Miraculously Stuffed Eggplant

I’ve been living life on the fly a lot recently. For the past decade (or longer) I’ve planned every moment down to the second. Planning certainly has a lot of perks, but it makes our brain think in binary, rigid ways sometimes. In an effort to break out of this more, I’ve been actively trying to seek out spontaneity and go with the flow. I found eggplants on sale the other day, so I bought a few and just decided I would let an idea come–and if not, just chop and freeze them! I think living life without a guide, without a plan, without a recipe can be a great asset when you find yourself getting bogged down in and stressed by the arbitrary details.

Ingredients:

-1 eggplant

-1 bag prepared @miraclenoodle rice

-1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

-2 tsp olive oil

-1 cup cherry tomatoes

-1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, & garlic in a skillet and let simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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2. Cut eggplant in half length wise and roast at 350 for 10 minutes.

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3. Scrape out inside of eggplant and mix the pieces of eggplant “insides” into your skillet of veggies. .

4. Add prepared @miraclenoodle rice to veggie mix and continue stirring.

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5. Stuff both halves of the eggplant with veggie/rice mixture.

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6. Return stuffed eggplants to oven and roast for 7-10 minutes at 375.

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7. Enjoy! Feel free to freeze or use the leftover veggie rice in another dish or as a side dish.

This month use code HANNAHFEB18 for a discount when you order from miracle noodle 🍜

Vegan Sprout Pad Thai

Since moving to California, I’ve seen different varieties of veggies available. We definitely had bean sprouts available in the South, but they are in every grocery store here–which means I was inspired to use them! The key to bean sprouts (in my opinion) is to lightly cook them so they retain their crunchy texture. I came up with this dish one evening when I didn’t want to use the oven and heat up my apartment.

Ingredients:

1 bag Miracle Noodles

1.5 cups bean sprouts

1.5 cups chopped broccoli

3 tbsp Better Body Foods PB Fit (can sub with 1 tbsp peanut butter)

3 tbsp liquid aminos

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1) Prepare @miraclenoodles according to directions on bag.

2) Combine broccoli and bean sprouts in a large bowl.

3) Top bean sprouts and broccoli with hot @miraclenoodles.

4) In a separate bowl, combine PB fit, liquid aminos, garlic, and ginger.

5) Pour mixture evenly over Noodle/veggie mix and toss well.

6) Enjoy hot or cold! I enjoyed mine by wrapping the mixture in sesame seed soy wrappers.

Use code HANNAHAUGUST for a discount when you order from Miracle Noodle.

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What’s your favorite no-oven recipe?

Spaghetti Squash Casserole (GF)

I love coming up with new recipe ideas and I’ve recently been on a Greek yogurt kick. I had a spaghetti squash on hand and opted to make a casserole dish. The Greek yogurt added the perfect creamy, rich texture while keeping it healthy and full of protein! My dad was a huge fan too (he really loved the addition of bacon). 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp egg whites
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 small spaghetti squash
1 tsp minced garlic 
1/4c Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp bacon bits
1 bag Morningstar farms meat substitute 

1) Cook spaghetti squash in microwave; simply microwave at medium power for 4-7 minutes depending on size. I cooked our small one pound squash for about 4 minutes. 

2) Mix together Greek yogurt, egg whites, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and bacon bits until well combined.

3) Sautée Morningstar farms crumbles according to directions on the bag until thoroughly cooked.


4) Cut open the spaghetti squash and scoop out the inside of the squash and shred well with a fork until no big chunks of squash remain.

5) In a large bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti squash and Greek yogurt mixture. After thoroughly mixed, add in the crumbles.


6) Pour the whole mixture into a greased large casserole dish. 


7) Bake for 30-45 minutes at 325. 


Enjoy! This freezes very well so feel free to make a big batch and then freeze one meal portions for lunches or extra busy nights. 


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Have you ever used greek yogurt in a casserole?

  

Brownie Review (+ GIVEAWAY 01/03)

I received some products from Silver Fern Brand to try out and I am so pleasantly surprised! I am always suspicious of health conscious baked good mixes…they are either too dry, have a funky flavor, or include questionable ingredients.

NOT these, my friends! I went with the German Chocolate Brownie Mix in celebration of New Year’s Eve. The mix looked dry at first, but as soon as I tasted the batter…lovestruck. It is full of coconut pieces, pecans, and chocolate.

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Oftentimes gluten free treats taste a little off or different, but you could not tell at all–the texture was exactly like a regular brownie. The batter is definitely a bit thicker, but it only took twelve minutes to bake!

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The finished product:

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Now I don’t often rely on boxed mixes, but with only forty minutes until my New Year’s Eve guests arrived, this came in handy 😉 I would highly recommend this brownie mix, and I’m happy to share that you have your own chance to win a box to try for yourself! In addition to the baking mix or your choosing, you will also win a meal replacement shake mix. Click the Instagram link below for details!

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Click here to enter

Good luck! Do you rely on baking mixes? Or, do you prefer to go the homemade route?

Simple Girl, Simple Ingredients and BBQ Cauliflower

I received a few Simple Girl products to review and I have been going through both bottles like crazy! This brand uses stevia instead of artificial sweeteners and donates to charitable organizations; how much more amazing can they get? As a small business, they really cater to the customer and my package came specially wrapped. They make dressings, sauce, and seasonings. I love the citrus ginger dressing on salads–it tastes fresh and has the perfect hint of lemon-y sweetness.

I have mainly been using the BBQ sauce for dipping, but it also makes a great dressing! Do not expect a sweet BBQ sauce when you order the Carolina Style sauce; it is on the spicy side–exactly how I like it 😉

BBQ sauce is literally going on everything. Roasted cabbage wedge all dolled up with some sauce!

Without further ado, here is the recipe for BBQ Cauliflower!

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash and cut up your head of fresh cauliflower (I used yellow cauliflower)

Spray baking sheet with coconut oil, or oil of choice

Lay cauliflower evenly on pan and toss with salt and pepper

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the florets begin to brown

After the cauliflower has cooled, place the florets in a bowl and toss with 3-4tbsp of Simple Girl Carolina Style BBQ sauce (or any BBQ sauce you have on hand)

Serve and enjoy!

If you want to buy some (and why wouldn’t you..?) here’s their site: http://www.simplegirl.com/