Homemade Wheat Tortilla Chips

Did you know that you can make your own tortilla chips right at home? Well…you can make your own tortilla chips right at home. Hence, why I made these Homemade Wheat Tortilla Chips.

It’s fairly simple to do. It doesn’t require a whole ton of time and only calls for THREE INGREDIENTS. Tortillas, salt, and oil are all you need. Although store bought chips may add a bit more flavorings and seasonings, you can control how much salt goes onto your chips if you make them on your own.

This recipe works just as well if you use flour tortillas. It doesn’t have to be wheat. This is just what I had in my pantry at the time of creating this recipe.

I found that I had to watch out for these very close while in the oven. I made a first batch which burned. Epic fail! The second batch I learned that these cook up pretty fast, and the sweet time is usually about 5-7 minutes in the oven before they’re ready to be taken out.

These are great with salsa or any of your favorite kind of dip. I think if I ever feel like some chips, I like knowing I can make my own.

Homemade Wheat Tortilla Chips

Make your own tortilla chips using this simple recipe using only three ingredients.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 10 mins
Course: Appetizer | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chips, Homemade, Tortilla, Tortilla Chips
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
8 wheat or flour tortillas
1/2 tbsp salt to taste
capful of olive oil or cookie spray
1 tsp lime juice

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Take your tortillas and cut into little triangles
3. On a baking sheet, lay each tortilla chip flatly and spray with cooking oil on both sides
4. Pour just a little of lime juice over top and then sprinkle on your salt
5. Add to oven and bake for approximately 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully
6. Once tortilla chips are crisp, remove from oven and allow to cool
7. Serve with your favorite salsa or dip!

Pulled BBQ Mushroom Sandwich

For this week we are serving up Pulled BBQ Mushrooms Sandwiches. I shared this recipe last week to my Insta Story and you guys wanted to know more details on how I created this meatless Pulled BBQ Pork sandwich using mushrooms.

Most recipes that recreate this dish often use jackfruit or heart of palm. Either would work great here! But, I LOVE mushrooms and decided that I wanted to use shiitake mushrooms instead.

To recreate this dish, instead of shredding these mushrooms I bought them purchased already sliced and shredded. All I had to do was give them a good rinse, sautee in the frying pan, and top with my favorite BBQ sauce.

I would recommend using a smoky flavored sauce. BBQ sauce comes in a ton of different flavors, and you can choose any to your liking. But for me, I found that a smoky flavor is what resembled the Pulled BBQ Pork sandwich the most if you’re going for that taste.

Top this off with your favorite toppings. I used onions and slaw, but you can load anything on top of here. Pickles would do just as well with a toasted bun.

Pulled BBQ Mushroom Sandwiches

This Pulled BBQ Mushroom Sandwich is drowned with a hickory smoke BBQ sauce on a toasted bun.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 20 mins
Course: Lunch, Main Course | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Mushrooms, Sandwiches, Vegetarian
Serving Size: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
1 16 oz. Pack of Shredded Shiitake Mushrooms
1/3 cup Diced Yellow Onions
1 cup Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Cole Slaw and pickles for optional toppings

Instructions
1. In a frying pan over medium to high heat, add your mushrooms and diced onions until slightly tender
2. Once mushrooms and onions are slightly tender, add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to stir
3. Pour over top your favorite BBQ sauce and stir until everything is coated
4. Allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until BBQ sauce begins to stick
5. Taking a large spoonful, serve over top a toasted bun with your choice of toppings

Italian Lentil Meatballs

I’ve been a role lately with creating mock meat recipes. Last week, I created a Black Bean and Corn Veggie Burger. Although it was a bit of trial and error, I figured out the right combo to get it to stick. This week, I decided to create Italian Lentil Meatballs.

I’ve cooked with lentils before, but I sparingly use them. Lentils have an interesting texture in my opinion, and I didn’t know how else to prepare them aside from a wrap or toppings for a salad. So, I wanted to give meatballs a try.

Lentils are the perfect meat substitute. They’re legumes, but also a great source of protein. With this meatball recipe, you can pair it however you like. Whether in a bowl of gravy or with your favorite spaghetti dish. I chose to add a store bought pasta sauce with mine that turned out pretty well with these lentil meatballs.

To keep this recipe simple, I went with adding cooked white rice instead of bread crumbs to hold the lentil meatballs together. You can also use quinoa instead of rice if you like.

I also used a healthy helping of chopped red onions. This helped to give it so much flavor without having to rely on several different ingredients. All I used were salt, Italian Seasoning Blend, red onions, and of course…lentils.

Italian Lentil Meatballs

This vegetarian friendly Italian Lentil Meatballs pairs perfectly with your spaghetti dish packing a ton of flavor.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Total Time: 30 mins
Course: Main Course | Cuisine: American, Italian, Vegetarian
Keyword: Lentil Meatballs, Lentils, Meatballs, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 meatballs

Ingredients
1 cup Lentils
1/2 cup cooked white or brown rice
1/3 cup chopped red onions
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp olive oil for cooking

Instructions
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add in your lentils. Allow to boil until tender
2. Using a food processor or fork, mash your lentils until a grounded consistency
3. In a mixing bowl add your mashed lentils, cooked rice, chopped red onions, Italian Seasoning, and salt and pepper and mix everything together
4.Take a large spoonful of the grounded mixture and begin forming medium sized meatballs in the palm of your hands
5.In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add a small bit of olive oil for cooking
6. Gently add your meatballs to the frying pan, allowing each side to cook until a crisp outer crust begins to form
7. Remove meatbals from heat, and enjoy with your choice of sauce!

Notes
You can use red onion or yellow onions if you like
You can use any other type of oil, just as long as you have something to coat the pan
You don’t have to use rice. You can also use breadcrumbs or quinoa if you prefer

Raspberry Watermelon Spinach Smoothie

I’ve been really killing it with adding spinach to my smoothies. I feel pretty confident that I’ve finally figured it out. When I made this Raspberry Watermelon Spinach Smoothie, I was amazed at how well it turned out.

