The Love of Dogs

Today I made these tasty little treats for our dog Lilly. She LOVES our blueberry soft serve (who wouldn't), so I decided to come up with a treat recipe for her, based off of that. These little banana blueberry bites are just the thing! Lilly, the tough critic that she is, gave her paw of approval!

She was such a good little girl, waiting patiently for her treats.

Look at all these treats!

These are somewhat like soft, crispy muffins- Lilly likes that kind of thing :)

Blueberry Banana Bites
(Print Recipe)

1 peeled and sliced, frozen banana
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup almond milk
2/3 cup oats
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1 cup brown rice flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put the banana, blueberries, and milk in a food processor. Process until smooth. (You could also use a non-frozen banana and put these three ingredients in the blender).
Pour into a medium sized bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined. Drop rounded balls onto parchment covered cookie sheet. I made mine small for a small dog- teaspoon size.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (longer if you make larger treats) until crispy on the outside. Transfer to a cooling rack. Once cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Keep extra treats in the freezer!

Share these with your dogs and dog friends!
Spoiled much?

This was her spot on the couch last night. And we wondered why she didn't want to leave it to come to bed.

Anyone who is a fellow dog lover understands wanting the best for our pets! It breaks my heart when I see neglected dogs. There are SO many stray dogs in Charlotte, I see them fairly often and almost always try to get them to come to me so that I can bring them to a shelter. Most of the time they are so frightened (for MANY understandable reasons, I am sure) that they run away. Why people get dogs and then don't take care of them, I will never understand.

Anyone looking to be a dog owner should definitely consider rescuing a dog. There are so many out there that need homes! If not a rescue, at least from a reputable breeder. A lot of people don't realize this, but buying pets from pet stores most likely means supporting puppy mills, because reputable breeders do not sell to pet stores. Here is a short article about rescuing and choosing the right breeder. This is another short article on choosing a puppy/dog that is right for your family (and the importance of not supporting puppy mills). If you are by any chance in the Charlotte area, Project Halo is one no-kill shelter that you could look into supporting or adopting a dog from. You can also visit the ASPCA website and search for adoptable dogs in your area.

For a long time, my dream dog was a Malti-Tzu (half Maltese half Shih Tzu). I finally got her after much research and let downs. I called several "breeders" that seemed very shady and would not let me come visit the puppies on premise. "Breeders" who also didn't have a picture of the mom/dad dog to send me. FINALLY after much searching I found Lilly! We drove to Winston Salem to see her as well as both her mom and dad... and we brought her home that day! This is the first day with us- we put her next to a wine bottle to show how little she was.

And then we put her in  our picnic basket. I can't believe she was little enough to fit in here!

And now here she is all grown up.

 Yes, I love her.

I hope your dogs enjoy these treats as much as Lilly does!

Peach Raspberry Popsicles

Talk about a breakfast that shouts SUMMER!!

What better to accompany fresh peaches and raspberries, than a peach raspberry popsicle! These peaches are the sweetest juiciest peaches ever- we bought two of them at the farmer's market and as soon as we tried a bite, went back for a whole bag of them.

I have had popsicle molds in my cabinet forever and don't even remember the last time I used them. I was intrigued by an all fruit popsicle at the farmer's market yesterday and decided to buy it. It was so fruity and natural tasting that I immediately decided to make them myself when I got home. The flavor I tried at the market was nectarine cherry- also a fantastic combo! My popsicle molds are small so it only took 3 peaches to make 6 popsicles.

My method was quite simple: Put 3 sliced peaches in the food processor, add a little sweetener if desired- I added 2 teaspoons of Truvia, food process until smooth. Pour the peach puree into popsicle molds, along with some fresh halved raspberries. Freeze, eat, love.

Today my lunch was the same as dinner last night, but with red beets this time and a side of sauteed beet greens with sauteed summer squash and zucchini. To saute beet greens simply blanch them in boiling water for two minutes, cool off in an ice bath, squeeze out excess water, chop them, and saute in a little olive oil and minced garlic. I skipped the blanching step and my greens were more bitter than usual. Lesson learned. I won't skip that step next time.

I loved all the pretty colors!

All these beet greens...

Sauteed down to this.

Luckily I had some squash too!

Today's cooking outcome: Yummy lunch!

And refreshing fruit!

I'd call it a success.

Roasted Veggie Wrap

Nothing beats fresh cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market. As the sign said, these little tomatoes provide a burst of flavor when you pop one into your mouth!

After I bought these, I snacked on them from my basket as I continued to shop.

I'm surprised I had any left by the time we got home.

After taking these pictures, I made a quick and delicious roasted veggie wrap, inspired by The Alkaline Sisters.

Basically, you dice and roast any desired root veggies at 350 for about 20 minutes. I used sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, and yellow beets. Then you wrap the veggies up with some mixed greens, pea shoots, or sprouts... and add some avocado for some creaminess. I also added a few cherry tomatoes, since I couldn't resist them. The part that makes it all come together is this chipotle dip!

Chipotle Dip

(Print Recipe)

Recipe from The Alkaline Sisters, slightly tweaked

Ingredients
1 cup raw sliced almonds, soaked 30-60 minutes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons chipotle pepper spice, the more, the hotter
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
1 clove garlic crushed
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions
Combine above ingredients in blender and combine until creamy and smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of additional water for consistency only if needed. Use as spread inside wraps and serve extra along side.

YUM!!! I drizzled the dip on my roasted veggies in my wrap and served extra along side it for dipping! This is great served at room temperature, so don't worry about trying to keep the roasted veggies hot. For dessert? Maybe a few more bursts of flavor- for real!

