Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Banana Bread

I don’t know if this happens to you as well, but I have this tendency of buying way more bananas than I ever would be willing to eat.
I believe it’s always great to have a bunch of bananas on the counter for a healthy grab-and-go snack or light breakfast. I often buy them in varying colors of green and yellow to assure I have plenty of time to eat them all. Still, bananas tend to ripen quickly, sometimes a lot faster than I have time to eat them. There’s other stuff to eat, you know how it goes. Life just doesn’t revolve around eating bananas.

Bacon, Spinach, Avocado and Tomato Sandwich with Goat Cheese

I believe there is something really satisfying about a good sandwich. Any time of year, any time of day or night, there are times when a sandwich is just the thing.
I have heard people say they don’t like sandwiches and I wonder if their school lunches consisted of bad sandwiches: dubious bread with three slices of baloney stacked over questionable mayo.
I tell them that they really need to try a good sandwich — such as a Rueben on whole wheat bread with sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese or chicken salad with curry, a Sloppy Joe or a French dip sandwich.

Chicken Salad with Almonds Apple and Apricots

I do love me a good chicken salad and I am always working on new and different versions.
Fact is, there are probably as many recipes for chicken salad as there are cooks in the world. It’s one of those great dishes that you can basically whip up from anything. As long as there’s chicken in the equation of course.

Crock-Pot Peach Butter

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been over-ambitious and bought far too many peaches at the farm stand.
I’m not saying there’s something wrong with it, it’s just that — just like myself — you’re probably facing an over-abundance of peaches and need to come up with a way to use ‘em before they go bad.
Crock-Pot Peach Butter to the rescue.
This is hands-off the easiest way to make sure your peach haul is turned into something delicious that will keep through winter (if, of course, properly preserved.)

Turkey and Avocado Sliders

Sliders are an awesome easy food idea for any party, game day, or really any other gathering.
I like to serve sliders at parties because I believe they are a great way to make sure I can give guests a full food experience without filling them with a big burger.
They make killer nibbles to pass around and — last but not least — they’re also great for little hands.

Sweet Potato and Pepper Quesadillas

I can say without a hint of doubt that quesadillas are probably one of my fave top five dinner choices. I love making them at home and trying out all kinds of different combos: vegetarian, spicy, even quesadilla-pizza.
I also find myself ordering them — more often than I’d like to admit — when I’m out to eat.
I’m not really surprised about how much I love them because quesadillas are basically a kicked up grilled cheese on a tortilla instead of bread. And if you didn’t know this about me — or you couldn’t tell from my cauliflower crust grilled cheese enthusiasm — I honestly think that grilled cheese is one of the most perfect foods there is.
Quesadillas have the same golden brown crunchy outside and warm gooey cheese filling. Plus the addition of the salty, savory, and sometimes spicy fillings bring the concept of grilled cheese to a whole new level.

Healthier Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parm can be a delicious dish in its full glory, but it can also be on the heavy side. Breaded and fried eggplant, greasy cheese, oily tomato sauce, in other words a calorie bomb.
However there are other and better ways to approach this Italian classic.

Easy Crispy Chicken

Crispy baked chicken with a juicy meat and a crisp flavorful skin. What’s not to love?
Especially when it’s made in the oven with no breading at all and the only ingredients you need are chicken, spices, and herbs (all pantry staples that you likely already have at home.)
Enters this incredible Easy Crispy Chicken also known as the most amazing oven baked chicken thighs.

Turmeric and Ginger Iced Tea

At this point we all know how good for you turmeric is — if you don’t just Google it, you'll be flooded with tons of information on this super spice.
We have also learned how to include turmeric in our recipes: rice, chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, soups, etc. Not to mention that turmeric latte (aka golden milk) has become one of our favorite drinks.
So it was only a matter of time before we would use turmeric in the quintessential summertime drink: iced tea.
Iced tea is cold, refreshing, and looks so pretty in a tall glass with lots of ice. With turmeric it becomes also super healthy.

(Vegan) Chickpea Shakshuka

Shakshuka is originally a North African dish but over the generations it's become a signature dish across the Middle East as a substantial breakfast or lunch fare.
In the recent years, Shakshuka is taking America and Europe by storm being billed as a healthy dish.
Shakshuka can be seen in so many shapes and forms and today we’re making a vegan version of it, with chickpeas in lieu of eggs.
I’m not sure whether we can still call this dish Shakshuka since there are no eggs, but truth to be told chickpeas work like a charm in this recipe.
I will go as far as saying that you won’t miss the eggs in this vegan version.