Carrot Harvest Solution: Crispy Curried Carrot Fritters

So this summer I planted a HUGE bed of carrots, not really thinking about the fact that I'd have around 50+ of them at once when it came time to harvest. I kind of forgot about this fact through the end of summer and beginning of fall, but the other day I wanted to plant garlic for next year in the same, sunny bed as I planted the carrots this year, result being a crap load of carrots I gotta use up (with pleasure, of course). I pictured a few examples of my carrots below, a few different varieties to keep life interesting. I think my favorite was the "purple haze" which is the one furthest to the right. They all taste amazing, though. Not even close to the hard, dried out giants you find in the grocery store. Carrots fresh out of the ground taste incredibly sweet and fresh, and have a gentle crunch to them, not like their grocery store counterparts that take a good bit of gnawing to get through. So, though I was enjoying these carrots immensely simply dipped in hummus, I had (and still have so many) that I wanted a way to incorporate a huge amount of them into a meal, something more interesting than roasting or steaming. Result: crispy curried carrot fritters!

I used a similar recipe over the summer when my zucchini plants were fruiting in overdrive, trying a few variations such as mexican and italian. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can tweak the herbs and spices to what you like. For some reason, I really like the sweetness of carrots with the spiciness of curry, so I decided to throw in some curry powder and accompanying spices and fried em' up. Not only is this recipe incredibly delicious, but with so many incredibly immune boosting veggies and spices (tumeric in particular!) it is a perfect way to enter into the increasingly cold winter months. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple & Wild Rice Salad on a bed of Warm Kale

I found myself in an odd position today, craving both salad but also something that would stick to my ribs a little but more than some lettuce and raw veggies. After a little bit of imagining, I came up with this yummy dish. This is another addition to my "fall line" of dishes I suppose..a delicious warm and autumnal salad.  A lot of these ingredients actually came right from our garden (well...at least the kale and the butternut squash, and we handpicked the apples at a local farm..props to fall in new england!) which makes it even more special. This combines the sweetness of apple, the roasty, spicy goodness of cinnamon spiced butternut squash, the delicate pungency of shallot, the nuttiness of wild rice, and the earthiness of sage. The combination is amazing, especially on a nice big bed of warm, lightly steamed kale. This, being an experiment, came out wayyy better than I intended it to on the first shot, and I don't think this recipe really needs many tweaks. I really like it because I didn't want anything too heavy, but it did feel like it would be unsatisfying and unatural to eat a big green salad as it is starting to get much cooler out. This is a perfect solution if you're sharing the same problem (or simply want to eat a super delicious and nutritious plate of fall produce). 

Sage Scented Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprout Hash

Fall is my favorite. I absolutely love the changing leaves, the sweater and  leggings weather, pumpkins, apple picking, and other things of the like. But one of my most favorite things about fall is the amazing tastes it brings about. It is around this time that our bodies start craving the foods that grow naturally in the cooler months--sweeter root veggies, heartier greens, and earthy herbs, all of which prepare us for a healthy and happy winter. Sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and sage is a perfect example of this. All of these are hearty through the winter and start flourishing during the fall. It's no coincidence that they taste amazing together. So, in the end Fall was the inspiration for this amazing hash. It is absolutely delicious, and also healthy due to the nutrient dense veggies, herbs and spices. I also tried to channel a little bit of a smoky bacon taste (though not overwhelming by any means) as a little bit of an homage to the classic potato hash. You can totally choose to omit those ingredients if they don't appeal to you though. Try this for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with eggs, without eggs, whatever you like...get creative and most of all, enjoy!

Black Bean Brownie Batter Dip..AKA possibly the most heavenly thing on earth.

Hey friends! Wow so I have been really terribly at posting recently..almost a month with not a single post! Terrible...college final season has certainly taken its toll. BUT in better news, I'm thinking that this recipe I'm about to put up on here will make up for an extended lack of recipes. At least in my opinion I think its that good. It's kind of a spin on my black bean brownie recipe (which is heavenly by itself..so if you haven't tried it please do!!) but I'm the type of person that likes a more....shall we call it "interactive" way of eating (dipping, ripping, etc.). This recipe is perfect for that. You can dip pretty much anything you please into this dip, so far I've done apples, little Trader Joe's cat cookies, and pears, all of which were really tasty. But the possibilities are endlessly delicious. And the best part? This tastes almost exactly like real brownie batter, but is super duper healthy and high protein at the same time! So please, indulge!

Bentonite Clay Masque

Facial masks have recently become one of my favorite beauty routines to do every once in a while. Even though I don't do them every day or even every week, I think they are an important and incredible part of a natural beauty routine. It always makes me think of the ayurvedic principle called "dinacharya", which means the importance of a daily routine, be it health or beauty. And though you definitely don't have to do clay facial masks everyday, I think there's a lot to the concept of "self-pampering", especially in our modern society in which self care and self love seem to be kind of taboo. Taking time out of your day to make sure you appreciate yourself and your body is supremely important both mentally and physically, and throwing in a few of these  face masks every once in a while definitely helps!

BBQ Cheese Shroom Burgers with spinach, the *perfect* vegetarian barbecue

It feels like Spring is here...which means Summer is on its way!

There's something about barbecue that seems so summery and enjoyable, but its classically just...so full of meat. But just because some of us can't partake in the meat-eating part of this american warm weather tradition doesn't mean that we can't enjoy it too. In fact, i've discovered some of my favorite barbecue dishes  after I went veg. One of my all time favorite recipes is this burger, and that's why on this beautiful warm day I decided to whip up a batch of these little guys while my boyfriend made his own meal.

 I find that a portobello mushroom cap makes a much heartier and more delicious burger than store bought frozen veggie burgers. Its more natural and more wholesome as well, you never know what kind of weird flavorings or chemicals are present in brands such as morningstar or bocaburger. I also LOVE barbecue sauce, and there's no reason vegetarians can't enjoy it too! So here's my favorite recipe for a filling and yummy grilled burger. Invited to a barbecue? Bring some of these puppies and I'm sure that you'll have veg heads and meat eaters alike wolfing them down.

Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto

So this pesto is probably one of my favorite things ever. I literally put it on everything and anything..its just that good. Its perfect, a little bit of heat from the jalapeno peppers and the nice cooling of the cilantro (not to mention that plethora of amaaaaazing health benefits cilantro has to offer!). Some of my favorite ways to have it are on sandwiches, chilis, on vegetables, mixed into hummus, and even just as a simple dip. Its not too spicy, but if you really don't like spice the heat level can be brought down by adding a few table spoons of cream cheese. Try this one out, it is a perfectly delicious spring detox recipe!