Pumpkin Spice Banana Pancakes

With the autumn season finally feeling like autumn (cool, crisp mornings for the win!), I have started craving warm spices, pumpkin, cider, hot teas, and, admittedly, holiday treats. This past weekend, I experimented with a new breakfast treat that draws from the theme of pumpkin-spice-everything at this time of year.

You may be familiar with two-ingredient banana pancakes, and that was my starting point. These pumpkin spice banana pancakes are delicate like two-ingredient banana pancakes; but they are well worth the care they require. I would argue you can eat them anytime of day, without syrup, because the banana and pumpkin play beautifully off each other to satisfy your sweet tooth. We hope you enjoy them!

Ambrosia (Yum Yum) Salad

One of my aunts makes a summer fruit salad that everyone in my family calls “yum yum salad.” It wasn’t until sometime in my college years that I realized her salad is more commonly known as ambrosia salad. As a kid, I loved this salad. It felt like having dessert during dinner. What kid doesn’t like that?

But, as I got older, my tastes changed. Ambrosia (yum yum) salad, with it’s mini marshmallows and cool whip dressing was cloyingly sweet. Now that I think about it, I wonder if my aunt actually balanced it out with sour cream like most ambrosia salad recipes require. However, she made it, I stopped eating it at family functions a long time ago (even before I started eating “clean” with Brent in 2012) simply because I could no longer stomach it.

This version leaves out the marshmallows and replaces the cool whip/sour cream combination with a dairy-free yogurt. It’s still sweet from all the fresh fruit, but it’s much lighter and healthier! The best part for me? My parents are in town and give it their stamp of approval. We hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

Roasted Adobo Chicken

With a new baby, we haven’t had much energy to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. More than ever we’re looking towards big, batch cooking options to get us through the week. This weekend, I realized that we had not roasted a whole chicken in a while, and whole chickens are a great way to make multiple meals from one dish. This whole chicken recipe uses our take on the Latin American spice mixture, Adobo. It’s straightforward and delicious. Serve it with Cauliflower Rice and/or sautéed peppers for a complete meal. Leftovers can be shredded for lettuce boats or stir-fried with mixed vegetables.

Garlic Lime Mahi-Mahi

We had some beautiful spring, almost summer-like, weather a couple of weeks ago. It inspired me to make a light and refreshing meal. We happened to have Mahi-Mahi filets and a lime in the refrigerator, and I realized they would be a perfect pairing.

Fish and citrus are generally a great combination, and this recipe did not disappoint. Poaching allowed me to gently cook the fish without needing to watch it carefully. The result was a perfectly cooked, bright and delicious meal that I served with a side of mixed greens. As the weather continues to warm up, we hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as we did. I think it will become a regular on our weekly meals as we move into summer!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

One of our dirty, little secrets is that we have always had a weakness for cheesecake. There’s something about it that helps us celebrate or cope with stressful situations. Despite our love, it does not love us back; congestion and an overall feeling of lethargy are common side-effects. This Thanksgiving, we decided to give this staple a shot with Kite Hill Cream Cheese. This stuff is awesome and it allowed us to celebrate with a great dessert to finish up a great meal.

This is definitely a special occasion treat, but it was too good not to share. With more holiday celebrations to come this month, we hope you’ll give this a try.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Heather didn’t add a lot of sweetener to the batter of this cheesecake. The cheesecake was perfectly savory with a hint of sweetness. If you prefer a slightly sweeter dessert, you could easily serve it with a sweet whipped cream of coconut milk (or real heavy cream, if you can tolerate it) or a light drizzle of maple syrup.