Category: Recipes

Posted in Recipes

Pickle Dressing

Posted on by KG

Bear with me here. Pickle…. dressing? Yes! It started as something I was playing with because I have been trying to get my greens in and I LOVE a good dressing. I also love pickles, so why not?

Pickle Dressing: Makes about 8oz

  • 1/3 cup pickle juice (just pick your favorite, I had some sweet onion Suckerpunch pickle brine left over so I used that!)
  • 1 cup (packed) baby spinach
  • 2 tbsp hummus of choice (I used some caramelized onion hummus from our local grocery store)
  • Garlic to taste (I had some roasted garlic laying around so I used about 1 tsp of that)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Simply add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth!

I’ll be enjoying this today on a lovely salad I’m lucky enough to have come out of my own backyard!

Posted in Recipes

Green Goddess Toast

Posted on by KG

It was my day off, so I whipped up something easy and delicious for breakfast! Enjoy!

  • 2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
  • 1 mini avocado, mashed
  • 1-2 tbsp hummus (I used roasted garlic hummus)
  • Baby spinach
  • 2-3 slices turkey bacon, cooked just how you like

1. Cook your bacon just how you like, and toast your bread.

2. While your bacon is cooking and bread is toasting, mash your avocado and mix well with your hummus. Add any other seasonings you like at this step!

3. Shmear your avocado mixture onto your toast, top with spinach, and top with your bacon.

Super easy, quick, customizable to your preferences and delicous. Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes

Kimchi Curry Stew

Posted on by KG

I couldn’t decide between kimchi stew or veggie curry, so I decided to have the best of both worlds! This recipe comes together super quick and easy for a veggie packed lunch. You can even make it vegan/vegetarian!

  • 1 1/2 cups stock of choice (I used chicken stock)
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1 small handful of cabbage, chopped
  • 1/4 cup kimchi (I used some kimchi I made on Lunar New Year)
  • 1/2 medium-hot Golden Curry curry cube (or 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp curry powder added to the pot with the water)
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic paste
  • Noodles or rice for serving
  1. Add your stock, carrots, celery, and cabbage to a pot with your stock over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Add in your kimchi, curry cube, and garlic paste, mixing well, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or until the soup has reduced and your veggies are tender to taste.
  3. Serve over ramen noodles or rice, and enjoy!

You can always dress this recipe up or down to your tastes/what you have on hand. Add a soft boiled egg, some scallions, or some chili oil! Dont have the veggies on hand? Use what you have! Make it yours and enjoy.

Posted in Recipes

Barley Risotto

Posted on by KG

Barley risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, and today I made it with carrots and green onions rather than the usual apple and mushroom. I unfortunately don’t have a super set recipe for this one since I eyeball everything in the pan and cook to taste. Try it out for yourself and enjoy!

  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 cup barley
  • 1 tbsp roasted garlic paste
  • 1-2 tbsp white wine or lemon juice
  • 1/2 – 1 quart stock or broth (I had some chicken stock I made earlier this week)
  • 1-2 tbsp butter
  • seasonings to taste (my stock is concentrated and flavorful, so I only ended up adding a pinch of salt and pepper)
  1. In a medium pan over medium heat, add in your veggies and your butter, and saute until soft.
  2. Add in your barley, and cook until the butter is absorbed and the grains are toasted.
  3. Deglaze with white wine or lemon juice, and stir in garlic paste.
  4. Lower the heat to medium low, add in half a cup of stock, cooking it and stirring occasionally until completely absorbed.
  5. Repeat step 4 until your barley is cooked through and your veggies are tender.
  6. Adjust seasonings as needed.
  7. If desired, stir in another tablespoon of butter and some grated cheese to your finished barley for some extra saltiness and creaminess.

Enjoy! I like mine best with some roasted chicken.

Posted in Recipes

Maple Pecan Coconut Granola

Posted on by KG

If you’ve been around a little bit, you know we love granola in this household. Today we made a sweet and crunchy one full of toasty goodness.

Maple Pecan Coconut Granola: Makes 1 – 1 1/2 Quarts

  • 4 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup (this is to taste)
  • 1 cup Pecan halves
  • 1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350F.

