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Beet Greens Goma-ae {Recipe}

Here’s another recipe I made a little while ago.

You don’t have to toss your beet greens in the trash – they can be cooked just like any other green. Dark leafy greens are yummy and of course good for you.

Goma-ae is a Japanese dish. Goma = sesame seed. Traditionally this is served with spinach, but I thought that beet greens would be a good seasonal variation on the standard recipe.

Beet Greens Goma-ae

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups of beet greens (including stems)
  • 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons ground toasted black sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Steam the beet greens for 3 minutes.
  2. Mix the soy sauce and sugar at the bottom of a large serving bowl.
  3. Dry the greens and chop them into small pieces. Add them to the soy sauce mix.
  4. Mix in the ground sesame seeds.
  5. Eat!

Inspiration from {HERE}.

Have you had goma-ae?

What’s your favorite dark leafy green?

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Roasted Beets {Recipe}

This is a super simple recipe for roasted beets. This is the technique I use for almost all roasted veggies. Sesame oil is always optional but can be added for some extra depth. It really gives a nice smoky flavor if you use toasted sesame oil.

Simple Roasted Veggies: Beets

Ingredients

  • 4 large beets
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • salt & pepper (1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste?)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil OR a handfull of fresh basil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Mix together the olive oil, (optional) sesame oil, salt and pepper, and sesame seeds.
  3. Chop the beets in approximately 1-inch cubes and toss them in the olive oil mixture.
  4. Bake on an oiled baking sheet (I like to use foil for easy cleanup) for 35 minutes or until tender.
  5. Sprinkle with basil; serve.

Inspiration found {HERE}.

Do you like beets?

I always have. Growing up we would have pickled beets often (one of my Grammie’s recipes). I didn’t have roasted beets until I was probably in my 20s but I loved them at first bite.

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Roasted Sesame Eggplant {Recipe}

I made this a few weeks ago, but it was very delicious and it’s worthy of a post. Farmers’ markets have started to have some really delicious eggplant. It’s a summer / early fall vegetable.

Roasted Sesame Eggplant

Ingredients

  • Eggplant
  • Sesame Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Ground black sesame or regular sesame (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Cut the eggplants in half, and then in 2-3 inch pieces.
  3. Place the eggplants facing up on a greased baking tin. Drizzle with sesame oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sesame (optional).
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. They should be starting to get a little bit mushy so they will be really flavorful.

Inspiration for this recipe came from {HERE}.

Great served as a side or for snacking.

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MilkIN Cookies! {Recipe} (AKA Lactation Cookies – with Vegan Option)

I made these lactation cookies to promote milk production for breastfeeding. I ate these in the days leading up to giving birth as well as after K was born. I am not sure if they actually helped with supply (I didn’t have any issues), but even if they didn’t they’re still tasty and worth making.

milkin lacation cookies vegan

I came up with the recipe based on a few that I looked at online. It seems like the key ingredients for milk production are probably:

  • Brewer’s yeast (must use this yeast specifically – don’t substitute with nutritional yeast or other)
  • Ground flaxseed (also helpful for treating PCOS)
  • Oats and wheat germ (fiber is supposed to be good for milk supply)
  • Organic Butter (healthy animal fat)

It’s very easy to veganize this recipe; instructions for both regular and vegan are below.

Ingredients (with vegan option)

  • 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 3/4 cup (whole wheat) flour
  • 3 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 3 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (ceylon) cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup organic butter (room temperature) – vegan option: 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 (organic) egg – vegan option: additional 1T flaxseed and 1.5T water (add this to the above ingredients)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1.5 cups whole oats (ideally not quick oats)
  • cooking spray / greased pan
  • Optional: 1/2 cup raisins
  • Optional: 1/2 shredded coconut
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • Optional: 1/2 cup nuts
  • Optional: Any other of your favorite cookie add-ins!

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. In one bowl, mix together: flaxseed and water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
  3. In another bowl, mix together: butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. (If making the vegan version, omit the egg at this point and add coconut oil instead of butter.)
  4. In another bowl, mix together: flour, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  5. Add the oats and any add-ins to the dry ingredients.
  6. Add the flaxseed mix to the wet ingredients and mix.
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. IF dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix.
  8. Shape into cookies and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 12-14 minutes.

I have made both the vegan and regular versions multiple times and they both turn out well.

My add-ins were shredded coconut and raisins.

These can be shared with family members! Husbands and grandmas love them too. I had mine for breakfast, as a snack, and for dessert.

Let me know if you try them and if they work for you.

What are your tips to boost milk supply?

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Juicing Infographic!

Hi guys!

I have a *juicy* infographic for you today.

I am a big fan of juicing. I don’t do it that much at home anymore, but I used to use my Breville constantly when I lived out in CA.

Now I tend to buy my juices, but if you have the time and the space for a juicer I’d highly recommend it.

Since moving into my second trimester, I’ve had a lot of trouble with sloooooowwwww digestion and bloating. I don’t like to skip out on the veggies so I try to get them in with juice if I’m not feeling so hot.

When Macy’s sent me an infographic they made about the benefits of juicing I thought it was good timing to post it!

What’s your favorite juice recipe? I love green juices – kale, celery, cucumber, maybe 1/2 an apple, some lemon, and ginger. Yum.

The Benefits of Home Juicing Infographic by Macy’s.

This post is sponsored by Macy’s. I was invited to this opportunity by Blue Polo Interactive and received a Macy’s gift card for my time. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.