Food Styling – Page 5

Cheesy Whole Wheat Turmeric Crackers

Imagine this: you are in an exotic market in India. Color fills your vision as you scan the crowd; eager vendors call to you, and the smell of pungent spice quickly hits your breath. It’s exciting, and you eagerly anticipate tasting, seeing, and experiencing the flavor and energy that is all around you.

You walk towards an enthusiastic vendor, eyeing the mountains of brightly hued powders displayed in woven baskets in front of her. A bright orange one catches your eye, and you bend over to smell. It’s pungent and sweet, a bit peppery with a hint of citrus. You scoop a heaping spoonful into your bag, hand the salesman a few coins and head home to uncover it.

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As much as I want that story about India and an exotic spice market to be part of my actual life experience, for now we’ll chalk that up to food fantasy! But the appeal of turmeric is real. Ever since I first discovered the spice a few years ago while trying out a vegan queso dip recipe, I wanted to learn more- and figure out what was up with ALL the articles filling my news feed about it’s benefits.

As you can see in the video, while the pronunciation of turmeric- and circumin-threw me for a bit of a loop, the health benefits of turmeric really are AWESOME. It’s great for your brain, anti-free radical, and can be a preventative measure in your diet against diseases. But I needed help figuring out what to put it in. So….Let’s discuss what to cook with turmeric:

*Egg scrambles and frittatas: Superfood Fritatta

*Roasted veggies (especially root vegetables, cauliflower, and potatoes): Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cumin

*Rice! Colorful Vegan Turmeric Rice

*Sauteed greens- like kale, collards and cabbage: Scrambled Tofu with Collards and Turmeric

*Soups: Golden Turmeric Chickpea Chicken Soup

*Smoothies Golden Milk Turmeric Smoothie

*Golden Milk! Just click here for Wellness Mama’s recipe:)

Also, one last fun fact: PEPPER activates turmeric! I learned to add about 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to 1/4 cup ground turmeric. The pepper adds a bit of spice to the turmeric as well- YUM! Huge shout out to this article from the Kitchn about turmeric that helped make that list!

This week’s recipe features turmeric in a super fun way– cheesy whole wheat turmeric crackers!! I don’t know about y’all, but there are days when this thought- “Oh my gosh, CHEEZ-ITS!!” consumes my brain. Especially with a Coca-cola- yessssss, please.

But this recipe is EVEN tastier than a processed cheese cracker and has healthy turmeric, paprika and parmesan cheese, which we all know is a winning flavor combo in a baked cracker. Healthy snacking=WIN WIN WIN.

Alright! Let’s stir up that turmeric, and eat those health benefits my friends! Loving people with food and nutrition, yessss pleeeaseee!

Cheesy Turmeric Whole Wheat Crackers (Recipe from food52 with the substitution of whole wheat flour by me)

This easy, baked cracker is addictive (my husband and I downed a few bags of them all on our own!) Healthier than a traditional processed cheese cracker, these guys are not hard to make and bake up a bunch of squares! Plus you can add more cayenne if you are feeding a spice-friendly crowd.

Time: Probably about an hour!

Yield: LOTS of crackers! Enough to feed a small party of 8-10.

What You Will Need

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (you can add more here for more kick!)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (you can buy this in bulk online or at your local healthy foods store)
3/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Coarse salt, for sprinkling

What You Will Do

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Add the parmesan and pulse to combine.
With the machine running, add the cream in a steady stream, then pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface, then divide in half. Keep one half in the refrigerator while you work.
Roll the first half into a rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. You can make the crackers thicker or thinner, depending on how crispy you want them. You’ll just need to keep an eye on the baking time and take them out as soon as they start to brown.
Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into small 1-inch squares. Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet (you can transfer the dough first then cut them if that’s easier).
Whisk together the egg and water and lightly brush the egg wash over the tops of the crackers.
Poke holes in each cracker with a fork if you are feeling motivated; sprinkle with coarse salt, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they start to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool—they’ll crisp as they sit. Repeat with the second half of dough.
ENJOY the cheesy turmeric-y goodness!

Beluga lentils with Yogurt, Olive Oil and Oregano

Imagine you are on a really expensive yacht. Waves crash into the side of the perfectly white exterior as the sun shines down on your face. A breeze blows through your hair, and, a bit parched from the warmth, you reach for a glass of icy cold Champagne. A waiter passes by with a tray of shiny black caviar on a crispy crostini, topped with bright green herbs.**

**It should be noted, as part of this fantasy, you are all perfectly tan, just worked out with your personal trainer and your mascara is TOTALLY still on your face.

“I’ve never been a huge fan of caviar,” you think to yourself, “But I’ll give it a try.” The moment the crunch hits your lips you realize- this gleaming substance isn’t caviar at all! It has a much subtler flavor with a hit of spice and an olive oil richness. No pungent fish flavor-no gumminess- it’s just, well, nice.

Welcome to the world of beluga (as in caviar-esque) lentils! Known for their texture (as opposed to the creamier mouth feel of other lentils), these black lentils are perfect for appetizers and salads because of their heft. They also, when cooked correctly, have a shiny gleam to their exteriors, much the same as caviar (but for a whole lot less money).

