Healthy Chocolate Fudge Pie

8pm hit and the sweet tooth was at it again! Thankfully, this delicious chocolatey pie was able to do the trick. It was easy to make, and is also healthy because it's made of tofu! Yes, you read that right- T O F U.

Ingredients:
- Package of firm tofu
- 1 1/3 cup dark chocolate pieces
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon skim milk
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- pie crust (optional)

Directions:
- Melt the chocolate
- Combine everything (minus the crust) into a food processor or blender and blend until very smooth
- Pour into the pie crust or if you don't want a crust, then any foil like container
- Place in fridge and let sit for a couple hours. The longer it is in there, the firmer it will get

Enjoy plain, or with a scoop of Greek yogurt and berries on top!

Cheers!

Chocolate Walnut Muffins made from Oats and Greek Yogurt

As you might assume, I love oats. They are a healthy and easy substitute for almost any recipe. In this certain recipe, I used them to make chocolate walnut muffins! They were delicious- you wouldn't have guessed they were healthy!

Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup oats
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup sugar substitute OR 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons stevia
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts

Directions:
- preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with either spray or muffin cups
- In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients together except the chocolate and walnuts. Blend until the mixture is smooth
- Place mixture in a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips
- Chop the walnuts
- Place the muffin mix in the pans and sprinkle the chopped up walnuts on top
- Place in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Cheers!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Hey y'all! If you're like me, you enjoy a nice pizza topped with veggies and a simple salad on the side. However, until now, I couldn't find a way to justify eating half a pizza- until now. This recipe is a delicious and crispy pizza crust made from cauliflower! Topped with the right veggies and paired with the right salad, this is a great healthy meal.

Ingredients for the crust:
- 2 cups cauliflower crumbles
- 1/4 sweet onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 1/3 cup almond meal
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper

Ingredients for the topings (optional, can add or take away any of the toppings):
- 1/4 sweet onion
- Red pepper
- kale
- grilled chicken
- mozzarella cheese
- basil


Directions:
- preheat oven to 450 degrees
- chop the onion and garlic cloves thin
- combine the cauliflower with onion and garlic in a blender or food processor. It's easier to do it in batches with 1 cup of cauliflower at a time. Pulse or chop until crumbly, but stop before it becomes a paste
- Stir this mixture together with the almond meal, eggs, and the salt and pepper. If it seems too dry, you can add a little water, or if it seems too wet you can add more almond meal.
- Form into a pizza crust on a cooking sheet that has foil and cooking spray on it
- Bake alone for 20 minutes

Top and bake again:
- While the crust bakes, sautee any veggies you want to top your pizza with
- Remove crust and spread marinara sauce on first, then veggies, and lastly the mozzarella cheese and basil
- Place in the oven again and bake for another 10 minutes

Cheers!

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

My older brother studied abroad in Argentina, and while abroad, he raved about this amazing chimichurri sauce. It is similar to a pesto, and is used as a marinade as well as a sauce for grilled steak, chicken, and other sources of protein. To be honest, I put it atop most of my food when I make it.

It is easy to make, and can be whipped together quickly.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, OR 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 cup olive oil (I used Trader Joes Garlic Olive Oil and the extra garlic it added only heightened the flavor even more)
- 2 tablespoons red or white vinegar (I used red)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Direction:
- Finely chop the parsley, oregano, and garlic. Place in a small bowl
- Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Serve immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerated, return to room temperature before serving. This particular method serves 4.

*I put this atop steak, scallops, and shrimp. I cubed the steak, and mixed in salt, pepper, rosemary, and chopped scallions. I cooked via stovetop, keeping the spices minimal so that it wouldn't take away from the chimichurri sauce. I also cooked the scallops and shrimp the same way.

Cheers!

Strawberry Muffins

I have the biggest sweet tooth ever and these are the perfect fix! I can't decide if they are muffins or cupcakes (what's really the difference anyway).

Whatever they are, they are delicious and so healthy! There is no flour or added sugar, just plain ol' oatmeal and Greek yogurt. The following recipe makes about 12, and I recommend baking in FOIL cups because they will stick to paper.

