I know what you might be thinking..."a list of basic green salads? BORING."
You know I would never do that to you. If we're eating greens, we're doing it in the most fun, delicious, creative ways possible. Plus, I don't enjoy eating salads all the time myself!
Are you with me? Good.
I have a recipe for literally every meal that packs in some sneaky green veggies and makes that recipe even more amazing. Yes, breakfast, snacks & desserts included! They're the perfect way to trick kiddos (and your picky S.O.) into eating veggies and are options you'll want to make again and again.
Gimme the greens!
Refreshing Pineapple Kale Smoothie
Refreshing pineapple kale smoothie made with five simple ingredients for a wonderful, easy breakfast or snack. Creamy coconut milk gives this vegan pineapple kale smoothie a delicious, tropical flavor you'll love. Add your fav nutritional boosters, mix-ins or toppings!
Ingredients
2 cups loosely packed kale, stems removed (or sub spinach)
1 heaping cup frozen pineapple
1 large frozen ripe banana
3/4 cup coconut milk from the can (or sub whatever milk you’d like), plus more to thin if necessary
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
½ inch hunk fresh peeled ginger, optional
Instructions
In a large high-powered blender, add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined. If necessary, add in more milk to thin the smoothie and blend again. Serves 1.
Vegan Curry Chickpea Salad Collard Wraps
Beautiful vegan curry chickpea salad wraps loaded with rainbow veggies, protein-packed chickpeas, and a flavorful tahini curry dressing all wrapped in a fresh collard wrap. These fresh chickpea collard wraps make the perfect no cook, plant based lunch for busy weeks!
Ingredients
For the wraps:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup shredded carrot (from 1 medium carrot)
1/3 cup tart cherries (or sub chopped Medjool dates or dried cranberries)
1/4 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
For the tahini curry dressing:
3 tablespoons tahini
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for spicy curry flavor!
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1-3 tablespoons water to thin
For the wraps:
4 large collard greens (get as big as you can!)
½ cup shredded red cabbage
¼ cup cilantro
1/4 cup roasted and salted cashews, roughly chopped
Instructions
Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to a large bowl and use a masher or fork to mash most of the chickpeas. Add in diced celery, shredded carrot, tart cherries, cilantro and diced red onion.
In a separate bowl, make the dressing: add tahini, lemon juice, pure maple syrup, curry powder, grated ginger, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt and pepper. Add 1-3 tablespoons of water to thin until a nice creamy consistency. Mix to combine until a creamy dressing forms. Add more water if necessary. I found that somewhere between 2-3 tablespoons is perfect.
Add dressing to the chickpea salad. Stir to combine and coat all the ingredients with dressing. Taste and adjust as necessary. You may want to add more salt and/or pepper.
Place your collard green to a cutting board and cut off the large stems at the bottom. After that you’ll use a knife to thinly shave the remaining stem down so it’s thin and you can easily bend and roll the collard green.
Place a collard leaf on a plate and top with 1/4th of the chickpea salad. Top each with shredded red cabbage, 1 tablespoon of roasted cashews, and extra cilantro. Wrap up like a burrito, folding ends in as you go, then cut the wrap in half if desired and enjoy!
Recipe Notes To store: store any leftover curry chickpea salad or full collard wraps in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Zucchini Mac and Cheese
Deliciously creamy zucchini mac and cheese is the ultimate, healthy comfort food that adds in extra veggies! Make this healthier, easy zucchini mac and cheese for a weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Options to add extra protein and even more veggies, too!
Ingredients
10 ounces dry pasta shells (preferably gluten free)
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk, almond milk or regular milk (from the carton or homemade if you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese)
1 1/2 heaping cups shredded zucchini that’s been squeezed of excess moisture with a paper towel
For topping:
2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and reserved for the topping (or about ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese)
Instructions
First boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and set aside.
While the noodles are boiling, make a slurry: In a large oven safe skillet or pot add butter and place over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in a little bit of the flour and then slowly add in milk, a little bit at a time, alternating with the flour and vigorously whisking away any lumps. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes stirring every so often, until the sauce thickens up similar to a gravy. Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, salt and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper.
