Eggplant "Calamari"

Confession: Calamari always looks delish. Something about the snacky salty crunchy-ness just makes the deep fried squid look soooo appealing. No? Well now, if you and I are on the same wavelength here, try Eggplant Calamari. I'll say no more... (Well, I will, but just to give you the recipe!)

Ingredients:
Serves 6-8

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 cup ground flaxseed

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Slice eggplant in halve lengthwise.

• Slice each halve into skinny french fry shaped strips.

• Place the eggplant strips in a flat bowl or tray.
• Pour the olive oil, balsamic, and garlic powder on top so that the eggplant is submerged. 
• Allow eggplant to sit and marinate for 10 minutes.

• Pour ground flax seed on a plate.
• Taking one eggplant strip out of the mixture at a time, and allowing excess liquid to drip off back into the eggplant bowl, lay the moistened eggplant in the ground flax seed and turn over once so that the eggplant is completely covered on both sides.
• Place each covered strip onto a baking tray.

• Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Add your favorite dipping sauce or whatever! I ate with fresh avocado and sun dried tomatoes. NO WORDS. Again... I'll say no more :)

Chunky Monkey Oatmeal

Just read on...

Ingredients:
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats, (I suggest either old fashioned or quick cooking.)
• 1 banana, (no green on the peel please!)
• 1-1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

• Pour 1 cup almond milk, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a pot over the stove on high heat. Bring to a boil.

• Add in oats, and reduce heat to low. 

• Stir twice and allow oats to cook for several minutes. (The amount of time depends on the type of oats you use. Old Fashioned will take about 7-8 minutes, while Quick Cooking only takes about 2 or 3 minutes.)
• Chop up banana, and add to oatmeal.

• Add in remaining 1/4 cup almond milk, cover pot, and allow to sit over low heat for 1 minute.

• Add in maple syrup, and stir/mash the mixture so the banana becomes chunky but mushy.

• Finally, add in the walnuts, stir, turn heat off, and allow to sit covered for 3 minutes.

• Serve warm. mmmmm!!! Literally. mmmmm!!!!!

(I just noticed my Brita is in the background of most of these photos LOL. Yay environment.) Go breakfast go!!

Italian Quesadilla

Hi healthy foodie friends! I very much apologize for the delay. (It is well worth the wait, though.) My life is recently full of exciting moments... travel and lots of yoga practice breakthroughs!

Andddd I'm back. In celebration, please try this recipe over the weekend. In true Kale With Love fashion, my Italian Quesadillas fuse 2 food worlds together into 1 gluten free vegan magical experience. Yes, magical.

By the way, these babies remind me of my Taco Pizza!

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• 2 brown rice tortillas. (Trader Joe's also makes their own brand version of these.)
• 1/4 cup your favorite tomato sauce. Marinara fits like a glove for this recipe.
• 1/2 cup Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

Directions:

• Note: if tortillas are in the refrigerator or freezer, allow them to sit out until completely room-temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place one room-temperature tortilla flat on a baking tray.
• Gently spread tomato sauce along the inside area of tortilla using a knife.
• Distribute cheese.

• Place the 2nd tortilla on top so you almost have a pizza-sandwich.
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden.
• Allow to cool for 3 minutes, then carefully cut into fourths using a sharp knife.

Ta-da!!! Italian Quesadilla. Also, for those careful readers who noticed there are only 3 Italian Quesadillas in the first picture... well, it's obvious that I ate one before my photo-shoot, right?

I love hearing your interesting food fusions as well if you'd like to share!

This recipe is approved by Nutrition Stylist Dana Kofsky www.nutritionstyles.com