Autumn Harvest Salad

Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love the weather, the colors, and the holidays. But most importantly, I love the flavors, specifically the produce. That’s why this salad combo is one of my favorites and an absolute go-to. It’s packed with brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and apple and all brought together by a delicious spicy honey mustard vinaigrette.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 8-10 brussels sprout, de-stemmed and sliced

• 1/3 of a sweet potato, cubed

• 1-2 cups of your greens of choice (I used mustard greens)

• 1/3 Granny Smith apple, cubed (can sub with another apple or pear)

• 3-5 cherry tomatoes, sliced

• 2 tbsp chopped pecans

• 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles

• 1/4 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp spicy honey

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp EVOO

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss the brussels sprouts with 1-2 tbsp avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1-2 tbsp avocado oil, the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Roast both in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

2. Make your dressing by whisking together the apple cider vinegar, hot honey, mustard, EVOO, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

3. Assemble your salad - add the greens to a bowl and top with the apples, nuts, cheese, tomatoes, and roasted veggies. Drizzle the dressing over the top of everything.

4. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Open-Faced Spicy Tuna Melt on Sweet Potato Toast

When it comes to lunch, I’m all about quick and easy meals with minimal ingredients and cleanup. Bonus points if it’s preppable, and I can just warm it up the next day. So that’s where this open-faced tuna melt comes in. It’s made with pantry staples and veggies you may already have on hand, it comes together in under 20 minutes, and it’s easily made in advance to just heat up the next day. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Here’s What You’ll Need:
(Makes about 2 servings)

• 1 Sweet Potato, sliced length-wise into ~1/4” slices

• 1 can tuna, drained

• 2 tbsp avocado oil mayo (or mayo of choice)

• 1-2 tsp sriracha (can omit the sriracha if using a spicy mayo)

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1/8 small red onion, chopped

• 1/4 c shredded cheddar

• (Optional) Red pepper flakes as desired

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook your sweet potato toasts - I like to pop mine into the toaster on high for 2-3 rounds, but you can also bake them until softened.

2. In a bowl, mix together the tuna, mayo, sriracha, red onion, celery, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper as desired.

3. Spread the tuna mixture over the pieces of sweet potato “toast” on a baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle the cheddar over the tuna.

5. Broil the toasts for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

6. Serve with your favorite veggies or sides, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Almond Crusted Honey Dijon Baked Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chili Sweet Potatoes

This post is sponsored by Blue Circle Foods, however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

Fall is without a doubt my favorite season. I love the cooler temperatures and fun holidays, but, most of all, I LOVE all of the fall foods. That’s why this almond crusted honey dijon salmon with roasted brussels sprouts and chili sweet potatoes was a no brainer! It’s packed with some of my favorite delicious  seasonal produce, and that honey Dijon almond crust on the salmon is so autumn-y and comforting.

This dish is made with Blue Circle Foods Frozen Salmon Fillets which are perfect year round since they’re stored in the freezer and can easily be defrosted whenever you’re ready to cook! I’m a huge fan of Blue Circle Foods because they’re all about promoting sustainable practices within the seafood industry. They are even certified sustainable by such organizations as Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch, Marine Stewardship Council and Fair Trade Certified.  Additionally, all Blue Circle Foods products are free from antibiotics, GMOs, growth hormones, gluten, sugar, and synthetic pigments. Shop Blue Circle Foods here, and use the coupon code welcome2bcf at checkout to get 15% off on any Blue Circle product.

On top of being deliciously seasonal and made with sustainable seafood that you can feel good about, this dish is SO easy to make! You can literally cook it all on one pan, so there is minimal clean up. And the ingredients are so simple that you can whip it up in no time. You can even get the whole family involved because it’s just that easy! Whether they end up lending a helping hand or not, they’re sure to enjoy this one because these flavors are a definite crowd pleaser. So let’s get to it!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

-2 Blue Circle Foods Frozen Salmon Fillets, defrosted
-12 oz brussels sprouts, de-stemmed and halved
-1 sweet potato, cubed
-1/4 cup almonds, chopped
-2 tbsp avocado oil, separated
-2 tbsp honey, separated
-2 tbsp dijon mustard, separated
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Toss the brussels sprouts with 1 tbsp avocado oil, 1 tbsp dijon, and 1 tbsp honey, and spread out on one side of a large baking sheet.
2) Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1 tbsp avocado oil, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and spread out on the middle of the baking sheet next to the brussels sprouts.
3) Bake the brussels sprouts and sweet potato cubes in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
4) In the meantime, sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the salmon. Mix the chopped almonds, 2 tbsp dijon, and 2 tbsp of honey together, and spread the mixture over the tops of the two salmon fillets.
5) After the 15 minutes of cooking, add the salmon to the pan with the brussels sprouts and sweet potato and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes until the salmon is fully cooked through.
6) Serve and enjoy!