My main concern with mixing red fruit and spinach together was that it would turn into this ugly reddish brown color. To me, the color can be a bit off putting. But, I think combining the raspberry and watermelon created a rich color that looks super delicious.

And delicious it was! The sweetness from the watermelon and the tartness from the raspberry is what really made this smoothie enjoyable. But it was also extremely refreshing that I forgot spinach was even in it.

So why did I add watermelon? Truth is, it was about to go bad. I needed a way of eating the watermelon in bulk and blending it up into a smoothie seemed like the perfect way to go about using it. I’m sure the smoothie would have tasted just as fine without it. But, I think the watermelon is what really helped to kill down the bitter taste of the raspberry.

If you don’t want to use watermelon, give strawberries or cherries a try. Both are equally as sweet and rich in antioxidants. The downside, however, could be not choosing a sweet strawberry or cherry. You may end up with a tart tasting smoothie. But, you could always add honey if you need to sweeten it up a bit.

Raspberry Watermelon Spinach Smoothie

Combing all of the se best flavors of summer in this raspberry watermelon and spinach smoothie.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 5 mins
Course: Smoothies | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast Smoothie, Raspberry, Smoothies, Spinach, Watermelon
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup watermelon chunks
1 large handful spinach
1 cup coconut water
1/2 tbsp honey

Instructions
1. Add all ingredients into your blender
2. Blend for 45 seconds or until a smooth consistency is reached
3. Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy

Tofu Avocado Breakfast Wrap

When I created this Tofu Avocado Breakfast Wrap, it was because I was craving bacon. Although I indulge every once in a while with turkey bacon, I wanted a breakfast option that I could grab and go for the next few days.

I didn’t want turkey bacon for the next 3-4 days, so I decided to use tofu instead.

I’ve featured some meals using tofu before. You can see in my post on How To Cook Tofu that I use a fairly simple process. But, for this Tofu Avocado Breakfast Wrap I tried a different approach to preparing the tofu.

Instead of cutting into small cubes, I sliced them into strips. I didn’t spend as much time draining or pressing the excess moisture from the tofu, but I found that allowing the tofu to marinade overnight really helped to give it a lot of flavor.

Building the breakfast wrap isn’t complicated. You don’t need step by step instruction on what to do with it. It’s sort of like tacos. You put in it what you want. But, I will include what I used specifically to season the tofu.

Tofu Avocado Wrap

This Tofu Avocado Breakfast Wrap is perfect for the make ahead breakfast option. Packed with protein and healthy fats, you can't get enough of it.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 15 mins
Course: Breakfast | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Avocado, Breakfast, Breakfast Wrap, Tofu, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients
Tofu Bacon Marinade
1 pack extra firm tofu
1 cup liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey

Breakfast Wrap
1 burrito tortilla
2 scrambled eggs
1/2 avocado (sliced)
mayonnaise (optional)
shredded four cheese blend

Instructions
Tofu Bacon
1. Remove tofu from package and cut into thin slices
2. Lay out on a baking sheet using a paper towel to light absorb excess moisture
3. In a separate container, combine your ingredients for the marinade
4. Gently place tofu strips in container and allow to sit for at least 2 hours or overnight
5. Once tofu has sat in marinade, add to frying pan and allow to cook for 5-10 on each side or until tofu is a darkened brown

Breakfast Wrap
1. Taking a large burrito tortilla, apply a thin layer of mayonnaise or any dressing to your preference
2. Add scrambled eggs, tofu bacon, half an avocado, and shredded cheese to tortilla
3. Roll tortilla into a burrito, fitting all ingredients inside
4. Cut in half and enjoy!

Smashburger Restaurant Review

For my third restaurant review, I want to take you all with me to Smashburger.

Smashburger is a fairly popular burger restaurant; hence the name Smash and Burger. There’s only one here in the Charleston area located in the town of Summerville which is a few miles out of Charleston.

My husband suggested going here for lunch after we saw a movie. The restaurant is located in a shopping square so there’s a ton going on in the area. You can shop, go to a movie, grab FROYO…it’s a pretty cool location to have this restaurant.

I ordered their standard Black Bean Burger. Obviously Smashburger is widely known for its grass-fed angus beef patties, but they do serve this option as well. The only downside is that you can’t customize the black bean burgers.

Taking a look at their menu, they offer such a wide range of toppings and flavors for their beef patties. You can get an avocado, mushroom, spicy jalopeno. With the black bean you only get lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. Which, don’t get me wrong, I love the classic burger toppings. I would have liked if I could jazz up the Black Bean Burger in the same fashion as the beef patties.

How Did It Taste Though?

The Black Bean Burger tasted pretty good. I’ve had some bland veggie burgers, and this one wasn’t. It had the right amount of seasoning and it wasn’t dry. It didn’t taste like a mock-meat burger like Gardein, but it definitely tasted like a black bean burger.

All of the burger are paired with your choice of fries, sweet potatoes fries, or tots. I opted for the tots. Now, the tots were very good.

I know you’re thinking, “Well you can’t go too wrong with tots.” But, I really appreciated that it was crunchy and crispy. Trust me, I’ve had some soggy tots before and it isn’t good.

I would come back here. It’s a nice place. I think next time I’d like to explore their shakes as well. I haven’t had a great burger and shake in a while!

Crunchy Cauliflower Tacos

I’m guilty. I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while. Things got a little busy on my end and I didn’t have time to recalculate what exactly I did to create these crunchy cauliflower tacos.

Tacos are such an easy meal to prepare. There really isn’t a right or wrong measurement to this recipe. It’s simply adding whatever toppings you like on your tacos. I will say, however, that I used the same seasoning for my cauliflower that was used on my Vegetarian Fajita Pasta.

