Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Quinoa & Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Caramelized Shallots (GF)

By

Have you ever eaten a stuffed mushroom cap and found the mushroom to be watery and almost mushy? I am obsessed with mushrooms in just about every form. They are amazing when raw in salads, and I love them sautéed in some butter until brown, as well as pureed into a creamy mushroom soup . There was always one particular way of eating mushrooms that I did not enjoy: stuffed mushroom caps. I have ordered them at restaurants as an appetizer, excited to try their mushroom caps stuffed with crab, … [Read more...]

Creamy Asparagus Soup

By

Hey, friends, hopefully by this point in April you are starting to enjoy some warmer weather where you live. Trees are starting to bud; grass is getting greener. And the produce in your stores is beginning to expand with colors and flavors. Fresh fruit is returning! One of my favorite vegetables that I look forward to in the spring is asparagus. My mom is going to flip bananas when she reads that statement. The thing is, until a few years ago I absolutely hated asparagus. I loathed the … [Read more...]

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Curry Sauce

By

Almost a month ago I made some amazing Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. As I was eating them I was already dreaming up another lettuce wrap recipe. I remember describing it out loud to Paul as we ate. “Ooh I should make some shrimp lettuce wraps! Maybe with a coconut curry sauce.” He nodded in approval as he chewed on the current lettuce wraps. My mind is always swirling with recipe ideas.  It must be interesting being married to a food blogger. These shrimp lettuce wraps are simple. The … [Read more...]

Gluten-free Banana Bread

By

Banana bread was one of my all-time favorite treats growing up. My mom would squirrel away over-ripe bananas in the freezer until blackened bananas covered in frost would fall out of the freezer every time we opened it. Then my mom would get to work baking up a loaf or two of banana bread. I remember standing by the oven sniffing the sweet smell of bananas baking. Finally, after what seemed like a year the oven timer would ding and my mom would pull the bread out of the oven. I would bug … [Read more...]

Creamy Mushroom Soup (GF)

By

As I am writing this blog two weeks ahead of its post date (because, I am a blog writing machine) our weather is abnormally warm for this time of year in Iowa. This past weekend we had highs of 8 degrees, and then the temperature leaped into highs in the 50s and 60s. Mother Nature is being extra generous this week. The snow is melting, the sun is shining, and the promise of spring has arrived. I am absolutely loving the spring-like weather! My mind has turned to spring-time recipes bursting … [Read more...]

Coconut Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Lime Sauce (GF)

By

As a food blogger I post 2 recipes a week, or about 8 recipes a month. Most of the time I don’t have much of an issue with coming up with enough recipe ideas. I get my inspiration for recipes from family, friends, cookbooks, restaurants, and other bloggers. The change of seasons calls for the use of a seasonal ingredient. Holidays beg for certain types of dishes to be made. I keep my phone on me at all times to write down any visions of recipes that may come to me. Yet, with all of my insight … [Read more...]

Irish Coffee

By

Happy St. Patrick’s Day friends, a day early, but close enough! If you tuned in for Friday’s post and Monday’s,  then you know by now that I studied abroad in Ireland my Junior year in College. Therefore, you know that I am smitten with Ireland and anything Irish. For this St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to share an authentic Irish drink. I was never much of a beer drinker while I was in Ireland. Bulmer’s Hard Cider was my drink of choice. I drank hard cider way before it was cool to drink it … [Read more...]

Leek, Potato, and Blue Cheese Soup (GF)

By

Happy Friday, Friends! On Monday I shared a recipe for Irish Brown Bread. Yum! I also shared with you a little piece of my adventures from when I studied abroad in Ireland during college. Since St. Paddy’s day is on Tuesday I am keeping the Irish theme going. We are not talking about leprechauns and four-leaf clovers here. We are talking about some good ol’ traditional hearty food, and maybe a little bit about my time in Ireland. Because I am obsessed, okay! As I mentioned in Monday’s … [Read more...]

Deconstructed Honey Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese

By

Welcome to March! I am so excited that it is March! Spring is on its way! Maybe, kind of soon. I hope. Remember how last week I made my Kale Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing? I discussed how I needed to make more cohesive salad recipes. I kept true to that vow by making another salad! I first ate this salad at a local Italian restaurant last summer and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since then. It was served to me on a small platter in a deconstructed manner. Instead of all of … [Read more...]

Easy Crystallized Ginger

By

Recently, I have been obsessed with ginger. I have been drinking ginger tea, adding ginger to my smoothies, and eating crystallized/candied ginger. Ginger possesses some wonderful health benefits. Not only is it high in antioxidants, it is also an anti-inflammatory, and helps to stimulate the metabolism and digestion. Plus, it can help fight off the common cold and sooth an upset stomach. (source) I have found that eating crystallized ginger or drinking a cup of ginger tea … [Read more...]