Ingredients

1/2 cup light olive oil

3 tsp cider or red wine vinegar

1 tsp+ lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1+ clove garlic

Optionally serve with:

Lettuce, mandarin oranges, purple onion, avocado, tomatoes, Crunchie’s, toast or sautéd ramen, pine nuts, flaxseeds, almonds, sunflowers. If you sauté the ramen, use 2 tsp butter. Cool

Instructions

1. Shake well (can sit at room temperature; if cold it will need time to warm).

Ingredients

Handful fresh basil leaves (10-15)

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp honey

A couple of fresh garlic cloves

1 tbsp mustard (any kind)

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Blend everything together in blender until smooth.

Ingredients

1 pkg. (.66 oz) fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry

1/4 cup Romano or Pecorino cheese, grated

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/8 – 1/4 cup olive oil

1 large clove fresh garlic, to taste

Instructions

1. Using blender or food processor, add cheese and pine nuts. Blend for a few seconds. Drizzle in olive oil, blending until desired consistency is reached. Add garlic and basil, allowing each ingredient to blend smoothly with preceding ones. Let stand for one hour. Refrigerate or freeze pesto. For ready-to-use portions, freeze pesto in ice cube trays, then add to your favorite red sauce. Refrigerate leftovers.

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 tbsp+ milk or half-and-half

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients until well blended; an immersion blender works very well for this. Try adding a pinch of dry mustard.

Ingredients

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 tbsp garlic salt (or slightly less)

1 tbsp parsley (fresh or freeze-dried)

1 tbsp minced dill (fresh or freeze-dried)

2 tbsp minced chives (fresh or freeze-dried)

1 tsp+ onion powder

1 tsp black pepper (or more, to taste)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

additional milk and lemon juice as needed for desired consistency

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together with immersion blender, or in standing blender, adding milk and /or lemon juice as needed for desired consistency. Adjust seasonings as needed to taste. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thinning with more milk if needed (it does tend to thicken over time).

Notes

• If making egg-free, Hellman’s makes an excellent Vegan Mayonnaise.
• We like to use Litehouse freeze dried herbs (available at HEB) for speed and shelf-stability.
• For non-dairy buttermilk, we use 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1/2-3/4 cup oat milk. Portlandia makes an MSG-free Worcestershire sauce. otherwise, it can be omitted.

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) container Philadelphia strawberry cream cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup Mariani dried cherries, chopped

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prep time: 3 mins | Total time: 3 mins | Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

Zest of one lime

1/4 cup fresh lime juice from 1-2 limes

1 clove garlic minced

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a jar.
2. Screw the lid on tightly and shake until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 (16-ounce) containers sour cream

1 (1-ounce) package ranch-flavored dip mix

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onion Garnish: chopped green onion

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Add spinach; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until wilted. Cool spinach completely; drain spinach and finely chop.
2. in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, ranch-flavored dip mix, and pepper. Add spinach, artichoke hearts, and green onion, mixing well. cover and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with chopped green onion, if desired. Serve with crackers.

Makes 8 energy bites

Ingredients

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup ground flax

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup oatmeal, dry

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tbsp chia seeds

2/3 cup coconut flakes, toasted

Instructions

1. Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Cover and chill 1/2 hour.
3. Once chilled, roll into balls.
4. Store in an airtight container in fridge.

Notes

Substitution Ideas:

• chopped dried fruit (dates, cherries, raisins, craisins, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.
• other chips (white, dark, butterscotch, M&M’s, etc.)
• other grains (rice cereal, etc.)

Makes 8 energy bites

Ingredients

1/2 raw almonds

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp almond butter or sunflower seed butter, divided

1/2 cup plant-based vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup dried cherries

2 tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey

3 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tbsp dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are just broken up into small pieces. Add 1/4 cup almond butter, protein powder, dried cherries, and maple syrup. Pulse until ingredients are combined and nuts and cherries are broken into smaller bits. Roll into balls pressing the mixture between your hands to seal everything together. Place each energy bites on a plate.
2. Place the coconut flakes and dried cranberries in the food processor bowl (don’t bother cleaning it out, it’s all good stuff). Pulse until the coconut and cranberries are broken into small pieces. Spread a little bit of the remaining almond butter over an energy ball and roll it in the coconut-cranberry topping. Repeat with each ball.