I enjoy a healthy and hearty breakfast every morning, but busy mornings leave me with little time for food prep. Overnight oats are one of my favorite go-to meals for hurried weekdays. They are almost effortless to assemble the night before and in the morning you have a delicious breakfast just waiting for you to open and enjoy. Preparing this recipe in a mason jar makes it a great portable breakfast option.
Pureed butternut squash is a fresh alternative to cooking with canned pumpkin, and it is extremely easy to make. After roasting the squash, simply puree in a food processor. If you have extra on hand it freezes well for future use, saving even more time when making these nutritious Fall Harvest Overnight Oats.
Ingredients: ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats ½ cup pureed butternut squash ½ cup skim milk or non-dairy milk of choice ¼ cup non-fat Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt of choice 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted 1 tablespoon maple syrup ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
In a pint-sized mason jar, add all ingredients and gently stir to combine. Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy as a cold cereal for breakfast in the morning.
I love the way the leaves fall off Brussels sprouts when you quarter them, resembling flower petals and creating a beautiful centerpiece for your plate. This cooking method caramelizes the vegetable, bringing out its natural sweetness. If your family members don’t love Brussels sprouts, this recipe may just change their mind.
This dish is so simple and mostly hands off, which is why I love roasting vegetables. You can step outside and grill your favorite lean protein while your Brussels sprouts roast. Pair this side dish with grilled salmon, a simple salad, fresh whole grain bread and your favorite white wine for an elegant and easy stay-at-home, date-night meal.
Ingredients: 2 pounds Brussels sprouts 1½ tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ⅓ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters, keeping the leaves (or as I like to call them, petals) that fall off.
Place Brussels sprouts on a large baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle minced garlic, salt and pepper on top and toss with a spatula to evenly coat.
Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through the cooking cycle. Brussels sprouts will be tender with dark brown outer leaves. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, toss and serve.
Picky eaters will not even know they are eating a vegetable when they bite into this velvety cheese spread with a delicate taste of pumpkin pie. While pumpkin is all the craze, let us not forget about other varieties of winter squash that offer the same delicious taste of the season. If you are unable to find delicata squash, use any variety of locally grown squash. Delicata squash has a silky smooth texture when roasted and a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. If you want to enhance the nutty flavor and add a little more protein to your plate, top your toast with walnuts or pecans.
Ingredients: 1 medium delicata squash, cut in half and seeds removed 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, plus more for serving 8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, or reduced fat cream cheese, softened Whole wheat toast
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place squash slices, skin side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Cut butter into six cubes and place three in each squash cavity. Drizzle each squash half with a tablespoon of maple syrup. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove squash from oven and set aside until cool enough to touch. With a large spoon, remove the golden squash from the skin and place in a food processor. Add pumpkin pie spice and cream cheese. Process until smooth.
Spread on whole wheat toast, top with a dash or two of pumpkin pie seasoning and serve.
Vegetables are one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, but I had never thought about combining spaghetti squash with eggs until I had a similar dish for brunch at Posana in Asheville, NC. Their garden vegetable hash was superb and I enjoyed it on their dog-friendly patio where they even have a menu for fur babies. Back at home in my kitchen with my four-legged-boy, Rocco, beside me, I crafted my version with a light and creamy Dijon sauce in place of their leek vinaigrette.
This recipe is also a great one to make when serving breakfast for dinner. Looking for a grab-and-go breakfast option? Serve the hash in small containers and add boiled egg slices on top in place of the poached or fried eggs. Hope you enjoy this unique take on spaghetti squash and comment below to let me know about your favorite breakfast veggies.
Ingredients: 1 medium spaghetti squash 16 ounces small potatoes, diced 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 1 leek 1 bunch or 6 ounce bag of spinach salt and pepper ½ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard 2 cloves minced garlic 4 eggs, poached or fried
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Trim the ends of the squash and slice in half. Remove the seeds and discard. Place squash cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the center of the oven until tender and squash flakes with a fork into noodles, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, place potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Roast until tender, for 25 to 30 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Remove vegetables from the oven and cover potatoes with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let spaghetti squash sit until cool enough to touch.
Meanwhile, remove the dark green stalk from the leek, keeping the light green and white section. Wash the leek well to remove dirt in between the layers and thinly slice. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek to the skillet and sauté until tender and fragrant, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach and sauté until wilted, for a couple more minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside on low heat to keep warm.
In a small bowl, add yogurt, mustard and garlic and stir to combine, creating creamy garlic sauce.
Use a fork to remove the strands of spaghetti squash by lightly raking across the inside surface. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add ¼ of squash, spinach and potatoes to each plate and serve with an egg on top and a dollop of creamy garlic sauce.
I created this recipe while on vacation using fresh seafood from a coastal fish market. I have enjoyed this dish back at home with local bell peppers from my CSA share and the taste brings back wonderful memories from vacation. The tropical salsa and coconut rice also make a great pair for grilled pork chops and filet mignon if you want to serve a variety of options for your guests. Cheers to firing up the grill with your protein of choice as we enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer.
Ingredients: 2 cups white rice 2 (13.5 ounce) cans unsweetened, light coconut milk 2 tablespoons sugar ½ cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes 1 lime 8 (4 to 6 ounce) halibut steaks or cod filets 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon salt, divided ½ teaspoon ground white pepper 3 small or 2 medium bell peppers, any color 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and quartered 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Bring coconut milk to a boil, add rice and reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Add sugar and coconut flakes and stir to combine, allowing sugar to melt into the steamy rice.