That’s why this week we are all about some lentils!!

Fun Beluga Facts!

The best cooking ratio is 1/2 cup lentils (rinsed) to 2 cups filtered water.
Prep yo’ lentils! Rinse the lentils thoroughly (remove any weird looking bits that may have congregated bag), combine them with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes covered, with the top slightly askew to release steam.
Flavor these legumes in all kinds of ways! Try adding Asian spices, kombu (seaweed), salt + pepper at the beginning of the cooking process.

Keep tasting!! Once you reach the 30 minute mark, check to see if the lentils are done. They should have a bite but not leave a starchy aftertaste in your mouth. If they need more time, keep them simmering!
Finish the lentils by topping with yogurt (like our recipe), olive oil, herbs, etc.
Belugas also go great with fish! (Speaking of caviar…)

So, this week let’s break out our most luxurious of circumstances (for me, it’s my plastic pool in the back yard with our dog Bigsby) and umbrella cocktail, and enjoy the luxury that is belugas!

Beluga Lentils with Yogurt, Olive Oil and Oregano (Recipe modified a bit from Bon Appetit’s Spiced Black Lentils with Yogurt and Mint)

This recipe blew me away with it’s deliciousness! The amazing flavor you get from toasting the powdered spices and mustard seeds brings these flavors to life. I was so addicted to these lentils that I drove around eating them out of a plastic tub in my Prius.

Serves: 4-6 as a side

Time: 50-ish minutes

What You Will Need:

½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup black beluga lentils
3 cups (or more) low-sodium vegetable broth*
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
fresh oregano, for topping

Heat rimmed saute pan on medium heat. Add olive oil and spices; stir frequently, toasting for about one minute. This should smell pretty tasty!
Add onion and garlic and cook until just softened, stirring frequently again!
Add lentils and broth; bring to a boil, cover slightly, then reduce to low heat. Cook for 30 minutes, and taste to see how they are doing. Mine took about 50 minutes to reach the texture I liked.
Once done, add in the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm, topped with Greek yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh oregano leaves. YUM!!!

*I realized that I labeled this recipe as vegetarian, but when I cooked these I used Trader Joe’s chicken stock. So you can do whatever you feel here!

Creamy Non-Dairy Broccoli Soup with Spicy Potato Croutons

Creamy broccoli soup with potato croutons!!

Brown rice flakes!!

Wait-in a soup?!

Y’all! Let me tell you about a new favorite pantry discovery: brown rice flakes.

Soups, smoothies, stews- these fabulous flakes add a nutty, creamy texture to almost anything! There are a BRILLIANT way to add a new flavor profile to your favorite foods, and have lots of vitamins and minerals (shout out to NIACIN!! This B vitamin helps lower cholesterol). Plus, speaking of lowering unhealthy cholesterol (this thought always awakens memories for me of Quaker oatmeal commercials while watching the Today show) you can ALSO make brown rice overnight “oats.”

That’s right, everyone out there who is stuck in a oatmeal rut now has NO excuse not to try these. I for one am vehemently raising my hand for seconds and sending a huge shout out to The Greedy Vegan for her beautiful overnight brown rice flakes with blueberries recipe!! Also, her discovery (that I share in my YouTube video below) about the ratio for those perfect overnight “oats” came at a great time:

But back to this week’s recipe! How did I discover my newfound love for these flakes? Cleaning out my pantry; and realizing that I had a brown rice flakes bag from Eden Foods with an awesome broccoli soup recipe on the back of the bag.

I love recipe development; it is one of my favorite types of work I do with food and food styling. Last year I was honored to do a bit of recipe development for a blog that featured their products, and had an extra bag. YES!

And in the spirit of all things informational and adhering to the Luv Cooks formula (Fun=Food), here are our FUN FLAKE FACTS!!!

Brown rice flakes***:

Are made from dehusking rice, which is flattened into flakes.
Can be fire-roasted (which our flakes are)
Can be eaten raw or cooked b/c it’s super digestible!
Are popular in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal (we are so exotic!!)
Adds creaminess to soups, stews, smoothies
Can be used in a 1:1 liquid to flakes ratio for overnight oats
Has Niacin (for lowering cholesterol) and magnesium (great for everyone!)

***(shout out to The Greedy Vegan and One Green Planet for their awesome brown rice flakes tips)

So get your easy, healthy, curry soup pot on and let’s get roasting!

Creamy Curried Broccoli Soup (inspired by the Eden Foods brown rice flakes bag!) with Spicy Potato Croutons

Serves 6

Cooking Time: About 35 minutes

Break out of your broccoli soup rut with this week’s recipe! It only takes about 30 minutes for the whole meal (plus leftovers) if you throw the potatoes in the oven BEFORE you start the soup! Fast, healthy, and featuring my new favorite ingredient, brown rice flakes. GET YOUR SPICE ON!!

