Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls with Spicy Salmon

I have another delicious, healthy recipe for you today! Much like the blueberry crisp, this one also feels like a decadent cheat meal. I guess that's the secret to get me to eat things that are good for my body - make them taste like the good stuff! 

I think the secret to the "cheat meal" feel of this dish is the creamy sauce. That's right, friends. I said creamy sauce! I creamy sauce made with full-fat coconut milk that you soften all those yummy sweet potato noodles in. It's so, so good. 

The sweet potato noodles are topped with a spicy salmon and the combination of sweet, salty, creamy, and spicy is amazingggg. Plus, this dinner comes together in 30 minutes so there really is no excuse for you to not make this. You basically HAVE to! Oh also, this is Whole30 compliant if you're into that. 

One last thing before I get to the recipe. The original recipe from Real Simple Good calls for bacon. Somehow in the meal planning every time we've made this I've forgotten to pick up bacon. How I don't know, but I have. We really love this recipe, but I think we'd love it even more with the addition of bacon. I didn't want you to miss out like we have so if you're interested in the baconized recipe check out the original post here! 

On to the delicious!

Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls with Spicy Salmon

recipe adapted from Real Simple Good

2 salmon fillets

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 sweet potatoes, spiralized 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 cups spinach

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

While the oven is preheating, place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes. 

While salmon is cooking, prepare your sauce by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute shallots until softened. Add in coconut milk, garlic, and salt and pepper to the coconut milk and combine. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until the salmon has about 5 minutes left. 

Increase to medium heat, add in sweet potato noodles, and cover while the salmon finishes. 

Remove salmon from oven. 

Add spinach to noodles and sauce, and stir until just wilted. Remove from heat.

Serve noodles topped with salmon and ENJOY!

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Blueberry Crisp

I've got good news and bad news, which would you like first? 

The bad news?

Ok, good. I thought so. 

The bad news is that this blueberry crisp is dairy-free and refined sugar-free and that normally means that it is also bland, boring, and generally fun-free for your taste buds. 

The good news, though? It actually tastes DELICIOUS! You'd never guess that this has no refined sugar or butter, and it's wholesome enough that you could consider it for breakfast, probably sans ice cream (or maybe you're living that #SummerVacationLife and you're considering ice cream for breakfast, do your thang...aka YOLO (is YOLO still a thing?).

This crisp comes from one of my favorite books of all time, Bread & Wine by Shauna Neiquest. I'm going to go ahead and suggest that you make this crisp and then sit down to read the book with a big bowl of the crisp. That sounds like the perfect evening (or morning) to me. 

There are a few things that make this recipe phenomenal. 

1. A short ingredient list - the only thing you may have to run out for is almond flour/almond meal, which you can find pretty easily these days in larger grocery stores or online. My Big Lots frequently gets shipments of Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal for cheap so I always buy it if I'm close to running out. 
2. Including baking time this recipe comes together in just under an hour - you essentially pour 4 cups of any fruit you want (either fresh or frozen) into a baking dish, make the crisp topping that takes about 5 minutes (as long as you know where your measuring cups are), pour the crisp topping over the fruit, and bake for about 40 - 50 minutes. 
3. It works with any fruit (fresh and/or frozen) - I've tried this with fresh and frozen fruits and it comes out perfectly every single time. I've used frozen strawberries, cherries, peaches, and blueberries as well as fresh blueberries and blackberries in this recipe. All of them have been my favorite. 
4. Because this recipe is so simple you can swap out ingredients to your preference. The recipe calls for pecans, but almonds would be so good in this to add extra crunch. You can also use whatever oil you have on hand, as well as using a flavored maple-syrup if you want. I found a bourbon barrel aged syrup and it added a little extra kick. There are no spices written into the recipe so you can use whatever you like. We've used cinnamon, ginger, vanilla bean, cardamom, nutmeg all to great success. Because this is so easy, you have the ability to experiment with flavors until you get it just right!

Blueberry Crisp

recipe from Bread & Wine by Shauna Neiquest

4 cups fresh or frozen fruit, (this specific time I used frozen wild blueberries)

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup almond flour/meal

1/4 cup maple syrup (This is the one I used. I'm not a maple fan, but I do love this!)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

While oven heats pour fruit into an 8x8 pan. 

Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, then pour crisp topping over top of the fruit. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes (longer if fruit is frozen) or until crisp is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. 

We enjoy ours topped with a scoop or two of vanilla bean Halo Top ice cream.

 

The Iced Lavender Latte

Today I'm sharing the most spring-like coffee beverage to ever exist - The Iced Lavender Latte from Jessica at How Sweet Eat's new cookbook The Pretty Dish. This is the second recipe I've made from the book, and I plan on making much more! It's such a great cookbook filled with a variety of recipes to suit all kinds of occasions! 

