Chipotle Lime Corn

It's odd how I never thought to add anything to my corn before I stumbled across this recipe. Say no to boring corn with this delicious Chipotle Lime Corn that just explodes with flavor! I swear it's worth the messiness. Makes a perfect side dish.

Inspired by this recipe, my Chipotle Lime Corn consists of...
- corn on the cob
- butter/margerine
- mayo (I like to use light)
- chipotle seasoning
- cilantro
- lime juice
- parmesan cheese 

How to make it:
1. Prepare your corn by either boiling it or cooking it in the oven.
a) To Boil: Place corn on the cob in a pot of boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Brush with  butter/margerine.
b) To Cook: Brush corn on the cob with butter or margerine and place in the oven covered in tin foil   for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and cook for another 15 minutes.
(Personally, I recommend boiling it just because it's faster)
2. In a small bowl, combine mayo, chipotle seasoning, lime juice, and chopped cilantro to taste.
3. Add a heaping spoonful of your mayo mixture to each corn on the cob, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Brown Butter Spaghetti Squash with Fried Egg

This spaghetti squash recipe was even more delicious than the last one! It's a little on the indulgent side but I still think it deserves a spot on this blog. I also think more dishes should be topped with a fried egg.

The original recipe can be viewed here. My version consisted of...
- spaghetti squash
- unsalted butter
- almond slices
- an egg
- parmesan cheese
- nutmeg

How to make it:
1. Prepare your spaghetti squash. Using something sharp, pierce your spaghetti squash all over, and microwave for about 15 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to touch.
2. Once cooled, cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers, then twist out the strands using a fork.
3. Cook about 1/4 cup of butter with 1/4 cup of almond slices over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until butter is nutty-brown. Remove almonds with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Fry an egg in the butter, spooning the butter over the yolk until the whites have set but yolk is still runny (or however you like your eggs done). Remove egg from butter and set aside.
5. Toss spaghetti squash in butter with half the almond slices until warm.
6. Transfer spaghetti squash to a plate and sprinkle with the other half of the almond slices, some nutmeg and parmesan cheese, and top with the egg.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Portabella Caps

Spinach and feta is an amazing combination in omelets, on pizza, in pasta, and now stuffed in portabella mushroom caps! I'm a big fan of stuffing vegetables with more vegetables- it's healthy, hearty and extremely satisfying. These make a great alternative to salad.

Adapted from this recipe, mine consists of...
- portabella mushrooms
- spinach
- onion
- red pepper 
- Italian dressing
- feta cheese
- parmesan cheese
- chicken broth
- chili flakes

How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Break off the portabella mushroom stems and scrape out the gills with a spoon.
2. In a bowl, combine a handful of spinach for each mushroom cap, some chopped onion, chopped red peppers, feta and parmesan cheeses, a pinch of chili flakes and Italian dressing to taste.
3. Place portabella caps in a baking dish, and fill with spinach mixture. Top with a sprinkling of feta and parmesan cheeses.
4. Pour a little bit of chicken broth into the baking dish so that the mushroom caps are just sitting in some liquid. Put in the oven for about 45 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Sweet Potato, Pecan and Cranberry Quinoa Salad

I love the versatility of quinoa, and I feel like I have only just started to explore it. One of the many ways it can be used is in a salad, and this is a unique one. It is easy to make and low on ingredients but very filling, very healthy and gluten free! Would make a great lunch or dinner.

The original recipe can be found here. Mine consisted of...
- sweet potato
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- pecans
- quinoa
- parsley
- craisins
- lemon juice
- water

How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 390 degrees, peel and dice half of a sweet potato. In a bowl, toss diced sweet potato with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer them to a baking tray and cook them in the oven for 30 mins.
2. While sweet potato is baking, prepare your quinoa. Place half a cup quinoa and 1 cup of water in a pot, bring to a boil and let simmer until water is absorbed.
3. For the dressing, combine half a tbsp of olive oil, half a tbsp of water, a splash of lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Once sweet potato is out of the oven and cooled, combine in a bowl with quinoa, craisins, pecans and some chopped parsley. Drizzle with dressing and toss.

