Roasted Carrot Salad

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! My hubby and I have been getting carrots in our produce share from Rawfully Organic Co-Op every week for almost two months now. While carrots are great, and I enjoy carrots, we had so many carrots in our fridge that I didn't know what to do! We couldn't seem to eat (or smoothie) them fast enough. So last week, I decided it was time to find a recipe that featured carrots - and lots of them. After some quick googling, I came upon this amazing roasted carrot salad. Oh my goodness. It is delicious AND easy AND gluten free! The only change I made was to substitute feta cheese for blue cheese, which is sometimes aged on bread and therefore not safe for people with gluten intolerance. Feta was a great substitute!

Here is a link to the original recipe: Roasted Carrot Salad: Allrecipes.com

I will be making this again soon - and I can't wait! Who knew that carrots, almonds, feta, cranberries, and arugula would all taste good together?!? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Green Breakfast Smoothie

This past summer, my hubby and I purchased a Vita-mix Blender. We use it at least once a day, often more than that, and it is my favorite kitchen appliance. We love to make smoothies with raw fruits and vegetables, because we are getting tons of nutrients from the whole fruit or the whole veggie.

My sweet hubby makes a smoothie for us every morning before work. We use whatever fruits and vegetables we have at the time, so our smoothies often depend on the season. This Green Smoothie is our go-to breakfast smoothie. It is a great way to start the day and will keep you full until lunch!

Green Breakfast Smoothie
apple juice as a base (optional) - enough to cover blades of blender
1 banana
1 orange, lightly peeled (try to peel the zest and leave as much of the pith or “white stuff” as possible)
1 apple, cored
1 pear
1 small – medium zucchini
1 large handful spinach or 2 kale stalks, stems removed
½ cup frozen peaches or frozen pineapple
4-6 ice cubes

1. Add ingredients to Vita-mix or other high powered blender in the order listed.
2. Blend on high for 60 seconds or until smooth.
3. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Cauliflower Rice

Back in high school, my mom decided that we should all go on the South Beach Diet as a family. One night, she made Mashed Cauliflower, which was supposed to taste like Mashed Potatoes. Our whole family (including my mom) decided the mushy cauliflower tasted nothing like delicious mashed potatoes, and we never had that recipe again.

I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe for Cauliflower "Rice" on Elana's Pantry. Rice is not something I ate frequently during my grain-eating days, so I did not feel the need to substitute anything else for it. However, I was interested in getting more veggies into my diet, and cauliflower seemed like a good new vegetable to try. This recipe is amazing - it tastes so much like rice and has lots of flavor. It is one of my hubby's favorite side dishes.

It is easy to make, and you can process the cauliflower in a blender in small batches if you do not have a food processor - just be sure to watch it carefully. Elana's recipe serves four; click here to go to the recipe. Enjoy this healthy and delicious side dish!