If you’re not a huge fan of spicy, I would recommend cutting down on the chili seasoning. But this time around, I enjoyed the crunchiness of the cauliflower and the spiciness from the seasoning that was used.

I like to top my tacos off with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, and taco sauce. You could also throw some mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and avocado to make this a loaded taco.

Crunchy Cauliflower Tacos

Flavor packed crunchy cauliflower tacos make the perfect easy to make dinner or lunch.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 28 mins
Course: Lunch, Main Course, Vegetables | Cuisine: American, Mexican, Vegetarian
Keyword: Cauliflower, tacos
Servings: 3 tacos per serving

Ingredients
1 small head of cauliflower
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
lettuce, tomatos, avocado, sour cream optional toppings

Instructions
1. In a small mixing bowl, take you spices and mix evenly together
2. Cut your cauliflower head into small florets
3. In a frying pan, add a little vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan tossing your cauliflower florets
4. Add in your seasoning mix with a small amount of water and stir together
5. Allow cauliflower to simmer or until fork tender and spices stick to cauliflower
6. Remove from heat and build your taco

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Can you believe that we’re already at the end of July? Man this summer is flying by. But, the cookouts are still rolling.

My husband and I love throwing gatherings. This past weekend we decided to invite a few friends over. Nothing over the top. Just a nice time out with friends. We served your usual cookout food, but I wanted to serve a different appetizer.

Usually I’d go with Deviled Eggs or make Pasta Salad, but this time I created a Buffalo Chickpea Dip. In other words, it’s a fancier version of hummus.

This Buffalo Chickpea Dip is basically a meatless recreation of buffalo chicken dip. The major differences is that I didn’t use chicken and I opted out of the extra layer of cheese (shocking..I know).

But like most of my recipes, there is no right or wrong way to do it. You can add cheese or you can top with cilantro instead of parsley.

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

This Buffalo Chickpea Dip is a great meatless version of your Buffalo Chicken Dip. Perfect for any party.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 15 mins
Course: Appetizer, Snack | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Appetizer, Buffalo Chickpea, Chickpeas, Dip
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 15 oz. canned chickpeas
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 tsp crushed parsley for topping
1/3 cup shredded four cheese blend optional

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Rinse and drain your canned chickpeas
3. In a food processor or blend, grind chickpea until a smooth consistency
4. In a mixing bowl add your chickpeas, hot sauce, and ranch dressing. Mix until everything is evenly mixed
5. Add your dip into a baking dish or bowl. Sprinkle cheese over top
6. Allow to bake for approximately 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted
7. Let cool for a few minutes before serving

Blueberry Cinnamon Overnight Oats

It’s been a long time since I featured an overnight oats recipe on the site. Trust me. I still eat them all the time, but because I prepare them the night before it’s been a challenge remembering to take photos the following morning.

The last overnight oat recipe I shared was my Blueberry Overnight Oats. So what makes this one different from the last?

As a warning, if you are not a fan of cinnamon…THIS AIN’T THE RECIPE FOR YOU. I was very generous with adding cinnamon to this classic breakfast. I feel it gave it a cinnamon roll/bun or maybe a Bo’ Berry Biscuit from Bojangles type of taste.

Overnight oats are very simple to create. You take your oats, add your milk, add whatever sweetner and spices, top it with fruit, and place it in the fridge to do all the work on its own. It literally takes less than five minutes to make. You can either eat it cold as is, or warm it up the following morning.

I personally prefer my overnight oats cold. I know it sounds tabboo to have cold oatmeal, but trust me…it is bomb.

What I like the most about this blueberry cinnamon overnight oats is that the cinnamon and blueberry pair so well together. Unlike the last bluberry overnight oat, I didn’t use a yogurt to sweeten this up. Instead, I used a cinnamon flavored sugar. However, you can always use honey, maple syrup, or not include a sweetner at all.

Blueberry Cinnamon Overnight Oats

This overnight oat recipe is the perfect grab and go breakfast
Prep Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 5 mins
Course: Breakfast | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Banana, Breakfast, Cinnamon, Overnight Oats
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cinnamon sugar
1 tsp peanut butter optional
fresh blueberries to top

Instructions
In a mason jar add your oats, almond milk, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, and peanut butter
Mix everything together until evenly mixed
Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours
Add you riped banana over top in the morning and enjoy

Spinach Mango Green Smoothie

Ok…I finally caved and created a green smoothie. I wanted to incorporate more greens into my diet. To be honest, I would shy away from green smoothies, but my usual go tos were beginning to bore me. So, I dabbled into creating this Spinach Mango Smoothie.

It took a while to get the right combo, but I finally realized what made me hate green smoothies. I never combined them with fruit sweet enough to mask the taste.

Let’s keep it real, making a green smoothie or juice is an acquired taste. It’s very seldom you wake up and just love green smoothies. It takes some time. So for me, it took a bit of trial and error to find the right combination of greens with fruit to create this bomb ass smoothie.

Spinach Mango Smoothie

Check Out Our Smoothie Challenge For More Amazing Blends

This vitamin packed smoothie is perfect for getting your greens in.
Prep Time: 4 mins | Cook Time: 1 min | Total Time: 5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Smoothies | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast, Breakfast Smoothie, Smoothies
Serving Size: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 large handful of baby spinach
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 inch ginger, peeled
1 cup vanilla almond milk

Instructions
1. Add all ingredients into your blender
2. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy

HomeTeam BBQ Restaurant Review

It was a couple of weeks ago when I did my first installment of restaurant reviews on the site. You all seemed to enjoy it. You guys were very excited about Vicious Biscuit. So, I decided we’re going to keep these restaurant reviews going.

As you all know, aside from blogging I do work a full-time job. On this week in particular, my team decided to have a team lunch and they chose no other than Home Team BBQ. I will be honest in saying that this wasn’t my top pick.