For the soup:

What You Will Need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon roasted hatch chiles (if you don’t have hatch chilis, roasted jalapeños would work great)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
12 ounces frozen broccoli
3 cups filtered water
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
3/4 cup brown rice flakes
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

What You Will Do:

Heat oil over medium heat; sauté sweet onion and hatch chilis for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Add sliced garlic and curry powder; cook for about 1 minute more.
Add broccoli, water, soy milk, brown rice flakes, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender and the soup has come together a bit.
You can either puree the soup in two batches in a blender to make it extra smooth; I like my soup a bit chunkier, so I followed Eden’s method and blended half of it, then stirred the blended half into the chunkier soup.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. ENJOY!!

For the Roasted Potato Croutons:

What You Will Need:

1 russet potato, washed and diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 425.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Toss potatoes in olive oil, chili powder, and at least 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few pinches pepper. Spread evenly onto baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes; stir; bake for 15 minutes more, or until nice and crispy.
Top on warm soup and enjoy!!

Tofu FUN: Marinated Tofu Salad with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

Tofu is FUN, and so are leftovers!

Ok, here me out.

Part of being a food stylist means I am oftentimes left with some of the craziest leftovers. Normal, wonderful people have ketchup and chicken breast and maybe a stray Chinese take-out container in their fridge. I have quail eggs, bonito flake puree and beluga lentils.

And you know what I realized? That’s kind of awesome. I mean- I am the first to admit that I hate leftovers past two days old. Spaghetti on day 3? It reminds me of my days at the Samford (university) cafeteria and let’s just say- I can’t go there (spaghetti, day one; manicotti, day two; shepherds pie, day 3; sloppy joes, day 4….you see where this is going).

But weird, random ingredients piling up in my pantry and/or fridge that haven’t been cooked yet? We can work with that.

Which brings me to this month’s focus- vegetarian recipes that attempt to use what I already have on hand. I’m thinking that if this goes well, I may just capitalize on it for months to come- highlighting some of the cool shoots I’ve been working on and sharing with you the ingredient leftover recipes. Let me know if this interests you!

On to tofu.

My inspiration for this salad came from my current favorite cookbook- Tokyo Cult Recipes– and their tofu salad. I noticed that the tofu they used was raw- as in not fried, roasted, or stir-fried- just all by it’s lonesome, right there on top of raw salad greens and veggies. My tofu-hesitant self was thrown. But also intrigued…so here’s what I learned.

Tofu 101: Huge shoutout to this article by the Kitchn for the helpful info! I highly recommend checking out the post if you are interested in learning more!

Tofu is a staple of Asian cuisine. Lots of people in Asia are super healthy. So I interpolate some connection there.
Tofu is made of soybeans and called bean curd! The difference in the two types of tofu comes from how much water is pressed out of the curd.
The more water you press out of tofu, the firmer it becomes and the longer it takes to cook. No water pressed = silken tofu; water pressed out=regular tofu.
Silken tofu is a beautiful thing; light and creamy, it ranges in texture from extra soft to medium to extra firm. It’s perfect for smoothies, puddings, salad dressing and sauces!
***BAKING TIP ALERT*** Silken tofu can be used as an egg substitute in baking!
Regular tofu is also a beautiful thing. I used it in this spicy sweet tofu stir fry and it’s easier to take on the flavors of what you are cooking when you work with regular tofu. To keep it crispy and light, it helps to press even more water out of the tofu before cooking using a cast iron skillet and lots of paper towels (which you can read more about in that recipe).

This week’s recipe uses silken organic tofu from Trader Joe’s as well as the Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette (which I dig). It’s SUPER simple to put together, will sincerely impress your vegan and vegetarian dinner guests and leaves you with leftover tofu to eat the next day that tastes EVEN YUMMIER.

Here’s to tofu love- and never being intimidated by leftovers!

Spicy Tofu Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette (Recipe inspired by Tokyo: Cult Recipes Tofu Salad)

The only prep required in this recipe is marinating the tofu overnight in a pre-made, spicy peanut dressing. Once the tofu is marinated, just assemble your veggies, soak the red onions if you want less of a bite, and voila! Lunch!

Serves: 6

Time: Overnight marinating plus 15 minutes assembly time

What You Will Need:

19 ounces organic silken tofu, drained and cut in half lengthwise (so it forms two thinner planks)
1/2 cup Trader Joes Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette plus additional for drizzling
5 ounces organic mixed salad greens
1 carrot, peeled then thinly shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/4 cup roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
2 jalepenos, sliced
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

What You Will Do:

Pour 1/2 cup dressing over tofu halves in 8 by 8 inch baking pan, making sure to coat the top and sides of the tofu well with dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge overnight.
When you are ready, assemble the salad! Create a bed of salad greens, then top with one or two tofu planks. Add carrot ribbons, almonds, red onion, and jalepenos.
Right before serving, drizzle with additional dressing to taste. You can either serve the tofu plank(s) whole and allow guests to slice, or go ahead and slice it into pieces for easy serving.

Spicy Buffalo Wing Popcorn + 5 Best International Food Spots in Nashville

안녕하세요!

Those symbols translate to “hello!” in Korean. Why, you may ask, am I greeting you in Korean when clearly this week’s recipe is about as American as they come?

So glad you asked!