Next add in 6 ounces (or about 1 ½ cups) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and stir until completely melted. Finally fold in cooked noodles and shredded zucchini. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED: Top mac and cheese with 2 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese. At this point you can either serve the mac and cheese as is and just fold in the extra cheddar you just added, or remove from heat and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side dish.
Recipe Notes I recommend shredding your own cheese from a block of cheese. It generally melts better! To store: store this healthier zucchini mac and cheese in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days (if it lasts that long!) To reheat: you can reheat it in the microwave to save time, but I would recommend adding it to a lightly oiled baking dish and heating it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F. This will help the mac and cheese get that bubbly cheese factor back without drying out.
Blender Double Chocolate Spinach Muffins
Fluffy gluten free chocolate spinach muffins made with nourishing ingredients like almond flour, hemp hearts, and of course, fresh spinach! These easy chocolate spinach muffins are naturally sweetened, pack in protein & healthy fats and are made right in your blender. An easy and delicious breakfast or snack that’s also great for kids!
Ingredients
3 VERY RIPE medium bananas
3 pasture-raised organic eggs
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups organic spinach
2 cups packed fine blanched almond flour
½ cup unsweetened cacao powder (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder)
½ cup rolled oats, gluten free if desired (or sub 1/4 cup oat flour)
3 tablespoons hemp hearts (or sub chia seeds)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top
For topping:
Fancy Maldon sea salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the bananas, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and spinach to a high powered blender and blend until completely smooth.
Next add in the almond flour, cacao powder, oats, hemp hearts, baking soda and salt; blend until smooth. The batter may be thick, so you might have to use a spatula to push the ingredients down, and blend again. It is best to do this in a high powered blender. Once the batter is smooth, stir in â…“ cup chocolate chips (do not blend).
Scoop or pour batter into prepared muffin liners. Top with a few chocolate chips on each muffin. Bake for 22-27 mins or until the tester comes out clean. When they come out of the oven, sprinkle with a little sea salt. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy! Makes 12 muffins. I love serving these warm with a dollop of nut butter on top.
Recipe Notes To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely then put in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Use ripe bananas. Be sure to use bananas that have lots of brown spots to give the muffins the perfect sweetness and for the muffins to blend properly. Do not use steel cut oats. Rolled oats have a much different consistency than steel cut, so be sure you're using rolled oats. Keep them dairy free. Remember to use dairy free chocolate chips if you need to keep the muffins dairy free!
Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
The BEST healthy zucchini brownies you’ll ever eat are gluten free, paleo, deliciously fudgy and the perfect way to bake with zucchini. These easy, gluten free zucchini brownies are sweetened just with pure maple syrup, coconut sugar and your favorite chocolate chips. Top them with fancy sea salt to make them extra special!
Ingredients
1 medium zucchini shredded and squeezed of excess moisture with a paper towel (1 cup shredded zucchini)
1 large egg
1/2 cup tahini*
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup high quality cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil
â…“ cup chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts
For the topping:
2 tablespoons chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
Fancy sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
First, measure out 1 heaping cup of shredded zucchini, then place shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out all of the moisture/water. This is very important!
Next add in egg, tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla; stir until smooth. Gently stir in cocoa powder into the batter, mixing until well incorporated.
Next add in coconut flour, baking soda, salt and finally the melted coconut oil. Stir until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if you are using).
Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (it should not be completely wet, but a little gooeyness is just fine).
Allow to cool completely. This will be tough, but it’s the best way to make sure the bars stay together perfectly since they will be moist.
Once ready for the chocolate drizzle: Add 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted.
Drizzle over zucchini brownies. Sprinkle with a little fancy sea salt (trust me, it’s good!). Cut into 16 squares.
Recipe Notes To sub tahini: Instead of tahini, feel free to use almond butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter. I would not recommend peanut butter because it throws off the flavor. Tahini is best though and I have only tested the recipe using tahini. To make it vegan: I recommend using 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water). Let it sit in fridge for 5 minutes before using in recipe.
I hope these recipes make you reconsider how you think about eating your greens!
If you make any of these recipes, let me know how you liked the result!! :)
Be Intentionally Well (and eat your greens)
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