Asparagus Socca Pizza

Just this Saturday I walked across a stage with my hands on my B.S. in Dietetics. It has been a long...very long...four years but I know it was all very well worth it. I got to spend an incredible weekend with my two brothers, Brad, and my parents. The time we had together was, without a doubt, the highlight of my year.

Broccoli Pesto

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

New Year's resolutions are usually lost on me in about a week. If it wasn't worth changing during the past year there is no way the beginning of a new one will bring about any difference. Yes, I'm talking to you stretching after every run, going to bed earlier, and giving up diet soda! But, when my Mom gave me a gratitude journal on January 1st I knew this was going to be less of a resolution and more of a life altering habit. 

Zucchini & Goat Cheese Socca Pizza

As the summer garden's produced more zucchini than any person can consume I have received and harvested a lot of this versatile veggie. When you've eaten whole zucchini bread loaves in only a few days, made more stir fries than you imagined possible, and grilled slices for weeks on end, you've got to start mixing things up to keep yourself sane. The nutty garbanzo bean flour that forms the crust and creamy goat cheese topping sheds a whole new delicious light on this prolific plant.

Basil Pesto

I could barely contain my excitement when I saw the flyer; a professor wanted a group of students to adopt a garden plot over the summer to plant, maintain, and harvest. I signed up immediately. The thought of free, organically grown, sun-ripened vegetables at my finger tips made me ecstatic. A few of the things we planted that really flourished were zucchini, tomatoes, basil, cilantro, carrots, and a large variety of lettuces. The other gardener's interest in our gigantic crop of basil seemed minimal so I jumped at the opportunity to put it to good use. 

Mushroom Risotto

My summer obligations have completely overwhelmed me and unfortunately, blogging (one of the things I enjoy the most) has fallen by the wayside. I know I have missed out on tons of workout motivation, fantastic recipes, and numerous inspirational stories but finding any spare time right now seems impossible. I've been feeling pretty down trodden about all of this and realized it was high time for some comfort food. I didn't care that it was 85 degrees outside I had to make risotto! Creamy rice, salty cheese, and meaty mushrooms...it's good for the soul. 

Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad

Summer as a kid was a magical time. Those three months slipped away much too quickly but were always filled with plenty of running through sprinklers, laying around in the sun, drinking water straight from the hose, helping my Dad pick snap peas and raspberries from our garden, and most importantly sleeping in until noon. Since entering the world of college I have spent almost every summer taking classes. Sadly this summer is no different. There has been no sleeping in, no running through sprinklers (maybe on accident a few times), and only a little bit of gardening. I miss being a kid, but I am also happy I am kind of "grown-up" now because I get to make and enjoy dishes like these that I would have never touched as a kid. Can you imagine an eight year old asking for goat cheese on top of a big plate of veggies? I think not.

Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese

Keeping life simple...that's what is most important to me right now. I just finished an incredibly difficult semester and am about to begin my summer classes, which will undoubtedly be hard. I'm not going to complain because I am excited to get a certain Anatomy and Physiology class over with, but it means I won't have a lot of free time on my hands (again). Recipes that take almost no time at all, but are delicious nonetheless, are ranking pretty high on my list of favorites and this is definitely one of them. Creamy goat cheese is a perfect addition to crisp caramelized Brussels sprouts. The two combine to create a dish that is great for an appetizer or a side.

Portabella Mushroom Pesto Pizzas

Wow, I haven't posted (or been on my blog for that matter) in a really long time! I missed out on a lot in the blog world but hopefully I will get to catch up soon, I know for a fact I've missed some really great posts. Since I have been so busy I haven't had a lot of time to make anything too complicated. However, I did get a chance to rekindle my love for pesto when I made these quick and easy mushroom pizzas. These are almost too simple to call a recipe but they are too delicious not to share.

Roasted Asparagus

Sometimes I wonder what the people at our apartment complex think about Brad and me. When they see us carrying multiple armloads of groceries upstairs do they think I have some sort of insatiable food addiction? Do they ever catch a glimpse of us through our open windows, bent over a plate full of food, camera in hand, holding a reflector at odd angles to catch the light? Most importantly do our neighbors ever walk through the hall, smell what I'm cooking, and wish they were inside our apartment? I hope so!

Parmesan & Sage Spaghetti with Mushrooms

Whole wheat pasta is just the right vehicle for this lightly indulgent sauce. The hint of earthy fresh sage is a perfect compliment to woody mushrooms, a splash of truffle oil and liberal sprinkling of salty parmesan really puts it over the top. 

Herbed Baked Eggs

Dear Ina Garten,
I haven't always loved you, in fact, your show used to put me to sleep. Recently though, you have completely entranced me with your relaxed style, inspired meals, and gorgeous garden. I envy a lot about your life. I would love nothing more than to eat a meal I thought up while reminiscing about my most recent trip to France in my garden full of herbs and flowers. Alas, that is not my life but I can pretend right? 

Honey & Thyme Glazed Acorn Squash

A very similar dish was the star of my Thanksgiving so I decided to deconstruct it and make it a bit simpler for a more everyday approach. The combination of caramelized honey, savory thyme, toasted walnuts, and sweet acorn squash is a blend of flavors that is difficult to describe. It's wonderful. An extremely easy yet fantastically elegant meal.

Cheesy Broccoli and Pasta Casserole

This weekend it rained/snowed a little bit so a warm comforting dish was much needed. Toothsome pasta that's crunchy on top, smooth and cheesy on the inside, all studded with broccoli...honestly what could be better? It's perfect to serve as a side dish but also delicious enough to have as the main course.

Pesto, Peas, and Potatoes

 Pesto is not just for pasta anymore my friends. Sweet peas, crunchy potatoes with creamy centers, and smooth salty pesto combine to create a dish that is not easily forgotten. The best part may be that cutting potatoes is the most work that has to be done to create this intriguing dish.

Spicy Vegetable Picatta

I decided to remake this recipe from one of my very first posts and I wanted to call it Vegetable Scampi. However, after some research on the meaning of the word scampi I discovered it did not refer to the garlicky sauce you normally find the shrimp in, it refers to the shrimp themselves. Scampi actually means prawns. Since my dish lacks anything of the sort I went with the term picatta because it is defined as "savory, tasty, spicy, or piquant" and that certainly sums this meal up perfectly. This dish is incredibly flavorful, the sauce is light, smooth, and tangy, the vegetables are garlicky and the capers, lemon zest, and basil on top make it seem much fancier than it actually is.

Butternut Squash Shells

During one of the many times Brad and I have visited my brother in Denver, we went to a restaurant called Shells and Sauce and enjoyed a fantastic dinner on the patio. I had gigantic stuffed shells filled with tangy ricotta cheese, sage, thyme, and sweet cubes of squash.  Since I unfortunately live more than an hour away from Denver I had to create this dish in my 9X10 foot apartment kitchen and came up with this delicious version. 

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. 

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!