Because this week, I want to encourage us all to get outside of our collective foodie comfort zones (and languages). After finding this week’s spicy popcorn recipe from The Whole Bite (and her FANTASTIC tip about cooking spray in the bowl before you toss the popcorn and caramel sauce), I knew that it was going to be a different type of week for the blog. One where I challenged myself to do something a bit wild. To stray from the more straightforward recipes of the past two weeks and go on a bit of a culinary adventure into SPICY CARAMEL. You heard me- spicy, buttery, caramel, sauce.

The revelation of adding hot sauce to caramel caught me so off guard- and inspired me so much- that I knew I had to make it. It also kicked me into a adventurous food mood that I have yet to shake. Jake and I made kimchi chicken thighs twice this week. I’ve visited two Asian restaurants that embraced such fantastic flavor (Chiang Mai sausage and Sambal chili paste at one; life-changing kimchi, fried rice cake and jjampong at another) I couldn’t help but be inspired. I’m going out for pho tonight.

Must. Have. Flavor.

In the spirit of adventure, I want to challenge each of YOU to experience food in a new light this week. Just like SkinnyPop embraces all kinds of flavors with their popcorn (helloooo dusted dark chocolate and jalapeño), I would love to see us all embrace new flavors on our plate.

Also speaking of food adventures, as I promised in my video, here are my Top 5 International Food Spots in Nashville:

1. The Woodlands At the Woodlands, you can experience both a piece of paper masala dosa the size of a small shark and chana datura, a fried bread the size of a sting ray, with, oh my word, all the paneers and curries. Plus, every food photo on Yelp makes my mouth water. Tip: Order everything! Seriously, I’ve never eaten anything at Woodlands I didn’t enjoy.

2. VN Pho One of the older ladies who owns VN Pho once gave me the LAST egg custard roll she had for FREE even though it was meant for her cousin; she just wanted me to taste it (or, I was so enthusiastic about dessert I may have scared her a little). Either way, the family that owns VN, and the people who work there, are the sweetest and you will love them. Tip: Life-changing beef & seafood pho!

3. Sichuan Hot Pot and Asian Cuisine If you are in the mood for a steaming bowl of broth with a large pork bone anchoring the center, topped with lamb, mushrooms, taro, lettuce, onions, more mushrooms I can’t identify and the most delicious Asian sauce selection I’ve encountered in Nashville, then this is your spot. Plus, you get to control the heat and length of time you add ingredients to the broth- each table has burners for every two seats-ensuring that you will a.) most likely burn your tongue, but b.) it will be completely worth it. Tip: Use ALL the sauces!! Seriously, get a round tray and pile those little bowls up.

4. Bajo Sexto: My husband and I had the most relaxing afternoon we’ve had in a long time at Bajo Sexto- and didn’t intend to. In fact, we were there shooting food photos of the restaurant, but in a wild turn of events, had about an hour between places to go. So, we sat down, drank a Mexican Coca-cola, and enjoyed the tastiest roast chicken, fried fish taco and beet salad I’ve had. OH MY WORD that pollo!! Crispy, salted skin with salsa pasilla-I crave it still. Tip: Order the baja fish taco. Actually, order three.

5. Korea House: Oh, Korea House. When our neighbors invited us to join them for a date there, I had NO IDEA how worth it the line we stood in was. Not only have I been eating on my spicy seafood stew for three days because I don’t want the flavors to end, their hot sake, potato pancake and pickled cucumbers were addictive. Tip: Arrive early; order #40 with a side of bimbibap.

So, I issue you all, my awesome readers, a food challenge this week. Make this fantastic, spicy buffalo wing inspired popcorn. Follow it up with a flavor-filled trip of your own. And if you do make the ambitious adventure a reality, I want to hear ALL about it in your comments below.

Spicy Buffalo Wing Popcorn (Recipe from The Whole Bite, which was originally adapted from BonAppetit.com)

This simple caramel sauce is delicious; all you have to do is watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Also, Chelsea’s tip about making sure you spray the bowl with cooking spray before you toss in the caramel is a must- as is her tip about washing the bowl soon after you use it! Lastly, make sure you also have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of your popcorn joy:)

What You Will Need:

1 4.4 ounce bag SkinnyPop, original flavor
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used Texas Pete)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

What You Will Do:

Preheat the oven to 300. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Boil 10-12 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally until the caramel takes on a dark amber color. *Make sure you watch this process; I wasn’t paying attention and let mine get a bit too brown. It was still yummy though!
Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in butter and hot sauce with a long wooden spoon. Don’t be alarmed when it starts to bubble and foam! That’s a good thing! Return to the heat and boil 3 more minutes (or less if you are like me and cooked it a bit hot on the front end).
Remove the caramel from heat and stir in salt, chili powder and baking soda.
Working quickly, pour hot caramel over popcorn and toss to coat. Spread popcorn into an even layer on prepared baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes until dry (the caramel will not be hardened).
Let cool (DONT TOUCH IT!!) at room temperature, then break it up into large clusters. Seriously, don’t touch it until it’s cooled or your fingers and tongue will burn off.
ENJOY!!

Vegan Cheesy Popcorn + 5 Ways to STAY MOTIVATED!!

It’s cheesy, it’s vegan and it’s AHHHMAZZING.