 With a name such as Home Team BBQ I imagined nothing more being served outside of your obvious barbeque menu. Ribs, burgers, pulled pork sandwich, and maybe a side salad. As always, I like to search for a menu before going to any restaurant and I will admit…I didn’t see anything on the menu except a salad.

But, because it’s a team lunch I joined everyone anyway. The plus side is that Home Team BBQ is pretty flexible with their menu. You can always substitute any meat with black beans or cauliflower. On this day, I actually lucked out because they were serving Cauliflower Tacos.

Before I get into the food, let me share the feel of the restaurant.

I wasn’t a fan of the location. Home Team has three locations in the Charleston area and we went to the downtown Charleston location. Parking is scarce around lunch time. You will have to park on the side roads and walk to the restaurant. Pretty standard for Charleston. However, there aren’t too many side streets to accommodate the amount of traffic this restaurant gets. You may likely have to walk a few blocks away.

As far as spacing, we found that this location wasn’t too fond of reserving spots for a large party ahead of time. In other words, our team waited 30-40 minutes before getting some tables available to seat the 10 of us that were there. Not to mention, it took another 40 minutes or so before our food was served. Good thing our job is flexible on time.

Now back to the food.

While my coworkers chowed down on burgers and meat platters (I have nothing against any) I took a bite of my neatly plated Cauliflower Tacos and…it was OK.

The tacos come with pan fried cauliflower seasoned with a cinnamon like rub on a corn tortilla. The menu doesn’t list specifically what was included in the rub, but it had a sweet kick to it. It also came topped with pumpkin seeds and mashed cannellini beans.

The reason I rated this as “OK” is because I felt it needed something else. I love a messy taco. I love a lot of sauce. The cauliflower tacos just didn’t have that. Even though it was seasoned in a cinnamon/barbeque rub, I was expecting something a bit more saucier. I will say that I did enjoy the texture I got from having the pumpkin seeds and mashed beans added.

You get two tacos per serving. This was filling enough for me, but if you’re someone with a big appetite you may want to order two servings. These were fairly cheap. I didn’t pay more than $6 for it.

I didn’t have a chance to dabble into their cocktails and other specialized drinks, but I wouldn’t mind going back to see what their night light looks like.

Vicious Biscuit Restaurant Review

Vicious Biscuit is a fairly newer restaurant here in the Charleston area. It’s definitely been on my list of restaurants to try, and I finally had the chance to venture to Mt. Pleasant to enjoy. This breakfast/brunch restaurant stands out from the rest of the popular restaurants here because they have the most elaborate gourmet biscuits.

It’s not just your average biscuit that you slab some jam or butter on. Not at all. Their enormously sized buttermilk biscuits comes with a huge variety of toppings that takes your boring old biscuit and makes it the best you’ve ever had.

My husband and I visited Vicious Biscuit on a Monday afternoon around lunch time. If you’re from the Charleston area, then you know that Mt. Pleasant can get pretty crowded around lunch. Fortunately for us, we got to Vicious Biscuit in a time that wasn’t too crowded. Which, to be completely honest, this is rare. But fair warning, this place can get really crowded. We started to notice the line get backed up as we were wrapping up our meal.

As a person that doesn’t eat meat all the time, I always scan for meatless options before going to any restaurant. I must say that I am very impressed that they offer a good bit of meatless meals on their menu. I chose to order their Ranchero Biscuit.

This biscuit includes a black bean spread, crusted avocado, pico de gallo, and a spicy mayo dressing all loaded into this amazing biscuit sandwich. It also comes with a sunny side egg, but I chose to get this egg scrambled instead. As you can see from the photo, this biscuit requires eating with a fork and knife to dive in.

It is way too huge to hold in your hands yet alone to take a bite out of. I had to use a fork and knife to dive into it.

I definitely appreciate that the Ranchero biscuit isn’t the only meatless option on their menu. They also have some drinks, coffee, and other items you can choose from if the biscuit isn’t what you’re up to.

Would absolutely return to this place. I would like to see what it’s like during brunch on the weekend. As of today, Mt. Pleasant is the only location here in Charleston but I did hear a rumor that they would be opening another in the Summerville area too. Charleston has a lot of small towns.

I hope you enjoyed this restaurant review. Please check out the Vicious Biscuit if you’re ever here in Charleston.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Would you believe me if I told you that I never had brussel sprouts until recently? Ok, I never had them until recently.

Brussel sprouts are one of those vegetables that I naturally assumed were the most disgusting thing on the face of the Earth. Every person (including my husband) would always say how disgusting they were. So, I figured there wasn’t a need to try them. But on this journey, I’ve learned you have to dabble into a bit of everything or else you’ll become bored with your options.

These Vitamin C packed vegetables sort of remind me of cabbages. Well, they are in the cabbage family. But, imagine a nice white cabbage just smaller. That’s what brussel sprouts are.

Firstly, let me just say that I don’t know why people give these mini cabbages a bad rep. I think the reason they don’t enjoy it is because it isn’t seasoned or prepared correctly. The best way to prepare these bad boys is by roasting them.

Cooking these are pretty simple. All you need are salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It’s a very inexpensive side that you can add to any main course meal.

Roasted brussel sprouts are everything you need. It’s crunchy and flaky. It has the perfect crisp to your tastebuds. Seriously! I enjoyed these. Even my husband agreed that these didn’t taste so bad after all. The crunchiness reminded me of eating a healthy bag of vegeatble chips.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

These Roasted Brussel Sprouts have the perfect crunch and crispiness to satisfy your tastebuds.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Total Time: 35 mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack | Cuisine: American, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: Brussel Sprouts, Roasted, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 12 oz. Bag of Brussel Sprouts
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Take your brussel sprouts and cut into halves (lengthwise) and cut off any hard ends
In a mixing bowl, combine your brussel sprouts with your vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until spices are evenly mixed
Add brussel sprouts to a cooking sheet and add to the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes or until brussel sprouts have are nicely roasted

Notes
You can use fresh or frozen brussel sprouts. I used frozen and thawed out prior.