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups oatmeal (not quick oats)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup strawberries (1 will be used in the mix and the 1/2 will be sprinkled on top)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor (except for the 1/2 cup of strawberries that are to be on top of the muffins/cupcakes) and blend until smooth
- Divide and pour into the foil cupcake liners and sprinkle the diced up strawberry pieces on top
- Bake for 20-25 minutes

*Can also enjoy with Greek yogurt scooped on top for "frosting"

Cheers!

Veggie Wraps with Grilled Shrimp

Raw vegetables are a great way to get the full nutrient value that vegetables have to offer. This is because cooking strips vegetables of some of their nutrients.

These delicious veggie wraps are a great way to incorporate raw vegetables into your daily life! I topped with grilled shrimp to add a little more protein.

Ingredients:
- Romaine lettuce for the wraps
- carrots
- cucumbers
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- radish
- corn
- black beans
- avocado
- mushrooms
- tomatoes (I used roasted tomato)
- shrimp
- balsamic vin

Directions:
- chop all of the vegetables into finely chopped bite size pieces
- sprinkle the vegetables into each wrap evenly
- top with grilled shrimp (I grilled it on the oven in a pan with cooking spray, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary)
- drizzle balsamic vin or any other salad dressing on top (can even add hummus)

It was hard to pick up and eat, but I found it easy to eat cut with a knife and fork.

Cheers!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

Burgers are an all American feast, however after adding all the toppings and bun, let alone the beef itself, they can be really high in calories and fat. I on the other hand LOVE turkey burgers. I feel satisfied and not weighed down. This turkey burger recipe is simple, fast, and the teriyaki gives it a nice flavor.

I paired this dish with a nice caprese salad, roasted vegetables, and caramelized onions and mushrooms. The recipe for the roasted vegetables is also included!

Ingredients for the Teriyaki Turkey Burgers:
- package of ground turkey
- 1 cup oats (instead of bread crumbs)
- 2/3 cups teriyaki sauce
- pepper to taste

Directions for the Teriyaki Turkey Burgers:
- in a large mixing bowl, mash up the ground turkey. Add the teriyaki sauce as well as the oats. Mix well. Add in as much or little pepper as you want.
- Form the meat with all of the mixings into patties (About 5 can be made from a pound)
- Cook in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes

Ingredients for the Roasted Vegetables:
- any and all vegetables you desire! I made this with red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, zucchini, and kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- rosemary to taste
- garlic powder

Directions for the Roasted Vegetables:
- chop all vegetables and mix in a large mixing bowl.
- add the olive oil and rosemary and garlic powder and mix more
- on a large baking sheet, spread foil and spray with cooking spray
- spread the vegetables out evenly and place in the oven at 400 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes

The ground turkey mixed with the teriyaki sauce as well as the oats

Turkey formed into patties (my toasted is also a convection oven)

Final product! Turkey burgers topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms with roasted vegetables on the side, as well as a caprese salad

Cheers!

Shrimp Fajitas

In honor of it being Cinco De Mayo, I wanted to make something a little spicy and fun. I have also been having the weirdest craving for shrimp, thus I decided to combine the two. What I came up with was perfect and hit the spot!

This recipe only serves one! If you're cooking for more, I wouldn't follow the serving sizes listed below

Ingredients:
- shrimp (I bought the frozen shrimp from Trader Joes. It defrosts in minutes!)
- rice
- avocado
- small tomato
- 1/4 sweet onion
- 1/4 cup black beans
- 1/4 cup corn
- 1/4 red pepper
- mushrooms
- handful of corn
- crushed pepper to taste
- chili powder to taste

Directions:
- Cut the onion in slices and brown on the stove top with a cooking spray on a low to medium heat.
- After they have  been browning for about 7 minutes, add the rest of the vegetables (sliced mushrooms, red pepper sliced in slivers, and the kale)
- Add the crushed red pepper and chili powder
- At the same time, heat the corn and beans together and mix with the corn
- Place the shrimp in the stovetop mix very last, and heat for 2 mintues (adding a little more chili powder)
- Once done, add the corn, beans, and rice in a bowl and top with the stove mix and avocado and tomato last
- Enjoy!