Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Pumpkin-Spiced Chia Seed Pudding Topped with Pecan Crunch

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‘Tis the season for pumpkin pie. Who doesn’t love a nice creamy, pumpkin-y, perfectly spiced slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day? If you are not a pumpkin pie fan, I am not sure that we can be friends anymore. KIDDING! Kidding. I love pumpkin pie so much that I begin to crave it way before Thanksgiving. To make a pie that serves 8 when there are only two of us to eat it is not the best idea. Those leftover slices would be calling my name every time I walked into the kitchen. And I walk … [Read more...]

Buffalo Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce (GF)

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  It is rearing towards the last bit of fall.  The last bit of fall means one thing here in Iowa. Colder weather! Yup, the high for today is 27 degrees. I am even watching some flurries fall from the sky as I am typing this. I have officially busted out my sweaters, winter coats, and scarves. Actually, to a lot of people the fall season means football season. Although football is not a big event in our household, I know it is a favorite pastime for many. Although football is not my … [Read more...]

Cranberry Chia Seed Jam (GF)

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  I am officially at the start of preparing and planning for the holiday season. I have begun to dream of Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts. Thanksgiving is a food blogger’s favorite holiday! It is all about feasting on a spread of delicious food. Oh, yeah, guess there is that whole giving thanks thing, and of course the spending-time-with-your family ordeal. I kid, I kid! However, everyone does gather around the table for lively conversation, catching up, and the scrumptious … [Read more...]

Greek Sweet Potato Boats

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After my recent post of Roasted Coffee Sweet Potato Dessert Fries Drizzled with Dark Chocolate, you know how I feel about sweet potatoes. Especially when enjoyed as a dessert. Aaaaamazing! I have kind of been obsessed with sweet potatoes lately. I have been enjoying them as a side dish. I have found that I usually am more excited about the sweet potato side dish rather than the main event. So, I ask you, why not make sweet potatoes the star of the dish? There is no good reason not to. So, … [Read more...]

Two-Ingredient Homemade Almond Butter

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The first time I experienced store-bought almond butter it was very gritty. It was then and there that I decided I would stick to my smooth and creamy peanut butter. That was until I discovered that almond butter is super easy to make yourself! All you need is a little patience. Okay maybe a lot of patience. That patience is well worth it. The result is an ultra smooth and creamy, luscious butter that is bursting with sweet and nutty almond flavor. The first time I made almond butter It … [Read more...]

Cauliflower Balls Stuffed with Cheese

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Have you heard of cauliflower pizza crust? The idea is to make a healthy, low-carb, gluten-free option for pizza crust. Sounds like an ingenious idea, especially since cauliflower is a vegetable, right? Wrong! I have tried making it about 3 times. Each time I have been disappointed in how the consistency of the crust holds up. The toppings fall right off, the crust crumbles, and you have to use a fork to eat it. I believe that you should always be able to eat pizza with your hands, … [Read more...]

Pumpkin Seed Mayan Dark Chocolate Bark

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Halloween is just around the corner! Do you have your pumpkins carved and your costumes picked out yet? Since we just bought our first house in June, we don’t have very many Halloween decorations, but I am ecstatic to have a front stoop to display our Jack-O-Lanterns on! One of my favorite parts about carving pumpkins as a kid was, of course, the food. I loved it when my mom roasted the pumpkin seeds with some sea salt. They turned from these gooey, slimy guts of the pumpkin  into these … [Read more...]

Curried Pumpkin Soup

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  Pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkins! We are all about pumpkins these days, mostly pumpkin-spiced desserts and lattes. Last week I joined in on the pumpkin mania by making my Pumpkin Bars with Honey- Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting. They hit the spot! Today I am adding a savory recipe to our pumpkin recipe collection! Why do I dare stray away from pumpkin-spiced desserts? Because our poor little orange squash friend has been sweetened and turned into every dessert possible. It has … [Read more...]

Mushroom, Kale, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Acorn Squash

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    Nothing screams fall-time like squash. It begins to pop up everywhere in grocery stores, at farmer’s markets, at orchards. I become giddy when I see it at the store. My eyes get big, my mouth starts watering, and my stomach begins to growl. When I see it on sale I begin to load it into my cart with 2 of each variety. Sometimes I contemplate 3 of each. No Joke. When I was a kid I hated squash. I only remember having it once a year at Thanksgiving. It was orange, and mushy, … [Read more...]

Pumpkin Bars with Honey Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting (GF)

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  Pumpkin recipes are officially in full swing! First I made my DIY Pumpkin Puree, and now I present these scrumptious Pumpkin Bars with Honey-Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting. This recipe was actually requested by a good friend of mine once she saw my DIY Pumpkin Puree post last week. I was happy to oblige; what is not to love about pumpkin bars? They are pretty much a pumpkin spiced cake with cream cheese frosting. They are great for parties because they are easy to transport and can … [Read more...]