Two Quick and Easy Summer Recipes

There's nothing like corn on the cob and a fresh summer salad during a hot day. This past Sunday's family dinner was extra tasty- "cowboy" burgers, Trader's Joe's Chili Lime Chicken burgers, summer orzo salad and corn on the cob. It was delicious, and I wanted to share the recipes for a couple of the items. They're easy to make with just a few ingredients.

Summer Orzo Salad

You'll need:

1 box of orzo
2 bell peppers
1 small yellow onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
salt/pepper
olive oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Chop up your veggies and place them in a bowl. Add in splash of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix and be sure the veggies are coated. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast in your oven for about 30-35 minutes. While the vegetables are roasting, cook your orzo on the stove top. Once it's done rinse with cool water and drain. Next, mix the cooled orzo and veggies in your serving bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon all over to act as a dressing. Taste it- you may want to use the whole lemon but for me, half was perfect. Enjoy!

Chili and Lime Coconut Oil Roasted Corn

*I almost feel silly posting this because it's so easy, but until recently I never thought to roast corn with coconut oil, so I thought I would share!

You'll need:

4-5 ears of corn
2 tbsp coconut oil
chili powder
1 lime

Directions:

In a bowl mix your melted coconut oil and chili powder. I used the smallest amount of the powder because Henry was going to be eating it too, but you could use anywhere from a dash to a couple of tablespoons. It's all up to your preference. Toss the corn in the mixture until each piece is coated. Transfer to your grill and cook until some of the kernels are just beginning to brown. Before serving squeeze the juice of one lime all over.

Enjoy!

App/Snack Idea: Vegan Eggplant Stacks

Before I even get to the directions for this snack, I have to just share a funny story that this photo totally reminded me of. Many years ago Hank and I were at a charity event for a organization Shirley chaired. The whole set up was outside- walking around to various food tables and trying different items from local Scottsdale restaurants. We all stopped at one of the tables and I got what looked like a tortilla chip piled high with a delicious looking, chunky salsa. Tomatoes, onions, some peppers, really juicy looking. I got one for myself, and one for Hank. He already had his hands full with some other plates so I just fed him the chip with the salsa. Umm, except it wasn't SALSA at all...it was Ahi tuna mixed with a bit of pico de gallo... which is probably THE most disgusting thing you could eat as a vegetarian. And even worse for Hank because he can't stand the look, taste, etc. of fish. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face when he realized what he was chewing. So funny and so terrible all at once. He has been vegetarian since he was 12 so I felt really bad about my mistake but luckily after he kind of threw up and washed his mouth out one million times, I was forgiven. ;) The reason I even bring this up is because the tomato on top of these stacks reminded me of the way the Ahi looked, and the story just popped into my head. So random, but had to share!

And now...onto the directions. I shared this on my fun little health and fitness Instagram account earlier too.

 

You'll need:

2 eggplants
2-3 tomatoes
fresh basil
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper

Directions:

Slice up your eggplants and sprinkle with salt, then let sit to tenderize for about 30-45 minutes. While the eggplant is tenderizing mince 2-3 cloves of garlic and sauté in a pan with olive oil. Set aside. At the end of the tenderizing time turn your oven to 450°. Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil. Rinse off the tenderized eggplant with cold water and dry thoroughly. Place the sliced eggplant on the first baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil then flip over, then brush with balsamic vinegar and season with freshly ground pepper. Put into the oven.  These will bake for about 20 minutes total. While the eggplant slices are baking, drizzle olive oil on the second tinfoil covered baking sheet. Slice your tomatoes and place them on the baking sheet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and the garlic you previously cooked. When you have 5 minutes left on the eggplant, pop the tomatoes in the oven. When the timer for 20 min goes off take both sheets out of the over and let cool until you can handle them. Then just make into stacks- eggplant on bottom, then fresh basil, then the tomato, etc. If you have fresh mozzarella use that too! Drizzle with balsamic and serve. Delicious!

