower in mixing bowl.

squeezing the moisture out of the cauliflower in a towel was a bit cumbersome and messy for me.

the second time i made the recipe, i actually went ahead and spread the ground up cauliflower 

on the baking sheet and baked it in the oven for roughly 15 minutes, stirring frequently, 

to get the moisture out. just a tip that worked well for me!

3. add cheese, flour, egg and spices, and mid together. combine mixture into a ball.

4. with your hands, flatten dough into an even crust on the baking sheet. 

bake for 20-25 minutes until it starts to brown.

be sure you are using parchment paper and nothing else. 

neither foil OR a greased pan worked for me!

5. remove from heat, add your sauce, toppings and place back in the oven until done 

(usually when cheese is melty and starts to brown)

we added store bought pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, 

sun-dried tomatoes, and then topped with basil once it came out of the oven.

chickpea, avocado, feta salad

easy salads are totally my jam. 

avocados are also my jam.

ben makes fun of me because i have a lot of favorites,

but why not have a lot of favorites? 

i have a new favorite thing almost every week.

i mean sometimes they last for a while, and sometimes they fade away.

recent favorite things:

easy salads (see above)

avocados (see above)

marco polo beechers cheese

marcona almonds

gin and tonics

graham crackers

damages (the tv show)

this salad is seriously so simple. 

you might even have every single ingredient in your pantry as i type this.

ready in 5 minutes. HELLO!

recipe via two peas and their pod

modifications by me

makes 2 large salads or 4 small salads

ingredients

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 avocados, pitted and chopped

always lean towards an avocado that is still a tad firm to the touch if 

you're going to mix it into a salad. don't use one that's too soft! just trust me!

1/3 cup chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/3 cup feta

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper

directions

1. in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the avocado. mix until combined.

2. add avocado and mix gently.

3. serve chilled or at room temp.  try not to eat the whole bowl.

the green smoothie for people who don't like green smoothies

i've tried my fair share of green smoothies over the years,

and even though i love their nutritional value, i've never loved the taste!

they're either too thick, too pungent, or just packed with too many sugary fruits.

if you don't like green smoothies promise me you'll try just one more recipe!!!

this is the perfect green smoothie for you non-green-smoothie-lovers like me.

seriously. absolutely worth a try.

recipe via simply real health cookbook

makes 1 big servings, or 2 small servings

ingredients

1 cup frozen bluberries

1/2 avocado

1/2 banana

3 large handfuls spinach

directions

1. add banana, spinach, blueberries, avocado, and water to blender. 

blend first, then add ice and continue to blend until smooth.

chipotle apple turkey burgers

it's only wednesday and this week has already been filled with so much celebration! 

i got to meet my best friend's baby (jaxon) who is perfect in every way. i had the privilege 

of going to my mom's last radiation treatment yesterday, celebrating such a long-awaited 

milestone over lunch. and last night i went to a triple birthday party for family.

celebrating such monumental moments in life really makes you stop and think.

having babies, fighting cancer, and marking another year of life really puts life in perspective.

today i'm thankful for the people i get to do life with on the daily.

thank you for letting me in, and letting me ride the journey with you.

recipe from sprouted kitchen

serves 4

herb aioli ingredients

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

this aioli is totally optional. 
i made it once, and used it for dipping my fries,
but the second time we just used ketchup and chipotle mayo
 and wouldn't have known any different

burger ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 apple, granny smith or gala

1 pound ground turkey

1 scant teaspoon chipotle chile powder, 

OR 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
the canned chipotle definitely gave a bigger punch in flavor,
and i think the texture helped keep the burger together 
more than when i used the chile powder. just FYI

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped fresh chives, or chopped parsley

topping ingredients

cheese of your choice
my current favorite cheese

hamburger buns

lettuce

carmelized onions

tomato

whatever your heart desires!

directions

making the aioli...

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

whisk in a few drop of the oil to establish an emulsion.

while you continue to quickly whisk the mixture with one and, 

slowly stream the rest of the oil with the other. once you have a mayo-like consistency, 

whisk in the mustard, chives and basil. cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.

making the burgers...

2. heat olive oil in a saute pan. add celery, green onions, and garlic and saute 

until just browned, about 5 minutes. turn off the heat and set aside to cool. 

3. using the large holes on a box grater, grate the apple. 

combine grated apple, turkey, chipotle, salt, pepper, thyme, 

and cooked vegetables in a large mixing bowl and stir everything together. 

form the mixture into four patties, each 1 1/2 inches thick, 

and let them rest at room temp for 15 minutes, 

or keep them covered in the fridge until ready to grill.

4. heat your grill to medium high. 

cook burgers until the interior reaches 175 degrees, about 5 minutes on each side. 

put a slide of cheese on top of each patty in the last minute of cooking time to melt. 

transfer the patties to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

5. grill or toast buns. spread each side of the bun with a bit of aioli (optional),
and the toppings you desire. serve and enjoy!!

recipe for my sweet potato fries

yes, i eat my burgers without a bun :)