This lavender latte is made with cold brew, half and half, and a lavender simple syrup. As the name implies, the syrup is indeed simple, and add a fresh, springy flavor. It really is delicious!

I hope you enjoy this easy drink as much as I have! Happy Spring, friends! 

The Lavender Latte

recipe from The Pretty Dish by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet Eats

Lavender Syrup 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 1/2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Latte

Iced Coffee

Half and Half 

2 tablespoons lavender syrup

In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine sugar, water, and lavender. Whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Simmer and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set saucepan aside to allow the mixture to cool completely. Strain mixture into a glass jar to remove the lavender. Stir in the vanilla. Store glass jar in the fridge. 

To make the latte. Add ice, iced coffee, syrup, and half and half to your liking. Stir and enjoy!

Lucky Charms Bars

This post/recipe was intended to go up for St. Patrick's Day, but it didn't happen. So, guys! Here's a very late, but yummy and easy recipe to brighten up your days! Lucky Charms Bars!

These bars are basically rice krispie treats made with lucky charms cereal. They are so simple to make but are an absolute showstopper when served with all those colorful marshmallows. 

I hope you have a blast in the kitchen when you make these! Enjoy!

Lucky Charms Bars

recipe from Simply Scratch 

1 box Lucky Charms cereal
1 stick salted butter
1 (16 oz) package mini marshmallows
1 tablespoon whole milk, I used half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.

Separate the cereal from the marshmallows.

In a large pot over low heat melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the melted marshmallows and stir until completely melted and creamy.

Stir in vanilla and milk. Add in the cereal and stir quickly to combine. Remove from heat.

Add in the marshmallows and stir until combined. Transfer to a prepared pan.

Press gently, and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Toasted Coconut Limeade + SkinnyPop Popcorn

Friends! How has your August gone? Kyle and I have started to call this month "Chaotic August". It's been nothing short of chaotic in our lives, and we are both looking forward to the vacation we have scheduled in October. 

We've been doing our best to come up with ideas to just relax on the weekends, and one of our favorite things to do is EAT! Duh! We really like to just relax with a movie and some really great snacks, and that's what I'm sharing today!

One of our favorite snacks while movie-watching is popcorn (revolutionary, I know), but we like to ramp up the flavor with exciting popcorn and drink combos. One of my personal favorites? This tangy, coconut limeade paired with the Naturally Sweet Popped Popcorn from SkinnyPop. The tangy limeade is the perfect pairing with the subtle sweetness of the popcorn. SO GOOD. 

The folks at SkinnyPop have come up with a few pairings of their own that are a little more high octane than my pairing. I'm super interested in trying the coconut margarita paired with the new jalapeño flavor. What pairing sounds good to you guys? (PS - scroll down for the limeade recipe!)

Toasted Coconut Limeade

Lightly Adapted from The Kitchy Kitchen Cookbook by Claire Thomas

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted 

10 limes, halved and juiced (keep the halved rinds)

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon mint extract 

2 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 half cups coconut water

1/4 cup agave

Place the halved lime rinds into a large bowl along with the toasted coconut and extracts. 

Cover rinds with boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. 

While the rinds steep, place lime juice, coconut water, and agave into a pitcher. 

Strain the lime coconut mixture into the pitcher with the lime juice. Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to ensure the mixture is fully combined. 

Chill for an hour and serve with extra lime, coconut, and ice. 

Happy snacking! 

Warm Honey Mustard Potato, Spinach, & Salami Salad + An Egg!

Let's talk about summer and easy summer meals. Have you guys done anything fun this summer so far? Any plans coming up? I honestly just want to buy a blow-up pool and lounge in it for days. We have a concert coming up which will allow us to get away for a weekend. I am REALLY looking forward to it. 

I've also been reading so much more, and it's making me wish I had a porch so I could spend the evenings out there. I usually like to read non-fiction, but summer always makes me want to read those summer specific books that come out every year. This is a great list from one of my favorite bloggers, and I'm hoping to work through a lot of those recommendations. Our vacation isn't until the beginning of October, so I'm extending my summer reading until then. 

On to the recipe! This is one of the most delicious recipes I've made in a long time, and it's so quick. It's also easy to customize to fit the produce that's in season, or the tastes of your family. Please make this, and tell me how you like it. 

Honey Mustard Potato, Spinach, & Salami Salad

recipe from Barefoot in the Kitchen 

2 lbs red potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces of salami (I used pre-cut)
a few handfuls of baby spinach

2 green onions, sliced thin

Boil potatoes until tender.

Whisk together oil, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add potatoes, salami, green onions, baby spinach, and toss gently to coat in dressing and allow spinach to wilt. Serve warm with a poached or fried egg. This also tastes fantastic cold!