Recipe: Collard breakfast wraps (An easy way to eat more vegetables)

Though I've yet to write about them (I know), one of my big goals for 2017 is to get back on the health bandwagon. The second half of last year came with its fair share of struggles, and in the face of added stress coming from all angles, my eating habits suffered and working out became a distant memory, so much so that when I finally did get back in the gym everything felt completely foreign. I started out this month thinking I'd create my intentions right away, but as it drew on, it became clear that January is more of a transitional month for me. In the past I've done Whole 30s, or given up alcohol, etc starting January 1st, but this time around it's been crucial for me to take this time to set myself up for the coming year. First thing's first, getting back to the style of eating that makes me feel my best! Which equals tons of vegetables and fresh things and lots of color. I'm gearing up for a strict Whole 30 in February, so to prepare, I've been cutting back on grains and gluten, which make me feel bloated and sluggish in the first place, and on processed foods and white sugar while working to remind myself how much I love all things fresh.

I've found that one of the easiest ways to start the day off right is with breakfast. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day -- coffee literally is what gets me out of bed in the morning -- so on the weekends and when I'm working from home (meaning: when I don't have to wake up at 5) I try to design the meal so it includes lots of fresh veggies and a little fruit. I've found that if I start my day focusing on health, with a lot of water and lots of fresh things, the rest of the day is more likely to follow suit. This has been a go-to lately, so I thought I'd share! Collard greens are my favorite bread, tortilla and wrap replacement, they're sturdy, super crunchy and packed with vitamins and micronutrients (hello vitamin A). Unlike butter lettuce and romaine, collard greens don't disintegrate under heavier fillings, so there's way less mess. I like to cut up a bunch of veggies on Sunday to use as salad fixings and collard wrap fillings throughout the week, which makes assembly super fast and easy.

Collard Green Breakfast Tacos
[makes 2]

1/2 large collard green leaf, washed, with center vein removed and cut into 2 pieces
1-2 eggs (tofu scramble also works!)
Coconut oil or ghee
Purple cabbage (sliced)
Radish (sliced)
Cilantro (sliced)
Green onion (sliced)
Avocado (sliced)
Hot sauce
Nutritional yeast

Scramble eggs in coconut oil until done. Divide in two and place on collard leaf pieces. Top with veggies, hot sauce and nutritional yeast.

The Perfect Cocktail for Mother's Day Brunch

Sure, you could give your mom flowers today, to honor her and all that she’s done for you on Mother’s Day… or you could whip up an incredible brunch while she leisurely sips a really good cocktail. Your choice. Tamworth Garden Flora Gin, the latest offering from my friends at Tamworth Distilling, is like the macaroni necklace of your youth, but way better… or perhaps it’s closer akin to the flowers you planned to have delivered, but just couldn’t decide on a bouquet? Either way, this floral-infused spirit will make the perfect centerpiece for your Mother’s Day plans. Imbued with last summer’s wildflowers, Flora gives off the aroma of lemon verbena, geranium and grapefruit, making it the perfect base for a crisp and refreshing greyhound cocktail, and the ideal drink to enjoy with the woman who gave you life while you pry family secrets from her (just kidding… but really). Combined with rosemary-infused simple syrup — which makes a gorgeous gift all its own — this beautiful cocktail is spring in a glass, no April showers in sight. Happy Mother's Day to all the mama's out there, and to everyone else, happy Sunday!

Rosemary Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

3 sprigs fresh rosemary, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1 cup filtered water

Place rosemary sprigs in a resealable jar of bottle. In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar and water and heat on low the sugar is dissolved. Pour the sugar water over the rosemary sprigs and allow to cool.

Rosemary Flora Greyhound 
Makes 1

Ingredients:

4 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz rosemary syrup
2 oz Tamworth Garden Flora Gin
Club soda
Ice

Fill a small glass with ice. Add grapefruit juice, rosemary syrup, and Flora Gin. Top off with club soda and garnish with grapefruit and rosemary. Enjoy!

This post was originally published here as part of my work for the Free People Blog

3 Easy Vegan Cheesecake Recipes (That Don't Taste Vegan, Promise)

Personally, I have a lot of love for February 14th. While, yes, one would hope we're expressing our love for friends, family, and maybe a special someone all year round, there's something to be said for a day crafted expressly for saying those three little words. Think of it as a bright pink heart-shaped reminder in the middle of an often cold, bleak season to slow down and do something sweet for the ones you care about most.

