This is the ultimate “I feel lazy but still want to eat something good for me” meal. You know, the kind that Monday nights tend to necessitate. This recipe is so easy — thank you, one-pot meal — and so delicious that you can count on it to talk you down from the all-too-convenient Seamless ledge. We’re lazy sauteing (as in you can walk away from the pan and not worry about burning down your apartment) green cabbage in a simple miso broth and rounding out the meal by poaching a couple of eggs directly in the cabbage and miso broth. It’s perfect served over some brown rice or quinoa, but we won’t judge you if you skip that step and just eat it as-is out the pan.

miso cabbage with sesame eggs

serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups boiling water
• 1 tbsp. white or yellow miso paste
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. sesame oil, divided
• 2 tsp. tamari, divided
• sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Dissolve miso paste in boiling water.
2. Add miso broth, shredded cabbage, salt and crushed pepper to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, until most broth has absorbed. You should be left with about half an inch of broth. If more has absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of miso broth to the pan.
4. Make two pockets in the cabbage and crack an egg in each. Top each egg with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
5. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through to your preference.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

Ginger root is most well known for its ability to soothe an upset stomach and quell nausea. It also aids digestion, eliminates gastrointestinal distress, acts as an anti-inflammatory and blood thinner and lowers cholesterol. During the fall and winter season, squeezing ginger into juices, soups and smoothies is an effective way to treat and prevent flus and colds.

Fresh off the detox, we’re craving greens, greens and more greens. One of our favorite vehicles for an easy, quick and delicious dose of greens? Produce-packed smoothies. As the temps drop — hello, polar vortex part two — it can be difficult to muster the courage (and warmth) to drink something… cold. But winter’s weather and elements warrant a push to continue cramming in as many vitamins and minerals as possible; the hydration helps ward off winter skin, too! Our citrus ginger green smoothie celebrates citrus season — and provides a nice dose of vitamin C to boost immunity — and relies on spicy ginger to warm you up.

citrus ginger green smoothie

serves 1

ingredients:

• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 1 cup of spinach, loosely packed
• 1 medium grapefruit, segmented and seeds removed
• 2 clementines, segmented and seeds removed
• 12 oz. coconut water

directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Pour over ice if enjoying immediately, or store in the fridge in an air-tight container and enjoy within two days.

Don’t let the high fat content in avocados deter you from consuming this fruit regularly. While it’s true that 85 percent of its calories come from fat, this monounsaturated fat has unparalleled, research-based health benefits. High in oleic and omega-3 fatty acids, avocados lower cholesterol, protect your heart and allow your body to more fully absorb key vitamins and nutrients.

Don’t let the high fat content in avocados deter you from consuming this fruit regularly. While it’s true that 85 percent of its calories come from fat, this monounsaturated fat has unparalleled, research-based health benefits. High in oleic and omega-3 fatty acids, avocados lower cholesterol, protect your heart and allow your body to more fully absorb key vitamins and nutrients.

One of the tenets of my (not professionally trained) culinary philosophy is that olives and capers make everything taste better. Salt, brine, depth of flavor — what’s not to love? (Unless you’re an olive and/or caper hater, in which case we can’t be friends.) However, I’d never paired cauliflower and capers together until I tried the roasted cauliflower at Jack’s Wife Freda. (The menu doesn’t announce this, but the cauliflower arrives — delightfully! — adorned in capers. Best surprise ever.) Ever since then, cauliflower and capers have been inseparable in my kitchen. Why would one ever eat cauliflower without capers? (Okay, this delicious “cheesy” mashed cauliflower recipe is probably for the better without capers.) In any case, this recipe will (1) support my olive/caper theory, (2) make you a caper enthusiast and (3) make your taste buds very happy.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 3 tbsp capers (or more to taste)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss mixture with cauliflower florets and onion slices.
3. Lay cauliflower and onions on a baking sheet, and drizzle remaining oil/lemon mixture on top.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cauliflower is lightly browned and fork tender.
5. Broil for an additional three minutes, then remove from oven and transfer to a bowl or serving platter.
6. Toss with capers, and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Photo via Bari Studio

We’re a few days away from the onslaught of healthy eating New Year’s resolutions. But why not start now? We thoroughly (and perhaps a bit indulgently) enjoyed the holiday season, and we’re ready to get back into the swing of healthy eats and ample amounts of sweat. This roasted “salad” is a perfect way to pack in vitamins and nutrients in colder months when lighter, raw greens tend to lose their appeal. The recipe’s highlight — the maple mustard vinaigrette — will make sure your taste buds don’t know that you’re back on the healthy eating bandwagon.

