Favorite Things Friday.

Happy Friday Everyone!

It's time for another round of Favorite Things Friday. There's some pretty great stuff floating around the blogosphere this week, but I think my absolute favorite thing this week has been this amazing weather! I've loved waking up to sunshine and the smell of summer wafting in through the open windows, planting an herb garden, going for long walks, reading in the grass and drinking iced tea... it's a beautiful thing.

Alright, so let's get to it!

Just click the link in italics to get to the original blog where I found the favorite thing.

Favorite Sauce
Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo -The Detoxinista

I've been wanting to try making alfredo sauce out of cauliflower, but have yet to find the right recipe. I think this might be it. I definitely want to try it with some nutritional yeast for a cheesier flavor. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Favorite Photos

Honey & Jam

I always love seeing updates on Hannah's blog. Her photos are breath-taking and make me think I can just walk through my computer screen into the scene of her picture. Plus the fact that she shares wonderfully rustic recipes is just an added bonus!

Favorite New Blog

Dishing Up the Dirt

When comments are left on my blog, I like to go and check out the blog of the person who commented and that is exactly how I discovered this blog. (Wow, I feel like I just said the word 'blog' a lot...it's starting to sound weird now....anyway) Andrea is positively adorable! She blogs about her farm life in Oregon and shares mouth-watering recipes from the produce they harvest. I love it! Be sure to check it out!

Favorite Post

To Women- The Flowerchild Dwelling

In this post Kelly Ann talks about feminism and what that actually means. It's a note of encouragement to women everywhere in all walks of life. She is much more eloquent than I am, so I will just leave my description at that and encourage you to take a few moments and read her post.

Favorite Snack

Carrots Sticks and Lazy Guac

I've talked about my love for avocados before and this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. Have you ever had carrot sticks and guacamole? Not only is it healthier than the chip alternative it's also super tasty! But let's be honest, some days I'm just too lazy to get out the cutting board and chop up the onions and tomatoes or I'm all out of garlic or limes. That's where this lazy guac comes in- that's right it's so lazy you don't even say the whole word. All you do is mash one small (or half of a large) avocado in a bowl using a fork. Add in some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and voila! Lazy guac! Add some carrot sticks and you've got yourself a tasty and nutritious snack.

Favorite Way to Eat a Sweet Potato

Samosa Stuffed Sweet Potato-Culinary Colleen via Oh My Veggies

This recipe immediately caught my eye. I love sweet potatoes and I love samosas so when I saw these listed on Kiersten's blog this morning I knew I had to save the recipe to try them later. And try them later I will!

Favorite Way to Eat Spring Rolls

Spring Roll in a Bowl- Joy the Baker

I love spring rolls, but I've never taken the time to make them myself (I think we already established I can be pretty lazy with the whole guac thing). So Joy's recipe sounds perfect! You can be guaranteed I will be enjoying this dish this summer... probably a lot.

Favorite New Canadian Dessert

A Better Butter Tart- My New Roots

Have you ever heard of butter tarts? Apparently, they're a Canadian thing. All I know is this reconstructed version sounds amazing! Sarah is brilliant in the kitchen and these tarts are no exception. I definitely want to try the coconut oil version of these! 

Alright, that's it for me this week. I hope you've enjoyed another week of my favorite things. Come back next week to see what new delights I come across. Have a great weekend!

What are some of your favorite things this week?

Garden Fresh Spaghetti Squash Pasta + Roasted Squash Seeds (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)

As I was updating my recipe page the other day I realized I post a lot of desserts and breakfast foods. So I thought I'd switch it up and share a recipe for an actual meal (radical concept I know). There's been much talk lately about spaghetti squash and while I love me some gourds, I had never tried spaghetti squash- no time like the present right? (Especially when presently, it's on sale for 99 cents a pound!)

For those who don't know, this is a spaghetti squash.

And this is what spaghetti squash looks like once it's been cooked and the seeds have been scraped out. 

(It's like those old health videos- "this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs" ...anyone? no? okay, just me then).

So how does a bowl chock full vegetables disguised as pasta sound? Good? Great. Let's get started then.

You're going to want to use the freshest ingredients possible for this recipe. I would definitely suggest fresh herbs rather than dried. Fortunately, on Saturday I finally planted my little herb garden (keeping my fingers crossed that we've seen the last of the snow). This recipe will be excellent later in the season when you can use garden fresh tomatoes and other veggies as well. I haven't tried growing those yet, we'll see if I can keep these herbs alive first.

Isn't it cute? (I also have some mint growing in my bedroom- stay tuned for a mint chocolate chip cookie recipe!) We've already made great use out of these herbs, the plants looked significantly more trimmed back than they do in this picture. It's wonderful when the wind blows and our kitchen suddenly smells of heavenly herbs! Who needs air fresheners when you've got that?

Anyway, I'm getting distracted. Before I share the recipe, let me at first warn you and say, not much was measured out, it's definitely a play-around-til-you've-got-the-flavor-you-want kind of recipe. But you can see in one of the above pictures how much of each herb I used. Since the herbs are fresh, you won't need much.

