I'm such a sucker for any kind of place where high-quality food is the focus. Farmers' markets. Gourmet food shops. Italian markets. Bakeries. I love it all. It's no secret that I love experimenting in the kitchen, and finding new foods and ingredients gives me inspiration to try new recipes... plus I just love eating food, obviously. A few weeks ago, I was walking to a Starbucks to work for awhile before meeting a friend for dinner, when I passed by a spice shop. I've seen it before when it was closed for the day, but this time it was open. Naturally, I walked in the shop and moseyed around smelling and tasting things. I wound up leaving with some goodies - all that were new to me, with the exception of local cinnamon infused honey (I pretty much buy that whenever I see ... [Read More]
gluten free
Potato Black Bean Soup [vegan + gluten free]
Lately the weather in the San Diego area has been nuts. Rain, rain, and more rain for the past month! This is usually the "rainy" season - though I use that term loosely - but this has been more rain than I've seen in my 7+ years in California. For the state, this is good news! California's reservoirs are swelling for the first time in half a decade, and the drought we've been in for years might be over if Mother Nature keeps it up. With all of the rain lately, a few things have been happening in my world. For one, my dog has been super whiny and energetic. She literally does sprints around the house when it's raining out, and cries at the door yet doesn't want to go outside and get wet... not that I blame her, I've been missing our outdoor workouts too. Secondly, my ... [Read More]
Healthy Apple Almond Crumble {vegan + gluten free}
Happy Friday! I felt like this work week has gone by so fast - not quite as fast as last week's three day work week, but still quick! I have a feeling that's how the entire month of December is going to feel. I don't know about you guys, but I always get in sweet tooth + baking moods on the weekends - especially in the fall and winter when it gets cooler out. One way that I satisfy it without getting off track with my daily macro and calorie goals? Baking healthy of course! A few of my healthy swaps are using fruit and cinnamon to naturally sweeten baked goods up, using oats instead of white flour, and including sweeteners like maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Today's recipe includes all of those tricks! I first made this apple almond crumble a few months ago. ... [Read More]
Apple Pie Banana Bread {vegan + gf}
Hello, hello! Today I have what's quickly becoming a new favorite recipe of mine to share with you guys, so let's dive right into it! Banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use ripe bananas, and I'm sure a lot of you would agree with me on that! There's just something so comforting and yummy about a banana bread fresh out of the oven. I like to eat a slice with a cup of hot tea. Today's recipe takes a twist on banana bread - a cinnamon apple twist, because hello October! This is my last recipe creation using the fruit from my apple picking excursion in Julian. There's been lots of apple eating and baking in my kitchen over the past month! ... [Read More]
Zoodles with Basil Cherry Tomato Sauce, Pine Nuts & Lemon Zest
Hi there! Happy 4th of July weekend to all of my fellow Americans! I am certainly looking forward to a 3-day holiday weekend. Whose got fun plans for the 4th? I've got a beach yoga class and hanging out at a friend's house on the agenda, and I'm hoping to catch some fireworks on Saturday night. Today I'm sharing a new recipe that will probably become a go-to dinner in my kitchen. Packed with veggies and flavor, it's a healthy meal that revolves around my recent favorite kitchen gadget: my spiralizer! I've seriously been a spiralizing maniac. My hubby and I have eaten zoodles so often in the last few months, he's started joking around and putting the letter 'z' in words where it shouldn't be. For instance, we started saying 'zauce' instead of tomato sauce. He told me I ... [Read More]
Chocolate Mint Oatmeal Flax Cookies [Gluten Free]
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! My weekend was full of holiday related activities: buying a tree and decorating it, buying outside lights and decorating my front yard, shopping for gifts, and starting this DIY craft... ...a wine cork wreath! I'm not all that crafty but I've been wanting to do something with the many corks I have around, so I decided to give it a go! I'll be sure to share the final product, which I'll hopefully have done later this week. Chances are I'll be glue gunning corks at 11 pm tonight! Coinciding with my holiday cheer, I also did some baking last weekend. ... [Read More]