Healthified Spicy & Smoky Tomato Soup

June 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

It's sweltering here right now. I'm not quite sure how I've made it past the brutal Texas summers in the past, since this year is mild so far by comparison. Usually by now we're well into the 100's for many days in a row and you could literally fry and egg on the concrete. Even so, it's hot out. 90+ degrees lately and all the humidity you can stand. We actually had 100% humidity the other day. I think I'm officially growing gills this year due to the rains and humidity together.

Gills or no gills, I've officially banned the stove until late August or Early October.

Okay, okay, except for another birthday/party or two that I'll be making desserts for.

While the oven is out of commission until cooler weather arrives, my stove top, grill and crock pots have their work cut out for them. Even though it summer, I was really in the mood for some tomato soup; so I went to work coming up with a summer inspired variation of a winter staple in my home...

Skinny 'Fried' Green Tomato BLT

June 18, 2015 Amanda Plott

I know, I've been talking a lot lately about my local produce box that I've been getting weekly. But, I just have so much fun with it. I get a lot of fresh ingredients that I normally wouldn't think to cook with, so it really stretches my cooking muscles and pushes me outside my usual box.

This week I got some lovely green tomatoes. Green tomatoes? What's that? Basically it's an unripe tomato. Nothing fancy here. They are firmer and more tart than their ripened brethren. They are definitely one of those simple things that you just can't seem to find at the grocery store often (if ever at all.) Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get my hands on these green beauties finally!

Now, what do you do with unripe tomatoes? Well, in the south... we fry them. Since I don't like to fry anything though, I'm doing a lighter take on that. After all, I've made Faux Fried Tomatoes before; a great starting point...

Skinny Watermelon Agave Margarita Poptail

June 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

I love a good margarita, especially in the summer. Who doesn't? Recently, with the temperature climbing quickly here in Texas, I've become somewhat addicted to the idea of poptails. What's a poptail...? Well, it's the amazing notion of putting a popsicle and cocktail together into one amazing treat!

I've seen poptails done in a few different ways, whether mixing your ingredients and freezing together or adding a nice fresh popsicle to your favorite mix-ins. Today I decided to do my take on a Watermelon Agave Margarita using these amazing, local to me, GoodPops.

As the popsicle melts down the fresh fruit inside the GoodPop shows it's beautiful self with small chunks of watermelon and the cold frosty ice of the melting popsicle working together to tame the tequila and triple sec; working as a healthier replacement of a 'sweet and sour' mix...

Skinny Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup

May 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

Oh, man - I've survived the great storm and flood of 2015 here in Austin! Not everyone was as fortunate as us. We had a 6+ hour power outage, multiple trees blown over, and several fences that were ripped apart by 70 mph straight-line winds here in my immediate neighborhood. At one point many places were evacuated to ground level central rooms, and I was ready to jump into the closet under my stairs with my grandmother and daughter at a seconds notice when we were under a tornado warning. Scary stuff!

Our wonderful lake is thriving off all the recent rain, which is one great thing that has come out of all this crazy weather here lately; going up from 37% full to 63% full!

Of course, as I was watching the weather on the news during the most recent storm, I was taking my mind off things as best I could by cooking. What goes better with a stormy day than a nice warm bowl of soup?...

Skinny Kale & Carrot Top Pesto

May 26, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've made a few pestos before. One that's a bit more traditional, and another that's more my style. No matter how you make it, pesto is definitely one of my favorite things to eat, and I am happy to find any excuse at all to use it in a recipe.

This week I got another local produce box that contained a large bunch of kale and some lovely carrots with their tops. Since I was going to be making a soup with the carrots, I began to wonder if the tops of the carrots were edible, and if they were, would they work well in a pesto?

Waste not, want not - right?

I immediately began to do some research. Apparently the tops of the carrots are edible, though they were once thought to be poisons because of their bitter taste; supposedly bitterness is often associated with poisonous foods. Either way, it was all a myth and carrot tops are perfectly safe and delicious to consume when used right!...

Skinny Spinach & Sundried Tomato Omelette

May 14, 2015 Amanda Plott

This yummy vegetarian and gluten-free omelette is a great thing to wake up to. Seriously, I can't think of much else that I'd rather wake up to. I promise that you won't miss any meat here either, and as an added bonus it's still pretty packed with protein and good-for-you things; spinach, tomato, and even some mushrooms!

Breakfast has been a tricky meal for me lately. Somewhere between work and being a mommy, it's one of the last things that I happen to think about. And often by the time I have the time to make breakfast for myself... it's time for lunch!

I guess that's why I'm more of a brunch person.

That and brunch also comes with a mimosa or bloody mary!...