Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

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...]

Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs with Swiss Chard

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Breakfast is a necessity for me, specifically one that consists of high protein and a few veggies. I have mentioned this before, here, and here. My go-to breakfast is 2 eggs, either hardboiled the previous night, or sunny side up or scrambled the morning of. Although eggs are packed with healthy fats such as Omega 3s and loaded with high quality protein, they tend to lack the fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants that fruit and veggies offer. Usually after eating a hardboiled egg for breakfast I … [Read more...]

Italian Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (GF)

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  Meatloaf; you either love it or you hate it. Am I right? I have never been particularly fond of it. The recipes I always have tried seemed to turn out either too dry or bland. To be honest meatloaf makes me think of a hamburger gone wrong. I recently changed my tune about meatloaf when I watched a video that Dani Spies at Clean and Delicious made—btw I love her site, you must check it out. The video was about turkey meatloaf muffins. Don’t give me that disgusted, confused … [Read more...]

Grain-Free Chocolate Cupcakes + 1 Year Blogiversary

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Hey, hey Robust Recipes! Happy Birthday! I can’t believe you’re one year old today! One year ago I launched Robust Recipes. I can’t believe how fast my baby is growing up. Phew, I made it to one year of posting blogs, at least two times a week. It has been my dream to be a food blogger for several years. I have always had a love affair with food, especially healthy, homemade food. My need to share my recipes with others has always been strong. You may not know this about me: I had been … [Read more...]

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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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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...]