  1. Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl until evenly coated.
  2. Spread the mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes, stir your oats around, and bake another 15 minutes.
  4. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Posted in Recipes

Crockpot Cranberry Sauce

Posted on by KG

With Thanksgiving and Harvest Dinners right around the corner, I thought I’d share my favorite cranberry sauce that’s easy and delicious. Just set it and forget it!

Crockpot Cranberry Sauce: Makes 1 – 1 1/2 Quarts

  • 2 (12 ounce) bags fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 4 clementines (or mandarin oranges), zested
  • 1 cup water (or orange juice)
  1. Add all ingredients in a crockpot and put on low for 6-8 hours, or until it reaches your desired consistency. Just set it and forget it, stirring occasionally to check the consistency!

Tip: If you’d like to fully utilize the zested mandarins, peel the remaining peel off, and blend the pieces with the water to use for the cooking liquid! (Or you can just eat them for snacks, live your life!)

Posted in Recipes

Apple Butter Cocktail (Both Sober & Alcoholic Versions)

Posted on by KG

I’m not ready for pumpkin pies yet, I’m holding onto my apples for as long as possible! This was a wonderful way to treat myself to some apple filled goodness, and was especially tasty since my apple butter was so fresh. Super easy, super yum!

  • 4 tbsp apple butter
  • 2 oz apple cider
  • 1 oz apple shrub or vodka of choice
  • 12 oz sparkling water
  1. Stir your apple butter and shrub (or vodka) into your cider.
  2. Mix in half of your can of sparkling water.
  3. Pour the rest of your sparkling water into a glass over some ice, and top with your apple butter mixture.
  4. Stir and enjoy.
Posted in Recipes

Lazy Day Ramen Broth

Posted on by KG

Not every meal can be a scratch made masterpiece of cookery, especially if you’re running low on spoons (thanks chronic illness, you’re a real gem) and finding it difficult to get through the day.

This is an easy recipe that I like to make myself when I’m feeling blue or overwhelmed, comfort in a bowl. You can make this just for the broth, can boil some noodles in it, or sometimes I like to simmer dumplings in it.

Lazy Day Ramen Broth: Makes 2 Cups

  • 2 tsp chicken base (I use the Better than Bouillon Reduced Sodium)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rice wine
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Korean red chili flake (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 tsp minced ginger (I mince all my ginger at one time and freeze in an ice cube tray)
  • 1 cup milk (I use almond milk)
  • 1 cup water

Simply blend all of your ingredients together in a blender and simmer on the stove. Cook some ramen noodles in this, simmer some dumplings, or just drink as is. Try adding it to other recipes as well! (It makes for some really good rice.)

If you’d like to make a bigger batch and freeze some for another day, go for it! And remember, fed is best.

Posted in Recipes

Crockpot Beef Stewp

Posted on by KG

Mack… What in the higgity heck is a stewp? I’m so glad you asked, imaginary other half of this conversation! Stewp is a very technical professional culinary term for something not quite a stew, and not quite a soup. Therefore, stewp. Tell your friends.

I needed something easy and hands off to feed a crowd, the crockpot came through for dinner while we were out adventuring in an apple orchard.

Crockpot Beef Stewp: Feeds 6

  • 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into chunks of desired
  • 6 baby red potatoes, chunked
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/4 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp worsterchire sauce
  • 1 tsp ground sage
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp ground rosemary
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1-2 quarts stock (use whatever you like! Beef is obviously traditional, but I had chicken stock on hand that I needed to use up)
  1. Add in all of your vegetables (minus the garlic) to the bottom of a large crockpot.
  2. In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, tomato paste, dry seasonings, worsterchire, and enough stock to thin the mixture to a ketchup like texture.
  3. Slather your seasoning paste on your chuck roast, and place the chuck roast on top of your vegetables.
  4. Tuck your bay leaves into the crockpot, and add enough stock to come halfway up the meat, and set your crockpot to low.
  5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat is tender and shreds easily.
  6. Stir thoroughly, adjust seasonings as necessary, and enjoy while hot!

Try this recipe over rice, cooked pasta, or with some crusty garlic bread! It’s great for warming the bones after an autumn adventure.

Posted in Recipes

Fresh Pasta

Posted on by KG

There’s a million recipes for fresh pasta, all slightly different. I use a few myself, but this one is definitely in my top 3! Let me know how you like the video!

If you’re vegan, use an egg replacement like Simply Eggless or Just Egg to your dough. I’ve tried it with both products, and it worked great each time!