Mango Smoothie Bowl

If you’ve been following me on Instagram and Snpachat, you may have seen a couple of my what I eat in a day videos. I shared what I ate over the weekend, and you all were most interested in the Mango Smoothie Bowl I made.

I love smoothies. Smoothies allows me to get in more nutrition by adding a lot of different fruits and seeds. I love adding a variety to my smoothies to get more bang. They’re so coloful and it’s just a great start to the day.

Typically, I create smoothies that I can just pour into a mason jar. But on this day in particular, I wanted to create a mango smoothie bowl.

I’ve created several smoothies on here before. The Very Berry Smoothie is still very popular. Hopefully, you all enjoy this just the same.

I used frozen mangos as the base. I topped it off with strawberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds. It may not look so, but this was very fulling. This was a great breakfast with tons of Vitamin C, healthy fats, Omega 3, and even some protein to get your day started.

I will say that having a smoothie bowl is very different in comparison to having a smoothie in a mason jar. Most of the ingredients would be grinded into the smoothie, but having it in a bowl gave me some variety in texture.

You guys are pretty used to how I create my smoothies. I always use almond milk in my smoothies. I would like to dabble into using coconut water, yogurt, and other liquid bases. But, almond milk has never turned my smoothies into a mess. So, it sticks.

Mango Smoothie Bowl

This Mango Smoothie Bowl is the perfect breakfast that packs a ton of nutrition.
Prep Time: 2 mins | Cook Time: 3 mins | Total Time: 5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Drinks, Smoothies | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast Smoothie, Mango, Smoothie Bowl, Smoothies
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup frozen mango
1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
Toppings
Strawberries
Walnuts
Sunflower Seeds
Chia Seeds

Instructions
1. In a blender, combine your frozen mango and almond milk
2. Blend ingredients until everything is a smooth consistency
3. Pour into a bowl and add your toppings. You can add as little or as much

Notes
Add as little or as much of the toppings.

Classic Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of those simple finger foods that takes little time to make, and is awesome for those small get togethers. Whenever I have an event, party, pot luck, or just anything that requires me to bring a dish I always go for the classic deviled eggs.

These little joys are so addicting. I find myself eating a good batch because it’s so simple to pop deviled eggs into your mouth one after another. I try to keep the ingredients pretty simple. There’s nothing like biting into a deviled egg and realizing it has an extra ingredient that just doesn’t need to be there.

I go with the basics. Mayonnaise, a dash of mustard, and sweet salad cubes (or sweet relish). I’ve seen some deviled eggs that adds pickles, onions, or celery and it really doesn’t require all of that.

The best part of deviled eggs is that sprinkle of paprika. You wouldn’t think this simple spice would do much, but it does. It give the deviled eggs that perfect kick to balance all of the flavors together.

Classic Deviled Eggs

These Classic Deviled Eggs are the perfect finger food for brunch, wedding or just a snack.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Total Time: 30 mins
Course: Appetizer | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Appetizer, Deviled Egg, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients
6 large eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sweet salad cubes or sweet relish
1 tsp mustard
pepper to taste
sprinkle of paprika

Instructions
1. In a large pot, add water until eggs are covered. Allow water to boil and then remove from heat
2. Drain water and pour cool water over eggs
3. Once eggs are completely cooled, gently crack on the counter to remove the shell.
4. Cut eggs in half lengthwise
5. Taking a spoon, remove the yellow yolk from the eggs and place in a mixing bowl. Mash yolk with a fork for a smoother consistency
6. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and sweet salad cubes (or sweet relish) to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is spread evenly
7. Use a spoon and add a portion of the yolk mixture back into the egg hole. Try not over fill
8. Sprinkle with paprika

Mexican Street Corn

Last weekend I decided that I wanted to prepare a dish to get in the feels of Cinco De Mayo. One that I have wanted to try for a while was Mexican Street Corn.

The first time I had this amazing Mexican dish was at a…you guessed it….a Mexican restaurant. It’s called Tiki Taco and it was amazing. Now, I will be honest and say that mine didn’t turn out as amazing as theirs. But, I feel prety good to say whenever I have a random craving for it I can remake at home.

Mexican Street Corn is pretty basic. You get a corn on the cobb, add some mayo, cheese, spices, sprinkle some lime juice over top, and BAM.

One thing that I will note is that it’s very important to pick out a good corn so that it has that naturally sweet taste. Something about the sweetness from the corn mixed with the tangy spiciness of the sauces it what really brings this dish together.

I also think that choosing the right cheese matters most importantly. Most recipes call for using cojita cheese or crumbled feta. But, ya’ll know me. I tend to use what I have my kitchen already. I used parmesan cheese.

Parmesan cheese is still a very good substitute, but I think next time I will stop being lazy and actually search for the cojita cheese.

Mexican Street Corn

This Mexican Street Corn is the easiest to serve by adding some mayonnaise, cheese, chilli powder, and lime juice.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 20 mins
Course: Side Dish | Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian
Keyword: Mexican, Mexican Street Corn, Vegetarian
Servings: 3 servings

Ingredients
3 corn on the cob
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
3 tsp chili powder
1 lime
cilantro or parsley to garnish

Instructions
1.Taking a pot of lightly salted water, add your corn and allow water to boil until corn is cooked
2. Remove corn from pot, and set aside on a plate.
3. Working with one corn at a time, use a butter knife or spatula and begin spreading mayonnaise on each side of the corn. 4. Do not apply too much mayo
5. Sprinkle cheese, chlli powder, and a little of lime juice over top.
6. Add cilantro or parsley to garnish
7. Repeat steps on each corn, and transfer to a serving plate

Notes
You can also grill the corn or add to your oven
Can substitute parmesan cheese for cojita or a crumbled feta

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Last week, I shared a fairly simple Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich and you all seemed to really enjoy it. So, I decided to share what I did with the rest of that cauliflower head. I created Cauliflower Rice!

