Jerk Spiced Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was perfect: family, food, and food...I am quite certain nothing is better than that.

A long, long time ago my family and I visited my brother in Oregon and at one of the restaurants we went to my Mom had Jamaican Jerk Spiced chicken on top of a giant sweet potato. I thought it was wonderful and vowed to recreate it. Since my decision to go meatless greatly affected the chicken part I decided to make it with black beans. The jerk seasoning was perfectly spicy and the cinnamon and allspice really brought out the flavor of the sweet potato. As soon as I finished eating I started asking Brad when was too soon to have it again.

Crunchy Baked Tofu

I can honestly say this is not only one of my favorite tofu meals but it is now just one my favorite meals period. I was in the mood for something "fried" and this flavor and texture combination was just right. 

Black Bean Brownies

Black bean brownies have been around for awhile but I had never made them (I was rather skeptical that beans could be made into dessert). Let me tell you, I wish I had been making these forever. I got this recipe from Busy But Healthy and added flax seeds for some crunch. These are seriously delicious straight out of the oven but the flavor and fudge-y texture improve everyday, if there are any leftover! To make a perfect snack spread peanut butter on top or serve with fresh berries for dessert. 

Elbow Lasagna

Due to a massive lack of motivation and inspiration, the past two week's dinners have consisted of things  like grilled cheese, hot dogs (I made the horrible mistake of eating vegetarian "hot dogs" and am still recovering), breakfast for dinner, and pizza. Overall not my proudest "I went to culinary school and am trying to live a healthful lifestyle" moments. On that note I decided to make a dinner that took more effort than slapping cheese and butter on bread, albeit only slightly more as this took 15 minutes to toss together and one effortless hour to bake.

Chickpea Burgers

I was seriously tired of black bean burgers and decided I had to change things up a bit. I loved this combination of mexican and mediterranean flavors. The outside of these burgers gets nice and crispy while the inside stays smooth and creamy but definitely does not get gummy. I ate the leftovers for a week and never got tired of them!

Sweet Potato Slices Two-Ways

I love sweet potatoes...they are highly nutritious and, let's face it, way tastier than white potatoes.  Topped with rosemary and sea salt they can be the star of your meal or a simple savory side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar and you've got dessert. No matter what you decide these are incredibly easy and super delicious.

Spicy Teriyaki Vegetables and Cashews

There is something about the combination of sweet, spicy, and salty that is somewhat addicting. Achieving the perfect balance between the three can be challenging but this certainly fits the bill for me!