Easy and Healthy Pasta Salad
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Standardby carynfasko0 Comments

Originally Published in May 2015

Last weekend I turned 30 (old lady now…) so we thought we would do a beach party on Saturday to celebrate. So of course I wanted to make some nutritious and delicious food to bring. I had to think of something I could keep cold in a cooler and that would be refreshing and not too messy or complicated. Pasta salad seemed to be an easy solution…so my recipe for sweet potato pasta salad was born!

I used whole grains (good carbs for sustained energy and fiber), olive oil (good fat, anti-inflammatory properties), and fresh veggies (lots of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals). I was able to keep it in a large aluminum tray in the cooler and it did stay cool until we were ready to eat. I also made a fruit salad to bring because it is super easy to just chop up some melons, grapes and strawberries….and who doesn’t love cool, fresh fruit on a hot day? Plus…it has a ton of nutrients and can help keep you hydrated. My pasta salad turned out really delicious and fed about 16-20 people so keep that in mind when you see the large amounts of ingredients.

Sweet Potato Pasta Salad

Sweet Potato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

32 oz Dry Whole Grain Pasta (I used Brown Rice Pasta to make it Gluten Free)

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 Head of Broccoli

4 Large Tomatoes

1- Fresh 8 oz Bag of Baby Spinach

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Champagne or White Wine Vinegar

Juice from 2 Lemons

1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

  • Cook pasta according to package directions in a very large pot.
  • While pasta is cooking, clean off sweet potatoes and poke several holes through the skin with a fork. Microwave on high for 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  • Rinse broccoli and tomatoes and start chopping into pieces while sweet potatoes and pasta are cooking.
  • Remove sweet potatoes (be careful they will be very hot) and let cool.
  • Put chopped broccoli in the microwave on a microwave safe plate on high for 2 minutes…but only if you are like me and prefer your broccoli to be slightly cooked but still firm and crunchy. If you prefer it raw you can skip that step.
  • By now your pasta should be done cooking; drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and add to your aluminum tray or serving dish.
  • Add the bag of spinach to the warm pot you just removed the pasta from and put back on burner on low heat stirring occasionally to warm and wilt spinach until it shrinks to about half.
  • Add warm spinach, broccoli, and tomatoes to pasta.
  • If your sweet potatoes are cool enough, peel off the skin and chop into bite size squares. If they still feel hot please be patient and let them cool down more… you can get burned by hot potato steam. The potatoes should peel very easily with a knife now that they are cooked.
  • Add the sweet potato pieces to the pasta mixture.
  • Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and sugar in a small bowl and pour over pasta. Mix well and add ground black pepper to taste.
  • Refrigerate until ready to eat, can be made the day before.

Healthy, Sweet Potato Pasta Salad, Whole Grain, Easy

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Easy vegetarian and gluten free Mediterranean Quinoa Bake
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Standardby carynfasko5 Comments

This week was pretty busy so I wanted to make a really easy, healthy and delicious meal that would be able to feed both me and my husband for two nights. Throwing veggies, beans, and whole grains into a pan and baking it seemed like a really good way to accomplish my goal. I also wanted to do a vegetarian dish because 1) I love vegetarian dishes, 2) Adding meat seemed like an unnecessary extra step, and 3) My friend Stephanie is a vegetarian who loves casseroles/bakes and is always looking for healthy recipes…so this recipe was partly for her. I chose to use Mediterranean flavors in this recipe because I love them… annnnd I also happened to have a can of artichokes in my pantry I wanted to use. So if you like easy healthy recipes, veggies, chickpeas, and quinoa, this Mediterranean Quinoa Bake recipe is just for you.

 Easy, vegetarian, and gluten free Mediterranean Quinoa Bake

When I’m short on time or I’m running low on fresh vegetables, I like to combine fresh veggies with canned ones for a quick and easy meal that still helps me meet my nutritional needs. When buying canned ingredients, I compare different brands and choose the one that is lowest in sodium, preferably no salt added, if possible. I also drain and rinse my canned beans and veggies that do have salt added to help further decrease the sodium level. If you like to use a lot of canned ingredients I would suggest investing in a little mini colander so you can easily rinse off your canned beans and veggies without having to use your bigger one. That way you can save precious dishwasher space and you may be more likely to actually take the time to rinse them off 🙂

If you are in need of a little colander I think this one looks pretty darn cute:

Tablecraft HC1 0.75 quart Mini Colander  *

*Amazon affiliate link – if you click on purchase through this link I may receive a percentage of the sale to help run my website at no cost to you

Looking for more vegetarian dishes? Try my Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Easy, vegetarian, and gluten free Mediterranean Quinoa Bake

