Beets are the perfect source of earthy sweetness without using any refined sugars. The natural color from red beets eliminates the need to use any food coloring to achieve a red color. If you use a plant-based milk instead of water in the recipe, your cupcakes will turn out more pink than red. With the rich flavor of chocolate, even beet-skeptics will find something to love in these beet velvet cupcakes. If you choose to share, no one will know the secret ingredient unless you tell them.
Makes 18 cupcakes
Total time: 1 hour
Dairy-free
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/3 cups water or plant-based milk
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup beet puree
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups vanilla frosting
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together water or plant-based milk, sugar, beet puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry mixture and whisk until batter forms with no lumps.
- Fill lined cupcake cups 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.
- Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
Substitute water for your favorite plant-based milk. The result will produce a pinker cupcake.
Beet puree: purchase ready-cooked beets and puree in a blender. From fresh beets, submerge whole, unpeeled beets in water and simmer covered until very tender. Peel and puree in a blender until smooth.
Smoothie bowls are a perfect way to inject a little tropical flair, not to mention vitamin C, into these winter days. Does the idea of drinking a meal take away some of the satisfaction? Control the consistency of your blended serving of fruits and go wild with toppings!
Serves 2
Total Time: 10 minutes
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan
Ingredients
- 10 ounces frozen fruit blend (tropical if available)
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or to taste
Toppings:
- 1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup chopped pineapple
- 1 dragon fruit, chopped
- 1 teaspoon hemp hearts
- ½ teaspoon chia seeds
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
Directions
- Blend frozen fruit, almond milk, orange juice, and honey until smooth. Mixture will be thick. Pour into serving bowls.
- Top with fruit and sprinkle on chia seeds, hemp hearts, and shredded coconut. Serve immediately.
Have you ever bought a fresh pineapple and wondered if there was a way to utilize all the rind? If you’re a fan of kombucha, try your hand at homemade pineapple tepache. It’s easier and faster to make tepache than kombucha. This fermented drink is full of enzymes like bromelain from pineapple and probiotics from the fermentation process, which can support digestion. Make sure to taste the mixture often to find the perfect blend of sweet and tart. Serve as a refreshing sparkling drink or use it full-strength in your next homemade vinaigrette.
Makes 4-6 cups
Total time: 10 minutes, plus 1-5 days to ferment
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 whole pineapple
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 cups warm filtered water
- Cold filtered water
Directions
- Lightly rinse pineapple then cut off rind, leaving about a half inch of fruit on rind. Use remaining fruit for snacking or another use.
- Dissolve sugar in the warm water and allow to cool. Place the pineapple rind and ginger in a 2-quart jar. Add the sugar mixture and additional cold water to cover rinds.
- Use a fermentation weight to keep rind submerged during fermentation. Cover jar opening with cheesecloth secured with a rubber band.
- Place jar in a cool, dark place for up to five days. Taste daily until mixture has fermented to your taste. When done, strain it, and store in a clean jar in the fridge.
- To serve, mix finished tepache with plain sparkling water (about a 1:3 ratio of tepache to water) or serve over ice.
Cabbage rolls are like a warm and cozy blank canvas. You can fill the pliant leaves with flavors from around the world. With ginger, sesame, rice vinegar, and tamari, the filling in these cabbage rolls will evoke your favorite egg roll. Braised in a tomatoey sauce, the filling cooks gently. You can serve these right away or they make a great prep and freeze meal for the next time you want a quick, easy, and delicious dinner. Go ahead and make a double batch. Your future self will thank you!
Makes 8-10 rolls
2 hours
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
FILLING:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 small zucchini, shredded
- 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
- ½ small onion, finely minced
- 1 large green cabbage, whole
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1-14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Place filling ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a simmer. Core cabbage and place in simmering water. Carefully loosen cabbage leaves as they soften, setting them aside on a work surface.
- Cut a triangle shape at the base of each leaf to remove the thicker part of the stem.
- Place ⅓ cup of filling mixture into the center of one dried cabbage leaf. Roll up, tucking in the sides, and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and filling. Place cabbage rolls in a single layer in an oven-safe dish, seam side down.
- Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and bake for 25-40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
Making a flavorful shrimp ramen is easy when you use the shells! Make sure you buy shell-on shrimp, which are usually cheaper anyway, and make a quick stock. Using the shells to extract even more flavor is the best way to get the most from high quality ingredients. Aromatics like lemongrass, ginger, and garlic add flavor to the wonderful broth. You’ll get more flavor from this 15-minute stock than you will from any flavor packet. Take it to the next level with a soft-boiled egg or sheets of nori to complete the ramen experience.
Serves 2–3
Total time: 35-40 minutes
Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound easy peel shrimp, peeled and shells reserved
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped
- 4-inch piece fresh lemon grass, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 4 cups cold water
- 2 packages ramen noodles
- 1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
Directions
- In a medium-sized pot, combine shrimp shells, two scallions, lemongrass, garlic, tomato paste, and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Strain and press liquids through. Discard solids.
- Return stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add noodles (discarding seasoning packets if any) and cook per package instructions. Halfway through the cooking time, add shrimp and continue to cook until noodles are done and shrimp is opaque. Turn off heat and allow to rest for four minutes.
- Season with chili sauce and tamari. Serve with scallions sprinkled on top and with any other tasty toppings of your choice.
Tasty toppings: sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, sliced jalapeño, soft-boiled eggs.
