I’m Jackie, a stay at home vegan mommy of one amazing little girl. My daughter, Zoey, is three years old, a huge Disney aficionado and Minnie Mouse super fan. She’s also the most amazing little helper in the kitchen that a mother could ask for, and so she is… my Minnie Chef.
who else is completely obsessed with Mediterranean food?? falafel, hummus, tzatziki, tabouleh and mmmmm the babaganoush.. when the flavors of garlic, lemon and eggplant all come together to form this rich, creamy dip, the result is magical!
i put my own little spin on this version and decided to make it with roasted garlic.. because.. roasted garlic.. YUM! i could eat roasted garlic on in its own, it's so good, but i digress. . .
you all seriously need to make these nachos! like right now! you know those restaurant style nachos that are loaded with shredded, seasoned chicken, refried beans and oozing with melty cheese?? well these are them, but with much better for you ingredients! and here they are just in time for the super bowl 🙌 it doesn't get much better than this!
i am OBSESSED with breakfast tacos/burritos.. pretty much whenever i go to a restaurant for breakfast, you can always count on me ordering a breakfast burrito, but for some reason i just never think to make them at home. then the other morning when i couldn't decide what i wanted to eat for breakfast, my little one suggested i make a burrito! it was the best idea EVER! it ended up turning into a breakfast taco because i made too much stuffing to fill the tortilla, but that's ok because it tasted just as delicious!! and i've been eating them non-stop since!
are tacos not the perfect meal?? you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner... even dessert! i swear i think i could live off tacos.. and it's always taco tuesday in my house. 🙌 these are my new favorite tacos and i can't stop making them or eating them! they've got a little bit of savory, a little bit of heat and a little bit of sweet and the flavors of the sweet, nutty butternut squash and those from the savory beans and creamy, nutty avocado complement each other so well.
what's even better . . .
pad thai is one of my longgggg time favorites! any time i go to a sushi or thai restaurant it's what i order. but it's usually loaded with oil, and making homemade pad thai isn't the ideal for me because finding tamarind paste can be a little difficult, and don't even get me started on the fish sauce! i'm one of those people with a really sensitive sense of smell and there are certain things i avoid like the plague all together because i just can't deal with the smell... think nova and canned tuna.. so yea, the fish sauce in pad thai is something i'm just not down to have in my kitchen. for some reason, i can handle it if it's already cooked into a dish i order at a restaurant, but i once bought a jar to use at home and was completely repulsed! never again. 🙅
you know that iconic smell of the candied nut cart when you walk into a fair or amusement park? that's what my whole house smells like when i make these!
hot candied pecans are one of my all time favorite snacks to get when i see them... or smell them... because it's that smell that i can't resist.. but they are usually loaded with a ton of a sugar. this version tastes IDENTICAL to those you'd get at the parks, only they're made with maple syrup and maple sugar and don't contain any refined sugar--making them just a bit healthier for you!!
these carrots are absolutely divine! they're sweet, savory, slightly salt and tangy and so delicious! to be honest, they're even great raw! this sauce makes a great glaze for roasted carrots or even a great dipping sauce for raw carrot sticks. i could munch on these ALL dayyyy long!
i used a chili infused maple syrup in this recipe and added a dash of cayenne to add just a hint of spice to these. they aren't overwhelming spicy at all, but just have a really nice kick at the end. but if spice isn't your thing . . .
this has been one of my favorite go to meals lately! it's so hearty, satisfying, healthy and so easy to make. i can even make this for lunch in about 5 minutes if i save a half of pre-roasted squash in the fridge from the night before. but this is one of those meals where the oven literally does all the work. cut the squash in half, give it a quick season and throw it in the oven. then just pile on the toppings, plop it back into the oven for another few minutes and enjoy!
nothing gets me as excited about the holiday season as fresh baked gingerbread cookies!! they're one of my favorite cookies all year round, but for some reason, they just taste even better around this time of year. but once i start with the gingerbread cookies, i tend to have a hard time stopping.. ya know what i mean?? so i whipped up some of these to help guiltlessly curb my cravings! these are great because they have all the essential gingerbread flavors, but also offer up . . .
have you ever felt like you just have to have a fresh, warm slice of berry pie?? but really, who has time to bake a berry pie from scratch.. the crust alone would take forever! well, here's the next best thing. and you don't need any fancy tools or ingredients to make this, all you'll need is . . .
if you're doing a holiday meal for a small group, or even just yourself, a great way to save yourself lots of time and energy is to order a pre-made loaf or frozen meal like this Veestro Turk'y Scaloppini dinner and dress it up with some of your own favorite sides and sauces. this meal came with some green beans and sweet potato mash on the side, but thanksgiving meals, in my opinion, are all about the sides . . .
what's not to love about pumpkin spice bread?? even better when it only takes ten minutes and a couple of bowls to make, right?!
usually, around this time of year (well really, pretty much as soon as i can get away with pretending it's fall all the way through christmas) i am ALL about ALL things pumpkin. but this year, for some reason, i haven't really been feeling it as much. maybe it's the weird pregnancy cravings, but i've been so much more into other kinds of squash this season. finally, the other day i got into full on pumpkin mode and had to have some pumpkin spice bread...
