Thanksgiving-ish Recipes

I have been on a recipe hunt for fun things I can make on and around Thanksgiving this year that are fun and a little different. I love the holiday season and all the baking and cooking that goes along with it. Although I'm a major sucker for all the traditional items, I think its fun to spice it up a little bit and try one or two new things as well. This is a roundup of some fun items I have found in case you are in the holiday spirit as well ; )

1. Cranberry and Vanilla Bean Pie Bars via A Beautiful Mess

2. Cherry Kale Panzanella via Jelly Toast (originally found on BleuBird)

3. Elsie's Orange Cranberry Margarita via A Beautiful Mess

4. Charred Corn Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing via Cooking Channel TV

5. Spinach and Feta Quiche via Cupcakes and Cashmere

6. Everything Tea via OhDearDrea (to keep you healthy all season!)

7. Herb Roasted Turkey via What's Gaby Cooking

8. Spiced Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping via Call Me Cupcake

Recipes : Acai Bowl Recipe Roundup

Yesterday for breakfast I jumped on this whole acai bowl bandwagon I've been seeing all over the place lately, and let me tell you I am happy that I did. As an avid smoothie drinker, this is a nice way to mix things up and acai fruit is supposedly packed with tons of antioxidants so its super healthy as well. I'm not going to lie, probably the most fun part about it was decorating it with all my toppings. Silly, I know, but look how pretty it turned out on my first try! Hah.

For mine, I mixed one frozen Sambazon "superfood pack" with half a banana and a little bit of almond milk and blended them together. Next time I want to go for a bit of a thicker consistency, so I think I'll use a frozen banana and a bit less almond milk, but it was good anyways. I topped it with hemp seed granola, chia seeds, sliced almonds and mango. Pretty darn good breakfast.

There's a ton of options for toppings and ingredients to blend with the acai, so here's a little roundup to get you inspired.

Acai Bowl Recipe Roundup:

Acai bowl with coconut and pomegranate seeds

Acai bowl with mango and pineapple

Acai bowl with banana and peanut butter

Acai bowl with oats and berries

Recipes : Gluten Free Dairy Free Pancakes

Owen and I have had a lot of guests stay in our home ever since moving into a larger rental last summer, which has been so much fun. After living in a teeny tiny apartment it is nice to be able to host people while having enough room for everyone to be comfortable and have spaces of their own. Over the course of the year I have learned a few tricks for having guests over, one being having certain go-to recipes that will work with whatever guests are visiting. It can be difficult to choose the right food to have around that everyone likes while being mindful of different food allergies. I discovered this banana-oat blender pancakes recipe from my mom, who whipped up a batch at a Father's Day brunch we had at my house last weekend. These pancakes are both gluten and dairy free, two necessities for different people in my family, but also completely delicious for those with no food allergies as well. The original recipe was found HERE, and I figured I would share with you in the hopes it makes your lives a little easier as well : )

GF/DF Banana-Oat Blender Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups gluten free oats

1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk

1 large ripe, organic banana

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 heaping tablespoon local honey

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 large organic egg

coconut oil or butter for cooking

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients, except egg and coconut oil in the base of a blender and blend until smooth. 

Add egg and pulse a few times until egg is fully incorporated.

2. Heat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat and melt a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. 

When hot, pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. 

Brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side) and serve hot with maple syrup.

3. *If batter becomes too thick to pour easily, add a tablespoon or two of almond milk to thin.

Enjoy!

Recipes : My Pasta Salad

One of the regular staples Owen and I will have in the fridge each week will be a big batch of our pasta salad. It's such a simple thing to make, and uses mostly ingredients you already have around the house anyways. Whenever I know we are going to have visitors in town I will whip up a batch, because it is usually enjoyed by everyone and can be used for lunch or a BBQ dinner. We'll usually add tuna fish or avocado to give it a little more substance if its the main course, or will just have it as is for a side dish or afternoon snack. There's so many different variations you can make, but I figured I would share my basic recipe here for those interested. It is adapted from Owen's family recipe.