LET’S GET MOTIVATED!! ***

That’s right, this week’s recipe is fantastic. As in, so fantastic, that when I served it at a party recently my girlfriends could NOT get enough. Then my husband started eating it, I jumped in, and before we knew it our fingers were orange, popcorn crumbs were all over the floor and the bag was, sadly, almost empty.

You see, I have a lifelong love of cheddar cheese popcorn. It all started with cheddar cheese balls. Do you know the kind I am talking about? They came (maybe still come?) in a blue can that you have to peel back the metal can opener layer to access (it’s very hazardous, but I believe preserves the freshness).

I learned to be very careful at that stage- overzealousness as a seven year old can cause injury-in order to fully immerse myself in the glorious smell of pseudo cheddar cheese and the neon, powdery goo left all over my face.

It eventually escalated to the bagged version, of which I have a complete weakness for. Road trip snack? Cheddar popcorn. Movie night? I was that person who bought the microwavable popcorn, cheddar flavor. Youth group snacks? You guessed it.

Oh, but NOW, the beauty of SkinnyPop. Not only do they have a White Cheddar flavor (which is delicious, trust me, I’m an expert;) ) but the Original flavor transforms beautifully if you are looking for another non-dairy cheddar option. Plus, you don’t have to soak the raw cashews overnight to create that spicy cheesy flavor! In fact, I bet this cheese powder would also pair well with the white cheddar flavor- like a double hit of cheesy goodness!

This week’s inspiration comes from Vegan Family Recipes. Vanessa is a popcorn GENIUS and this vegan cheese popcorn is totally crave-worthy. Plus, she has a TON more vegan recipes where this one came from-have you ever made vegan chocolate cake with vanilla coconut oil frosting?! I am intrigued!

For today’s version, I just made a few tweaks to her original recipe, mixed in SkinnyPop, and added my own hit of onion, garlic,and cayenne. It’s SO EASY, all you have to do is shake the homemade cheese powder up in the bag. Voila! Let the snacking begin…

Vegan Cheesy Popcorn (Recipe adapted from Vegan Family Recipes)

This easy, weekday popcorn recipe is as simple as making the cheesy powder and tossing it in the SkinnyPop bag! Plus, NO overnight soaking of cashews to create a great, cheesy flavor!

What You Will Need:

1 bag SkinnyPop original flavor
⅓ cup raw cashews
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (10g) nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons corn starch
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

What You Will Do:

Make the cheese powder! Put cashews, turmeric, nutritional yeast, corn starch, cumin, salt, onion and garlic powder, and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a fine powder forms- don’t pulse too long or you will start making nut butter!
Open popcorn bag, then toss about 3/4 of the powder into the SkinnyPop bag.
Dance like you mean it and shake that bag up! Taste, and add more powder if you like! ENJOY!

***PLUS This week’s Video: 5 Tips to STAY MOTIVATED!! Video points are outlined below for you A++ students who like to take notes and things of that nature.

Daily ritual-I have a ritual I do almost every morning: coffee+prayer. I meditate on my purpose for the day, think about what I want to accomplish, and talk to the Lord about my schedule. Taking time to center myself and focus on my purpose for the day really makes a difference! I’ve learned that my heart motivation actually matters more to me than the physical result of my labor. Granted, this mindset is still a work in progress, but a simple daily ritual helps me stay focused. Simply put: do something every day that centers you and reminds you of your purpose.
Beauty– Ingest beauty! I’m such a lover of beauty- magazines, flowers, art history books- all of them speak to me. Take in, feast, meditate on what it is that you want to project out into the world. I think Proverbs says that “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” I ponder on beauty because it makes me feel like I am coming alive. Whatever that is for you- do something every day that makes you feel creatively alive.
Community & Friends– The best way I know to stay encouraged is to connect to my community. “No man is an island” rings true here. I want to be intentional about sharing what’s going on in my life, but also about hearing what matters to the people I love. Maybe there is someone on your heart today. Check in, say hello, ask them how they are! You are NEVER alone. Sometimes when you are in a freelance or solitary work position it can feel UBER insular, but I promise, that’s not the truth! You were made to be part of a bigger picture and bigger world- to impact the people around you.
Gratitude– I have to daily remind myself to stay grateful! I know when I am pursuing big dreams and passions (for me it’s food styling, the blog, having a family) sometimes I become so forward thinking that I forget to be grateful for the moments I have now. Comparison can enter our hearts when we are thinking about the big picture, too- but comparison is the thief of joy!! Let’s just forget comparing ourselves to other people because THESE are the moments we have; they are a GIFT and they are beautiful.
Lists– I know this sounds super simple, but list-making really makes a difference. I love checking things off of a list! Granted, I am more of a type A personality, but if you run your own business, or simply don’t have someone patting you on the back for productivity, a list holds you accountable and helps me feel accomplished. It’s your way to say “Way to go SELF! I see the progress I did make today.”

GF Coconut Chocolate Popcorn + 5 Ways to Love People with Food

Hey, hey, hey- it’s time for a popcorn party!