Ingredients:

For salad:

• 3 large beets, greens removed and thoroughly washed
• 1 cup green or brown lentils (dry), picked over and rinsed
• 1 large head of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized florets
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt to taste

For dressing:

• 1/3 cup walnut oil
• 3 tbsp. maple syrup
• 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. coarse-grain mustard
• 2 tbsp. tamari, soy sauce or Bragg’s
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Wrap each beet loosely in aluminum foil. Place wrapped beets on a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour.
3. While beets are cooking, add lentils and two cups of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower heat and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and drain if necessary. Set aside.
4. Toss broccoli and onions with olive oil and salt to taste; arrange on a baking sheet. When the beets are 15 minutes away from being done, transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. When done, toss together lentils, broccoli, onions and beets.
5. Whisk together ingredients for dressing. Dress salad, and serve warm or chilled.

Looking for a lightened up holiday side? Our vegan mashed cauliflower recipe is so good no one will know that it’s healthy. Of course you’re welcome to tell them. But, trust us, they won’t believe you. The secret behind this two-face “cheesy” and vegan recipe? It’s all in the nutritional yeast. Otherwise known as fairy vegan dust, nutritional yeast is a vegan’s best friend for a few reasons: 1) hello, long-lost cheese - how we’ve missed you so! 2) it’s high in protein 3) it’s packed with vitamin B12. The moral of the story? Eat up.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• crushed red pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Steam cauliflower and garlic for 7 to 10 minutes, until cauliflower is easily pierced by a fork.
2. Add to a mixing bowl with nutritional yeast, salt and red pepper. Puree with an immersion blender to desired consistency.

What to do when the temps dip below freezing for an entire week? Subsist on soup, of course. This single-serving recipe is perfect for cold nights when a soup craving strikes and you want to pull something together without (a) running out for ingredients or (b) letting your delicious soup-to-be simmer for an hour. Most of the ingredients needed for this soup are either shelf-stable or weekly staples that you likely have on hand (i.e.: spinach, onions, ginger and garlic). And the best part? It comes together in 20 minutes. (Okay, that’s a lie. The best part is that it’s really, really delicious.)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 1/4 small onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp. tamari
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 oz. sprouted organic tofu, cubed
• 1/2 cup frozen edamame
• 1.5 tbsp. sweet white miso paste
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Add water, onion, tamari, ginger and garlic to a small pot, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add tofu and edamame. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Remove 1 cup of broth, and add it to a bowl. Dissolve miso paste, then return liquid to pot.
4. Stir in spinach. Drizzle with sesame oil and crushed pepper to taste, if using.

Photo via Bari Studio

Make your Monday mornings a little less manic by prepping a week’s worth of breakfasts on Sundays. Baked oatmeal is one of our staple make-ahead morning meals for a laundry list of reasons — it’s easy to make, it keeps and reheats well and it’s nutritious and filling; but, if we’re being honest, the main reason why we revisit it time and again is because it’s a truly delicious way to break the fast. Enjoy reheated (with a drizzle of almond milk to loosen the mixture) or chilled.

Ingredients:

•2 bananas
•1 cup unsweetened almond milk
•1 egg + 1 egg white, whisked
•1/4 cup raw almond butter
•2 tbsp. raw honey
•1/2 tsp. cinnamon
•1/8 tsp. sea salt
•2.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
•1/4 cup golden raisins

Directions:

1. Mash one banana, reserving the other for later.
2. Whisk together mashed banana, egg, egg white, almond butter, honey, cinnamon and salt.
3. Mix in oatmeal and raisins. Cover mixture and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Pour mixture into a lightly oiled 8×8 baking pan.
5. Slice remaining banana. Top mixture with slices.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing into squares.