"Chicken" Zoodle Lo Mein (Vegetarian + GF)

One of my favorite easy and guilt free go to meals recently has been cauliflower fried rice. It's super easy to make and great for you without sacrificing flavor. So I figured, why not try another Chinese food classic, lo mein?

I was recently introduced to Quorn's meatless soy free and gluten free products, and I've been trying to make a lot more of my meals vegetarian (if not vegan) throughout the day. So this seemed like the perfect time to utilize their Chik'n Cutlets (which are also available vegan).

The ingredients are straight forward, simple, and take about 10 minutes to throw together, so there's really no excuse to not get in this veggie packed meal. Plus you can eat the entire giant serving which is always a plus in my book!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 zucchini, spiralized
-1/2 tbsp EVOO OR sesame oil
-1-2 cloves garlic (I go with 2, but feel free to reduce if you prefer)
-1 cup frozen carrots and peas
-1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
-1 Quorn Chik'n cutlet, cooked according to instructions and sliced
-2 tbsp Bragg Live Foods liquid aminos (or Tamari)
-1 tbsp Fix Hot Sauce sriracha
-1/4"-1/2" ginger, grated (I used 1/2", but again feel free to reduce based on preference)

Instructions:

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2) Once hot (but not smoking), add in the garlic, and cook for about a minute.
3) Add in the frozen peas and carrots and cook for about a minute.
4) Add in the shiitake mushrooms and cook the vegetable mixture for about 2 minutes mixing regularly.
5) Add in the zoodles, and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until they soften.
6) Add in the Chik'n Cutlet slices, and mix in the liquid aminos, sriracha, and ginger, cooking for an additional minute or so.
7) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

I topped mine with some green onions for some freshness, but feel free to skip if you prefer. The taste is slightly different than standard lo mein because I skipped on the sugar aspect, but it tastes pretty darn close and pretty darn delicious if you ask me! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!

One Pan Zucchini "Pasta" Bake with Ragu Homestyle

Even though I'm not Italian, pasta was a MAJOR staple in my household growing up. And my mom always used Ragu when making anything Italian. I'm pretty sure all of my favorite meals as a child included Ragu - baked ziti, spaghetti and meatballs, you name it! So when I heard that they were coming out with a new Homestyle line, I was super excited. I headed to the store, and picked up the Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic sauce, just one of many of their delicious sauce flavors. 

I didn't even know what I wanted to make at first, but I knew that I had to try this sauce. Plus I'm obsessed with garlic, so it was really a no brainer. I got to thinking and figured since I was having a little twist on the sauce I knew growing up, I'd use it with a twist on the traditional pasta meal. I decided to go with zucchini and summer squash pasta instead 1) to keep it a little healthier and 2) because it's summer! No better way to get the best of both worlds than with some summer veggies and a delicious, hearty pasta dish.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 zucchini, spiralized using the ribbon blade
-1 summer squash, spiralized using the ribbon blade
-1 cup Ragu Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic tomato sauce
-5.3 oz cottage cheese
-1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-1/2 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp basil
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-1 tbsp EVOO
-Sea salt and pepper to taste

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 
2) In a cast iron skillet, heat up the olive oil on the stove top over medium high heat.
3) Once the oil is glistening, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4) Add in the zucchini and summer squash ribbons, and cook for about 3-5 minutes mixing regularly.
5) In the meantime, mix together the cottage cheese, oregano, basil, sea salt, pepper, and Ragu Homestyle sauce in a bowl.
6) Mix the sauce mixture into the pan, and top everything evenly with the parmesan cheese.
7) Move the skillet into the preheated oven, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
8) Remove the skillet from the oven, and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
9) Serve, and enjoy!

It honestly tastes JUST like pasta, but better! Plus it's super easy and fast to make and has minimal, delicious ingredients. It gave me all the feels of growing up but with a kick! That hearty, garlic flavor is just so perfect! I can't wait to give the other flavors a try. For other tasty recipes from Ragu themselves click here.

Vegan Stuffed Poblanos (GF)

I headed to a local farm market yesterday afternoon with my niece. She gets to a point where she is just sick of being in the house (totally understandable), so she will find her shoes and come up to me and say, "GO". She's just under 18 months, so vocabulary is limited. But I'm pretty sure I've got this one figured out. Plus she's basically shoving her shoes in my face, so we put them on and do what she says, go.

Unfortunately it's been about 9723753892 degrees the past week or so, so the last thing I want to do is take her for a walk in her stroller. There are also limited places that I really want to take an 18 month old indoors, so I thought we could try this local farm that has a small market. I've taken her before. We spend 15-20 minutes looking at animals going over which is which. I let her walk about 5 feet until she tries to run away, and then I have to carry her to the little market.

But yesterday we got to the market, and I was already sweating. We walked over to the animals (half of whom were hiding in the barn because it was hot AF), she said goat, I took that as my cue to pretend I heard "go", and we headed to the farm's market. Seriously SUCH a relief! Once in the store, I felt obligated to buy something, but to my pleasure there was TONS of organic greens and other produce. I spotted some poblanos and instantly had a plan for these babies. So long story short, everything happens for a reason? I don't know. How about always say yes to organic, local poblanos.

