Author: ktbuchs87

Yuca & Spinach Curry

/ ktbuchs87

I mentioned yuca as one of the things I’m loving lately and I wasn’t lying.  I’ve had it in some form at least once a week for about a month now.  And I don’t plan on stopping especially since I found Armitage Produce.Yuca & Spinach Curry | Life Healthfully Lived

A few weeks back I was at Whole Foods and I picked up a few yuca roots.  Now, yuca is not something most people see all that often and as I was standing in the checkout line the lady in front of my asked what it was.  I told her and she asked what can you make with it and as I was about to answer the cashier chimed in and explained yuca and the delicious things you can make with it way better than I could.  As I got to the front, I learned she was Puerto Rican and yuca was a staple in her family.  We chatted for a bit as she was checking me out and I told her I wished there was a Latin grocery store near here because I would love to get things like green bananas and yuca and harina de maiz.  That’s when she told me about Armitage Produce.

So that weekend Adam and I went on an adventure and found the magic that is a Latin grocery store.  So many delicious things and at way better prices than the regular grocery store.  I found frozen yuca, which I had been searching for since it holds up a little better than fresh here in the states(Amanda from Curious Coconut explains why here), and promptly bought 10 pounds.  I don’t care if I looked like the crazy white lady, I wanted my yuca.

I came home with that 10 pounds of yuca and got busy.  Fries, chips, and this curry were some of the first things I tried out.  I have more coming and trust me, you aren’t going to want to miss it!

Yuca & Spinach CurryYuca & Spinach Curry | Life Healthfully Lived

Just a quick note: If you can find frozen yuca easily, use that instead of fresh.  It’s much easier to work with and will save you the step of peeling.  If not don’t worry fresh is just fine and you can use this guide as to how to peel and prep the yuca.

  • 2 lbs yuca, fresh or frozen (you want to end up with about 2 1/2 cups diced)
  • 1 bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed, stems removed and cut into ribbons
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  1. No matter if you fresh or frozen yuca, you need to boil it first.  Once it’s peeled place the yuca into a big pot and cover it with water.  Add a little salt and bring it to a boil.  Once at a boil simmer for about 20 minutes or until the yuca is fork tender.  Drain the water and let the yuca cool.  Then dice into little cubes, removing the fibrous core if you haven’t already.
  2. In a blender, add the coconut milk and almost all of the spinach, leave about a cup out.  Blend until everything is combined and you have a fairly smooth sauce.  It’s ok if there are a few pieces of spinach left.  Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until soft and translucent.  About 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the diced yuca and stir a little to combine.
  4. Add in all of the spices and stir to coat. It will feel like everything is sticking to the bottom of the pan and it’s too dry but don’t freak out just yet.  Cook for about 2 minutes.
  5. Pour in the spinach milk and stir to coat everything.  Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook like this for about 15 minutes, stirring every so often.
  6. Add the last cup of spinach and stir into the curry until it’s just wilted.  Taste and see if you need to add salt or pepper and then serve over rice or with some naan!Yuca & Spinach Curry | Life Healthfully Lived

 

DIY Wednesday: Parsley Cream Zoodles

/ ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

This is quite possibly the simplest dinner I have ever made.  On Memorial Day, I spent the day with my parents and got back home right around dinner time.  I didn’t have much in the house and really didn’t feel like cooking.  Many people might eat peanut butter straight from the jar and call that a meal full of “good fats” (totally not talking about me…) but I wanted to be somewhat of an adult.  I had a few zucchini’s in my fridge and I had made this sauce earlier when I noticed my parsley was going a little limp.  So I quickly spiralized my zucchini, tossed it with this sauce, and called it dinner. DIY Wednesday: Parsley Cream Zoodles | Life Healthfully Lived

Level: Adulting like a boss.

This is a great dinner for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking, it’s too hot to turn on the oven/stove, or you somehow forgot you need to eat dinner and want food fast.  You don’t even have to use zucchini.  You could use regular noodles, other vegetable noodles, even quinoa or brown rice.  You could get fancy and add some cooked chicken, shrimp, or beef or you could add extra vegetables like cherry tomatoes, carrots, or summer squash.DIY Wednesday: Parsley Cream Zoodles | Life Healthfully Lived

The point is when you need food in your food hole NOW this is the meal you can turn to.  Maybe that will be my new blog motto.  Food for your food hole NOW…. Has a nice ring to it.

Parsley Cream Zoodles

  • 1 cup parsley leaves, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight or in boiling water for 15 minutes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp dried minced onion
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk or 1/3 cup water (coconut milk will make it creamier)
  • 1-2 zucchini, spiralized or cut into thin strips (could also use regular noodles or some other vegetable like cucumber)
  1. Put all the ingredients except the zucchini into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  You don’t want any large chunks of cashew.  You can also make this sauce ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
  2. Spiralize or cut your zucchini and put it into a large bowl.  Pour in about half the sauce and stir to coat all the zoodles.  Add more sauce if necessary or if you just want to be a rebel and eat all the sauce.  You do you.DIY Wednesday: Parsley Cream Zoodles | Life Healthfully Lived

That’s it.  You could be eating in about 10 minutes, less if you already made the sauce ahead of time.  Don’t ever think you don’t have time for a healthy meal.  That’s just a lie the pizza delivery guy wants you to believe 🙂

 

Happy Memorial Day!

/ ktbuchs87

Happy Memorial Day | Life Healthfully LivedRemember today isn’t just about the delicious BBQ food you’re going to eat or the parades you’ll watch or the fireworks you might set off.  It’s about the ultimate sacrifice that some have made for our nation.

