Versatile Veggie Rotini salad

I felt a little guilty after posting those super indulgent cookies yesterday, so today I shall make up for my naughtiness with a yummy, veggie-filled pasta salad.

This is another one of those "couldn't be easier if it was just boiling water" kind of recipes, but that's what makes it great.  As usual, I took a regular pasta salad recipe & changed things up a bit.  You know me- I don't like a lot of fatty dressing or greasy meats, so those have been replaced, but the flavor is still there.

And isn't it pretty to look at?

Veggie Rotini Salad

1 package tri-color rotini  

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

3 medium carrots diced

Marinated artichoke hearts w/liquid

1/2 C Italian dressing (you know what I'm going to say here, right? No HFCS, either make it yourself because it's SO easy, or buy the kind with ingredients you can understand. Please, just do me this solid.)

Boil pasta till al dente (if you overcook your noodles your salad will be a mushy disaster, especially if you plan on making this ahead of time, so try not to.)

Meanwhile, steam your veggies. (I really recommend a steamer basket because veggies should be cooked similar to pasta- al dente. They'll taste better as well as retaining their beautiful color & their nutrients.) 

Drain pasta & veggies.

Mix together in large bowl. 

Add dressing & marinated artichoke hearts-including liquid

Combine & serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

This is probably the easiest dish you can make for a picnic, party or potluck and is always a crowd pleaser. The veggies are easy to switch up, too. You could do tomato, onion & zucchini or olive, bell pepper & cauliflower. Or add chickpeas or cannelini beans to make it a complete meal. It's really up to your personal taste. That's what makes dishes like this great:  

You can make it yours!  

Easy Curried Veggies recipe

Sometimes I'm in the mood for something a little different than boring old steamed veggies.
Like today, I had been craving Indian food, but didn't want to spend the money to eat out, so
I took a basic recipe I had for Potato Masala and made a bunch of changes to make it my own.
This recipe is totally easy to make, I promise you cannot mess this up.

Ingredients:
1 lb cauliflower- cut into florets
8 oz potato- cubed
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic- minced
1/8 t ground ginger
1 t salt
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
2 t Curry powder (or more if you'd like but don't over do it)

Directions:
Heat oil in large pan on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger & salt.
Stir about 30 seconds (don't you burn that garlic, you hear me?!)
Add tomatoes, cook for about 1 minute.
Add Curry powder.
Add potatoes & cauliflower.
Stir so everything is incorporated well.
Bring to boiling, then reduce heat to low.
Simmer, covered for about 30 mins. or when veggies are tender (but not mushy!)

You could add tofu or chickpeas to make it more of a complete meal if you'd like, or prepare it as an accompaniment to your main course, or just do what I did & eat it the way it is.
Yummy!

Whole grain, low fat, vegan chocolate cake!

Just because we're trying to live a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean we should have to miss out on all the yummy baked goods the world has to offer.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE to bake.
I bake a few times a week.  I must be lucky because none of us has suffered any real consequences, though now that I have turned 30, people keep assuring me that my metabolism is going to come to a complete halt and all those cupcakes & cookies I've been eating will come to haunt me.
So, I figured the smart thing to do would be to try to alter some of my recipes.
That way, we can enjoy our baked goods with limited amounts of guilt.

Today I altered a one-bowl vegan chocolate cake recipe that gets rave reviews.  Using the vegan recipe over another was a no-brainer. 
It already omits eggs so by leaving out the oil, it's cholesterol free.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350
lightly spray 8 inch round cake pan

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 
1 cup sugar 
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 cup warm water 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1 tsp apple cider vinegar 


In large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt & baking powder.  
Sift whole wheat flour TWICE before adding to dry ingredients (cake will be really dense if you don't do this)
Lightly stir all dry ingredients & create well. Add warm water, vanilla, applesauce & vinegar.
Combine but be careful to not over-mix- you want a little air in the batter.


Bake for aprox. 25 mins. DO NOT OVERBAKE. You know your oven, if it's a hot one, watch it.


Let cool for a couple of hours, then dust with powdered sugar or glaze.

I glazed mine but you're not getting my glaze recipe, haha. It's a secret and one of my only claims to fame.


I will tell you this though- if you accidentally over-bake your cake (it's easy if you're baking with whole grains for the first time) then pouring a glaze over it & letting the cake soak it up is a great, easy fix and no one will be any wiser.