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Chipotle Black Bean and Tomato Quesadilla

June 12, 2013 by Erica

The Laughing Cow® provided me with the product featured in this post. However, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the brand.

I am loving the quesadilla thing recently.

Hot, crispy, cheesy, and bursting with flavor.

And how could you not love an easy meal that takes 10 minutes to get to your plate?

That’s right, you couldn’t.

Sometimes I want a quesadilla loaded down with nothing but cheese. But often, especially this time of year, I’d rather prepare something with light, fresh flavors instead of such heavy ones.

So I was very pleased when the lovely folks at The Laughing Cow offered to send me a few of their cheeses to try out. Yum! Just the thing I had in mind. One wedge was perfect for holding a quesadilla together, making it creamy and delicious, but still qualifying it as a light dinner.

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My Favorite Vegan Pesto

June 10, 2013 by Erica

My Favorite Vegan Pesto

Oh hello. I am currently in the air on my way from North Carolina to Salt Lake. I was supposed to make the trip last night, but there were flight delays. I got dropped off at the airport in North Carolina yesterday and then had to have my sister come back to the airport and get me… and then drive me back again at 4 AM. BOOOO! That was not the plan. Grumpy traveler over here!

Anyway, let’s talk basil pesto! Fresh basil is tied with strawberries for my favorite summertime produce. I wait all year for it, and when June rolls around and I finally get my hands on some, I make as much pesto as possible.

My Favorite Vegan Pesto

If I’m lucky, I can buy a 4-oz container of basil at my grocery store for $4.99. I do a happy dance every time I see that big container of basil! Just on the inside, though. I already look like enough of a crazy person in the store – I consistently grocery shop either 1) right after working out, 2) when ravenously hungry, or 3) both – so I don’t need to be seen doing a disco in the produce section.

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Crispy Crunchy Roasted Radish and Chickpea Tacos

June 7, 2013 by Erica

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Radish and Chickpea Tacos

You may know that I like to roast things and put them in tacos. But did you know that you can roast radishes?

Beautiful red radishes are just overflowing the shelves at my supermarket, and I can’t resist picking some up whenever I walk by.

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Radish and Chickpea Tacos

I always buy the organic ones – I find them much more flavorful than conventionally grown. (I am usually lured by the low prices of conventional produce, so I only buy organic when it’s cheaper or when I can really taste the difference. Radishes are a prime example!)

I love peppery raw radishes in salads, but I also love their mellowed-out taste when roasted. They lose most of the bite that turns so many people off from them, and instead are sweet and tender with a softer crunch. Try them out on the radish-hater in your life (ahem, Nate); I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I mean, who could resist this little taco rainbow?

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Strawberry Spa Water

June 5, 2013 by Erica

Strawberry Spa Water

Yes, yes, a recipe for water. But one that I promise is worth your while.

Despite using no fruits or vegetables in Monday’s recipe, I really have been enjoying summer produce. Strawberries are right up there with brownies on my list of favorite foods, actually.

Strawberry Spa Water

And also up there on my list of most beautiful foods. Please excuse the dozens and dozens of photos that I am cramming into this post… I just can’t help myself.

So, strawberry spa water. I first learned about it during a fitness bootcamp at the Canyons Resort a few years ago. Some co-workers and I were getting our butts kicked by a crazy woman named Helen, who to date is still one of the fittest and also most enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. (I guess that’s how you get to be a fitness instructor.) She warned us, “You’ll be thinking of me this weekend!” And it was true… as I had to use my arms to lower myself down into every chair I wanted to sit in, I definitely thought of Helen… and cursed her name.

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Outrageously Fudgy Pretzel Brownies

June 3, 2013 by Erica

Outrageously Fudgy Pretzel Brownies

Call me crazy, but even with all the fresh summer produce jumping off the shelves, this is the combination I’m obsessed with right now.

Outrageously Fudgy Pretzel Brownies

Chocolate and pretzels.

I’ve been craving pretzels with everything recently. Hummus, cheese, chocolate. (All the major food groups right there.) And just to prove that I am taking very seriously the tragic lack of brownies (my favorite food) on this site, I decided to bake some pretzels into a batch of them for you.

For you, for me… let’s not split hairs about who is benefiting from this recipe.

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