I might be making another trip back for more of these, sooner than originally planned.

Three Bean Salad

I am glad we went to Pops in the Park last night to celebrate the fourth of July, because our plans were RAINED OUT tonight! Lilly was dressed for the occasion last night.

We had a good time picnicking!

I brought wheat berry salad and chocolate covered cookie dough pops. Lisa brought yummy vegan cupcakes!

Today seemed to fly by! When it was dinner time, I was relieved I had chosen a quick salad to throw together- not to mention how tasty it was.

Three Bean Salad

(Print Recipe)

Ingredients

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 ears cooked corn, kernels removed from cob

1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Put all ingredients in a bowl, toss together. Let sit in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Easy, right? Nate even approved and he doesn't like chickpeas. You could easily add any veggies you already have!

I hope your fourth of July plans weren't ruined by the rain! My last picture could've been a photo of fireworks, but since we didn't get to see them, I'll show you our Stargazer Lilies that have finally bloomed!

Firecracker Cookie Dough Pops

First, a photo that explains the title of today's post.

Would you believe me if I said it was healthy? Well, it's not a slice of watermelon or a fresh crisp apple, but considering what it is, it could be much worse for you. All most of the ingredients are whole and natural. We will get back to that in a minute.

Here are some photos from my walk today. This was the first picture I snapped.

Pink and green.

Pink and green reflection.

Crazy hot sun... can you see the plane?

This tree was COVERED in bees!

I'm not sure what these are, they were growing in clumps on a tree.

Can you tell it was hot?

We went back to the car and had lots of water! And took one last picture of this cute little guy.

Then we came home and made these!

I have at least 6 recipes for raw cookie dough balls. I couldn't decide which one to make, so I read the recipes, got the general idea, and came up with my own concoction. Then I dipped them in chocolate and sprinkled red, white and blue nonpareils on them. Then froze them, and drooled as I took these pictures.

I started out by dipping the entire cookie dough ball in chocolate but then decided I liked the idea of only dipping half of it. When you make these choose whichever way suits your taste!

Firecracker Cookie Dough Pops

(Print Recipe)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup cashews
1/2 cup oats
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 pitted medjool dates, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tbsp dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate, melted, for dipping
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, process the cashews and oats until a fine crumble. Then add the coconut, salt, and roughly chopped pitted medjool dates. Process until fine.

Add in the vanilla and maple syrup and process until the mixture comes together in a ball.

Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the 2 tablespoons of chopped dark chocolate. Roll into balls and stick with toothpicks.

In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt 1/2 cup of dark chocolate with the coconut oil in a small bowl. Be careful not to burn. Then roll each ball into the chocolate and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with nonpareils. Replace toothpicks with lollypop sticks, if desired. Freeze until chocolate has set, then transfer to refrigerator until ready to serve.

They are delicious without dipping them in chocolate too!

But this gives them an extra POP for the fourth of July!

Happy Fourth!!

Red, White, and... Green?

Today I made a spectacular lunch and dessert! I wasn't certain how either would turn out, and thankfully they weren't disappointing. Not even close. Lunch was Quinoa, Tofu, and Kale with Lemony Spinach Pesto. It isn't easy photographing food this shade of green, but I assure you it is delicious! It even had red (sun-dried tomatoes), white (tofu), but no blue! SO I used a blue napkin, since it is almost the fourth of July.

I actually ended up using spinach in mine today, because I forgot to buy kale. I'm sure it is tasty either way.

Quinoa, Tofu, and Kale with Lemony Spinach Pesto

(Print Recipe) 

Adapted from Color Me Vegan

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked quinoa

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons safflower oil, divided

1 block firm or extra firm tofu (12-15 oz), pressed and cubed

1 bunch of kale, finely chopped or 10 oz spinach chopped

1/3 cup toasted pepita seeds

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste 

1 recipe of lemony spinach pesto (see recipe below)

Cook the quinoa according to package directions, in vegetable stock. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and saute tofu over medium heat until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil (less if using spinach) to the pan and saute kale until tender and bright green. Add to the bowl with the tofu.

Add the quinoa to the bowl, along with the pepita seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to fully incorporate pesto. Serve heated or at room temperature.

I used a pesto recipe from Sometimes I Veg- You can find the recipe here. I replaced the pine nuts with cashews because that is what I already had. It really was a delicious pesto recipe! I loved how it only had two tablespoons of oil in the whole batch. It drives me crazy when pesto is super greasy because of all the added oil. This one was light and creamy, but still full of flavor.

We had a lot of leftover watermelon in our fridge that needed to be used soon. I decided to make a minty watermelon seltzer. 

It was simple to make and very refreshing. After a few sips, I decided to get crazy and try making an "ice cream" soda float, using banana soft serve. I had no idea if the flavors would go well together but thought I'd give it a shot. I made banana soft serve and put a few scoops on top of this minty watermelon seltzer. It followed along with my color scheme from lunch: red, white, and green.

YUM!! A wonderful alternative to an ice cream float and perfectly refreshing and delicious!

Minty Watermelon Seltzer Float

(Print Recipe)

Ingredients

1 cup cubed watermelon

7 mint leaves

club soda (I used lime)

Banana soft serve (1 chopped, frozen banana put in a food processor for 5 minutes)

Directions

Put the watermelon and mint leaves in a food processor and process until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Pour into a glass, top with club soda and banana soft serve. Garnish with a mint leaf.

You could also try just the watermelon seltzer without the banana soft serve if banana doesn't float your boat.