Recipes

Even vegetarians and vegans need to be a little naughty sometimes and I just couldn’t resist sharing this decadent southern classic that my friend (and fellow Taste gal), Rebekah Faulk whipped up for her wonderful blog Some Kinda Good. I think these would be a wonderful veggie friendly addition to your superbowl apps and because they’re a little naughty, you’ll still feel like you’re indulging with boys without having to chow down on buffalo wings or those baby hot dogs. Now, of course, if you want to make them even healthier, you can try baking them instead of frying them. Same prep just put them on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375 degrees and then once they’re cooked, maybe sautee them in a pan with a little bit of coconut oil to get the outside crispy! However, I wasn’t about to mess with greatness, so I left Rebekah’s recipe just the way it was for you here. Enjoy!

FriedGreenTomatoes

Some Kinda Good’s Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients
3 Large Green Tomatoes
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup self-rising flour
2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
Vegetable Oil for frying
Green Onion for garnish, optional

Directions:
Slice tomatoes about ¼ of an inch thick. Place them on a flat surface and season with salt. Transfer the tomatoes to a colander and allow them to drain in the sink for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a cast iron skillet or 10-inch frying pan with vegetable oil halfway full and set over medium heat. The oil will be ready for frying when sizzling occurs after gently sprinkled with water. In a small dish, use a fork to combine the cornmeal, flour, Old Bay, salt and pepper. Dredge the tomatoes in the flour mixture on each side. Roll the sides of the tomato in the flour mixture too, to ensure an even coating. Shake off any excess before dropping the tomato slices into the hot oil. Fry the tomato slices until golden brown, turning once during cooking.  Remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Garnish with green onion.  Serve warm with Ranch Dressing if desired.

Rebekah Faulk is a Georgia food writer and Statesboro-based TV Personality. A Season 2 contestant on ABC-TV’s The Taste, she blogs at SomeKindaGood.org, a Southern, coastal food blog highlighting East coast restaurant reviews and Lowcountry-inspired recipes. Follow her on Twitter @SKGFoodBlog or on find her on Facebook. 

 

It’s hard to imagine my life before green juice, in all seriousness, my body runs on this stuff! So naturally, my first book was called JUICESPIRATION : Recipes, inspiration and everything you need to have an amazing juice cleansing journey!an ode to my absolute devotion to the miraculous drink because I’m a total addict. Green juice is an amazing way to give yourself a healthy, nutrient boost anytime, especially once that 4pm slump comes around and it’s a little too late in the day for coffee! Personally, I also think it’s a great way to start your day. I always feel better and want to make healthier choices through out my day when it begins with a big glass of a green juice. For those of you that aren’t full card carrying green juices fans quite yet, I wanted to give you a little preview of one of the recipes in “Juicespiration” and my personal go-to green juice to get you going! Try making my green standard at home or order it at your local juice bar to get you going on your healthy journey and be sure to tag me on facebook/instagram/twitter with @cassandrabodzak #juicespiration with your green juice pics!!

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This adorable vegetable is called Romanesco and looks like a baby green cauliflower and tastes like a mix between broccoli and cauliflower. I HIGHLY suggest you try it if you haven’t already! Pick it up at your local farmer’s market and make it for dinner this weekend! I whipped up this super easy and delicious Asian inspired version the other night and wanted to share it with you. If you’re unsure how to cook this, follow this recipe and feel free to substitute the sauce for anything you like or just leave it plain with a little salt and pepper.

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Asian inspired Romanesco

1 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of plum sauce
2 tbsp of ginger infused olive oil (or regular olive oil + chopped ginger)

Rinse and chop up your Romanesco (like you would a head of cauliflower or broccoli). Place a small frying pan on the stove with a tbsp of coconut oil in it and your Romanesco and sautee for a few minutes. While that’s cooking, mix your plum sauce and ginger olive oil together and then drizzle over the cooking Romanesco. It shouldn’t take more than five – ten minutes to cook since the Romanesco is so tiny but use your judgement on how crunchy you want the finished product. I love my veggies when they still have a bit of a crunch to them! 😉

 

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It’s absolutely frigid in NYC right now and as much as I do absolutely love my juices and smoothies, sometimes in the winter it just gets too darn cold for them! When this kind of chill strikes, I always turn to soups to heat me up and nourish me. This carrot ginger squash soup is not only delicious, it’s super easy to make and packed full of nutrients to give you energy and keep you warm! (It’s also vegan! psssh don’t tell!)

Carrot Ginger Squash Soup

Sauté 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 clove minced garlic in 1 tsp olive oil for 3 minutes in medium pot. Add 1 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, 1 cup frozen butternut squash cubes and 1 cup of carrot slices. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. With a hand blender, puree until smooth; if desired add broth for thinner texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

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Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours! I hope you are having a fabulous evening enjoying delicious food with your loved ones!

These adorable little Santa men I made were an easy, delicious and healthy dessert! Just slice open strawberries, carve a little out in the middle and let them dry a bit on a paper towel. In a separate bowl, mix some tofutti cream cheese and powdered sugar till you get an icing like consistency and then place into a pastry bag (or plastic bag) and let it sit in your fridge for a 10-20 minutes. Pipe your icing in your little strawberries bodies and stick some vegan chocolate chips for eyes, it’s strawberry hat and a little extra icing on top! Voila! Adorable little Santa men!