Ever since I learned that I could do more with cauliflower besides steaming it, I’ve been all in. Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable, and I’ve been finding more and more ways to prepare it.

Rice is such a staple for a ton of recipes. However, rice is very starchy and is a complex carb. Doesn’t mean it is entirely bad, but sometimes a break from it could be good.

In the past, I have tried the pre-made cauliflower rice that comes in your grocers freezer aisle. I enjoyed it a lot; especially the vegetable fried “rice” kind. But, I really wanted to create my own.

I checked out some Youtube videos and pulled up a ton of how to create cauliflower rice on Pinterest. Everyone has their own individual way of creating cauliflower rice, but this is what I found worked for me.

One step that I found repeatedly in the tutorials for cauliflower rice was they would drain excess moisture out using a rice cloth. I didn’t do all of that.

Ya’ll know I’m lazy. If I can skip a step, I will. And truthfully, I felt that it turned out just as fine without doing this step. Maybe one day I will give it a try just to see why most other recipes have included this step, but for the most part it still turns out just as good taking a paper towel and patting dry.

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is the perfect alternative when seeking a low carb option.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 20 mins
Course: Side Dish | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower, Low Carb, Vegetarian
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt or more to your liking
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions
1. Taking your head of cauliflower, remove leaves and cut into small florets
2. Rinse cauliflower thoroughly to remove any dirt, and pat dry with a towel
3. In a food processor or blender, add your cauliflower and grind/pulse until cauliflower becomes a “rice” consistency
4. On low to medium, add olive oil to a frying pan and toss cauliflower stirring occasionally until they become tender
5. Add in your butter, salt, garlic powder and continue to stir until cauliflower is cooked

Notes
Cauliflower will condense a little as it cooks

Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich

I went into my grocery store and bought a couple heads of cauliflower. I usually purchase frozen cauliflower, and I wanted to try buying them fresh. The issue I ran into, however, was realizing that buying a couple heads of cauliflower actually gave me more to work with versus purchasing those small bags I would get.

So this meant getting creative and finding new ways to utilize cauliflower aside from steaming them or turning them into small bites.

I’ve seen recipes for a Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich before, and I wanted to give it a try myself. I added my own mix to creating this dish. Basically meaning, every recipe I found I ignored the “extra” ingredients it called for.

Most of the Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich recipes that I stumbled on listed flour or some type of breading to dip the cauliflower into. Obviously, I skipped this step.

I did the same in my Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I’m sure adding the flour gives it a crispier taste, but I don’t have time for all of that.

Cauliflower, if not overcooked, has a natural crisp to it anyway. This worked just fine for me. I toasted my buns, and BOOM….there was my crisp.

Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich

This vegetarian take on the buffalo chicken sandwich is perfect for your meatless lunch
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 40 mins | Total Time: 50 mins
Course: Lunch | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower, Vegetarian Servings: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend
optional toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, ranch

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Take your head of cauliflower and cut into 1/2 inch steaks. Cutting from top to bottom
3. Rinse and pat dry clean each cauliflower steak. Lay each onto a baking oven sheet
4. Drizzle olive oil over each cauliflower steak on both sides
5. Sprinkle your chilli powder, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash seasoning over your cauliflower steaks on both sides
6. Using a tablespoon, pour over small spoonfuls of your hot sauce over top cauliflower steaks
7. Add to your oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes
8. Take cauliflower steaks out of oven and flip over. Pour small spoonfuls over the other side of your steaks
9. Place back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes
10. Remove from ove and allow to cool for 5 minutes

Notes
If seeking a crispier taste, you can dip cauliflower into hot sauce and flour

How To Cook Tofu

When I first became a vegetarian, there were only a handful of food options I knew were a great alternative for protein. Beans, quinoa, and tofu.

I hated tofu when I first tried it. But the only reason I hated tofu was because I didn’t know or understand how to prepare it. The first time I cooked with tofu, I used it as a meat replacement for sloppy joes. Epic fail! I tried it a few other times thereafter and I just couldn’t seem to get past that mushy texture. It wasn’t until later on I realized that tofu is extremely versatile and capable of absorbing flavors if prepared correctly.

What is tofu anyway? 

The simplest way to describe tofu is bean curd. Yes. Bean curd. Doesn’t sound appealing, but let me explain why. Tofu is made from soy beans and is minimally processed into the cube like form that it comes in. It’s very popular in most Asian cuisines.

Tofu comes in a variety of different textures such as silken, firm, or extra firm to name a few. The primary difference is how the tofu was processed. I usually go for the extra firm because I found that it resembles the texture of meat the most. I’ll admit the appearance of it will really throw you off. You will find this cubed white product packaged in water.

When preparing tofu, the water needs to be drained as much as possible.

By draining the water, this allows the tofu to absorb any marinade or seasonings that you apply to it. If you skip this step, you’ll find that it won’t absorb any seasonings and all of that water in the tofu will just give it a bland taste. Trust me. I’ve made this mistake before, and that’s really the biggest part of cooking tofu.

There isn’t one specific way to drain your tofu. I prefer to wrap my tofu around a cloth or paper towel, and press a plate or pot on top of it. I allow this to sit for at least 30 minutes. The cloth/towel should absorb the access water from the tofu, making it a lot easier to cook and/or slice without crumbling.

I have seen some recipes that direct you to freeze your tofu first. But if you’re lazy like me, this is a step I found I could skip.

You have to season your tofu!

You read that correctly. The same you add salt, pepper, or any type of marinade to your meats is the same way you would season tofu. This was the part that I missed. I just assumed that tofu would have a taste of its own. I didn’t realize that tofu really becomes what you make it.

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, tumeric, or whatever else floats your boat.

