My Favorite Fruit Parfait

This might be obvious, but I am a bit of a fruit-a-holic. I probably eat around ten different fruits every day! HA! Especially navel oranges - my gosh I cannot get enough oranges. Okay, so this fruit parfait has been a daily staple in my life for a couple of months now. I just can't seem to get enough. It is so simple I almost didn't blog it....but really, don't we all want super simple, healthy meals we can pull together quickly? 

There isn't much of a recipe here - just an outline. I cut up or throw in all the fruit I am feeling at the moment - this photo shows an orange (there is always an orange- see statement above) and berries (blackberries are my favorite, but also I like raspberries, blueberries and strawberries), I just bought some fresh cherries (LOVE!), and when I have fresh pineapple I throw that in too. You can use whatever you love and whatever you have (cut up grapes are another fave, and I sometimes do chopped apples and pears). Okay you get the idea. Simple. Read on....

Ingredients:

Any of your favorite fruits (try to get at least five different kinds for lots of anti-oxidants, vitamins, fiber, natural energy!!):

Orange, peeled & cut

Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries

Cherries, pitted

Fresh pineapple, chopped

Apples & pears, chopped

Kiwi

Grapes, sliced in half 

Banana, sliced

Mangos, peeled and chopped

Cantaloupe or honeydew, chopped

Fresh peaches or nectarines, chopped

Pomegranate seeds

Your favorite yogurt, I use CocoJune vegan yogurt in Chamomile Vanilla (the best!)

Drizzle of honey

Sprinkling of seeds or nuts, I have hemp seeds pictured, but I also like to add chopped walnuts or almonds

Directions:

Prepare the fruits you are using by washing, peeling, chopping, etc. Place in a dish or parfait glass. Drizzle with a bit of honey, dollop with yogurt, sprinkle with seeds or nuts and enjoy! 

Sometimes I will prep a few days worth of fruit so that when I want it for breakfast or lunch (or dessert!) I it is ready to go in a container in the fridge. Enjoy! 

My new fun fruit necklace I bought at the Farmer's Market! 

Nut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Squares

These four ingredient, no-bake treats are absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to throw together. They can be vegan (depending on the chocolate you use) and are naturally gluten-free. They can also be nut-free if you use seed butter instead of nut butter. I have made them with peanut butter, almond butter, and sunbutter - every time they turn out great! **One thing that cannot be substituted is the brown rice syrup. I have tried subbing maple syrup and honey and they just don't hold together in the same way. You can find brown rice syrup (which is a plant-based liquid sweetener made from brown rice) at Whole Foods, various health food stores, and on Amazon. Be careful buying it on Amazon though as some sellers charge far too much. A jar of brown rice syrup should cost around $8 in store. I use Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Syrup. One jar is enough for two batches of this fun treat.  

I get requests for these treats all the time! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice syrup**, no substitutions (see note above)

1 cup nut or seed butter of your choice, peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter for nut-free, room temp

4 cups of puffed brown rice cereal, (I like One Degree Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps - you can find these in the gluten-free section of your market)

~ 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, melted (I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Morsels, bc they are delicious and they are also vegan)

Directions:

Line an 8X8 or 9X9 dish with a 4" X  16" strip parchment paper placed in the middle of the baking dish - leave the long parts hanging over both sides. This will help you pull everything out easily when the treats are ready to be transferred to a cutting board. 

In a large mixing bowl stir together room temperature nut or seed butter and brown rice syrup until fully combined. Add 2 cups of rice cereal and mix. Add the remaining 2 cups and mix until fully combined. I find it is much easier to use my hands as the mixture gets very thick. I put on a pair of gloves and dig right in until everything is incorporated. 

Next transfer the cereal mixture to the prepared baking dish. Use your hands to smash the cereal mixture evenly into the pan (this is why I like to wear gloves when making this). Sometimes I use a little square of parchment on top of the mixture to really get it all in there and spread evenly - the parchment helps the cereal from sticking to your hands.

Next put the dish into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let it firm up. Once it's firm, melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and head for one minute. Remove and stir. Put it back into the microwave and heat for another 30 seconds. Remove and stir. It may be smooth and ready to pour or you may need to give it another 15 to 20 seconds. When fully melted pour the chocolate on top of the crispy cereal mixture and spread evenly. The treats go back into the fridge to firm up for about an hour. If you are feeling impatient you can put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. 

When you are ready to cut the treats into squares remove from refrigerator and grab a cutting board and a large knife. Use the overhanging parchment strips to pull the whole thing out with ease (you might have to run your knife around the edges to loosen up some of the sticking treats first). I find that if I let the treats sit out for about five minutes and soften slightly they are easier to cut through. Cut into squares. I think these are best kept in the fridge so the chocolate stays firm. They won't last long, though, I promise! Enjoy! 

Mediterranean Orzo Bake with Sun-dried Tomatoes

I saw this recipe on social media and decided to give it a try - I tweaked it a little bit and wow, it was really good especially for being so simple and easy to throw together. Thursdays are always my busiest day of the week where I have little time to devote to dinner prep - so I made this on a Thursday. I would say the whole meal came together in about 20 minutes. It baked for 30 minutes and we were ready to eat in under an hour.  I added some microgreens to the dish just before serving to add more greens and we had some homemade ciabatta in the freezer. I think this would also be great served with a side of roasted broccoli. If you want to add more protein I believe Beyond Sausage or chicken sausage would make a nice addition. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbl olive oil

1 cup of diced red onion

2 garlic cloves

1 lb of orzo pasta

3 giant handfuls of fresh spinach

1 can of chickpeas, drained

8 oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes, drain oil and chop into  bit sized pieces

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

juice of one large lemon

2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bullion Vegetable Base)

Feta cheese or vegan feta cheese for topping (I LOVE Violife Vegan Feta- it is delicious! I am the only person in the family who doesn't eat cheese, but everyone loves this feta, so that's what I use)

micro-greens for topping, optional 

Protein options: Beyond Sausage, cooked and sliced or chicken sausage, cooked and sliced, added just before serving, optional

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400F

Let's sauté the onions first! You can put the chopped onions and garlic in raw, but I think it is worth 10 extra minutes to sauté them with the garlic in a pan before baking - it takes the bitterness out and softens them up. Okay so add 2 Tbl of olive oil to a pan over low heat. Add the chopped red onions and sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to avoid over browning. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Line a 9X13" baking dish with parchment paper or foil. This will save you a lot of clean up mess! Put a tiny bit of olive oil on the bottom of the dish and spread it around evenly. Evenly pour all the dry orzo in the bottom of the baking dish. Next add the fresh spinach and then the chickpeas. Do all of this evenly over the dry orzo. Sprinkle on the spices and salt. Evenly squeeze the lemon juice over it all and then top with the chopped sun dried tomatoes. Now it is time to pour the vegetable broth over the whole dish. 2 1/2 cups of broth was enough to cover the layer of dry orzo on the bottom. If you think you need a little more, add another 1/4 cup. 

Bake this in the oven for 30 minutes. Take it out and use a wooden spoon to stir it up and break up the clumps of orzo that formed while baking. The orzo should be perfectly al dente! Sprinkle the feta OR vegan feta over the top. Adjust with salt and pepper, as desired. Just before serving add some micro-greens on top for color and yumminess and fiber! Add cooked/sliced vegan or regular sausage, if using. Serve with a side of good crusty bread. Enjoy this quick weeknight dinner!