hummus & sun-dried tomato crostini

Ingredients:

• 10 1/4-inch-thick slices of seeded or plain baguette
• About 1/2 cup hummus
• About 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced
• Pea shoots/arugula, for garnish
• Flaky sea salt, for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil (optional), for garnish

tabbouleh salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup medium bulgur, dry
• 2 cups finely chopped ripe tomatoes (1 pound)
• 3 cups finely chopped curly parsley
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mint
• 1/2 cup minced white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 large scallion, thinly sliced

vegan banana peanut butter ice cream

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

low fat banana nut bread

Ingredients:

• 7 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
• baking spray

skinny basil pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

simple spaghetti with kale, lemon & garlic

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti for one (a bundle about the diameter of a dime)
• 2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
• 5 sprigs lacinato kale (droopy kale is fine), very finely chopped
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon wedge
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

mango cashew sunshine bites

I saw this recipe on a great blog called My New Roots. I can’t wait to try these…

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup dried mango pieces (purchase organic, unsweetened, unsulfured)
• ½ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut, plus more for garnish
• 1-2 tsp. creamed honey, for sweetness if desired
• seeds of 1 vanilla bean
• lime zest
• pinch sea salt
• pinch ground turmeric (optional)

artichoke flatbread

Ingredients:

• whole wheat flat bread – or for low carb – use Trader Joe’s low-carb tortillas
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 6 ounces garlic and herb flavored goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 6 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

hummus “cheesesteak” hoagies

This recipe is for my fiancé Greg, a Philadelphia native.

Ingredients:

• 4 (3-ounce) hoagie rolls, split
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced poblano chile
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) container plain hummus
• 4 (1/2-ounce) slices provolone cheese
• Napa Cabbage Slaw

quinoa, corn & black bean tacos

I saw this photo and recipe on Food Gawker and it looks amazing.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 sliced avocados
• Tortillas (I suggest Trader Joe’s low-carb tortillas)

DIY nutty granola

Instead of spending $8 or more on a bag of store-bought granola, you can head to your kitchen and bake up your own unique recipe. Here’s a recipe from FitSugar for nutty granola made with buckwheat groats and almond butter.

Ingredients:

Dry

• 1 c rolled oats
• 1/2 c raw buckwheat groats
• 1/4 c almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp whole flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet

• 2 tbsp raw almond butter
• 2-3 tbsp agave syrup (sub maple syrup or honey if you prefer)

low-carb breakfast burrito

Ingredients:

• 1 low-carb tortilla (I used Trader Joe’s Sonoma Carb Cutting Tortillas – only 60 calories)
• 1 egg, scrambled (with a pinch of salt & pepper)
• 1/2 avocado
• Goat cheese
• 2 slices tomato

banana split…for breakfast?

I saw this photo on the Pinterest board for Tone it Up! Looks delicious…

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 small container of non-fat Greek yogurt
• Handful of carob chips

Photo Source: Pinterest

rainbow quinoa endive boats

My good friend Lindsay made this delicious appetizer. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the photo and recipe Lindsay!!

Ingredients:

• Rainbow Quinoa (Trader Joe’s)
• Chopped mushrooms, butternut squash, & zucchini
• Pinch of garlic & onion
• Endive Boats
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

mediterranean falafel with quinoa

Tonight I made a big avocado, tomato, yellow pepper and falafel salad.  I used Nature’s Earthly Choice mediterranean falafel and quinoa. I’d never made falafel before, and I must say, it was so easy and good.The best part – these are GLUTEN FREE with 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein per serving.