Welcome to the first Friday Foodie Favorites of 2014! I had to think a little bit when I was writing the title to this post. I am still not used to it being 2014 and not 2013. I have a feeling it will take me several weeks to fully get used to that. But 2014 is going to be a great year, I am convinced of that! And what better way to start it off right than by highlighting some of my most recent favorite recipe finds from around the blogosphere? I thoroughly enjoy trying other bloggers’ recipes and I hope that you love reading about them. When I find something good (or REALLY good), I just have to share it with you!
Friday Foodie Favorites: January 3, 2014
It’s another one of Robyn’s delicious recipes! I made her Spaghetti Squash Pasta Puttanesca a few weeks ago and loved it so much that I made it again over my Christmas break. What else can I say other than that Robyn has some seriously delicious spaghetti squash recipes. Heck, she just has really great recipes in general. If you are a spaghetti squash lover like I am, you really must make this dish. It is ridiculously flavorful, cozy, and veggie-filled. Can it get any better? I think not!
Don’t get me wrong, I love cold massaged kale salads. But a couple of weeks ago I was really craving a warm meal. I had “bookmarked” a warm kale salad back in August, and I knew that this was the perfect time to give it a try. Lindsay’s Warm Balsamic Kale Salad totally hit the spot. I made a few alterations to the original recipe in order to make it vegan by leaving out the butter and subbing in nutritional yeast in place of the cheese. I also followed her recommendation to add in beans for some extra protein. I am a bit obsessed with white Great Northern beans right now, so they were such a tasty addition. If you are craving some kale after the holidays then I highly recommend that you try this dish out. It’s tasty, easy, and an all-around winning combination.
Looks are most certainly deceiving with this next one, but I am SO excited to share it with you. If you are barbecue lover like I am, then you are going to want to pay attention. Trust me, barbecue isn’t just for meat-eaters and Lindsay’s recipe for BBQ Lentil Stew is proof of that! I omitted the sausage in order to make it vegan and served it over roasted spaghetti squash (because clearly I am obsessed). Making this dish was definitely one of the best cooking decisions that I have made lately. If you love BBQ sauce like I do, do yourself a favor and make this ASAP. Oh, and don’t forget to add a little extra BBQ sauce to the top because you can never have too much barbecue! 😉
And finally…I must share this new side dish that I made for Christmas this year. When I was deciding what I was going to contribute to my family’s Christmas meal, I wanted something a bit different from what I would normally make- and also something a bit healthier. I found the perfect side dish after perusing my saved recipes: Anne’s Quinoa Salad with Pecans and Cranberries. I left out the chives because I was not able to find any at the grocery store and I added in green onions. This dish was definitely one of my favorite parts of our Christmas meal this year. It was healthy, delicious, flavorful, and satisfying. I ate seconds of it during the Christmas meal and then ate leftovers during several meals after. This will absolutely be making appearances during future holidays.
I had lots of tasty favorites for you this Friday now didn’t I? Please let me know if you give them a try!
