Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Skinny Ranch Dip

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With Memorial Day coming up at the end of the month - you know, that three day weekend when everyone thinks they are going to have a party in their backyard or a picnic, but then it always rains (okay, at least here in the Midwest it does) - I thought it was the perfect time to share my take on Skinny Ranch Dip. Because, let's be honest, is it ever any kind of spring/summer party without a veggie platter served with creamy, dreamy ranch dip? About a year ago I shared my Cashew Ranch Dip which … [Read more...]

Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce

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I hope you're not sick of Mexican recipes yet! Wait, who am I kidding? Is it even possible to get sick of Mexican food? Either way, it's Cinco de Mayo (well almost). We must prepare the ultimate Mexican feast/drink fest. It's the American way to celebrate! You guys, this Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce is the sauce of all sauces. I call it Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce because it is meant for some amazing enchiladas, but it is also delicious on eggs, tacos, plain chicken, and basically any … [Read more...]

Homemade Nutella

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Friends, are you ready for today's recipe? Just by reading the name of the title, half of you are drooling and are excitedly running to your kitchen to get started! The other half of you are thinking, "But I can just buy a jar of Nutella from the store and call it a day." That's true, you can buy a jar of Nutella. It's convenient, it's decadent and delicious. OR you could make your own jar of Nutella and feel like a rockstar! Guess what, the homemade version is, of course, better than the … [Read more...]

Homemade Applesauce

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We are fortunate enough to have this little apple orchard not too far from us. Every fall since we have moved to the area I have enjoyed going to the apple orchard to stock up on apples for a few weeks. I seem to have a problem of buying way too many apples when I go to the orchard. All of the apples look so beautiful, fresh, and juicy that I get really excited. I find it hard to stop loading up my bag. I keep wanting more apples. Before I know it, I have purchased 6 pounds of apples when I … [Read more...]

Pan Seared Cod with Blistered Tomatoes

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Do you remember in March how excited I was about planting our very first garden? With our first full summer living in our very first house with our own fairly large yard we could not wait to plant a little herb/veggie garden. Paul and I had visions of walking out our back door to pick fresh tomatoes and strawberries. Once spring arrived we began observing a spot in the yard where the sun would generously give our little garden plenty of light. We found the perfect spot. It had an area that was … [Read more...]

Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

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With the approach of fall just around the corner I simply had to sneak in one more summery salad recipe! If baby spinach, strawberries, cucumbers, and Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing don’t scream summer, then I’ve got it all wrong! During the summer I always have a huge container of organic, pre-trimmed, pre-washed baby spinach leaves in my fridge just waiting for me to make use of it in a salad. Being a huge fan of whisking up my own salad dressing, I have been playing around with creamy … [Read more...]

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Guacamole

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I have a confession to make: I didn’t make my first batch of summertime guacamole until 2 weeks ago! What’s wrong with me? How did I allow so much of the warm weather to pass by without making guacamole? It’s blasphemy! Don’t worry, I have since been making up for it by whipping up at least one or two batches of guacamole per week. I think it’s impossible for me to ever get sick of eating guacamole. Usually I make my basic guacamole recipe. It is the simplest to make, with the most basic … [Read more...]

Pineapple Salsa

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Whoohoo it’s summertime! There are two things I love most about summertime food: 1) Grilling food and eating outside 2) all the fresh fruit in the world. I could probably go on and on for a year about how much I love the abundance of summertime fruit. It’s really difficult for me to pick a favorite fruit. I am pretty sure it changes every time I go to the grocery store during the summer depending on what catches my eye. I suppose you could say this week it is pineapple. Funny story: last … [Read more...]

Cashew Ranch Dip (V + GF)

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  Who doesn’t love dipping a sweet orange carrot into some creamy, garlic-y, herby ranch dressing?  Ranch is the ultimate way to enjoy your fresh cut veggies. Ranch and raw veggies go together like peanut butter and jelly, like strawberries and chocolate. As a kid I wouldn’t touch raw veggies without dipping them into some ranch dressing. I used to drown my salads in the stuff. My poor mom, she wasn’t a fan of the stuff. She knew ranch was packed full of preservatives, a ton of sodium, … [Read more...]

Refried Black Beans

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With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner I have Mexican food on the brain. I love, love, love Mexican food. Really what we get up here in Iowa is more like Americanized Mexican food. Actually it’s Midwestern-ized Mexican food. I have enjoyed my fair share of Mexican food in Texas and it is a whole new world compared to our Mexican food here. Yes, maybe some of it is considered to be more Tex-Mex, but it is probably way closer to the real deal than our food is here. Let’s just say, Texas is … [Read more...]