This pasta salad has all of your favourite garden fresh vegetables including cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes, along with pillowy bocconcini cheese, fresh herbs, and tangy vinaigrette. There's nothing to dislike here so head to the RECIPES page for the recipe and whip up some hearty salad for dinner tonight!

HAPPY VEG

GARDEN TORTELLINI SALAD

Tortellini pasta makes a seriously delicious pasta salad. It has a lot more texture than other noodles making it heartier and better for salad in my opinion. I've whipped up a quick and delicious garden style pasta salad that's the perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes. 
We've got fresh garden veggies including tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers, along with bocconcini cheese, fresh herbs, and a wonderfully simple white wine vinaigrette. The resulting salad is super fresh and delicious and ready in a flash. A great recipe to keep for summer barbecues and get togethers.

As a vegetarian or vegan, it's totally natural to slip up from time to time whether accidentally or intentionally. It's super important to move past those things and learn from them which is something I've always done. In my life, I've had less than 5 slip ups since becoming a vegetarian and one of them was in the past two weeks. Let me explain. . .

I met up with one of my very best friends and we decided to go out for Mexican food which is something that we both thoroughly enjoy doing. As always, we ordered a plethora of appetizers along with our mains knowing darned well we wouldn't finish everything but our eyes are often larger than our stomachs. Anyhow, I was enjoying my food when a plate of the most scrumptious looking fish tacos was placed before her and I caught myself craving a taste. What was I to do?

I had told myself that once I had arrived in Ireland, I was definitely going to try authentic fish and chips and these fish tacos sitting before me would be the perfect opportunity to test the waters. As I struggled with myself for a few minutes, I decided to ask my friend to take a bite of one of her tacos and she happily agreed. As of that moment, it had probably been close to 5 years since I last took a taste of fish (16 since I last ate any kind of meat) so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I grabbed one of the tacos, cocked my neck sideways, and took a pretty large bite hoping for this magical experience. Needless to say, the opposite thing happened.

As the fish hit the inside of my mouth, I froze after taking the first chew. The texture threw me off immediately because of its fleshiness and the smell / flavour of fish was way too much for my palette to handle. I was barely able to chew and felt like my body was rejecting the bite of fish I had taken. 

This was a major lesson learned for me. I somehow though eating fish and chips in Ireland was this life changing event but after this taco debacle, I realized that was the silliest thing I could've convinced myself of. Why did I need to eat fish and chips to get the Irish experience? I felt so silly after taking a bite of that fish taco, I knew darned well I didn't want to eat fish anymore but was able to convince myself in that split second that it was what I wanted. 

What's the moral of this story? Slip ups happen! Embrace them, recognize them, and move forward. I realized very quickly after that taco that I was never going to eat meat or fish again. I needed that to happen to remind myself why I was a vegetarian. It definitely helped put things into perspective. I won't be eating fish and chips in Ireland and I'm not missing a darned thing. I have chosen to give up on eating fish and that's something I'm proud of. Slip ups happen and this was just what I needed!

Embrace your mistakes and move forward from them! Everyone slips up, it's totally natural! I definitely learned from this and feel better for it!

HAPPY VEG

I never take for granted a delicious bowl of soup when I get to enjoy one, a good bowl of soup is truly a beautiful thing. It's the perfect dish where all of the flavours and ingredients really work together to create a wonderful and cohesive dish.

I've got a delicious savoury potato and spinach soup on the menu for today. Chopped potatoes, fresh spinach, and button mushrooms help to create a hearty and enjoyable bowl of soup. Savouriness comes from fresh thyme and rosemary along with a plethora of dried spices and herbs that infuse the broth making it not only savoury, but super delicious. I swear that the broth is always the best part of soup so it's super important to season it properly!

If you're looking for something hearty, comforting, and delicious for dinner tonight, look no further! Head to the RECIPES tab for the recipe!


HAPPY VEG

I always get so excited when my day off comes around because I know I'll be spending the day cooking and eating! This past Sunday was especially productive as I was able to get 3 new recipes written and tested. It's super difficult to do recipe testing through the week with my hectic schedule so I'm super excited to get three recipes knocked out this week. Let me tell you about them!
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YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

This soup is one of my favourites that we make at work so I wanted to try and make a batch at home. Split pea soup is actually one of the easiest soups to make because there is very little ingredients and even less work to put it together. Quite simply, yellow split peas are cooked down until tender and I've taken an immersion blender to puree half the soup giving it extra richness and flavour. I love half blending my soups and sauces, it brings all of the flavours together so beautifully. Look for this recipe in the next couple of weeks!

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER ALFREDO with TORTELLINI

Alfredo is such a delicious sauce but it is pretty high in fat and calories thanks to the excess of cream and cheese. Cauliflower actually makes a deliciously rich and creamy sauce when blended and saves you tons of calories and fat! I've whipped up a batch of cauliflower sauce for my 3 cheese tortellini and finished the dish with fresh parsley, lemon zest, and parmesan. It tastes super naughty but thanks to the cauliflower, it really isn't! 

FRESH FETTUCCINE with LEMON, MINT, and CHILI OIL

Infusing your oil with the flavours of chili and heat  is actually super simple and a great way to kickstart the flavours of your dish. All it takes is some pepper flakes and some melted butter / EVOO. Before frying any of your other ingredients, let the pepper flakes fry and pop away in the pan for a minute or two and you'll have a chili infused oil that will make a fabulous sauce! The fettuccine includes fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and peas along with fresh mint, parsley, lemon, and a dollop of ricotta cheese to finish things off. 

You can expect these recipes to be uploaded in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned and don't forget to check back tomorrow for the week's second recipe!

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This veggie packed side dish also includes sliced brussel sprouts for extra texture and nutritional value which is an added bonus. I finished the dish with fresh parsley and lemon zest for a welcome burst of freshness that gives the cauliflower rice the perfect balance of flavours.

Head on over to the RECIPES page for your cruciferous veggie fix.

HAPPY VEG

SAVOURY POTATO & SPINACH SOUP

There's something about a good bowl of soup that really gets me going. I could eat soup everyday especially if they're all this delicious. This particular soup is especially delicious because it's so simple and sometimes the simplest things are the most enjoyable. 
This savoury soup has delicious potatoes, button mushrooms, and spinach, and gets its savouriness from fresh thyme and rosemary. It's so flavourful and hearty, you guys are going to enjoy this one!

CAULI & COUSCOUS with BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND LEMON

I love the combination of cauliflower and couscous. Combining the two is a great way to enhance the couscous and also get an extra serving of veggies. This fluffy side also includes sliced brussel sprouts for extra texture, nutrition, and flavour. It's finished with fresh lemon zest to freshen the dish up and provide the perfect pop of fresh flavour. What you end up with is a delicious and fluffy dish that pops with freshness. It's delicious and so quick and easy to prepare. 

Zucchini is such a wonderful veggie. It's so versatile and can be used in so many different ways including baked goods! I've made a few batches of zucchini muffins in the past that turned out perfectly so I decided to give a loaf pan a try. 

Essentially, you can use any muffin recipe you love and turn it into a loaf shape but I decided to try something a little different. As its name suggests, this gorgeous loaf boasts grated parmesan and the flavours of italian herbs including basil and fresh thyme for an utterly delicious and savoury zucchini loaf. 

Such an easy recipe to whip up and the zucchini loaf pairs so well with almost everything. It's delicious on its own but you can also try slicing & giving it a crust on the stove top or slapping it on the indoor grill for extra flavour! Head on over to the RECIPES tab for the recipe!


HAPPY VEG