Ashley Smith 11/10/21 Ashley Smith 11/10/21

Black bean, sweet potato, and quinoa power bowl

Hello hello! I’m about to make your lunch meal prep or meatless Monday dinner a LOT more exciting. I can’t get over the amazing combinations of flavors in this meal. Inheritance is currently my favorite coffee spot, and occasionally I stop to get lunch and work. I have to be honest—I’m not usually prone to meatless meals. I typically just find them to be unsatisfying or unfilling. But I tried their black bean grain bowl and it changed my mind! So so good and really filling and satisfying. I decided I needed to make it at home for dinner, and BOY DID I DELIVER!! Not trying to toot my own horn, just really excited about how delicious this meal is. 🤪

It’s got a lot of different components, but each one adds a different element—crunch, saltiness, sweetness, acidity, etc. So although it takes some time prepping all the ingredients, the result is totally worth it. And it could easily be doubled for lunches all week. Just keep the ingredients separate in your fridge and then combine when packing your lunch. If you need a significant source of protein to feel full/satisfied or just feel best having an animal source of protein, chicken or fajita steak would be a really addition. And can I just point out all of the beautiful colors below?!?! 😮😍

If you end up making this, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tag me @DonutEatingDietitian on Instagram. Happy eating!!

Yield: 4-6

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

Black bean, sweet potato, and quinoa power bowl

This meatless meal is BURSTING with flavor and is perfect for a low budget dinner or lunch on the go.

Ingredients

1 cup multicolored quinoa, uncooked
2 cans black beans, undrained
2-3 large sweet potatoes
Pickled red onions (see below)
Magic green sauce (see below)
Crumbled feta
4 cups kale, chopped
Avocado oil, for roasting
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Pickled red onions

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt

Magic Green Sauce *adapted from Pinch of Yum

3/4 cup cilantro
3/4 cup parsley
1/2-1 jalapeno
1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp pepitas
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
water to thin

Instructions

Pickled onions

Bring the apple cider vinegar, water, and salt to a boil. Pour into a glass jar or container and add the thinly sliced red onion. Let it set for at least 30 minutes to allow the onions to pickle and soften slightly.

Magic Green Sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water as needed, but be careful about adding too much and making it runny.

Rest of bowl

Preheat oven to 425.
Prep picked red onions according to directions.
Cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes and toss with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until potatoes are fully cooked and lightly browned and crispy.
Cook quinoa according to directions (I use a 1:2 quinoa:water ratio).
Bring undrained black beans, onion powder, and garlic powder to simmer and cook until most of the water has evaporated and the black beans are thick and saucy.
Make magic green sauce in blender according to directions.
Chop kale and massage it with 1 Tbsp oil and 1/8 tsp salt.
Once all of the components are ready, assemble bowl with kale, potatoes, quinoa, pickled red onions, green sauce, and feta.
Enjoy!

Ashley Smith 5/18/18 Ashley Smith 5/18/18

Quick summer time lunch

So because it's getting hot here (and because I'm pregnant), I'm craving lots of cold, fresh foods. Side note, I had Jason's Deli for lunch the other day with a friend for the first time in like 10 years, and the salad bar was SO refreshing!! I'm trying to remember what all I put in my salad so that I can recreate it, because it was super delicious. Do people even go to Jason's Deli anymore? I'm okay with the free ice cream that comes with every meal....🙋

Heyyyy guys!! How are things going in your neck of the woods (who says that?)?? Over here in Oklahoma, we went straight from winter to summer with only a few days of spring. And to that I say, "BOOOOO!!". Spring is my favorite season. I love seeing all of the dead trees and grass come to life with a bright green color. And the weather is absolutely glorious--it's a break from all of the cold weather and instead has a nice crisp air that isn't cold, but refreshing. Welp, I only got to enjoy that a few sporadic days. Welcome to Oklahoma weather 🙄.

Today's recipe isn't as much of a recipe as it is a guide for creating a delicious and easy lunch that can easily be prepped ahead for multiple lunches. I receive periodic packages from Bolthouse Farms (I was not compensated for writing this post) and the most recent package had their new organic vinaigrette dressings. I'm a big fan. I got this three herb and a lemon basil one. They also send us delicious juices and smoothies that Isaac loves as snacks (I liked their green juice one).

For this batch, I used Banza pasta to give it more fiber and protein and really enjoyed the hearty texture. I also used some pimiento-stuffed green olives that we had on hand, but you could use any olive to give it a nice saltiness. Feel free to use whatever veggies you wish. I wish I had had artichokes, because I think that would be a nice addition. If you try them in it, you should let me know what you think.

P.S. Baby will be 17 weeks tomorrow and we find out the gender in 3 weeks. We are SO excited!!!

Yield: 4-5 servings

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

Quick Summer Time Pasta

Ingredients

8 oz spiral pasta, cooked according to package instructions (I used Banza)
3 cups chopped veggies: spinach, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, olives, whatever YOU want
Crumbled feta cheese
Bolthouse Farms Three Herb dressing (amount depends on your preference)
Squeeze of lemon
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Optional choice of protein: I think chickpeas or shrimp would be delicious in this!

Instructions

Cook pasta according to directions and rinse in cold water to cool the pasta down. Chop your veggies of choice and combine with the pasta, feta cheese, dressing, squeeze of lemon, basil leaves, and protein, if using. You can eat immediately or leave leftover in the fridge for several days. If you are packing for lunches, you could put the dressing on the bottom of your container with the salad on top and shake right before serving.

Ashley Smith 12/20/16 Ashley Smith 12/20/16

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Welp, it's been awhile since I last posted a recipe (story of this blog). Sorry about that. *guilty emoji face* But I'm going to make up for my recipe absence with enchiladas. Surely, that corrects all wrongs, right??

I don't know if you all have any Christmas food traditions, but I know several people whose families eat tamales at Christmas. Mexican fiesta? Yes, please, I'm down--especially if I can top everything with avocado. My family didn't do that growing up. Instead, our traditional favorites were things like tiger butter, ham dip, and white trash. Interesting names, delicious food.

So with Christmas right around the corner, I figured you could honor your family tradition or tap into someone else's family tradition and eat Mexican food to celebrate the Christmas season. These enchiladas are filled with protein, veggies, and cheese and wrapped in a doughy tortilla <3. I used store-bought enchilada sauce, but you could definitely make your own. Also, they ended up being a bit spicy, so if you're not a big fan of heat, used a mild enchilada sauce or go easy on the sauce. You'll definitely want to top with sour cream, avocado, and some green onion and cilantro. We didn't have any green onions, hence why they aren't in the picture.

I served mine with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower because roasted veggies are my jam, but these would pair nicely with some Mexican rice or chips and salsa. I'd love to hear what you all have planned for Christmas and what your favorite Christmas food tradition is!! Comment below! :-D