Recipes

If you were to ask me my two favorite food groups, they'd be Mexican and sushi. (Although I'm not a chef, that's the most accurate answer I'd give.) Although I rotate a variety of Mexican dishes, sushi is something I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. HIGH FIVE, My friends: I dominated the DIY Sushi recipe. I haven't attempted using fish since I'm terrified and wanted to try easy vegetables first, but it was SO much easier than I had imagined. Plus, my Mom had given me a sushi kit a few years ago that I stashed away and thought "yeah, I'll never actually try that...". Well Mom, I'm maturing at my cooking and finally broke out the kit - and am officially addicted. This DIY CSA Sushi recipe makes it totally easy to have for dinner OR make for a party. Recipe, after the jump!

When I took my first sip of this perfected chocolate kale smoothie I experienced a moment of pure smoothie bliss. I say perfected because even though smoothies are supposed to be easy, peasy it's not always a breeze to figure out the perfect mouth satisfying ratio of ingredients. I played around with this combo until I felt like I had a winner I'd want to make over and over. No matter, this chocolate kale smoothie happens to be vegan but can certainly be customized based on what you have on hand. I will, however, share with you my exact recipe in case you're type-A like me when it comes to smoothies! And, please don't be put off by the kale or the color. The kale is barely detected in this combo ; Yet, you still get your daily greens in! Win-win. This recipe makes for a  good snack, post workout "shake", meal accompaniment or very healthy dessert.

Okay, okay so the "best ever" probably falls into the hyperbole category. But I'm telling you guys even if you loathe vegetables and would rather spend June enjoying warm weather favorites like tacos, italian ice and margaritas (I'm getting my fair share of those too!) this asparagus really is tasty enough to almost forget you're eating healthy. Need a few more reasons to try it? 1. It's asparagus season in Pennsylvania and the tri-state region. 2. This recipe is so simple! It's almost embarrassing that I'm calling it a recipe. 3. It contains cheese (sort of ). Read on for the recipe!

Not only is today the first day of May we're also just five days away from Cinco De Mayo. (And who says you can't celebrate all week long with delicious Mexican fare and margaritas?!) I enjoy Mexicali cuisine so much I sometimes wonder if my Italian/Irish blood doesn't have just a bit of Mexican in it... Anyway, if you're looking for an easy, healthy Cinco de Mayo recipe this is for you. Yes it's essentially a salad but the colorful, festive ingredients keep your taste buds interested without loading on a lot of fat via cheese and sour cream- like some typical Americanized Mexican dishes. (Though you'll get a dose of good-for-you fat from the avocado.)  The addition of tortilla chips adds a nice crunch and  makes the "salad" feel a little more fun. Click through for the recipe!

While I love most things green it did take me a little while to jump on the green juice bandwagon.  Oddly enough my parents had a juicer back in the 90s (before juicing became trendy!) and I remember grimacing as a kid when they'd offer me a green concoction. I guess they were ahead of the times because now I have a juicer and kind of love the thing. Yep, I can be a slow adapter but now that I have experienced true green juice goodness there may be no turning back. We've discussed the juicing craze a bit before - including the benefits behind it and the pros and cons that come with the hype. Whether you're curious about juice or you're already hard-core this juice will become your new favorite green juice. It's refreshing and a little sweet. The apple is key to balancing out all the veggies! And, the lemon/lime combo add a hint of citrusy spring flavor. I especially recommend this recipe to those who have trouble with salad-like, pungent juices. I know a lot of people that juice first thing in the morning. I tend to enjoy my juice mid morning or for an afternoon snack.  (I still love my morning coffee, nut butter and occasional muffin...I'm human.) Either way this juice is a nice compliment to lunch or as a tasty stand-alone snack.

I don't know about you but I could use some greens after all the Valentine's treats I've consumed for the past week. Luckily, this warm brussels sprouts salad recipe should do the trick. (It's all about balance, right?) And, let's just take a second to pay homage to brussels sprouts. As a kid I remember them as mushy and bland with a bit of an offensive aroma. But, after trying them roasted a few years back my feelings towards brussels completely changed. It turns out they're seriously tasty when prepared the right way. I mostly enjoy them baked and crispy but in this recipe I sautéed em for a change, and they tasted delish. This is one of those dishes that's really simple but the contrasting flavors makes it taste like you put a lot of work into it. Click through for the recipe!

This salad accomplishes two lovely things: 1. It gets me eating raw greens in the dead of winter when I could easily live off comfort food like vegan hot cocoa and muffins. 2. It satisfies the sweet and salty combo that I adore. Kind of like my greatest treat-love dark chocolate covered pretzels do... only this salad is a bit healthier. I used a spinach base but you can easily mix it up with kale, arugula or any other salad greens. The pomegranate seeds provide a sweet bite balanced by the slightly salty sunflower seeds and crunchy edamame. And the dressing, my friends, is not to be underestimated. This salad dressing is so simple yet flavorful that you might want to make it a salad staple. An added bonus? There's plenty of health benefits going on in this simple dish.

It's dessert season, and today you are in for a treat. These vegan chocolate coconut bars would make a great addition to any holiday menu. Or, you could even gift them to any worthy sweet-tooth in your life. This recipe is reposted from  our guest blogger, the lovely Mara Tyler who runs Cheap & Simple Vegan, and is also the managing editor of Healthy Bitch Daily. I was craving some coconut. And some chocolate. And cookies. The result? Something I don’t even think I can describe well enough to tell you how good they are. They’re like a brownie-cookie bar-gift from heaven. I could eat these for my last meal. Click through for the recipe!

Want a soft serve-inspired dessert that's totally guilt free? Helllooooo, Banana Whip. This past summer, my sister-in-law raved about the Bashful Banana in Ocean City, NJ. I enjoyed their banana whip at least twice during the week (on top of soft serve a few times...) This frozen dessert not only satisfied my sweet tooth but I learned it was ONLY made of bananas. I had no clue how this was possible since I had previously put bananas in the blender for smoothies, and it's nothing like frozen yogurt. Don't worry friends, I've discovered the secret. And it's good. AND, this recipe is easy enough to be called a.... Half-assed recipe!