Earth Day and Green Recipes

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Mother Earth, here are a some of my favorite Green Recipes:

First some avocado-based recipes:

Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa-Stuffed Puff Pastries (with a vegan option) – Avocado, melted cream cheese, and two kinds of salsa.

Mango salsa for a hint of sweetness and a slight kick from the green salsa verde.

Cheater’s Guacamole (Vegan, GF) – 3 minute recipe. No vegetable, onion, or garlic chopping required.

Green Appetizers & Lighter Fare:

Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip (Vegan, GF option)

Cucumber Wraps (Raw, Vegan, GF)

Raw Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing (Raw, Vegan, GF) – Light, flavorful, easy and perfect for warmer weather. Use a vegetable peeler if you don’t have a spiralizer to make zucchini ribbons.

Apple Glazed Vegetable & Edamame Stir Fry (Vegan, GF) – A true meaning of applesauce. The apple-based sauce coats and flavors this dish.

Green Comfort Food:

Lemon & Dill Roasted Potato Sticks (Vegan, GF)

Cheezy Kale Chips (Raw, Vegan, GF) – You can bake these if you don’t have a dehydrator and they turn out wonderfully.

Spicy Baked Eggs and Hash Brown Casserole (GF) – Eggs and potatoes are the way to my husband’s heart. An easy brunch or breakfast-for-dinner recipe. Makes a modest amount so you won’t be eating eggs forever.

Green Desserts:

Vanilla Avocado Banana Smoothie in a Bowl – Sweet, creamy, pudding-like. Or thin it out a bit more and drink it with a straw like a smoothie.

Chocolate Coconut Kale Chips (Raw, Vegan, GF) – Anyone who says they don’t like kale or coconut needs to try these and be converted.

Vanilla Avocado Banana Ice Cream (Raw, Vegan, GF) – You cannot “taste” the avocado. Trust me on this one; it’s really rich, creamy, sweet, and very ice cream-like. People write to me frequently telling me how much they love this healthier recipe for “ice cream”.

Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies – One of the best desserts I’ve ever made. Rich, sweet, decadent, fabulous.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate Earth Day?

In past years, we’ve gone to the Balboa Park Earth Day Festival. We don’t have plans to venture inside the park to the booths and exhibits and green-vendor smorgasboard. We’ll walk on the outskirts, along with 60,000 other people, give or take. Just a small, tiny, crowd. Ahem. The people watching is always fabulous and it’s one of the largest Earth Day fairs in the country. Great energy and we are fortunate enough to live within walking distance of it all.

Do you have a favorite green recipe or green food?

I do love desserts but don’t subsist on them solely. Shocker.

On a daily basis, the majority of the food I eat is green: green salads, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, zucchini, peas, sugar snap peas, edamame, green grapes. Without my greenery, I feel out of balance, off kilter, and I really crave green foods, especially crunchy ones full of texture.

After the greenery, it’s time for dessert. It’s all a balancing act and moderation.

Happy Earth Day!

Winners of the Puff Pastry at Brunch Cookbook Giveaway announced next post