Happy March!
One of my main 2019 intentions was to choose a small goal each month to focus on. This is going to help keep me accountable and zeroed in on things that are both important to me and things that don’t get enough attention on the regular.
My February goal was to cook from cookbooks and recipe developers 1-2x/week. I have so many cookbooks and save so many recipes to my email but I don’t seem to ever get to them #whohasthetime. But I decided to prioritize this and MAKE the time! It was so fun deciding which recipes to make and testing out a bunch of different ones.
Here is my recap in case this speaks to you and you want to spice up your meals!
Author: Kelly LeVeque
Cookbook: Found on her Instagram
Recipe: Buffalo Cauliflower
I hosted a Superbowl party at my apt a few weeks ago and wanted to add some heathy options to the mix. I’m not a big spicy girl but know that buffalo is a staple flavor for game day so I went with it. It was a big hit! Even I was able to have a few bites without it being TOO spicy! I forgot to take a glamour shot pic but this is midway through people diving in, you can tell by the spoon and the “mess” around it!
Author: Ella Woodward
Cookbook: Deliciously Ella
Recipe: Easy Quinoa with Sautéed Veggies
I’m always looking to spice up my quinoa dishes (you’re going to see a few quinoa options below!) since I tend to be pretty boring normally. On Sunday’s I’ll make a big batch and just throw quinoa into my eggs, my salads etc…nothing so curated. So, I was excited to try this recipe which is pretty simple to make but has a lot of flavor. I swapped out the tamari and used coconut aminos instead. This was both easy and really good – I’ll definitely be making this one over and over again.
Author: JJ Virgin
Cookbook: Have a printout of this recipe from forever ago…
Recipe: String Beans, Mushrooms & Peppers
I’ve been sitting on this recipe for YEARS! I wanted to bulk it up a bit so made a big batch of quinoa (see above, a Sunday tradition!) and used a bunch from my meal prep for this dish. I also changed from shitake mushrooms to crimini – totally a personal choice This was filling and delish!
Author: Ali Maffucci
Cookbook: Found on Inspiralized.com
Recipe: Butternut Squash Risotto
I love following Ali on Instagram. She has such interesting recipes and her constant creations make me want to try them all! This recipe is a fairly new one but she’s posted about it a few times and I knew I wanted to try it out because I LOVE butternut squash. I left out the cheese in this and it still tasted great! I’m sure it would be more risotto-like and creamier with it but was just flavorful enough for me!
Author: Ali Maffucci
Cookbook: Inspiralized & Beyond
Recipe: Chickpea “Tuna” Salad
I have Ali’s Inspiralized & Beyond cookbook which always inspires me. This recipe caught my eye when I first got the book but hadn’t had a chance to make it yet. I do eat tuna and love it but am always looking for new/different healthy swaps. This was REALLY easy to make and my only complaint is that it calls for too much red onion. I made a note to make half as much next time but otherwise it was really good!
Author Drew Ramsey, M.D.
Cookbook: Fifty Shade of Kale
Recipe: Grains & Greens
I love Drew Ramsey! I met him at a Kale party (yes, you read that right) years ago and totally fangirled out. Around the same time, and totally randomly, my friend bought me his cookbook “Fifty Shades of Kale” which has 50 recipes all with, you guessed it, kale. Guy loves kale…and so do I! I made this recipe without the goat cheese and really liked it. If I’m being honest though, I liked it better a few days later – you know how sometimes leftovers are better than fresh out of the oven? This was that for me. Also, when I heated it back up I added cherry tomatoes and avocado and liked it even better.
Author: Robyn Youkilis
Cookbook: Go With Your Gut
Recipe: Black Bean Burger
Have been wanting to try out this burger recipe for a while. I love that Robyn gives you the choice for beef, fish or black beans – lots of options! Since I didn’t have meat or fish in the fridge, I went with what was easy – black beans! As she writes in the book, the patties kind of come apart but I did my best to get a shot of them before they did. Doesn’t change the taste though – worth it! Just note that the recipe calls for a lot of shredded coconut so it’s a sweeter burger, not so much savory.
Happy cooking!
Now…onto March’s challenge…