That’s right, it’s a brand new month, which means a brand new batch of POPCORN recipes are rolling out! This month, we’ll have a gluten-free (#darkchocolate), vegan (#cheezz), and Southern fabulousness version, all involving the delicious, oh-so-wonderful original flavor of SkinnyPop popcorn.

This week I’m also sharing 5 ways to love people well with food! (Clue- #caffeine and a potential fruit basket is involved in this video).

I mean, who knows what could happen on Luv Cooks this March? Nashville spring is in the air, one daffodil is blooming in our yard, AND Jake and I have been out back scraping plaster off surfaces to prepare brand new looks for y’all. Did I mention we used copper spray paint?

I know, impressive.

Going along with the wave of this fresh creativity, I briefly considered making each of these posts about reliving my popcorn memories. However, I realized these posts would be few and far between as they revolve around one of three topics: 1. My father’s passionate speech on the lack of actual lard in our movie theater popcorn; 2. My husbands fear of cracking his tooth on kernels at the bottom of the bag; 3. The time I almost caught our kitchen on fire (well, one of several times) trying to make kettle corn.

And instead of re-telling the horrific story of torching sugar in a paper thin, hand-me-down aluminum pan on a gas flame, all-the-while attempting to “SAVE THE CORN!” by shaking the pan vigorously, coughing on smoke and rushing the pan to our front porch in Alabama, I decided to forgo that story.**

This week’s recipe is way sweeter and WAY simpler than my kettle corn fiasco thanks to the beauty of SkinnyPop! Their popcorn is so tasty, and the brands they represent are delicious. Have y’all had Oatmega bars? They are ahhhmazing. Anyway, never one to shy away from passionate opinions on snack foods, I am oh-so-happy to turn this into a series of posts for you guys!

So, here we are with this month’s focus, and recipe. It’s party time, and, in true Luv Cooks fashion, I have already taste-tested each of this month’s variations on my friends. Every single one got a thumb’s up!

I also want to mention the inspiration for this chocolatey goodness, the UBER fun blog Salty Canary. I took Andrea’s chocolate and coconut popcorn recipe and tweaked it just a tad. Y’all- Andrea is precious and a genius attorney. Her site is so colorful, has all sorts of shades of pink, and I couldn’t help but stumble upon her cookie milkshake roundup. Those iced animal cookies, oh my gosh, surely those are Paleo? 😉

This is the easiest, girls night/Emmy night/date night popcorn I’ve ever done (thank you Andrea, you popcorn genius!!). All you need is a bag of SkinnyPop, dark chocolate with a bit of oil, a microwave, and bagged coconut. DONE.

Gluten Free Salted Chocolate and Coconut Popcorn (Recipe inspired by Salty Canary!)

This easy, quick weeknight-or special occasion- recipe is perfect for a girls night, family night, or just you-and-Netflix night. In fact, the only cooking step involves a microwave. Score!

What You Will Need:

1 bag SkinnyPop, original (4.4 ounces)
1 3.5 ounce Lindt 70% dark chocolate bar, broken into large pieces
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup toasted coconut chips*
A few pinches coarse sea salt

What You Will Do:

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread entire bag of SkinnyPop evenly across parchment.
Melt the dark chocolate and vegetable oil for 30 seconds in the microwave on high. Stir. Microwave again at 15 second intervals until smooth.
Drizzle chocolate on popcorn in an excitedly sporadic fashion. Top with sweetened coconut and coconut chips.
Sprinkle with sea salt and allow chocolate to harden at room temperature. Enjoy!!

*You can either sprinkle the coconut right out of the bag onto your popcorn, or toast it to your liking in a small sauté pan on medium heat. Just watch the coconut so it doesn’t burn! Like kettle corn, it can turn on you in an instant. #flashbacks

**I believe that there is actual footage of this wreckage in the recesses of ancient Instagram posts. If you do go on this search, please be aware that I had no idea what I was doing with Instagram back in the day. Actually I still don’t. Hah!

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Peanut Butter Swirl GF Brownies + Baking in a Cast Iron Skillet

Morning my lovelies!

I hope your week has been full of joy and fabulousness. Mine has been a bit crazy, as my husband threw his back out yesterday, our dog had to go to the vet and have an X-RAY OF HIS STOMACH because he swallowed our bathroom drain, my husband’s favorite baseball hat, and the back end of two of my razors, and our dishwasher almost fell out of the wall.

Yep! I know what you are thinking, bless our hearts! Praise the Lord we made it!

Now, as part of this month’s one recipe four ways series, it is finally time for me to give you a full-throttle indulgent recipe that is the epitome of comfort food. If you’ve had a stressful week (#puppies #hubbies #life) then this is the PERFECT way to unwind. Baking is my stress therapy, and these brownies, along with a glass of white wine and Jane the Virgin episodes- that’s a pretty perfect wind down on a Friday night.

Also this week I discovered the awesomeness of BAKING in my cast iron skillet. Cue childhood drama and/or a bit of a back story on my relationships with cast iron skillets:

Growing up in the South, one’s relationship with the cast iron skillet was, and still is, a status symbol. Inevitably, you invite your neighbor/Southern friend over to eat at your house and, very politely, albeit inconspicuously, said person would start to wander around your kitchen, eying your cookware, looking for your skillet- only to judge it’s state of readiness to fry a piece of bacon or chicken at a moment’s notice. Seasoned and ready to go? You obviously know your way around a biscuit.