Garden Fresh Spaghetti Squash Pasta

• 1 Small-ish Spaghetti Squash
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 4 Large Basil Leaves
• 6-8 Rosemary Needles
• Small Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley 
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Zucchini
• Handful of Kale
• 1 Tomato (I used Roma)
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste

*Keep in mind all measurements are approximate.

Makes 2-3 Servings.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a knife and carefully stab the spaghetti squash several times to ensure it doesn't explode. Place the squash on a pan lined with aluminum foil. While waiting for the oven to heat, drizzle the olive oil and red wine vinegar in a medium sized bowl. Finely chop the garlic and herbs and add them to the bowl, mix well and set aside and allow the flavors to blend. Place the spaghetti squash in the oven for 1 hour. Go relax. (I went outside and read a book in the sun). 

After an hour, take the squash out of the oven and set aside. While the squash is cooling off, chop your zucchini, kale and tomato, add them to the bowl with the herbs and oil, add the salt and pepper. Now the squash should be cooled enough to handle. Taking a sharp knife, cut around the squash length-wise, open the squash and lay the two pieces on the pan. using a spoon (and you may need a knife as well), remove the seeds, but don't throw them away, you can just set the whole mess aside in a bowl. Once all the seeds are removed, take a fork and scrap the inside of the squash length-wise to create the noddles. Place the "pasta" in the bowl with the other ingredients, once all the squash has been added, mix the pasta gently to fully incorporate the ingredients in each bite. Serve with a smile and enjoy!

**Feel free to mix in pine nuts, walnuts, goat cheese, switch spinach for the kale, other vegetables you have around or whatever strikes your fancy. Or for a slightly different flavor, roast the tomato, garlic and zucchini before adding it to the dish.

Now, remember those seeds I told you to save? 

Yeah, we're gonna need those. 

Why waste the seeds when you can get dinner and dessert all from one gourd? This is a great project to give to your kids if you don't feel like getting your hands messy if you want to get them involved in the kitchen. I like sweet and spicy flavors so that's what I did for this recipe, but feel free to use the flavors you like. You can do a simple salt and pepper or a sweet honey and cinnamon, whatever makes you happy.

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

• 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Honey (Pure Maple Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup work as well)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• A Couple Pinches of Cayenne Pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
• Small Handful of Dark Chocolate Chips (optional)

Reheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the seeds from any stringy pulp, place in a collander and rinse thoroughly. Dry seeds on a clean dish towel. In a bowl, place the coconut oil and honey, add the seeds and mix to coat the seeds. Add the salt and cayenne pepper. Place the seeds on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or a silpat. Roast in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Place seeds in a bowl and add the chocolate chips if desired. And now you have your after dinner movie snack. Enjoy and try to share.

***These seeds would also be great to add to homemade trail mix!

Have you tried spaghetti squash?

What's your favorite recipe?

Toasted Coconut Banana Pancakes (Vegan)

Saturday morning I woke up and decided it was a pancake morning. Some days are pancake days and it doesn't do you any favors to ignore that fact. Nine times out of ten when I make pancakes, it's this kind- it's my absolute favorite! Pancakes should always be made with bananas and coconut in my opinion. Then again, if you've been hanging out at my blog, you've probably noticed I think most things are better with bananas and coconut. 

Now before we get to the recipe, there's something I should mention. Every time I make these pancakes I also get this song playing in my head. So if you plan on making these pancakes, make sure you have this song playing in the background; it makes them taste better I swear.

Toasted Coconut Banana Pancakes

Adapted from Chef in Disguise

• 1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar (I used Beet Sugar)
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Cup Almond Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Ripe Banana
• Coconut Oil for Cooking
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (I totally forgot to measure how much I used, I just sprinkled away!)

Makes 4 Large Pancakes.

Warm skillet or griddle to a medium-low heat. Place about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil on the surface and spread it around as it melts to grease the pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded coconut onto the pan and allow to toast. While that's heating, in a medium sized bowl, mix the first four ingredients together. Then mix in the almond milk and apple cider vinegar until just combined; try not to overmix. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the heated surface. Thinly slice the banana and place the slices on top of the pancake batter. Allow to cook until small bubbles begin to form, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more coconut oil and shredded coconut as needed. Serve with pure maple syrup or fresh strawberry sauce or whatever you like (I like honey on mine). And if you're feeling really fancy, you can even mix chocolate chips into the batter.

Today is Tuesday so that means I must announce the winner of my first ever giveaway! Drum roll, please...

The winner is Hannah from Grove St. Kitchen! I loved her idea of using the vanilla extract in nut butters, I can't wait to try it. Congratulations Hannah! I'll be contacting you soon so I can send you your vanilla extract.  As for everyone else, be on the lookout for my next giveaway!

Happy Tuesday!

What are your favorite kind of pancakes?