How To Cook Tofu

The perfecty way to drain and season your extra firm tofu
Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients
1 pack Extra Firm Tofu
1 tsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Garlic Powder

Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400­°f
2. Take your tofu and wrap in a cloth or paper towel. You will need to press or squeeze as much moisture out as possible
3. Once moisture has been removed from tofu, you can cut into little cubes or slices
4. Mix the vegetable oil evenly through the tofu and add in your salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Add tofu to oven and allow to bake for 30 minutes. Flip tofu over about halfway between time
6. Bake until tofu is a crisp brown on all sides

Notes
You can use season salt or garlic salt in place of the normal salt and pepper if you would like more of a kick

Two Years Ago We Bought a House

This time last year, Leo and I made the decision to purchase our first home. Sometimes it still feels surreal. Even as I'm pulling into the garage and opening the door, I'm truly amazed at just how much God has blessed us.

Prior to purchasing our home, we lived in a three-bedroom apartment. We loved our apartment. But, like most apartment complexes, you begin to outgrow them. We no longer liked being able to hear our neighbors thumping around upstairs or to hear our neighbors arguing in the middle of the night. Not to mention, we hated the reeking smell of weed that poured into our apartment. That wasn't good for our newborn baby.

It was time to move. It was a huge leap for me, but I followed Leo's lead.

I honestly never really thought about the day I would be closing on my own house. I imagined that one day it would happen, but I didn't picture it. I didn't even know what kind of house I liked. I just knew I wanted a two-story home with a nice kitchen.

Leo and I found an amazing realtor that was understanding of what we wanted in our first home. Being a family of three, we didn't require anything large but wanted something spacious. I love an open floor plan, and of course...a backyard for Liam to play when he gets older. 

Looking back I have no regrets. If I had to choose a starter home today I would choose this very home. I still love our home just as much as I did when we first viewed it. It's become the perfect home for Liam to grow and the perfect home for building such early memories for him. 

James Family Photo Shoot

For so long, I've been wanting my family to take professional photos. And I don't mean inside of a photo studio with a basic backdrop at Portrait Innovations. I mean with a photographer following you around and capturing such candid moments. I wanted photos that represented my family and captured the stage we're at in our life. 

We chose to do our photoshoot through Kelly Miles Photography. She's located here in the Charleston area and was recommended in a mommy group on Facebook. 

After checking out her portfolio and reading through her reviews, I felt absolutely certain I wanted to book our session with her. She was super friendly, timely, and did such an amazing job working with Liam. I was initially concerned that our photoshoot could go to the left due to Liam getting antsy. We booked her services for an hour, and asking a two-year-old to keep still for an hour to take photos can be quite trying. But, she was able to capture such awesome photos of Liam even in moments where he was becoming jittery. 

We took our photos at the Riverfront Park in Charleston. It's a very nice area and has a lot of scenic backgrounds that worked perfectly for our shoot. 

Her pricing is quite fair as well. I was worried that by choosing to book a session with a photographer outside of a studio could be costly, but it was perfectly within budget. Her pricing changes based upon the location of your shoot and the length of your session. 

These, of course, aren't all of the photos we received from our session. But, I definitely wanted to share my favorites. 

Cold Busting Mango Smoothie

There's only a few times a year that I find myself getting sick, and that's generally when the weather is transitioning from winter to spring. Although the weather in Charleston can get pretty warm, sometimes it fluctuates and my body gets confused on what to do. That's when I need to pull out the big guns and have a shot of my Vitamin C with this Mango Smoothie.

Although oranges are what you know to be rich in Vitamin C, mangoes are pretty high up there with this immune boosting vitamin. And to top it off, I added a good kick of ginger.

Ginger isn't everyone's favorite spice because it can be...well, spicy. But I love ginger. And after blending these two together I felt much better going into the next.

And this doesn't have to be a cold busting smoothie. If you want to just have a regular smoothie, you can do that too!

Cold Busting Mango Smoothie

This mango smoothie is not only a perfect meal replacement, but amazing when you need a boost to your immune system.
Prep Time: 2 mins | Total Time: 2 mins
Course: Breakfast, Snack | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Smoothies, Smoothies, Mango, Smoothie Challenge, Mango Smoothie, Ginger
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 cup frozen mango cubes
1 banana
1 tsp ground ginger (or .5 inch of ginger root)
1 cup almond milk

Instructions
1. Add ingredients into blender
2. Blend for approximately 45 second or until everything is evenly blended
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Salad

I have a confession. I’ve never been one to eat a salad without meat in it. I needed meat. I needed chicken strips, ham chunks, bacon bits. I needed it! If it didn’t have meat in it, I needed croutons or something else to bulk it up. But boy oh boy…I have come a long way.

I’ve sampled a few of the plant based meat options before on salads, and nothing seemed to stick until I got the Morning Star Farm’s Buffalo Chik Patties. Ok. These are originally designed for a “chicken-like” sandwich, but I liked the taste and flavor of it so much that I found myself chopping it up into little cubes and adding it to my salad.

This salad was so amazing you guys! It is probably my favorite salad mixture. The best part is that I only used four ingredients, not including the dressing. The chik patty is the perfect topping to this salad because it gives the salad that spicy buffalo kick that I love so much.

A salad is literally what you make it. It doesn’t always have to be the usual lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. You can add nuts. You can add fruit. You can add seeds. Good salads are usually the ones that are insanely colorful. But, I can’t lie….I still need something that has a meaty texture.

A Buffalo Chicken Salad doesn’t exactly stand out as the healthiest option for a salad, but I like to think that as long as I’m getting a ton of leafy greens it works. If you want more bulk, you can add some crumbled bleu cheese or a boiled egg. You can add cucumbers, carrots, or whatever else tickles your fancy. Have fun with this!