This is the perfect time of year to be roasting veggies! And doing so doesn’t only have to be a dinner-time occasion. Make it a breakfast thing, too! In this Fall Harvest Hash, you’ll roast up Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes before adding in sautéed celery, onions, and hash browns. Finish it off with some lovely cooked beets and you’ll have a beautiful, jewel-toned breakfast dish perfect for autumn. Better still, this tasty meal is suitable for a number of diet preferences as its naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan!
Serves 2
Total time: 45 min
Gluten-free, dairy-free
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen hash browns
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 8 Brussels sprouts, stemmed and halved
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 small cooked beets, chopped
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle on two tablespoons of oil, toss and roast for 20 minutes or until desired doneness.
- Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add remaining oil and sauté onions and celery for two minutes. Add hash browns and toss to coat with oil, adding more as needed. Spread hash browns into an even layer and allow the bottom to cook undisturbed until well browned. With a spatula, turn hash browns over and repeat.
- Fold in roasted vegetables, beets, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve promptly.
This sheet pan recipe checks all the boxes: it’s seasonal, features fresh flavors, and can be made ahead to enjoy later! Add it to your collection of recipes for weeknights and let yourself be impressed with its ease and deliciousness. This recipe can be adapted to utilize vegetarian sausage if that’s more your style. Whatever your choice, it’ll go in the oven on the sheet pan to roast along with the Brussels sprouts and potatoes until they achieve caramelized perfection. Finish them off with a drizzle of the zippy mustard dressing, complete with fresh herbs and smoked almonds. Save the sauce to dress up your meals the rest of the week and boom! This recipe just revolutionized the week.
Serves 2–3
Total time: 45 min
Gluten-free, dairy-free
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole sausages
- 1 pound small red potatoes, halved*
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup smoked almonds, sliced
* Potatoes should not be more than twice the size of the brussels sprouts for even cooking.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place sausages, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan and drizzle on 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausages are cooked to 165ºF, turning over halfway through cooking.
- Remove sausages and vegetables from the oven and transfer to a serving dish, if desired.
- Drizzle on sauce and sprinkle with almonds.
One-pot recipes for the win! Switch up your typical protein and try this dish where boneless, skinless turkey is the star. This bird is not just for Thanksgiving time! Solidify this lean meat as a year-long staple in your kitchen by pulling out your cast-iron and giving this recipe a whirl. Everything cooks in one dish, so not only will you love your creation, you’ll relish the easy clean-up! This would be lovely served with polenta or lean into Thanksgiving reimagined by pairing with your favorite potato dish.
Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour
Gluten-free, dairy-free
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, julienned
- 1 large red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, julienned
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breast,
- thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Directions
- In large skillet, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers; sauté for 3-5 minutes or until just tender, transfer to plate.
- Add remaining oil and onions to the hot skillet and sauté onions until tender.
- Add turkey and garlic, cook, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink.
- Add tomatoes, seasonings, honey, and vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 170°F.
- Return peppers to the skillet and warm through. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
We love a cool pasta salad number in the summer! Serve this simple dish as a side for a zingy contribution to a pot luck or prepare it as a main course, adding grilled chicken or another protein to elevate it.This pasta salad combines fresh ingredients with elements you likely already have in the cupboard, like chickpeas and olives. It’s the perfect recipe to have on hand if you’re looking for a make-ahead recipe to bring along to a backyard barbecue.
35 MIN · SERVES 6-8 · VEGETARIAN · DAIRY-FREE
Ingredients
Salad
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ small red onion, julienned
- 1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced
- 1 – 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup mixed olives, whole or halved
Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Directions
- Cook pasta based on the package instructions. Set aside to cool.
- Place prepared vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified.
- Toss pasta with prepared vegetables, olives, chickpeas, and vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
What better way to usher in berry season than with an Angel Food Cake? Light and fluffy, this lovely cake punctuates any meal perfectly. Enjoy this delicate dessert as a vehicle to serve homemade whipped cream, fresh berries, and more! It’s still cool enough to utilize your oven and bake in celebration of spring. It’s amazing how such simple ingredients come together to create this tasty classic.
Serves 8
Dietary: Dairy-Free
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, whisking until thick and glossy, approximately 10 minutes.
- Sift flour over the egg white mixture. Gently fold to combine. Spoon into an ungreased angel food cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake comes away from the sides of the tin. Invert the tin and allow to cool for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Bring all the best ingredients together in one, steamy pot with this Mulligan Stew! Often thought of as a St. Paddy’s Day entrée, Mulligan Stew was meant for improvising, so throw whatever you’ve got in the pot with the brisket, potatoes and green beans. With such great foundational flavors coming from the garlic, bay leaves, onions, and thyme, you can’t go wrong! This recipe features a bit of stout beer, if you have it, to really up the Irish ante.
- 3 hrs
- Serves 4
- Dairy-free
Ingredients
- 2 pounds brisket, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 cup stout beer
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 medium carrots, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces ¾ pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces ¼ pound green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
Directions
- In a 6-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add brisket and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add onion and saute until tender, adding more oil as needed. Stir in tomato paste and garlic; cook for an additional minute.
- Add stock, stout, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Return brisket to the pot and bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low; continue to cook for 1 ½hours.Add potatoes and carrots; cook for an additional hour.
- Add in green beans in the last 30 minutes of cooking. When brisket is fork tender, remove bay leaf. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