Spaghetti Squash with Apples and Pecans

I have just only begun to tap into the wonderful world of cooking with spaghetti squash. I don't know why I've never bought one before, possibly because they are so big and intimidating for me as I can only buy what I can carry home from the grocery store. But I might have to start making special trips, because this first recipe I tried was just delightful and it seems like the possibilities for spaghetti squash are endless! Not only is it healthier and more versatile than pasta, but it is gluten free, which is always an added bonus. I also like how you can serve it in itself. I wanted to start off with a recipe that was simple, but not as obvious as simply spaghetti squash topped with tomato sauce. I think that this was the perfect choice and I can't wait to try some more!

The original recipe that I found on Pinterest can be found here. This recipe consists of...
- a spaghetti squash
- extra virgin olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- salt
- gala apples
- pecans
- green onion

How to make it:
1. Using something sharp, pierce your spaghetti squash all over, and microwave for about 15 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to touch.
2. Once cooled, cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers, then twist out the strands using a fork.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix into spaghetti squash.
4. Dice up 2 gala apples, chop some pecans and thinly slice up green onions. Combine with spaghetti squash.

A Variation:
Instead of apples, try using dried cherries and gorgonzola cheese!

Parmesan Kale Chips

I've always been a little weary of these in the past, convinced that they just could not be good. But now that I've actually tried kale (and have a bit of a surplus of it) I thought why not give these a shot? They could not have been easier to make and were surprisingly good! They're light and airy and have a satisfying crunch to them, making them the perfect guilt-free snack for mindless munching. And let's be honest, everything is better with cheese!

The original recipe can be found here. It consists of...
- kale
- olive oil
- grated or shredded parmesan cheese (I used shredded)
- salt
- pepper

How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and wash and chop (or rip) up your kale.
2. In a bowl, combine kale, a splash of olive oil, and salt and pepper to preference.
3. Spread out kale on a baking sheet and sprinkle some parmesan over it as evenly as you can. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Feel free to try with your own combination of spices and please do share if you come up with any winners!

Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles

Take ramen noodles from plain to packed with flavor with just a few ingredients! I have always loved noodles in a peanut butter sauce but never realized it could be so easily made at home! This recipe is awesome because it's full of protein from the peanut butter, super easy to make, really low on ingredients, and cheap! What could be better?

The original recipe can be found here, but as per usual, I have tweaked it ever so slightly to make it my own. It consists of...
- ramen noodles
- peanut butter
- soy sauce
- siracha chili sauce
- green onions
- peanuts

How to make it:
1. Follow the instructions on your ramen package to cook the noodles. Mine said to cook them in boiled water on max for 3 minutes and drain.
2. Mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of siracha chili sauce (or all ingredients to taste) into the noodles.
3. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion and peanuts.

Try stir-frying your noodles with some vegetables!

Kale Noodle Bowl with Avocado Miso Dressing

I finally went grocery shopping, hooray! I've been wanting to try a recipe involving kale, but as I am still fairly unfamiliar with this particular super-food, I wasn't quite sure how to use it. I came across this recipe (on Pinterest) and thought it sounded quite intriguing, yet simple enough for me to actually make, I thought I'd go for it. The only thing holding me back was that some of the ingredients it called for were not staples in my regular fridge/pantry stock, and I had been a little lazy on the grocery shopping as of late. But lo and behold, I finally bit the bullet and went so that I could actually make some of the recipes that I'd been hoarding on Pinterest for some time now.

This recipe was fairly simple to make but definitely packs a nutritional punch! And the dressing is quite tasty, I found myself wondering what it might taste like on a salad... perhaps I'll dabble with that later. The original recipe can be found here, or you can follow my own version! It consists of...
- kale
- buckwheat soba noodles (or feel free to experiment with a noodle of your choice)
- a medium avocado
- garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- miso paste
- sesame seeds
- water

How to make it:
1. (Check the cooking instructions for your noodles, but if you want to know what I did...) Bring a pot of water to a boil, add noodles and boil for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with warm water.
2. Cut up kale into ribbons (or just chop up if you don't have the patience).
3. In a blender, add your avocado, a clove or 2 of garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp of miso paste and 3/4 cup of water and blend until smooth.
4. Combine everything in a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

A Variation:
Try making it into a salad by using crunchy noodles instead (and if you do, please tell me how it turned out!)