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Salad

Turn up the heat with this spicy meatless buffalo chicken salad
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 3 mins | Total Time: 8 mins
Servings: 1 person

Ingredients
1 Morning Star Farm Buffalo Chik Patty
1 large handful Organic Spring Salad Mix
4 Grape Tomatoes
1 tbsp Red’s Hot Buffalo Sauce

Instructions
1. Take one of the Morning Star Farm’s Buffalo Chik patty and follow heating instructions as stated on the package
2. Once patty is heated, take a tablespoon of the hot sauce and apply to both sides of the patty
3. Cut patty into small chunks
4. In a large bowl or plate, take one large handful of your salad mix
5. Dice up your grape tomatoes and add over salad bed
6. Add your buffalo chik patty chunks to your salad and any dressing of your choice

Notes
There is no right or wrong measurement for this recipe. You can add as much or as little to your liking

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

Me and my damn smoothies. I know. I can’t get enough of them. I love me a good ass smoothie. I don’t care the season. I will throw a smoothie together in a heartbeat.

I tend to stick to the usual fruits when I make smoothies. Bananas, strawberries, blueberries, maybe a peach. But I wanted to go for something a little different and decided to go wtih some cherries. I’ll admit…I don’t eat a lot of cherries, but I do enjoy them from time to time. I randomly picked them up during my usual grocery run and decided that I wanted to experiment with them in a smoothie.

I like a lot of cherry flavored drinks so I was assuming at this point that I should like a cherry smoothie…right?

You guys know how I like to make my smoothies. I always throw a banana in there (because it’s just so awesome for potassium) and I just can’t stray away from my good old almond milk. Usually, when I make my smoothies, I already know how much of what I need to use to make what I consider the perfect smoothie. But for this cherry smoothie, I had to steadily add more almond milk to get the consistency that I wanted. This recipe actually created two glasses as opposed to my usual one glass.

My smoothie recipes are never complicated. They are always simple and easy to follow. I try to keep it to three ingredients or less. I think next time I make a smoothie I want to add some vegetables to really give it that extra power.

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

This awesomely sweet blend cherry vanilla smoothie
Prep Time: 1 min | Cook Time: 1 min | Total Time: 2 mins
Course: Smoothies
Servings: 1 glass

Ingredients
1 cup pitted frozen cherries
1 frozen banana
1 1/5 cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Instructions
1. Add your cherries, banana, and almond milk to your blender
2. Blend for 45 seconds or until smoothie reaches a smooth consistency
3. Pour into glass and enjoy!

Notes
For more sweetness you can add a tablespoon of honey
If you’d like a thicker consistency you can add ice or 1/2 of a banana
For a looser texture, you can add water or more almond milk
If you’d like a more vanilla flavor, you can so add vanilla yogurt or vanilla extract

Spinach Egg Breakfast Sandwich

A couple of weeks ago, I featured on my Facebook page a very simple sandwich that I made for breakfast , and you all wanted to know how exactly did I make it. So, I decided to add it here to the blog as well.

This is one of those recipes that is so simple I’m not even sure I can call it a recipe. I literally woke up that morning wanting something simple, something filling, and something fast. I like to think that this Spinach Egg Breakfast Sandwich is nothing more but an elegant grilled cheese sandwich.
If you know how to scramble an egg and make toast, this recipe is a no brainer for you. It literally takes little to nothing to prepare.

Obviously, there is no right or wrong way to create this breakfast sandwich. You can add bell pepper,s onions, mushrooms, and so much more.

Spinach Egg Breakfast Sandwich

This quick yet filling breakfast combines spinach and egg into an amazing sandwich
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 10 mins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 1 sandwich

Ingredients
2 slices of bread
2 eggs
1 slice of cheese of your choice
2 slices of tomato
1 tsp of Mayonnaise

Instructions
1. Toast bread unto brown to your liking
2. Once bread is toasted you can add your mayo and slice of cheese
3. In a mixing bowl, crack two eggs and scramble
4. In a small frying on medium heat, add your egg mixture and allow to cook. Do not stir. Allow eggs to form into a “pancake”
5. Once eggs are thoroughly cooked, set onto toasted bread. I flipped my egg “pancake” in half so that it would fit onto the bread
6. Begin to form your sandwich adding spinach and tomato on top
7. Place second piece of toast on top and you have your sandwich

Notes
You can use any type of cheese and bread of your choice

Pan Seared Heart of Palm

In my last post I introduced you all to Heart of Palm in my vegetarian take on a Scampi Alfredo. I figured that I’d share a little more in detail on how I prepared the Pan Seared Heart of Palm in case you would like it as a standalone dish.

Heart of Palm is an interesting vegetable that I didn’t expect to turn out the way it had. I’ll admit that I when I first removed it from the can, I was a bit thrown off by its appearance. I did the typical “taste test” by licking it and smelling until I realized it really didn’t have a taste or odor.

Heart of Palm reminds me a bit of tofu because it take on whatever it is seasoned or flavored with. You can basically transform it however you wish.

And that’s all to it. It really doesn’t take a long time to prepare. It satisfied that fishy scallop craving I was having and turned out great. Give it a try!

Pan Seared Heart of Palm

Pan Seared Heart of Palm is the perfect replacement when looking to recreate scallops.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 20 mins
Course: Appetizer
Keyword: Vegetarian
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
1 can Heart of Palm
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning Salt
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lemon
Garlic Powder and Pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Remove Heart of Palm from can and rinse excess salt off. Begin dicing into 1/2 inch rounds
2. Sprinkle seasoning salt, pepper, and garlic powder over Heart of Palm to taste
3. In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add your butter to melt a bit. Rotate pan to ensure it gets coated
4. Add Heart of Palm to pan and allow to sear all sides. Squeeze half of your lemon over top to get the juice
5. Allow Heart of Palm to continue to sear for 5-10 minutes or until each side is evenly browned

Notes
You can substitute the butter for an oil, but the butter gives it a little extra flavor