I come from a long line of people -- men and women alike -- who show their love through cooking. A special meal, a favorite dessert -- the time taken to nourish the ones you love with whole, real ingredients - a simple, quiet and meaningful way to wear your heart on your sleeve. An action that speaks so much louder than any material gift, especially when material gifts are sparse. While I'm quick to write myself off as the most basic of cooks, without totally realizing it, I picked up on this tradition through my love of baking. I love dreaming up which treats I'll give out for holidays and special occasions, and begin planning out my husband's birthday cake (or pie, or tart) months before I've even celebrated my own. If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate love this Sunday, why not take a page from my family tradition and find your way straight to your Valentine's heart with something sweet, beautiful and secretly healthy.

Something like cheesecake.

Have you ever met a dessert quite so indulgent as cheesecake? Dense, deeply flavored, easily customized, it's long been a favorite of mine for special occasions, especially Valentine's Day. I have fond memories of the variety my mother makes, studded with candied ginger and lemon rind, towering at three inches tall. However, traditional cheesecake -- while undeniably delicious (I could go on and on about it, clearly) -- isn't what you'd call "nourishing" in any sense of the word. But after getting my hands on some raw chocolate goodness from Rawmio, I felt inspired to whip up a raw vegan version of my favorite treat -- actually, I love you so much I made three versions. Chock full of antioxidants, thanks to the raw chocolate and berries, and filled with essential vitamins and minerals, thanks to the activated nuts, dates and seeds, the vegan cheesecake recipe below is sure to convey your fondness for the lucky ones you present it to.

Use the base as a jumping off point, then decide which version you'd like to make. Or, split up the batter into three bowls and make all three at once. Because there's no oven involved, it's easy to take this in whichever direction you'd like! Note: this makes one large cheesecake or three to four small ones.

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups raw dates, pits removed

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup walnuts (or any other nut)

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

For the double chocolate crust: Mix 2 tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder into the crust before pressing into pan.

For the vanilla base:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours (this softens the cashews, so they can be pureed and activates the nuts, drawing out their nutrition)

2 packages silken tofu

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon zest

Tools:

9-inch springform pan OR 3-4 small 4-inch springform pans

Large food processor or high speed blender

Parchment paper

Raspberry Raw Chocolate Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped raw chocolate (I used Rawmio's Simply Hemp Raw Chocolate Bark) and fresh raspberries.

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients + 2 tbsp chopped raw chocolate or raw cacao in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 3 tbsp raw cacao and 1 tsp peppermint extract in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust (to make the swirl, reserve 1/4 cup of plain filling and swirl with a toothpick into the top of the chocolate mixture) and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped raw chocolate or Rawmio's Mint Chocolate Hearts and fresh mint.

Ginger Blueberry Cheesecake:

Line the bottom of the pan or pans with parchment paper by tracing the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cutting out the shape.

Place all crust ingredients + 1 tsp grated ginger in the food processor and pulse until crumbed. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Rinse out the processor. Place all filling ingredients + 1 tbsp chopped fresh or candied ginger in the processor and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust and place in the freezer until completely set, about 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh blueberries.

This post originally ran here as part of my full-time work with Free People

+ All of the Rawmio treats mentioned in this post are on sale for 25% off on www.rawguru.com through 2/14!

Gluten Free Sour Cherry & Ginger Scones

The one problem with going on "vacation" to your mom's house? Being wrangled into picking the year's crop of sour cherries at 7am on a Sunday while still in your pajamas. The reward, you know, besides spending quality time with your mom, being the return home with a pound of perfectly red cherries. Tiny, tart, and bright red, sour cherries have a short season at the end of June through beginning of July depending on where you are in the country. They're not as sour as you'd think and lend themselves well to just about everything - sauces, pies, jams, baked goods - but especially sweet things where their tartness has something to play against. The crop this year was impressive and a few days later I made my way home with pot full of them sitting in my passenger's seat and no ideas in my head on how to use them other than straight up eating them, which, you know, I did happily. After some deliberating I landed on scones because I was craving something cake-like but not too sweet... and hence, these gluten-free oat scones were born. Like their brethren the zucchini bread, I recommend eating these warm with plenty of grassfed butter (I like Kerrygold) and an inappropriately large mug of coffee. Because why not.