Here's What You'll Need:

-4 poblano peppers
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 red onion, chopped
-8 oz cooked quinoa
-One 15.5 oz can chickpeas
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-2 tbsp olive oil, separated
-3/4 cup Herb 'n Zest tomato chive cooking sauce
-Salsa (optional)
-2 tbsp green onion, chopped (optional)

Serves 2-4

Instructions:

1) Turn your oven onto broil on high.Coat the poblanos in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the poblanos for 3-5 minutes per side until skin starts to blister.
2) Remove them from the oven, and switch it to bake at 375 degrees. Let the peppers cool. Once cool, remove the blistered parts of skin.
3) Use a small knife to remove the stem of the poblanos and make a slit down one side. 
4) In a skillet on the stove top, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
5) Add in the garlic and red onion and allow to cook down for about 3 minutes.
6) In the meantime, strain and rinse the chickpeas. 
7) Add the chickpeas to the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
8) Add in the sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook until the sauce is heated (about 3 minutes).
9) Mix in the quinoa, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
10) Equally distribute the filling to stuff each pepper.
11) Place, the peppers in a lightly greased baking pan, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 10 minutes.
12) Take the peppers out, remove the foil, add any salsa if desired, and place the pan back into the oven (uncovered) for an additional 10 minutes.
13) Remove the pan from the oven, plate the peppers, top with green onions if desired, and enjoy!

Besides the obvious subject (poblanos), the real star of the show is this Herb 'n Zest tomato chive cooking sauce. This is just one of MANY ways you can use this delicious sauce. All of their sauces and condiments are vegan, gluten free, and use non-gmo ingredients. If you'd like give them a try, you can use the code GET25ARLTH to get 25% off their home chef starter pack which includes 6 sauces. You can click the picture below to go straight to checkout.

If you use this code, you'll be entered into their summer giveaway worth $50 if you post a picture of yourself with a jar of Herb 'n Zest to Instagram and tag it with the hashtag #herbnzest. The winner will be selected 8/15/16.

I honestly LOVE these sauces (or I wouldn't recommend them), so the home chef start pack is a great way to give them a try! Plus who doesn't love the chance to win a giveaway?

Good Clean Summer Love Pasta Salad with Love Beets and Organic Girl

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE me some beets and organic greens! So when Love Beets and Organic Girl let me in on their #GoodCleanSummerLove campaign, I was SO excited to play around!

Before we get into the recipe deets, let me tell you guys about this amazing contest. One lucky winner is going to win an entire year's supply of Love Beets and Organic Girl (insert heart eyes and hand raising emoji here)! I'll put the full details on how to enter at the bottom of this post, so make sure you check it out!

So back to the eats. Beets and greens scream summer to me (hence the campaign I'm guessing), and of course they both go great in a salad. But I decided I wanted to kick it up a level. What else screams summer? Grilling, corn, and pasta salads. So why not bring them all together? Trust me you want to bring them all together...

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb pasta, cooked (I used sprouted penne, but lentil or whole grain pastas are also great)
-2 cups Organic Girl pepper greens
-4 Love Beets organic cooked beets, chopped
-1/4 cup Organic Girl pomegranate balsamic dressing
-3/4 cup feta
-2 ears of corn
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2) Remove the silk from the corn and pull down the husks. Coat the corn in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Replace the husks back up around the corn.
3) Grill the corn for about 20 minutes, rotating 1/4 of the way every 5 minutes.
4) Once cooked, shave the kernels off the cob using a knife.
5) Toast the pine nuts on the stove top until just golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).
6) In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, beets, pepper greens, corn, pine nuts, and feta.
7) Add in the dressing (and salt and pepper to taste) and mix completely until evenly distributed.
8) Serve and enjoy!

This pasta salad is literally like summer in side dish form. It's perfect for a picnic, bbq, or even as a meal through out the week. Let me know what you think in the comments, and make sure to check on the contest rules below.
 

Summer Zucchini "Pasta" Salad

Can you even believe we are just a couple of days away from the first day of summer? I am beyond excited for the summer heat, beach days (minus this pretty unfortunate sunburn I'm rocking right now), and of course my favorite, picnics. There is so much fresh, local, and delicious produce filling up the farmer's markets and grocery stores, and I honestly couldn't be happier.

So in celebration of summer and all of the delicious goods I picked up this weekend, I decided to throw together a pasta salad with a twist. I wanted to keep it light and fresh, so I swapped out the noodles for some raw zucchini ribbons, added in some other tasty flavors, and finished it all off with Stella Cheese's new mozzarella.

The verdict - you NEED this in your life. It's so fresh and summery, plus this Stella Mozzarella is insanely delicious. This is the perfect side dish (or main dish if ya ask me) for your 4th of July picnics coming up in a couple of weeks. Or feel free to just make it as a quick, week night dinner. It's super easy to throw together, so it's the perfect way to end a long, hectic day.

Need another reason to try this one out? Yeah, I didn't think so, but I'll give you one anyway. You can use the $1 off coupon here when you pick up Stella mozzarella at your local store. So let's get to it!

Here's What You'll Need:

-2 zucchinis, spiralized using the ribbon blade
-1 tomato, cubed
-8 oz ball of Stella fresh mozzarella, cubed
-1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
-1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini ribbons, tomato, Stella mozzarella, and olives.
2) Drizzle on the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
3) Plate the "pasta" salad, top with the oregano, and serve.
4) Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and don't forget to snag your $1 off coupon for Stella's fresh mozzarella here. Be sure to check out their Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram pages for other recipe ideas using their delicious cheese!