Green Cinnamon Smoothie

This Green Cinnamon Smoothie is one of my favorites-- so many good things combined in one glass. It gets its green color from spinach and matcha powder, which is a great energy booster for breakfast. Matcha is a green tea powder that's especially high in antioxidants and doesn't make you jittery like other caffeine sources can. This is a great way to get an extra serving of vegetables/greens in your day too!

Green Cinnamon Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 a small banana
• Handful of spinach- 1/2-1 cup
• 2 medjool dates
• 1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

Just combine all ingredients in a blender.  I use a single serving style blender and that works just fine.  Enjoy!



Spicy Tomato Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

Lots of tomatoes from the farmer's market equals tomato sauce time! This was my first time making tomato sauce completely from scratch--it's worth the effort! This Spicy Tomato Sauce has a kick to it with the red pepper flakes. If you want a milder sauce, leave that out or decrease the amount. I used Trader Joe's quinoa brown rice pasta for the noodles, but vegetables noodles would work well too. Enjoy!

Spicy Tomato Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

Sauce:

• About 6 large tomatoes sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• Ground black pepper and salt
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Mushrooms:

• 6 small portobello mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp oil--I used toasted pistachio oil
• 1 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos
• Ground black pepper and salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 410 F. Place tomatoes and onions on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and roast for 35-40 minutes. In the mean time, cook the mushrooms along with the oil, Braggs, and seasonings stovetop in a frying pan over low-medium heat. At the 35-40 minute mark of roasting, take the tomoatoes and onions out and cover with the balsamic vinegar. Place back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Next, transfer the tomatoes and onions to a food processor or blender and add all other sauce ingredients. Process to desired consistency.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

These Sweet Potato Hash Browns are the perfect combination of sweet and savory--kind of like the breakfast version of sweet potato fries. They're quick enough to make on a weekday morning, but also perfect for a weekend brunch.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes)
• About 1/4 cup grated sweet onion (about 1/2 sweet onion)
• 1 Tbsp oil -- I used toasted pistachio oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Ground black pepper
• Ground sea salt
• Avocado to top

Instructions

The sweet potatoes and onion can be grated with either a cheese grater or the grater attachment of a food processor.  Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add all ingredients to the pan and combine.  Spread the hash to cover the whole pan.  Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, flipping with a spatula about half way through.

Happy brunching!

Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake

Another Valentine's Day treat!!  This Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake is easy to make and requires no baking!  The cashews take the place of cream cheese and the citrus provides the classic tangy flavor of cheesecake.  The raspberry layer gets some added pink color from a couple slices of beets--but you'd never know!

Raspberry Cacao Cashew Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake:

• 2 cups soaked raw cashews
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• Zest of one orange- about 1-1/2 Tbsp
• 2 tsp orange juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 2 Tbsp raspberries- either fresh or frozen
• 2-3 slices of beet- either fresh or frozen

Instructions

Soak the raw cashews in a large bowl of water overnight.  To start, line a 9x9 baking pan with plastic wrap. Grease lightly with coconut oil. In a food processor, process the almonds until they're finely chopped. Combine all other ingredients and process until well-combined. Press into the baking pan.

Place the cheesecake ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth. Take out about half of the batter and set aside.  To make the raspberry portion, add raspberries and beets and process until combined. Then mix the raw cacao powder into the other portion. I made stripes with the different flavors, but layers would work well too.  Set in the freezer for about an hour before serving.  Store in the freezer or refrigerator.  Enjoy!!

Red Velvet Smoothie

Time to get into the Valentine's Day spirit here with this Red Velvet Smoothie, and bonus--it's a great healthy breakfast or snack!  I love using beets for their bright red color, and the raw cacao powder adds that chocolate flavor to make it a perfect red velvet combo!

Red Velvet Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 fresh beet or about 1/2 cup frozen beets
• 2 medjool dates
• 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter
• 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• Topping: cacao nibs

Instructions

First, blend the frozen banana in a food processor or high powered blender.  Then add all additional ingredients and blend until smooth.  I like to top mine with cacao nibs.  Enjoy!!