Gluten Free Sour Cherry & Ginger Scones

1 cup oat flour (use a coffee grinder to make your own from rolled oats)

1 cup oats

1/3 cup coconut sugar

2 + 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

Generous pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup solid coconut oil or chilled grassfed butter

1 egg

2 tbsp almond milk

1 cup pitted sour cherries (read tips below)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup almond flour or extra oat flour, for dusting

Tools: Baking sheet, parchment paper, large bowl, small bowl, pastry cutter or fork

Before you do anything, pit the cherries. You can use a cherry pitter, but I've found the fastest, least wasteful, and easiest way is to just squeeze out the pits over a bowl. Place the cherries in the bowl with any juice that may squeeze out and toss the pits in a cup before discarding.

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the oat flour, oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, ginger, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Use a fork to cut in the solid oil or cold butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Whisk the egg and almond milk together in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the cherries and the grated ginger.

Dust a cutting board with some almond flour or extra oat flour and turn out the dough. Pat the dough into two large hockey pucks and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

Remove from the oven and, while still warm, carefully cut into sections with a sharp knife. Cool on a wire rack (or eat immediately, I won't blame you if you do). Enjoy!

Shop my ceramic French press here

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

Remember how great it felt to be signed out of school early? Seeing the world as it existed mid-day, like you were getting away with something when, really, you were probably off to see the doctor or dentist. Zucchini bread will always remind me of that feeling. Ritual is a funny thing. We all have ours, whether we're aware of them or not, they sneak their way into our subconscious, begging to be repeated or calling to mind certain deep-seeded memories. When I was a kid, from middle school and on through high school, whenever my mom would need to pick me up mid-day, we'd always stop at the same country store for a juice and a slice of their homemade zucchini bread.

With zucchini season here, I felt inspired on a recent Sunday to recreate this old favorite using (I'm assuming) healthier ingredients. Oat flour is my favorite gluten-free, whole-food flour to bake with these days and while it doesn't work with every recipe, it was perfect for this recipe. Combined with the applesauce, it made for a super moist and dense quickbread that just begged to be toasted and covered with good quality butter. Chris even liked it, which is saying something. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

1 cup grated zucchini, packed (about 1 small-ish zucchini)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp grated fresh orange peel

1  3/4 cups oat flour (to make oat flour, place oats in a blender or coffee grinder and blend until powdered)

1/2 cup dry sweetener (sugar, coconut sugar)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

generous pinch of salt

1/4 cup raisins (optional, you could also try adding nuts or chocolate chips)

Sunflower seeds

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom and sides of a loaf pan. Line the bottom with a square of parchment paper and sprinkle in a few sunflowers seeds.

2. Add all wet ingredients to your food processor and pulse until well mixed.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients, except for raisins and sunflower seeds.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Toss in the raisins and mix lightly.

5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle sunflower seeds over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm and slathered in (preferably grass fed) butter (I like Kerrygold but really, any kind of butter will do).

Easy Chia Breakfast Bowl

Can we all agree that breakfast is the best meal? After a particularly rough day, sometimes I even fall asleep anticipating what I'll make for myself the following morning. It sets the tone. I've been on a smoothie kick since the start of the year, I love experimenting with them and tweaking my recipes to make them the healthiest I can. But...

...Woman can not exist on smoothies alone, and there are days when I crave something different. I almost always have a simple chia pudding in the fridge, usually just to add a scoop to my smoothies, but on a recent weekend morning I found myself craving something akin to oatmeal... but not oatmeal... and so this chia breakfast bowl was born:

Easy Chia Breakfast Bowl

for the chia pudding:

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

shake or two of cinnamon, ginger, & tumeric

for the breakfast bowl:

Large scoop chia pudding

Splash of unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop hemp protein powder

1 ripe banana, cut in half

Toppings: berries, toasted coconut, mango, sunflower seeds, etc.

You can make the chia pudding a few days in advance, but be sure to prepare it at least the night before. Add all ingredients for the pudding to a mason jar, close the lid tightly, and shake. Place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning the pudding should be very thick. Add a large scoop of the chia pudding to your blender with a splash of unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of protein powder, and half the banana. Blend until smooth and creamy, it should be the consistency of Greek yogurt. Top with the other half of the banana, nuts, seeds, and whatever else you have in the pantry. Enjoy!