I personally love that honey dijon flavor with the added texture from the almonds. And those salmon fillets are just SO juicy and delicious! Plus, you can never go wrong with crispy brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Let me know what you thin in the comments below!

Sweet Potato Blueberry Waffles with Lifeway Kefir (GF)

I first stumbled upon kefir just over a year ago. That's probably a bit embarrassing to admit, but I honestly had no idea what it was. I pretty much just thought it was yogurt that was a little less thick and a little more liquid-y. The general consistency isn't that far off, but kefir itself is SO much more than that! It is packed with probiotics which are great for gut health and immunity. You may have heard these terms a lot recently, but that is because they are truly so important. Gut health is everything! It literally effects your entire body and is so important when it comes to digestion. Beyond the probiotic aspect, kefir is also high in protein, calcium, and vitamin D just to name a few. 

I was recently introduced to Lifeway Kefir, a brand of a variety of different, delicious kefir, cheeses, and other probiotic products. They have everything from flavored kefir to frozen (dessert-like) kefir to supplements and obviously your standard, plain kefir which I just love! With all of these options, I knew that I needed to have some fun playing around in the kitchen.

I'm starting it off with a sweet potato and blueberry gluten free waffle using Lifeway's blueberry kefir. I know the combo might sound a little weird, but it is SO good! Seriously, you can't knock it until you try it. And the flavor of this kefir is so delicious, you'll never know that there aren't actual blueberries in it.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 of a large sweet potato (or 1 small one)
-1/2 cup Blueberry Lifeway Kefir
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup quinoa flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 egg

Instructions:

1) Cook you sweet potato until it softens by either roasting it in the oven or poking holes in it with a fork and microwaving . I generally microwave it for about 2-3 minutes per side.
2) Remove the skin, and place the softened sweet potato in a mixing bowl.
3) Mash the sweet potato with a fork until smooth.
4) Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together thoroughly until ingredients are evenly distributed.
5) Preheat and spray your waffle maker. Add in the mixture, and cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.
6) Remove from the waffle maker, serve, and enjoy!

I topped mine with some chopped walnuts for a little crunch and a drizzle of maple syrup. I'd definitely recommend the combination but would also love hear how you enjoyed yours! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Loaded Breakfast Sweet Potato

I honestly don't have a great back story for this (sorry). I was thinking I wanted to make a stuffed sweet potato for breakfast, but I wanted to use cottage cheese instead of yogurt. This got me thinking on more of a savory route, and before I knew it I had loaded potatoes on the brain. Swap out sour cream for cottage cheese, add in some extra greens, and I was salivating just thinking about it. 

This thing literally came together in like 10 minutes. I took the easy way out and microwaved the sweet potato. Feel free to bake it (I generally prefer to avoid the microwave), but the time crunch was real. Easy AND delicious - does it get much better?

Here's What You'll Need:

-2 small sweet potatoes
-5.3 oz classic Good Culture cottage cheese pack
-1 cup baby arugula
-1 clove garlic, minced
-2 pieces of uncured, all natural turkey bacon
-1/2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
-Hot sauce to taste

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork all over to create little holes. Cook them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, flip over, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
2) In the meantime, heat up the olive oil/ghee on the stove top. Once hot, add in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
3) Add in the arugula and cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is cooked down. Remove from heat.
4) Cook the turkey bacon on the stove top according to directions until crispy, and chop into small pieces.
5) Remove the sweet potatoes from the microwave and cut each in half.
6) In the middle of the halves, add half the cottage cheese pack to each potato.
7) Top the cottage cheese with half of the arugula and bacon pieces.
8) Top each with desired hot sauce, serve, and enjoy!

This combo is just the perfect balance of salty and sweet with that little kick of heat (if you choose to add hot sauce). This one will definitely be on repeat over here. Let me know what you think in the comments below!