No Bake Coconut Protein Bars

If you have ever wandered down the aisles of health food stores, you have probably seen people picking protein bar after protein bar, scanning the ingredient list and macronutrient breakdown; trying to find one that doesn’t contain a scary amount of sugar or nasty ingredients and that doesn’t cost an arm and leg.
Truth is, picking out the right protein bar is no easy task. I know it all too well.
And notwithstanding the downsides of packaged protein bars, we continue to buy them because they’re convenient, easy to carry, and supposedly healthy. When in reality most of them are just glorified candy bars - as someone brilliantly pointed out not too long ago on reddit.

(Paleo) 1-Minute Chocolate Brownie In A Mug

I love me a good mug cake for many reasons.
The first obvious reason is that they are so quick to make — meaning that you don’t have to set aside a whole afternoon for baking when you’re in the mood for a brownie.
Another reason is versatility. There are sweet mug cakes, there are healthier mug cakes, there are protein mug cakes, there are savory mug cakes, the list in endless.
But my number one reason I love mug cakes is portion control.
My healthy living means I can eat almost anything, still I can’t eat everything I want all the time.
So when I want a cookie, a cinnamon roll or a cupcake, it’s a lot easier to make a single serving mug cookie/roll/cupcake than an entire batch of cookies/rolls/cupcakes.
I don’t feel deprived but at the same time I’m skipping the temptation to smash an entire tray of brownies in one sitting.

Parmesan Crusted Baked Zucchini Fries

It’s important to me that you guys know that not every single zucchini I lay my hands on is turned into zoodles.
Sure I make A LOT of zoodles but I actually make a lot of other cool stuff with zucchini, such as patties, fritters, parmesan bake, crisps. Just to name a few.
Saying that I make only zoodles with zucchini it’s simplistic at best. And I don’t accept it.

To prove you wrong today I made some very yummy Parmesan Crusted Baked Zucchini Fries.
These are incredibly good. No like seriously incredibly good.
Not to mention low-carb and completely gluten-free.
Which means you can splurge on their cheesy, garlicky goodness and not feel guilty at all.

3-Ingredient Fudgy Chocolate Blender Brownies

Fudgy brownies or cakey brownies?
A question that has plagued many throughout time and that has sparked lively debates around kitchen tables, potlucks, and bake sales.
I know that opinions are opinions, but as far as I’m concerned I believe that the only way to make a brownie is a fudgy one.
If you want chocolate cake, make a cake.
Just don’t ask me to believe that your airy and light chocolate dessert is a brownie. That’s just chocolate cake, actually it’s a non-tall chocolate cake cut into squares (or a squared too short cake.)

(Vegan) Easy Red Curry Lentils

It’s sprrring people!
No, it’s not really. I lie.
It’s actually the 8th day of April and it doesn't feel like spring at all.
So far it’s been pretty chilly, which is very unusual and to be honest it's really testing my patience:
like an itch I can’t scratch,
like slow walkers,
like a popcorn kernel stuck between my teeth,
like when people don't say "thank you" after you've gone out of your way for them,
like when the cord on my headphones gets stuck somewhere, and the headphones get ripped out of my ears,
like pens that don't work though you can see that there is still ink in it, you shake it, then do the doodle to see that it works. But once you start writing again the pen just goes "HAHA TRICKED YOU!" and stops working again.
I think you got the idea of how infuriated that it’s not warm and sunny as it should be...

Homemade Blueberry Muffin Lärabar Balls

A great many people rightfully find the “make your energy bars at home” trend both unnecessary and incomprehensible.
Why spending (read this as wasting) time making like 100 bars when you can just buy the one you want in a easy-to-carry single-serving package?
I totally get it.
But I believe that there’s a time and place for everything and for me that time and place (currently trying to save a few bucks) is right now.

15 Delicious Vegan Recipes

Just in case there was anyone still out there mistaking me for some sort of food nazi dictating what others should eat and what they should call themselves based upon their diets, you should know that when it comes to food I really don’t care about labels or semantics.
Sure, lots of my recipes (more like a ton, okay, maybe all) are labeled as this OR that OR this and that OR this but not that. But my one and only concern is that the the food is real food, made from fresh ingredients and - more importantly - that it’s delicious.
Take these 15 recipes for instance, they’re vegan (and almost all are paleo) but what matters is that every single one is so yummy you won't even realize they're healthy too.

Say you enjoyed a few too many heavy meals over the past couple of days, time has come to lighten up a little with some wholesome meals, sweets, or snacks.
And for even more vegan recipes, check out my vegan recipe index.
If you make any of these recipes, please snap a picture and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #TheIronYou. You guys have NO idea how stoked I get when you do stuff like this!

So without further ado, here are 15 delicious vegan recipes:

Easy Zoodle Pie

If you haven’t been introduced yet to the concept of spaghetti pie/frittata let me break it down to you: a delicious mess of leftovers spaghetti, scrambled eggs, some Parmesan cheese, some mozzarella, and a handful of herbs.
Simple food at its best.
No fuss no muss.
Spaghetti pie is proof that leftovers can be used to make a second great yummy meal.

10 Minute Magic Italian Salsa Verde

Strangers from distant lands, friends of old let me introduce you to 10 Minute Magic Italian Salsa Verde.
A bold green sauce comes together in a flash and that it's loaded with parsley, capers, garlic, and some unlikely ingredients like eggs, anchovies, and vinegar.
I know it sounds weird and you might be thinking “Hold on a sec buddy, capers, eggs, and anchovies in a parsley based sauce? Really?”
Yup guys, you have to trust me on this one. This is sauce is really magic — or I wouldn’t have called it that.

(Paleo) Apple Pie In A Jar

The world of pie making abounds in legend, myth, tradition, and even cautionary tales.
Cracking the code on how to make the perfect pie crust is almost as complicated as solving the Sphinx's riddle or untie the Gordian knot.
Pie scientists will tell you that it’s all about the crust. Sure there’s the gooey sweet fruit that fills the cavern of your pie, but the best filling in the world won’t save a poor crust, turning an otherwise tasty pie into dishonorable failure.
It has to substantial enough that it doesn't sog-out from a juicy filling, but tender enough that it flakes in your mouth into buttery shards.