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Egg-less Pumpkin Spice Cookies
It’s Autumn in most of the world, which means it is basically summer in San Francisco. The warm weather definitely doesn’t stop me from enjoying all my favorite fall flavors, especially pumpkin. I’ve made the **easiest** version of pumpkin spice cookies before and shared them here. This recipe involves a few more ingredients (no boxed help), but results in super soft, chewy cookies that are perfect for fall. Ingredients 1/4 C brown sugar (I prefer dark) 1/2 C white cane sugar (plus 1 T extra) 1/2 C unsalted butter 1/2 C pumpkin puree (My favorite is Libby’s) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 1/5 C flour (all-purpose) 1/2 tsp salt…
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Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Ricotta Tart
You really can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes. They are packed with vitamin A, delicious in flavor, and super versatile. This tart combines sweet potato, spinach, and a few other ingredients you probably have at home! Ingredients: 1 sheet puff pasty (I used store bought) 1 sweet potato 2 C raw spinach 6 oz skim ricotta 1 clove garlic, minced 3 t salt 1 T olive oil 2 T pesto (or store bought) 1 T red chili flake Recipe: Preheat the oven to 325 Peel and slice your sweet potato into 1/8 inch rounds. Toss in olive oil. Arrange puff pasty in a pie tie and trim edges. Piece the center…
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Sweet ‘N Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
I’ve been told over and over that I eat like a rabbit. I like to snack on small things and if you visit me in lab you’ll often see a bowl of nuts, fruits, trailmix, etc on my desk. I think I get this habit from my dad; he rarely eats full meals especially lunch. Though this snack is not Murrali (my dad) approved since he is allergic to chickpeas. The combination of roasted chickpeas with soy, honey, and sriracha make this snack delicious and totally addicting. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed olive oil spray 2 t honey 2 t soy sauce (low sodium) 2 t…
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Brunch food ideas (that you can prep ahead)!
I love brunch, but hosting a brunch for a large group can be difficult because most brunch foods need to be prepped right before cooking and served hot. I hosted a brunch a month ago and tried to pick foods that could be prepped the night before and served cold. This meant cutting all the vegetables, cooking the orzo, prepping the scone dough, hard boiling the eggs, etc so that the morning of the party was just about assembly and presentation. Here is what I made: (recipes for some to follow soon!) 1. Feta, watermelon, mint skewers with balsamic glaze 2. Garlic deviled eggs 3. Orzo and goat cheese…
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Black bean dip
Pretty? No. Tasty? Definitely! This black bean dip is super easy to make and great to have around for bean and cheese burritos, seven layer dip, or enchiladas. I whipped up a bowl yesterday and used it as the base for a quick seven layer dip instead of whole black beans. It’s easy to make and super delicious! Ingredients: 2 cans of black beans 1 tomato, diced 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 chipotle and adobo pepper (about 1 heaping tablespoon) 2 t. cumin 3 t. salt 1/2 lime juiced cilantro to garnish Recipe: 1. Thoroughly rinse the black beans. 2. Combine with tomato, garlic, onion, and chipotle pepper.…
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Homemade Kale and Cashew pesto
I absolutely love pesto, but sometimes it can be a little rich and over the top. Also, store bought pesto can be too oily and unhealthy to eat regularly. Last night, I made some homemade pasta dough and was waiting the obligatory 30 minutes while it rested. I wanted to create a fun and delicious sauce for the spaghetti and thought that pesto was the way to go. I didn’t have any basil or pine nuts, but figured I could adapt this recipe for the ingredients I had on hand. I served this on pasta, but you could also serve this as a spread in a sandwich, on some crostini,…
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Veggie Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada sauce
Enchiladas are a really easy dinner to make and much of it can be done in advance. It’s a great option for a group because you can make it in a large tray and serve several people at once. I had a girl friend over for dinner on Tuesday and we decided to make enchiladas and margaritas. I often dislike store bought enchilada sauces, so I also made this super easy sauce from scratch! (This recipe makes 8 enchiladas) Ingredients: 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz) 2 t. cumin 2 t. salt 2 t. chili powder 1 T garlic minced 1 T AP flour 1/4 C olive oil 8…
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One-Pot Tomato Basil Couscous
It is sometimes hard to find the motivation to cook after a really long work day. I am super happy whenever I find a good recipe that can be made quickly and easily with as little clean up as possible. I know it’s easy to sacrifice flavor or healthiness when you are looking for something quick, but hopefully this recipe can be added to your arsenal of good after-work meals. I made this recipe for myself, but it could easily serve two people… so yes, I did eat if for lunch the next day. Ingredients 1 C Israeli couscous 2 C water 1.5 C fresh spinach (kale could also…
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Blueberry Cheesecake
I absolutely love cheesecake and am positive that I can make 100 variations of it without getting bored. This is a recipe for a dense baked blueberry cheesecake that I made for a coworker’s birthday- Happy birthday Dora! The recipe is pretty simple and carries well in case you want to whip up a quick dessert to take to a party or a picnic. I carried mine for an hour on the train with no problem! Plus, the blueberries that are currently available right now at most Bay Area farmer’s markets are just too good to pass up. Ingredients: 8 graham crackers crushed 6 T unsalted butter melted 1/2 C…
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Flaxseed Banana Walnut Bread
Yes, I have already explained my dislike for browning bananas pretty extensively in this post on Banana chocolate walnut bread. That is a great recipe to get rid of some browning bananas and make a sweet, delicious snack. Unfortunately, with the combination of the chocolate, the white sugar, the butter, it’s not the healthiest option. This recipe is a much healthier alternative with a lot less sweetness, but an amazing moist texture. Ingredients: 1 C white flour 1/2 C brown sugar 1 C flaxseed meal 1/2 C butter at room temperature 2 eggs 2 t. vanilla extract 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 1 C chopped…
