Wilde Flavors

This Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio Pesto is an amazing side dish, appetizer, or snack that is healthy, flavorful, and easy to make.

I used to hate cauliflower. I wasn’t a picky eater as a child by any means, but there were certain foods that I would shy away from. A few years ago, I decided to give it another go. I roasted the vegetable in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Oh. My. God. I fell in love.

Over the last few years, everyone is on a big cauliflower kick, using it for gluten free purposes. I haven’t yet tried it in a pizza crust, but I think I need to give that one a shot; I’ve heard great things.

I also love pesto, and I love switching up the flavors in my homemade pesto. This one is a traditional pesto; however, I replaced the pine nuts with pistachios.

This recipe is incredibly simple and a great way to introduce vegetables to those picky eaters! Simply roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and paired with a delicious and easy to make pistachio pesto, this is a great side dish or appetizer the whole family can enjoy!

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflowercut into florets
• 1/4cup olive oil
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon pepper

Pistachio Pesto

• 1cup basil leaves
• 1/4cup pistachiosshelled
• 2tabelspoons parmesangrated
• 1/3cup olive oil
• 1/8teaspoon salt
• 1/8teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425
• In a bowl add cauliflower, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix with hands until oil is covering cauliflower and transfer to a greased baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes until visibly browned.
• In a food processor, add all ingredients for pesto except olive oil. Pulse until mixed, then with the food processor running, stream in the olive oil. Pulse until completely incorporated.
• Toss pistachio pesto with roasted cauliflower
• EAT

I love chocolate chip cookies, but sometimes it’s fun to throw in some delicious and complementary add-ins. These Coconut, Minneola, and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies are an incredibly delicious and easy dessert!

Minneolas are a variety of tangelos, a cross-breed of a tangerine and grapefruit; a deliciously sweet and bitter citrus that I love to snack on. They were on sale at my local co-op and I couldn’t resist. They are in season in the winter- time.

If minneola tangelos are not at your local grocer, you can substitute with a tangeine, grapefruit, or orange. While I didn’t add any juice to this batch, in addition to the zest you can add a teaspoon of juice to the cookie mix for a little extra pop. Personally, I love orange rinds and chocolate (chocolate-covered orange peels are one of my favorite desserts) therefore, the zest alone is a great compliment to the chocolate and coconut in this cookie.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is incredibly easy to make and a great spin on a classic.

This recipe is slightly adapted from the NYtimes Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

If you love orange and chocolate, you’ll love this easy dessert!

Servings: 18 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2cup salted butter
• 1/2cup cane sugar
• 1/2cup brown sugarpacked
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1cup dark chocolateroughly chopped
• 1/2cup coconutunsweetened
• 1tablespoon minneola zestcan substitute tangerine or orange zest

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a stand mixer, mix butter and both sugars until smooth and creamy. Add egg and mix until smooth. Add flour and baking soda, mix until fully incorporated. Mix in coconut, dark chocolate, and minneola zest by hand.
• Drop tablespoon spoonfuls of dough onto a greased baking sheet, flatten by hand, and place about one inch apart.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I love this healthy Kale Fattoush with Lemon-Tahini Dressing. It’s an easy and light dinner option – great for this time of year!

It’s getting warmer here in Wisconsin (sort of) and therefore I’m getting in the mood to make some lighter fare for dinner. This Fattoush salad fits the bill, it’s an awesome, easy, and healthy dinner choice – perfect for the family.

Fattoush is a Middle Eastern bread salad with toasted or fried pita bread or naan. It’s incredibly easy to make and assemble. Vegetables used in this recipe typically include tomato, greens, cucumber, and onion.

This salad will take minutes to whip up. Just toast your pre-made pita bread or naan in the oven and toss it into your salad. Or if you’re feeling slightly more daring, you could make your own, homemade pita bread. I love this recipe from Serious Eats.

The dressing is a wonderful addition to this recipe, and is also easy to make. With just six ingredients: lemon, tahini, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, it’s the perfect pairing!

Enjoy this light, refreshing spring dinner recipe for your next weekday meal.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pita roundstorn into 1 inch pieces
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1head green kaleends removed; roughly chopped
• 1/2cup cherry tomatoessliced
• 1/2cup red onionsliced thinly
• 1/2cup cucumbersliced thinly

Lemon-Tahini Dressing

• 2tablespoons lemon juice
• 2tablespoons tahini
• 1/2cup olive oil
• 1/4cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425
• Mix olive oil and pita pieces until evenly coated. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and toasted.
• Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
• Assemble salad ingredients. Top with toasted pita bread and drizzle with dressing.
• EAT

I love these easy and healthy Overnight Oats with Apple-Cinnamon Compote. They are a simple, fast, and wholesome meal for an easy on-the-go breakfast.

I know I’m a little late to the overnight oats party. I’ve seen many different variations of these easy, breakfast treats, and knew that I needed to create a delicious variation of my own.

As a kid I loved the individually packaged apple-cinnamon oatmeal packets. They were a simple and easy choice for breakfast. My version of overnight oats with apple-cinnamon compote remind me of that nostalgic treat.

The beautiful thing about overnight oats are not only their simplicity, but that you can switch up the recipe. I used unsweetened coconut milk in this recipe to make it dairy-free; however, you can substitute with dairy milk.

The apple-cinnamon compote adds just the right amount of sweetness. Try making this the Sunday before a work-week and enjoy a nice, healthy, and filling breakfast all week long!

These oats can be served cold or heated before adding the compote for a nice, hot breakfast.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 applecored and cut into 1″ pieces
• 1/4cup brown sugar
• 1/4cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

• In a small bowl or mason jar, mix oats and coconut milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In a small saucepan, add apple pieces, cinnamon, brown sugar, and water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until apples are tender.
• Pull out refrigerated oats and top with apple-cinnamon compote.
• EAT