Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Pasta

• 2 red peppers
• 1 eggplant
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup white wine (or half white wine vinegar with water)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp agave, to taste
• 1 lb. box pasta, your choice. (I chose quinoa shells)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Roast two red peppers on the top rack. On the bottom rack place a sheet pan with one eggplant cut into ¼ inch slices, brushed with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook for twenty minutes, turn the eggplant over once in the middle. Check on the red peppers. Remove when charred.

Place red peppers in a paper sack or a glass bowl with a large plate on top.

While peppers and eggplant cook, heat olive oil in a large sautee pan. Add ½ onion, diced and 2 garlic cloves, sliced. Cook until translucent 5-7 minutes. Add 1/3 cup white wine or if you do not cook with wine, in a 1/3 measuring cup fill half with white wine vinegar and the other half with water. Pour into the sautee pan, turn up the heat and let it reduce. When the white wine has almost evaporated, add 1 pint grape tomatoes. Let them cook down for 10-12 minutes.

Dice the cooked eggplant. Set aside.

Remove the charred skin from the roasted red peppers, remove tops, seeds, and ribs. Slice.

Place roasted red peppers and tomato-onion mixture in a food processor. Process. Taste. Add 1 Tbsp. agave or honey and 1 tsp of olive oil. If it tastes too tart, add a little more agave or honey.

Return the sauce to the sautee pan and add the eggplant. Heat. Add pasta with pasta water if necessary.

Black bean mushroom burgers and sweet potato fries

adapted from here

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs/Panko
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 thin buns, multi grain

Sautee onion in olive oil until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and mushrooms. Cook for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms release their liquids and become very soft. Spoon into a food processor. Add black beans. Blend slightly. Pour into a bowl and add bread crumbs and feta cheese. Grill. I used a cast-iron griddle on the stove.

Serve with the buns and your favorite burger toppings. We topped ours with French dressing, dijon mustard, ketchup, tomatoes, and spinach.

***

To make the sweet potato fries, just chop the sweet potatoes (I used my fabulous mandolin from my dear sis-in-law for Christmas). Toss with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, flipping at 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. If you cut the potatoes too thin, they will burn quickly. If you cut them too thick, it will take longer.

Enjoy!

Cabbage Soup for Health

The only good thing about being sick this week is discovering this delicious, comforting soup, which not only explodes with flavor but also heals the throat and sinuses. Enjoy.

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 splashes red wine vinegar

Heat olive oil; add onion and carrots with salt and pepper. Sweat. Add minced garlic cloves. Stir. Let the ingredients brown slightly. There will be a little brown on the bottom of the pot. Add a bit of chicken stock to deglaze. Let the chicken stock evaporate. Add a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Deglaze again.

• 3 cans chicken stock (or 6 cups homemade)
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley (crush in hand)

Bring to a boil.

• 1/2 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1/2 of a 32-oz can of crushed tomatoes (or 14-0z can of diced tomatoes)

Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Avocado, Leek, and Kale Scramble

My first time eating kale and really liking it.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 leek, finely diced
• 2 kale leaves, stem removed, roughly chopped
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 2 eggs, whisked until slightly frothy
• 1 snack Tillamook medium cheddar cheese
• 1 small avocado, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil. Add the leek and kale. Add some salt to soften them. Cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes. Toss. Add eggs. You can either make this an omelet or scramble it all together, like I did. After the egg is almost cooked through, crumble the snack cheese over the top just enough to let it melt slightly.

I mixed it all together so that I was surprised with melted bits of cheese. There's nothing better!

Dish it up. Add the avocado on top. Add a little more salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

A Breakfast Treat

I am not a breakfast person. Are you?

Well, this little treat has changed me perhaps for life. It's like a dessert but quite healthy.

In fact, if I eat this from now on, I may become a breakfast person.

In a bowl, layer the following:

• Bananas, sliced
• A couple spoonfuls of vanilla Greek yogurt (spread evenly across bananas)
• Favorite frozen fruit (cherries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.)
• Another layer of Greek yogurt
• More bananas
• Dot the top with agave or honey
• Add some dark chocolate chips

It's easy. It's delicious and it's healthy.

And it's getting warm. I was so excited about this dish that I set it aside to write this blogpost. Happy eating.

Homemade South-of-the-Border Hash Browns

I've had a bad day already. It's 9:30 a.m. and after being awake from 3:30-5:30 a.m., I was woken by loud pounding, banging, and smashing on my roof at 7:30. Our apartment roof is being redone, which will be nice when it's finished, but right now, it's just not making me happy.

To top it all off, I'm starving. Starving like I'm going to be sick if I don't eat and nothing sounds good except potatoes. Hot, buttery, cheesy, potatoes.

That's what I'm gonna have.

It's amazing what cooking can do for a stressful life. Seriously. I wish I would cook more because it is truly relaxing. I think I probably will.

Here's the recipe for my husband's awesome hash browns. I made it just for myself, so if you are making it for more than two, you'll want to double or triple the recipe.

{ingredients}

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 small potatoes, shredded
• 1/2 cup colby jack cheese

Melt butter and olive oil in a frying pan. Sautee the onion for a minute or two on medium high and then turn the heat to medium low and let it caramelize.

Meanwhile, shred the potatoes and squeeze out excess moisture using a few paper towels or regular towel.

Once the onion has caramelized to your liking, add the potatoes and stir to incorporate the butter, oil, and onions. After they've cooked slightly, pat them down flat in the pan and let them cook. This creates a crunchy texture on the outside that is delish.

When the bottom side of the potatoes have turned golden brown, flip them over to brown the other side.

When the hash browns have cooked through, add shredded cheese on top and let it melt. We like to let it melt quite a bit and then just cut it out of the frying pan like a piece of pie.

Top with salsa and sour cream.

It's addicting. I love it. It's perfect for a dreary morning.

What is your comfort food go-to?

healthy avocado salad

This is truly delicious and truly healthy.

• 1 avocado
• 1 roma tomato
• 3-4 Tbsp slivered almonds
• salt and pepper

Dice the avocado and tomato. Combine all ingredients and devour. It is my new snack go-to.