Yea, you read that right, breakfast nachos. They’re a thing in our house. Unlike traditional nachos, the base for this healthy version are sweet potato “chips” and the cheese is optional. I toss the sweet potato chips into a bowl with a bunch of cilantro pistachio pesto, and top them with caramelized onions, kale, black beans, a fried or over easy egg or two, some melty cheese, avocado mousse, cilantro, and hot sauce — obviously.
RECIPES
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes are one of my dietary staples. Although I refer to them as sweet potatoes, they’re technically yams — I’ll continue calling them sweet potatoes because that’s how they’re labeled in nearly every U.S. grocery store. Sweet potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and a host of micronutrients including vitamins A, C, and B6, and minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and copper. While I love the garnet and jewel varieties, I am currently obsessed with purple sweet potatoes, also called Okinawan Sweet Potatoes, because of their bright purple flesh and sky-high anthocyanin content.
Caramelized Onion, Kale, and Black Beans
This recipe is part of my batch cooking recipe series. I utilize this savory blend of onions, kale, and, black beans to add protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates to a number of meals. It is excellent paired with eggs, stirred into quinoa or rice, put into a quesadilla, or used as a topper for healthier nachos.
Ethiopian Peanut Stew with Caramelized Onion, Tomato, and Kale
I was first introduced to Ethiopian cuisine in Madison, WI while in college. At the time I was a vegetarian and Ethiopian food is very plant-centric, which meant I had lots of options to try and I took full advantage. Many Ethiopian dishes are served with injera, a flatbread made from fermented teff flour batter. Teff is a tiny ancient grain with an amazing nutritional profile. It’s high in protein, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, and copper and it’s also gluten-free. For those looking to increase the mineral-density of their diet, especially vegans and vegetarians who may struggle to consume enough iron, teff is an excellent choice. The fermentation process used in injera also makes the nutrients and protein more bio-available, helping to ensure optimal absorption.
Steak with Pomegranate Sage Glaze
This Thanksgiving I finally acknowledged that it doesn’t make any sense to prepare a turkey for three people who dislike turkey. We were fortunate enough to have a friend give us an elk steak which inspired me to make this pomegranate sage steak — a simple yet super flavorful protein for our holiday meal. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a photo of the finished product (Ella dove into it before I could get a picture!) but I promise, it’s visually appealing.
Protein Pancakes
When I was a kid, my family ate pancakes fairly regularly, especially in the winter before or after downhill or cross-country skiing. Physical exertion in the cold does indeed pair perfectly with warm, fluffy pancakes. But because the classic high carbohydrate recipes spike blood sugar and leave me famished a few hours later, I wanted to create a version of this wintertime staple that was gluten-free, high-protein, and added-sugar-free.
Winter Salad with Kale, Delicata Squash, Beet, Apple and Pomegranate
This winter salad is perfect for the holiday season. It’s hearty, rich in flavors, textures, and colors, and is beautiful individually plated or served family-style. I most recently made it as part of our Thanksgiving dinner and adults and kids loved it equally.
Cornbread Scones
There’s nothing quite as delicious as a perfectly executed pastry or loaf of bread. Unfortunately, pulling off artisan-quality baked goods usually requires ample amounts of gluten and sugar. But these gluten-free, sugar-free, cornbread scones are a delicious exception.
Superpower Smoothie
The superpower smoothie won’t win any beauty contests, but it’s delicious, energizing, and will leave you feeling amazing. This concoction has everything our bodies need to thrive: 28g of high-quality protein, no added sugar, potent anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, several strains of probiotics, tons of fiber, and some healthy fat.
Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Rustic Dukkah
Isn’t this combination beautiful? It’s also unique, easy, and delicious. The hands-on time for the squash and dukkah combined is 15 minutes — leaving plenty of time to make a simple salad to round out a meal.