Meanwhile, zest lime with a citrus zester or microplane grater. Brush halibut or cod with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt, pepper and zest from lime. Set aside while preparing the tropical salsa.
Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Remove seeds from bell pepper and slice in half. Brush pineapple and bell pepper with remaining olive oil. Grill produce until light grill marks appear on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside until cool enough to touch.
Grill fish for about 4 minutes per side until the center is firm and opaque. Remove from the grill and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Dice pineapple and bell pepper and place in a medium bowl. Juice lime over salsa and add cilantro and salt, stirring to combine. Serve fish over coconut rice and top with tropical salsa.
A salad you can hold in your hand is the perfect backyard grub to serve on a hot summer night. The fresh vegetables make a colorful presentation for this build-your-own dinner, and you can change or add more protein options by grilling pork or tofu along with your chicken. Grill your meat and slice your toppings in advance to have a meal you can serve in just a few minutes on a busy night or on an evening when you’d rather kick back and enjoy the sunshine.
Wrap Ingredients: 1 head romaine lettuce 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles ¼ cup pitted Greek olives, thinly sliced
Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients: 1 small cucumber, roughly chopped 1 cup plain, low-fat Greek yogurt 1 lemon 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
Directions:
Trim the bottom of the lettuce and separate leaves. Wash and set on a towel to dry.
In a small bowl, combine oregano, garlic, nutmeg, salt, pepper and olive oil. Stir to combine and rub the mixture over chicken. Grill chicken breasts until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and thinly slice.
Combine cucumber and yogurt in a small bowl. Zest and then juice lemon, adding 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice to the bowl. Add garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Add lettuce leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese and olives to a couple of large plates along with the Zatziki sauce, and serve buffet style.
Move over lettuce, sautéed kale is a new match for crispy bacon and juicy tomato slices. Served over toasted baguette slices, my BKT Bites make a hardy appetizer or light dinner. It’s an easy dish to make with two summer favorites from your farm share or local Farmers’ Market. This dish pairs well with an earthy Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley Oregon. Just make this simple recipe, open a bottle of vino and you are ready to entertain.
Ingredients: 1 bunch kale 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons water ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for serving ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ whole grain baguette, cut into ¼ inch slices 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 10 slices bacon, cooked to desired level of crispy
Directions:
Remove stems from kale and roughly chop. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add kale and water. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler to high. Broil for about one to two minutes per side, until lightly browned on the edges.
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar. Spread balsamic mayonnaise on baguette slices and top with bacon, kale and tomatoes. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of the tomato slices and serve.
Here is a delicious and nutritious meal you can eat with your hands. Small cabbage leaves make perfect cups for holding chicken and vegetables, and these are drizzled with my spicy Thai peanut sauce with just a touch of heat. The ingredients can be prepared in advanced and assembled when ready to eat, making this an excellent meal for busy nights or lunches on the go. If you have large cabbage leaves, just fold them like a burrito to create cabbage wraps.
Ingredients: ½ cup light coconut milk 1 tablespoon red curry paste ¼ cup peanut butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 lime, halved and divided 3 to 4 dashes of Sriracha hot chili sauce 2 cups any combination of vegetables, diced or shredded (such as bell pepper, cucumber, radishes or carrots) 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped 1 small head cabbage, leaves separated 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped ¼ cup unsalted chopped peanuts
Directions:
In a blender or food processor, combine coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, juice from ½ of lime and Sriracha hot chili sauce. Process until smooth and creamy.
Combine vegetables in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of the remaining lime half over the produce. Add cilantro and stir to evenly combine.
Fill each cabbage leaf with an equal amounts of chicken and vegetables. Drizzle each cup with peanut sauce, top with peanuts and serve.
Sautéed zucchini makes an excellent side dish for a steak topped with blue cheese butter, but this dish goes a step further by combining all of those delicious flavors. Steak and Zoodles with Blue Cheese Sauce is a perfect summer meal when you are in the mood to fire up the grill and use your farm-fresh zucchini. Zoodles, made from zucchini noodles, are as fun to make as they are to eat. There are a lot of vegetable spiralizers on the market now, and this kitchen gadget leads to endless possibilities for new takes on vegetables.
Ingredients: 4 medium zucchini ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups skim milk 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese ¼ teaspoon white pepper 16 ounces sirloin steak, grilled to desired degree of doneness and thinly sliced
Directions:
Spiralize zucchini into thin noodles. Place in a colander over a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and cook another minute. Gradually add the milk, whisking as the sauce thickens. Reduce heat to lowest setting and add blue cheese and white pepper. Whisk together until cheese has melted.
Place zoodles in a tea towel and gently squeeze over bowl to remove excess water. Place zoodles in skillet with blue cheese sauce and gently combine with the sauce. Cook for about two minutes, until heated through.
To serve, add zoodles with sauce to plates and top with with slices of steak.
Oh, how American’s love French fries, myself included included. The crispy, greasy, fried potato is the perfect burger companion. For a healthy alternative that is just as satisfying, I’ve created an oven-baked version with sweet potato and kohlrabi and a creamy garlic sauce for dipping. The sweetness of the potato is a perfect balance for kohlrabi, which has a slight bitter taste. Enjoy as an appetizer or pair with a hamburger or your favorite sandwich for healthy pub grub at home.
Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato 1 large kohlrabi bulb 1½ tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard 2 cloves minced garlic
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel sweet potato and kohlrabi and cut into fry shaped strips.
Place sweet potato and kohlrabi strips in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat.
Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip with a spatula. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, add yogurt, mustard and garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine, creating a creamy garlic sauce for serving.
Foodie Fox 