Mediterranean Quinoa Bake

 Ingredients 

1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
1 Can (16 oz) Reduced Sodium Chickpeas- Drained and Rinsed
1 Can (14 oz) Quartered Artichoke Hearts- Drained and Rinsed
1 Can (12 oz) Roasted Red Peppers- Drained and Rinsed
3 Cups Raw Baby Spinach
4 Plum Tomatoes – Sliced
1 Cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
3/4 Cup Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta Cheese
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

 
 
Directions
Cook quinoa according to package directions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. While quinoa is cooking, add remaining ingredients except for feta cheese and balsamic vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Toss ingredients together mixing well. After quinoa is done cooking, spread quinoa evenly in a 9×13 inch glass baking pan. Top with veggie mixture. Cook in oven for 20 minutes or until veggies are warm and soft. Remove from oven, sprinkle feta cheese and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top of casserole. Place back in oven for about 5 more minutes until cheese is warm and slightly soft. Remove from oven and serve. Enjoy!
 
 
 Easy, vegetarian, and gluten free Mediterranean Quinoa Bake
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This scalloped sweet potato casserole is made with only 5 ingredients. It is also vegan, dairy free, gluten free, and nut free so everyone shold be able to enjoy!
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Standardby carynfasko2 Comments

Sweet potatoes are an essential part of any Thanksgiving feast. They are hearty, sweet, full of important nutrients and you can do a lot of different things with them. For Thanksgiving though, I prefer to either just roast them or do some sort of sweet potato casserole. Nothing too complicated, as I don’t want to cover them up with 1,000 different ingredients or spend hours in the kitchen on 1 side dish. Plus, I’d much rather also have time to make dessert. Any one else with me? So today, I want to share with you a simple, but elegant and tasty, scalloped sweet potato casserole recipe with only 5 ingredients.

I actually first made this scalloped sweet potato casserole last year when I wanted to make sure my almost 11 month old daughter had something that I knew she would and could eat at a Friendsgiving we went to. I love honey but since she wasn’t yet a year old we went with just a touch of maple syrup to lightly sweeten this casserole. In my pictures you can see I left the skin on the sweet potatoes but when I first made it for Friendsgiving I peeled it off because … babies.

Anyways, this scalloped sweet potato casserole is pretty easy and foolproof. Slicing the sweet potatoes took the longest amount of time and effort but once that was done it only took a few minutes to put together.

First, I rinsed and scrubbed all the sweet potatoes. If desired, you could peel them here, or be lazy like me and leave the skins on to save time. (My daughter who is now almost 2 still won’t eat the skins but I just peel them off the pieces on her plate when serving her)

Then, I sliced them up into circles with a mandolin. If you are need of one, this is the one I have: 

OXO 1155700 Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer, Set of 1 White (amazon affiliate link – I may receive a percentage of the sale at no cost to you)

 

 

 

This gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegan, scalloped sweet potato casserole is so simple and only 5 ingredients

 

Next, I mixed the remained ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

Then, I sprayed a roasting pan with cooking spray and started laying down the sweet potato circles like shingles.

Free of the common allergens, this vegan scalloped sweet potato casserole is perfect for gatherings of friends and family

Then I brushed the sweet potatoes with the oil, syrup, and spices mixture.

 

This vegan scalloped sweet potato casserole is free from the most common allergens and is perfect for your next gathering of family and friends

Added another sweet potato layer and brushed with the liquid mixture. And then another layer and brushed until all the sweet potatoes were used. After brushing the top layer I drizzled whatever oil/syrup was left over the casserole.

Finally, I baked in the oven for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

These scalloped sweet potatoes are perfect for any family gathering or feast. Made with only 5 ingredients and free of the top allergens, anyone can enjoy them.

Just be aware that the top layer will be a little crispier and the bottom layer will be softer.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

 

Scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
8 Sweet Potatoes (about 6 pounds)
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Allspice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Rinse off and scrub sweet potatoes well. Peel if desired but not necessary.
3. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch circles with a mandolin.
4. Mix remaining ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
5. Spray a deep roasting pan with cooking spray and start lining the bottom with potato circles, overlapping like shingles.
6. After you put down the first sweet potato layer use a brush to brush oil and syrup mixture.
7. Continue adding layers and brushing. If you have extra oil mixture at the end just drizzle it over the top after brushing.
8. Cook in oven for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes reach desired softness – keep in mind the potatoes on the bottom will get softer than those on the top.
9. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

 

This scalloped sweet potato casserole is free of the common allergens, vegan, and made with only 5 ingredients

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