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I love butternut squash and this maple cinnamon recipe is a super easy crowd pleaser for the holidays!

maple cinnamon butternut squash

1 butternut squash
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of cloves
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of macadamia nut oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and get out your Pyrex or whatever oven safe dish you’d like to use. Skin and chop your squash to small chunks. Place your squash in the oven dish and drizzle with oil. I love using macadamia nut oil or coconut oil but regular olive oil will do if your in a bind. Next sprinkle some brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I’d use about a tablespoon of sugar and two shakes of each spice but do it to your preference. Next, move your butternut squash around in the pan to evenly distribute the spices and oil. Let it bake in the oven for 45 minutes till squash is nice and soft. When it cools, drizzle some room temp grade b maple syrup over it and enjoy!

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A yummy nut milk can be a saving grace while juicing. I know that’s how I first fell in love with cashew milk! I made my first batch a couple years ago during a made at home juice fast to quell my late night stomach grumbles and fell quickly in love with this easy recipe and delicious ‘milk’!
Cashews are nature’s Prozac, they increase your feel good hormones and in my own opinion, make you feel all warm and fuzzy aside. So you can imagine what a delicious and soothing drink this can be. It’s also loaded with protein and is great post work out as a healthier substitute for a protein shake.

Cashew Milk
1 cup of cashews
2 cups water
Tsp of vanilla extract
Optional – agave, unsweetened cocoa powder or spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)

Soak your cashews in one cup of water overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. Drain nuts and add them to a blender with one cup of (new) water. Add vanilla extract and whatever other flavorings you desire. I love to use some unsweetened cocoa powder for a decadent but healthy treat – it’s almost like a chocolate milk shake! Although, I have been a huge fan of adding cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves during the holidays because it gives it more of an eggnog like flavor. Have fun, be creative and enjoy!

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Cauliflower purée is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods! It’s one of my very first veggie indulgences and it’s super easy to make vegan! Obviously it’s still very good if your personal preference is to add in the butter but trust me, this is delicious just as it is!

vegan cauliflower purée
head of cauliflower
3 cups of almond milk
2 garlic cloves (or ten peeled garlic)
2 tbsp of earth balance soy free “butter”
1 chopped white onion
A sprig of rosemary

Pour almond milk into saucepan and add your head of cauliflower (broken into smaller pieces), peeled garlic cloves, onion and rosemary. Let it boil and then simmer till the cauliflower is thoroughly cooked. Remove the rosemary and drain the rest of the contents, keeping the almond milk on the side. Place cauliflower, onion and garlic into a food processor or blender and purée. Add almond milk little by little till you have a nice, smooth and creamy texture. Now add some cold vegan butter and stir it in. Salt and add remaining butter to taste. Let cool and enjoy!

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There is absolutely NOTHING I love more than fall flavors but recently, after a trip to L.A., I started falling hard for Indian food! Dare I say I crave it endlessly?!! So naturally when I was in the kitchen thinking of some healthy, delicious thanksgiving sides I couldn’t help but put a little Indian spin on an old favorite! Easy to make and absolutely delicious, I highly recommend trying this recipe out!

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Indian Style Butternut Squash
1 butternut squash
2 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tsp of tumeric
2 tsp of curry powder
2 tsp of gram marsala
1 can of light coconut milk
A handful of unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, skin and chop your squash into manageable pieces. Place the squash pieces in a glass baking dish(Pyrex) and drizzle coconut oil (also can use olive oil) evenly across the pieces. Sprinkle your tumeric, curry and gram Marsala seasonings to your discretion and put in the oven for 45 minutes. Once they are finished baking, either place them in a blender/food processor or just place them in a bowl to be mashed by hand. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of coconut milk and mash. Continue adding another 1/4 cup till you reach your desired consistency! Scoop out and serve with a sprinkle of coconut shreds on top!

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I don’t know about you but as soon as the NYC winter starts coming, so do my intense cravings for hot cocoa! Ever since I was a kid I’ve absolutely LOVED hot chocolate! Never was a big fan of chocolate milk or sugary beverages but once the temperature got low, I craved that sweet, body warming goodness all too frequently!

Of course, I needed to come up with a healthier alternative and a dairy free one to boot! So once the NYC winter temps started rearing their ugly heads earlier this week, I got to experimenting! Oh, such hard work I had to do, drinking all that dairy free hot cocoa! Here’s my favorite concoction – the picture does not do it justice! Sadly my whipped coconut cream and sprinkles of vegan, gluten free chocolate chips melted and sunk to the bottom before I could grab the camera. However, I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of these beauties on Instagram this winter!

Dairy Free Hot Cocoa
ingredients per single serving
1 cup of almond milk
3 tbsps of unsweetened cocoa powder (my favorite is Valrhona Cacao powder!)
1 can of coconut milk
Handful of mini chocolate chips

Easy as pie to make! First, pour your can of coconut milk into your mixer, place a towel over the head and keep it whipping at medium speed. This will whip your coconut milk while you heat your hot chocolate. If your coconut isn’t getting thick you can add a tsp of xantham gum to help it along. Next, heat your almond milk on the stove in a small saucepan and stir in your cocoa till it’s your favorite temp and chocolatey-ness. When your hot cocoa is done, place it in a mug, dollop some of your whipped coconut milk and sprinkle some mini vegan chocolate chips! Perfect! You have a delicious, sweet winter treat with out all the bad stuff, so you can enjoy it all season long guilt free!

I LOVE pumpkin and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are sooo easy to make and delicious, they are truly a “no-brainer”. In this brainless baking segment, I show you how to vamp up your old chocolate chip cookie mix and create something not only healthier and lower in fat than traditional cookies but a treat that tastes even better too!


Another YUMMY, healthy and VEGAN Halloween treat! Check out these easy to make and adorable make parfaits as well as my “hummus pumpkin patch” video for fun, festive and HEALTHY Halloween ideas! Be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel while your there!