Kathy Hester's Blog, page 80

Lemon Balm Mint Blueberry Smoothie

I bought some new varieties of mint from the Raleigh farmer’s market last week. There’s always a huge selection with multiple vendors selling herb plants. I love trying different mints to my smoothies. I find that the mint adds a slight sweetness and covers some of the bitterness in the greens.

I love growing lemon herbs almost as much as I do mints. Each summer I have lemon balm, lemon basil and lemon verbena in my herb garden. Having them on hand makes it easy to add some lemon pop to a di...

Sriracha Avocado Chickpea Salad

ThisSriracha Avocado Chickpea Salad could not be easier or faster to make. It takes about 5 minutes to throw it all together and is my new go-to lunch.

My problem is that when I’m working I don’t notice it’s time for lunch until I start to feel grumpy. Hangry is really the perfect word for that angry feeling Iget when I’ve waited too long to eat.

My life works best if I have some chickpea salad made up and ready to eat in the fridge, but it’s so quick to make I can make up a batch in the nic...

All Natural Carrot Dogs from The Easy Vegan Cookbook

Photo by Ann Oliverio

I love carrot dogs so much that I had to include them in my new book, The Easy Vegan Cookbook! You can pre-order the cookbook now, but it comes out this September. Also Amazon has it on sale this weekend for $14.84.

This is the time of the year that I start inviting people over for a light dinner on the deck with a few cocktails and mocktails. These dogs are on my list to make this weekend, so I wanted to give you my updated recipe in case you want to make some too.

What...

Carrot Cake Pancakes, Windowsill Gardening and a Birthday

I had a birthday this week and last Saturday I went out for Indian food with a bunch of my friends to celebrate. I wanted to share a not-so-flattering silly photo of me that my friend Jenni took of me there.

I seem to always make odd faces when she is Instagramming me. I hope you find it as funny as we did. Yes, it’s true that I turned 50 and I still wear silly t-shirts out to dinner. I doubt I’ll ever grow up in that way.

For my birthday I made myself Jenn’scarrot cake pancakes from her bl...

Steel-Cut Oat Sausage Crumbles From OATrageous Oatmeals

Photo by Kate Lewis

I want to share one of my most used recipe from OATrageous Oatmealswith you today.These oat sausage crumbles are made with steel-cut oats and spices. They are gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats and naturally soy-free, nut-free and has no added oil. Almost anyone can eat them!

I love sausage spices and each one of my books have a unique vegan sausage recipe. In this one you mix the cooked oats with the spices, you spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking shee...

Vegan Carrot Koftas in Easy Blender Coconut Indian Sauce

Last week I made Ann’s Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer (or Chiller) from Crave Eat Heal. I had some leftover pulp from making the juice for the steamer. I almost tossed it out, but then I thought about making these carrot koftas and smothering them with an easy coconut Indian sauce.

I miss getting creamy kofta dishes in Indian restaurants. They are always full of cream and the little dumplings are usually made with yogurt or cheese. I never made this at home because I thought it would be too...

Start Your Day Off Gently By Doing These 3 Things

Do you feel like you wake up already behind on the day? I know I have more panicked mornings than I want. I’m doing a few things differently this week with the hopes that I’ll end up a little less cranky in the evening.

These are all simple, take very little time, and will start your mornings out a little more gently.

1. Visualize Your Day Before You Get Out of Bed

Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than you usually do. As soon as you turn off your alarm or wake up naturally, visualize how y...

Blackberry Mojito Overnight Oats from OATrageous Oatmeals

Photo by Kate Lewis

Did you think it’s getting too warm for oatmeal? Not a chance! ThisBlackberry Mojito Overnight Oats is made in the refrigerator and you eat it cold.

Mix together the ingredients the night before and grab on your way out the door. If you don’t imbibe leave out the rum or use a rum flavoring instead. Regular vanilla extract is made with an alcohol base so you’re not really adding any extra alcohol when you add in the rum.

There are other great summer oatmeal recipes in OATr...

Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer (or Chiller) from Crave Eat Heal

Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer (or Chiller) photo by Annie Oliverio

Let me tell you how much I loveAnn Oliverio’s first book,Crave Eat Heal,. For full disclosure she is a friend and gave me a free pdf to review. I love the concept, the photos, and the recipes – especially the Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer that I’m sharing with you today.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the recipe and a chance to win a copy of your own!

Ann’s concept groups recipes by cravings. I love the id...

4 Things to Do Everyday to Keep Yourself Healthy and Happy

What if there were just a few things that you coulddo every day to make your life easier and less stressful?These 4 easy things will make you happier and healthier.

I will warn you that all of these require a little bit of planning. It won’t take hours and it could only take minutes to plan the weeks meals or schedule in some exercise in your calendar.

If you’re not much of a planner try scheduling in 20 minutes on Sunday to add these to your week. I think you’ll see the results and it will...