Rusted and/or hidden from site? Good luck with your future.

But a great cast-iron skillet is a bit like having a puppy. It requires a good amount of care, training, and persistence to function at peak performance.*

CUE Bigbsy (our puppy) and I’s YouTube video here!

That’s why baking in a cast iron skillet is pure brilliance. I first learned about all the reasons why this is awesome from Serious Eats‘ J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, and his book The Food Lab. This has become my BEST cooking and food styling resource- it is one of the best purchases I’ve made in my career as an at foodie girl boss. I highly recommend it.

Kenji explains that cast iron’s specific heat capacity is lower than aluminum (what some cookware is made of) and because it is so dense you get double the amount of heat retention (for the same size pan). Which means- the pan DOESNT COOL DOWN when you add food to it. Other pans may drop in temperature up to 300 degrees, but cast iron should stay at about it’s original temp. In other words, your cornbread, pies, rolls, even brownies- get a crisp, evenly browned crust around the batter. Also, if you have an ahem, older…. oven like myself it’s ability to maintain heat even when your oven temp fluctuates is awesome. It ensures that even if the temp sways, your dark, fudge brownie crust will not.

These are all great things! However- here is the trick with cast iron. Until a great layer of seasoning has built up in your pan, things (baked goods, eggs, vegetables) will stick to it. So you have to take lots of care, especially when baking, to make sure the surface of your pan is properly greased.

And this leads me to this week’s recipe from @thekitchn. This is why their team knows what they are talking about and are brilliant in baking. They understand a Southerner’s pride in their cast iron skillet and the science of proper lubrication on the cooking surface. In their gluten-free skillet brownies, you melt the butter in the cast iron skillet, THEN use that butter to prepare the pan’s surface and stir into the batter. Perfect.

So, in the spirit of all things warm and Valentinesish (yes, that is a word), I want to encourage you to whip out your cast iron pans this weekend as they are the BEST way to feed your guests a bunch of brownies while they are still hot.

In fact, choose to invite those people over who may be eying your cookware, looking for a skillet. They’ll be surprised to find that you thought ahead- and, at the end of the meal, pulling your skillet brownies out of the oven pretty much qualifies you as a cast iron rock star.

Peanut Butter Swirl Skillet Brownies (adopted a bit from The Kitchn Speculoos-Swirl Brownies)

This brownie is amazing on two levels: first, it utilizes a cast iron skillet for baking, which ensures an evenly crisp brownie crust and fudgy center. Second, the bake time is around the 35 minute mark, and you can wow guests at the end of the meal with a dessert everyone can dive into.

What You Will Need:

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup almond flour, sifted
3/4 cup peanut coffee nut M&M’s (Any M&M will do, but the coffee flavor is fun here. If you are concerned about gluten contamination, you could do the standard M&M just in case!)
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter (Nutella or almond butter would be awesome too)

What You Will Do:

Melt the butter in an 8- or 9-inch cast iron skillet over a medium heat.

2. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl, leaving a film of butter on the pan (make sure you swirl the butter around in the pan to evenly coat the surface and a bit of the sides).

3. Whisk the cocoa powder into the bowl with the butter. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

4. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then sift in almond flour through a strainer (this avoids lumps). Whisk well. Fold in the M&M’s.

5. Pour the batter into the pre-greased cast iron skillet.

6. Melt the peanut butter on high for 30 seconds; stir, then 15 more seconds, until it is runny. Drop dollops of the melted nut butter over the top of the pan, from around the rim to the center of the brownies. Using the pointed tip of a steak knife, gently swirl the speculoos into the brownies, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise, and making swirls too- really any way you feel!

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the brownies by inserting the tip of your steak knife into them to make sure the tip comes out clean.

8. Either serve the brownie in scoops to your guests and top with ice cream, or allow to cool completely before cutting into wedges and eating. ENJOY!!!

*This example, and all of the verbiage on cast iron cooking and science, taken from The Food Lab!! Can’t say enough about that book!

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4 Ingredient PALEO Brownies + Brownie Eating Philosophy

It’s Friday, it’s Friday! That is a cause for celebration. And, we get to take the celebration up another notch because YES it’s time for brownie recipe number two!

This week’s brownie recipe is a huge treat because this has been the best way to get me to eat protein powder during the week (in a dessert) and Gimme Delicious, this week’s recipe creator, is a healthy brownie genius.

Did I mention, like her site says, these treats are also gluten-free and vegan? So everyone can get in on the party!

And as some of you know, healthy eating does not come naturally to me. I grew up in a Southern household, which means that the four main food groups were casseroles, pretzel salad (yes, this counted as a vegetable), sausage and/or bacon, and Cocoa Puffs. Those were the glory days.

But now that I am a bit older, I’ve realized that it’s probably better to practice some balance in my everyday life. And for my hubs and I, eating Paleo during the week has been the easiest transition for us. It involves meat, of which I am a fan, and lots of vegetables, of which my hubs is a fan, and sweet potatoes. Which I love. So, it works!

