This vegetarian farro salad recipe features lots of veggies, toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta and a light lemon olive oil dressing - and it's packed with the hearty ancient grain known as farro of course! I don't think I could ever happily live without grains. From whole grain toast and crusty Italian bread, to oatmeal, rice, and pasta, healthy grains are definitely a focal point of my diet, along with fruits & veggies. And one of my favorite grains lately has been the hearty ancient grain known as farro. Farro has been eaten by humankind for a long time...as in, it's been traced back to early Mesopotamia 20,000 years ago. It's a bit nutty and chewy - and I happen to find it satisfying and deeeelicious. I think that sometimes people find farro to be a bit ... [Read More]
Mediterranean recipes
Quinoa Veggie Burger Sliders with Lemon Tahini Sauce {vegan}
These healthy veggie burger sliders are made with nutritious ingredients like quinoa, baby spinach, carrot and red onion. They make for a great party appetizer that you can feel good about eating! Did any of you watch the College National Championship between Alabama and Clemson's talented football teams? Chances are that you were just as surprised as I was - along with all of the betting sites - at the way Clemson kicked Alabama's butt. That's why I love football: You never know what's going to happen! My football coaching dad had a player at his high school that went on to play really well at Bama. He left as a junior last year and got drafted to the Dolphins (where he's been playing great), so I couldn't help but think how perfect it was that he left after Bama won the ... [Read More]
Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers
Hi friends! How was your weekend? Did you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day? I was flying cross-country all day Friday on the actual holiday, but I had a chance to celebrate the Irish holiday yesterday with my parents. I’m in Jersey this week visiting family, and went to a winery yesterday with my parents that had a live Irish band playing. It made me want to be back in Ireland hanging out at pubs with my family! So, let’s dive into the real topic at hand today: Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers - an easy Meatless Monday dinner idea! I’ve always been a fan of stuffed peppers, and for this recipe, I wanted to do something different in terms of grains. I usually will use brown rice for stuffed peppers, but this time I decided to try barley instead and loved it. I like to make ... [Read More]
Easy Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza
Hey, hey! How was your weekend? Mine was a good one that was full of sports! My husband and I went to the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, which was neat. I'm not a huge golf person but find sporting events of pretty much any kind fun - plus it was my first time at the Torrey Pines golf course, and the views were beautiful as expected! I also watched a lot of tennis, as the Australian Open came to a close. Watching the Williams sisters compete against each other in the finals was inspiring - I mean, they are such badass female athletes! - so on Sunday my hubby and I headed to the tennis courts nearby to get in a workout together. We're not technically all that great at tennis, but we have fun and get some exercise, so that's all I really care ... [Read More]
Mediterranean Feta & Lemon Hummus Dip
Hi friends! So, this weekend's the big game in California... and while I have no strong feelings towards one team or the other, I always love a good Super Bowl! The actual game, the half-time show, the obscenely expensive commercial spots... I love it all. And we obviously can't forget about football food! I've been drooling at my computer screen all week checking out my fellow blogger friends' recipes for game day, and today I'm sharing a new yummy one of my own. While I'm a sports fan in general, football is definitely my favorite sport. I grew up with my dad coaching football (still does!), so I think I was kind of bred into loving the sport. I was a competitive cheerleader from ages 7-17 who cheered at many football games, both of my brothers played football growing up (one ... [Read More]
Copycat Lemon Twist Hummus
Last fall, my friend Danielle came into town for the weekend and we had a girls' wine tasting day in Temecula. We had a picnic at one of the wineries, and I had brought apples, cheese, pretzels, almonds, pumpkin bread, and a new flavor of hummus from Sabra called Lemon Twist: We pretty much housed the entire container of delicious hummus into our wine-filled bellies, and I made a mental note to try to recreate lemon twist hummus at home. Last week, my favorite HIIT studio, The Fit Mill, hosted a membership event where we worked out, then enjoyed snacks & wine afterwards. I recently began partnering with The Fit Mill with my health coaching biz, and for the occasion I whipped up a few of my recipes. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a copycat lemon twist ... [Read More]