spicy broccoli + sun-dried tomato pasta

forgive my inconsistency in posting. though i still spend a considerable amount of my free time in the kitchen, said amount of free time has reduced significantly. the challenges of balancing my new schedule and the fact that i'm (for the time being) cooking for one, i'm having difficulty tracking down my motivation. perhaps i left it in france...

this throwback dish is one of the first i made when embarking out on this culinary journey. it's creamy without being heavy, packed full of incredible flavor, and contains my best vegetable friend - brocc.

this recipe was inspired (okay, mostly copied but i added my own touches) by one i saw on one of my favorite veggie blogs, cookie + kate.

kate's greenie smoothie

it's been a helluva last few weeks. i flew home from france, celebrated my mom's 60th birthday with family and friends, road tripped to orange county, flew back up to san francisco, enjoyed a few more days with my mom, road tripped AGAIN down to orange county, and have spent the last several days settling into our accommodations for the summer. whew!

i'm slowly getting back on track with my workouts and healthy eating. is two weeks post-arrival too late to feign "jetlag" as an excuse...?

the following is inspired by something i delighted in during a sunny afternoon lunch date with some best friends in the city.

baked eggplant parm

in my opinion, eggplant parmesan is one of the most delicious meals that ever was. packed full of olive oil drenched eggplant and mountains of melty (sometimes even a bit burnt - a win in my opinion!) cheese, this meal isn't just rich in taste but rich in calories too!  i'd been looking for a way to lighten this hein family favorite up a bit. enter martha stewart...

now, i'm not typically one for acknowledging or embracing convicted felons but i must admit, lady stewart knows what's up when it comes to food.

baking the eggplant adds an airy and much welcomed lighter texture to this typically heavy dish. try it, you'll like it.