However, we are all for the weekend splurges, so get ready because next week’s recipe is going to be a party in a pan!

But for this week, and the every day, I highly recommend these paleo brownies. They only involve FOUR ingredients (which you probably have in your pantry right now), have a quick bake time, and taste fudgy and nutty, with the addition of the almond butter. I threw a little coarse kosher salt on top for that salty/sweet combo that heightens the cocoa powder flavor.

AND check out this week’s video for my current brownie eating philosophy:

There you have it my loves! Paleo brownies. Next up, the Southern/homestyle/splurge version. Happy weekending!

4 Ingredient Paleo Fudge Brownies from Gimme Delicious

These gluten-free, vegan, and paleo brownies are the closest I have come in gluten-free baking to that cake-y, yet fudgey, consistency I love in a decadent brownie. With only four ingredients (well, five counting the sea salt on top), you probably have all you need in your pantry right now!

What You Will Need:

2 cups mashed banana (about 6 medium, overripe bananas)
1 cup almond or cashew butter
½ cup vegan chocolate protein powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
coarse kosher salt, for topping

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a dark metal, 8 by 8 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas and nut butter and use a fork to whisk until fully combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the protein powder and cocoa powder.
Pour batter into a greased pan, and gently smooth the top with your spatula. Top with a smattering of coarse kosher salt.
Bake for about 25-27 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Cover the leftovers and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I highly suggest enjoying these with a tall glass of vanilla nut milk! Soooo good!!

Month of BROWNIES!! This week: Vegan Chocolate Chip

Y’all!!!

It’s February!! My second favorite month of the year (second only to December=Christmas), which means it’s the time of the year where we ALL get to celebrate my favorite thing in the entire world: love.

That’s right- the mushy, flowery, glittery, pink-red-and-white everything kind. My heart is for celebration and hospitality, and this is the time where we get to take a second, think about the people in our lives we adore, and write their names on Valentines in gold sparkles. It’s the time to bust open the craft kit, pull out that glitter pen, and get to gluing my friends! It’s also time to treat show yourself some love. AND, as I’ll show you this month, with food (my preferred love language) it can look however you choose! Whether it’s vegan, Paleo, Southern/homestyle, or a inspiring list of recipes from the interwebs- you are going to be inspired to get your brownies on.

Let’s also discuss briefly my deep, abiding, let-me-send-you-a-Valentine level of affection for brownies.

Oh brownies. The reasons why I love this dessert could take an entire post, but for your sake’s I’ll keep it short. First, you are made almost entirely of chocolate. More than likely your recipe involves a combination of a few levels of chocolate- a fat (oil, butter, nut butter), cocoa powder (the darker, denser, and higher quality, the better) and a binder of some sort (eggs, flax eggs, bananas, coconut flour), with chocolate chunks either topped or stirred inside. In fact, the simpler, less-ingredient recipes I’ve tried have tended to be my favorites.

And speaking of favorites, this recipe, by Beaming Baker, is one of my favorite vegan brownies. EVER. These dense, chocolate squares have a beautiful balance of texture and richness from the coconut oil and cocoa powder, and a pure level of sweetness from the maple syrup. This recipe also uses flax eggs (Bonzai Aphrodite) and whole wheat flour as the binders, which is super healthy.

Also, y’all- check out her DESSERTS! Oh my gracious, beauties!

So, my loves, my readers, my friends. Enjoy the start to your month of love! I want to hear about all the ways you plan to enjoy it in the comments below:) You can reach me on Facebook and Instagram too.

For me, this week’s love looks like these brownies, a giant glass of cold almond milk, and a lazy Saturday with this book.

Much luv!!

Best Vegan Brownies by Beaming Baker **

This is the best, most fudgey and delicious vegan brownie I’ve EVER tasted!! It’s fantastic, only has a 30 minute bake time, and is pure delight served warm with a cold glass of almond milk.

What You Will Need:

¼ cup natural peanut butter
½ cup organic dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
⅓ cup pure golden maple syrup
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons melted butter flavored coconut oil
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water whisked together, set for at least 15 minutes in the fridge)
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
½ cup vegan chocolate chips

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray an 8×8 dark metal baking pan with olive oil spray.
Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together 2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseed and 6 tablespoons water. Cover, and put back in the fridge to set for at least 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and hot, melted coconut oil. Whisk until it resembles caramel (This process is easiest if you do it right when the coconut oil is hot and melted! Otherwise get ready for an arm workout!)
Add cocoa powder in ¼ cup increments, whisking until shiny and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla extract and salt. Stir just a few times to gently incorporate.
Add flax eggs, whisking until well incorporated. In thirds, whisk in the flour. As the batter gets harder to whisk, switch to folding with a rubber spatula. Fold until well incorporated and no flour patches remain.
Pour batter into pan, and spread to the sides of the pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth batter into an even layer. Top with chocolate chips.
Bake for 30 mins, or until a knife inserted in the brownies comes out relatively clean. Cool for 1 hour, or until completely cool. (I put mine in the freezer to speed up the process; I couldn’t wait!) ENJOY!!

**This recipe is by Demeter, I just made a few tweaks:)

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