Cookbook of the Month: March...and some changes!

some of the recipes everyone is trying out on Instagram via #sometimessweeteats

It's crazy how fast these 2014 weeks and months are going by. I wish there were more hours in the day! This month I really enjoyed The Sprouted Kitchen, although I didn't get to make as many of the recipes I would have liked. This next month I wanted to switch it up and utilize some online bloggers/chefs/recipe sites. I haven't chosen one yet, so I am open to any and all suggestions! The only thing I ask is that the recipes are clean and healthy. I think this will be a fun way to make it more accessible to everyone. I can't decide if I want to continue along this path of a new cookbook (or site, with this change), or just scrap the initial idea and stick to trying recipes from everywhere and anywhere and still using the hashtag #sometimessweeteats. Since starting this little project a couple months back I've been cooking SO much more and loving it- it's given me the confidence to try out so many recipes I have not tried before, and for that I'm so grateful.

Soo, long story short, any blogs or sites you'd recommend? I'll figure out what I'm doing and post about it before the 1st for anyone who would like to get on board.

xoxo

Cookbook of the Month: February

Although there's still a week to go in January, I wanted to share next month's cookbook a little early, so those who want to participate can be all set for the 1st of the month. I have had the best time with month #1, and I'm looking forward to trying even more recipes in this next book now that I'm in the swing of things.

For February I chose The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte. This book is chock full of healthy, whole-food recipes and includes both meat dishes and vegeatarian dishes, and some absolutely delicious-looking desserts. There are so many recipes I've already bookmarked, and as soon as this month is over I'm excited to dive right in.

You can buy it here, but if you're not planning on collecting the cookbooks as you go (I like to make notes in mine), the library is a great option!

And don't forget, if you do decide to participate be sure to tag me @danihampton and use the hashtag #sometimessweeteats. I've had such a fun time meeting new friends and seeing what everyone else is cooking through the tag and can't wait to continue. Will you be joining us in February?

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.

January's Cookbook Update

So I'm well into month #1 of my Cookbook of the Month Project and I'm loving it. I've made a few different recipes out of this month's pick- Super Natural Every Day- and more than anything it's inspired me to get out of the little "cook the same thing all the time" bubble I was living in. Plus, I now have a handful of great dinner recipes to add to our rotation.

Here are four favorites:

1 // Pan-Fried Mung Beans with Tempeh and Broccoli

2 // Kale Salad with Toasted Coconut and Sesame Oil

3 // Parmesan, Garlic, and Broccoli Quinoa Patties.

4 // Dilled Green Beans with Seitan and Leeks

Out of all of these dishes I'd have to say the Dilled Green Beans with Seitan was my favorite- and Hank and Henry's too! I was also pleasantly surprised by how delicious the leeks were. It was actually my first time cooking them (I always found them to be intimidating for some reason) and I'm happy to have tried something new and feel like I did a good job with it. And even some of the things I don't cook on a regular basis, like seitan, were super easy. That's what I am loving about Heidi Swanson's recipes- there are minimal ingredients and it's all laid out for you, plain and simple. All of the dishes have been great so far, and I'm looking forward to trying the baked oatmeal tomorrow morning.

Are you planning on joining in next month? I'll post next month's cookbook pick before the week is over, and if you do decide to join in on Instagram be sure to use the hashtag #sometimessweeteats and share photos of your shopping, prep, meals, etc. It's so fun connecting with everyone and seeing what they choose to cook, and of course seeing how it turns out. I'm looking forward to watching this project grow more as the months go by, and I can't wait to share February's cookbook in the next couple of days.

Until then, happy cooking!

xoxo

Cookbook of the Month: January

So to go along with my 2014 goal of cooking more and trying new recipes, I thought it would be fun to explore one new cookbook a month. And why not share it here, and encourage all of you to participate too?

This month I decided to get Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday. I love the premise behind the book: well-loved recipes from the cook's own kitchen, focusing on whole, fresh ingredients and easy to prepare foods. All of the recipes are vegetarian, and the cookbook includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals, and snacks and drinks. I would love to add some new fun meals and snack ideas to our weekly rotation, and after reading reviews on Amazon, and even having my friend Layla cook us one of Heidi's recipes (it was beyond delicious), I knew this was the cookbook I wanted to start with.

This is the first month and a new idea so I'm not too sure how this process will organically evolve, but I will be sharing whatever I cook both here and on Instagram. Next month I will choose the cookbook before the month begins so everyone has a chance to get it in advance (literally just had this idea over the weekend). With that said, I hope you will join me! I will be making my first recipe tomorrow and would love to have you along for the ride. Are you in?

You can purchase Super Natural Everyday here, and follow along on Instagram here. If you do decide to get the book, be sure to tag anything you cook with #sometimessweeteats. So fun! Can't wait to share my first pick this week and see what you all pick too.

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.