So, thank you to all who have served our country and given their all to keep America and our freedom safe.  Thank you to their families who have also given a tremendous amount in the name of America.  Enjoy your day off and remember why you get to enjoy a day off.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

 

BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches

/ ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Stick with me on this one even though it sounds weird.  I have a weird affinity for turning vegetables into something other than vegetables.  Like cauliflower.  That vegetable is magic because it can become anything.  I’ve turned it into pizza crust, taquitos, bites, rice…. It’s a very versatile vegetable.  But other vegetables can be just as magical.

I know vegetarians and vegans get a bad rap for trying to turn things that aren’t meat into meat saying, “It tastes just like the real thing!”  Meat eaters, of course,scoff at this, the vegetarians/vegans get mad and no one wins.  Maybe to them the meat alternatives taste just like the real thing or maybe they just want to get more people to try their food.  I think it shouldn’t be important if meat alternatives taste like the real thing they should just taste good.

Like these BBQ pulled carrot sandwiches.BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches | Life Healthfully Lived

I’m not going to tell you they taste like BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, because they don’t.  They do taste delicious and it’s a pretty neat way to make a BBQ pulled sandwich even if it does use only vegetables.  I think the key here is really good BBQ sauce and for me that means homemade.  I did a little variation on my Even Better BBQ Sauce, but you can use the original, or this one, or your own homemade sauce, or store-bought if that floats your boat.  I ain’t gonna judge.BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches | Life Healthfully Lived

I thought this would be the perfect recipe for Memorial Day weekend especially if you’re having a party.  It’s easy to make a whole bunch of these pulled carrots and now you have something that is vegetarian/vegan-friendly, doesn’t have gluten, and you can dazzle your guests by telling them that it’s carrots.

Ok, maybe they won’t be dazzled.  But I’ll bet they’ll find it tasty!  You can make these ahead of time and keep them in a slow cooker on low so you don’t have to heat up your oven and therefore your house.  See?  I think of everything.

BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches | Life Healthfully Lived

BBQ Sauce-

  • 1 can tomato sauce (check the ingredients to make sure it’s just tomatoes)
  • 1 tsp olive or coconut oil
  • juice from one lime
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp molasses (could also use honey or maple syrup)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried minced onions
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Pulled Carrots- 

  • 1 large red onion, sliced into strips
  • 1 lb bag of large carrots, shredded
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  1. Make the BBQ sauce:  Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until they are well combined.  Pour into a bowl and let the sauce sit in the fridge while you make the carrots.
  2. Slice the onions and shred the carrots.  If you have a food processor, you can use the shredding blade and this goes super quick.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Place the onions and carrots into a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  4. Lay the carrots and onions out on the baking sheet in an even layer, you might need to use two sheets depending on how big your baking sheet is.  Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven, toss a little, and then put back into the oven without the foil for another 10 minutes.
  6. While the carrots are cooking, pull out a dutch oven or large pot and cook the sauce on medium high heat for about 10 minutes.  When the carrots are done had them to the hot BBQ sauce and stir to combine.  Lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Alternatively, you can use your slow cooker at this point and keep it on low until you’re ready to serve.BBQ Pulled Carrot Sandwiches | Life Healthfully Lived

You can serve these on hamburger buns, tortillas, lettuce leaves, or even on arepas like I did here.  It also tastes pretty awesome with a smear of guacamole, but then again, what doesn’t?

I hope you have a great weekend and a Happy Memorial Day!

DIY Wednesday: Dinner Rolls

/ ktbuchs87

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DIY Wednesday: Dinner Rolls | Life Healthfully LivedMy husband is a bread fiend.  You know the saying “Man cannot live on bread alone”?  Yeah, it doesn’t apply to him.  I could put a hunk of bread down in front of him for every meal and he would be happy.  I wouldn’t even have to change the kind of bread just get the carb-y goodness into his mouth as fast as possible.

He married a woman who doesn’t really eat bread.

Not that I don’t like bread, it just doesn’t like me back very much.  Plus, if I ate as much bread as the man I married does I would probably be 600 pounds.  600 pounds of bread.  DIY Wednesday: Dinner Rolls | Life Healthfully Lived

Over the years, I’ve made various kinds of gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free bread and while they were good enough for me as a stand in for traditional bread, Adam never really took to them.  Which is fine because while he also likes eating bread he really likes the process of making it too.  But I wanted to make bread that both of us could enjoy and could get as close to real bread as possible.

I think I might have gotten it.  Are these exactly like traditional dinner rolls?  No.  But Adam did eat 5 (or 6) of the 9 rolls I made and I think that’s good enough for me!  You can make these rolls ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.  You could even freeze a bunch and then just pull them out when you’re ready to use them!

Dinner Rolls- Makes 9-10 rolls depending on how big you make them.  Based off these Honey Biscuits from Against All Grain. DIY Wednesday: Dinner Rolls | Life Healthfully Lived

  • 1 3/4 cups almond flour
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, semi-soft (if your oil is liquid like mine always is, measure it out and then stick it in the fridge for a few minutes).
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk or water
  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Mix the 3 tbsp ground flax seed and 6 tbsp water and set aside to gel.
  2. Combine all of the dry ingredients, and seasonings if you’re using them, and whisk together.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the gelled flax seed, semi-soft coconut oil, and 2 tbsp coconut milk together.  Mix it really well so that everything is combined.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.  Use a rubber spatula and mix everything together.  You should get a very stiff dough and be able to form a ball.  If not, add a little more coconut flour one tablespoon at a time.
  5. Take out a little of the dough from the dough ball and roll into a ball.  Place it on the sheet and slightly flatten it with the palm of your hand.  Continue until all the dough is gone.
  6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.  Check at 10 minutes and if it’s golden on the edges take it out and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.   DIY Wednesday: Dinner Rolls | Life Healthfully Lived