Curry Quinoa with Spicy Roasted Carrots and a Lime Mint Yogurt Sauce

Curry Quinoa with Spicy Roasted Carrots and a Lime Mint Yogurt Sauce - The perfect Indian-inspired side dish that is fresh, flavorful, and family-friendly! 

Apparently, an Indian-inspired side dish is a perfect addition to an outdoor barbeque because the “barbeque” I went to, as well in fact an outdoor pizza party with hotdogs to cook on the fire. Haha, there was no theme but it did not matter because this side dish ended up being the theme of the night!  

And just like the barbeque, there is no rhyme or reason to this recipe other than the fact that it tastes amazing! Who would have ever thought that a yogurt sauce that tastes like a coconut lime margarita could cut through the spicy roasted carrots and a flavor bomb of fluffy quinoa? Topped with the crunchy spicy granola-like mixture and you will find yourself going to flavor town! (I can’t believe I just said that!)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Curry Quinoa with Spicy Roasted Carrots and a Lime Mint Yogurt Sauce - The perfect Indian-inspired side dish that is fresh, flavorful, and family-friendly! 

Ingredients 

Curry Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups water

• 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter, coconut oil, or ghee

• 1 Tbsp hot madras curry powder (or regular curry powder)

• 1 tsp salt

Spicy Roasted Carrots

• 1 large bag of carrots (or tri-color carrots)

• 1 Tbsp salt-free spicy seasoning

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp salt 

Lime Mint Yogurt Sauce

• ½ cup organic plain yogurt (lactose-free or dairy)

• ½ juice of lime + zest

• ½ tsp organic sugar

• 1-2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves

• ½ tsp salt

Topping blend 

• 2 Tbsp coconut flakes

• 2 Tbsp chopped almonds

• 1 tsp no-salt spicy seasoning

• ¼ tsp salt

Garnish: cilantro and lime wedges

Directions

1. Add all ingredients (from curry quinoa) to a medium pot and prepare quinoa as instructed on the package. 

**What I like to do to save time - add all ingredients (from curry quinoa) to a rice cooker and cook on the white rice setting. 

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Peel and cut carrots longways. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, seasonings, and oil. Toss to combine. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place carrots on the tray. Try not to overcrowd the carrots for even cooking! Cook for 20 min until cooked through and crispy. If you have thicker carrots, you may need to flip carrots over and cook for an additional 15-20 min. 

2. To make the yogurt sauce, simply add all ingredients to a processor or nutri-bullet and blend until fully corporated. Taste test first before setting aside. You may need to add 1 Tbsp increments of water for desired sauce consistency. 

3. In a small bowl, combine the topping blend until fully incorporated. 

4. To assemble your side dish, layer the following components on a serving platter: Curry quinoa, spicy roasted carrots, yogurt sauce, chopped cilantro, and sprinkle topping blend! Enjoy! 

Notes

• Products used in this recipe: salt-free spicy seasoning, hot madras curry powder, curry powder, organic plain lactose-free yogurt

Watermelon Ice Cubes

Watermelon Ice Cubes - Refreshing way to use leftover watermelon chunks! Add to your water, coconut water, cocktail, mocktail, smoothie, the sky’s the limit! 

If you haven’t figured it by now, I am absolutely obsessed with watermelon. If I’m not posting about watermelon on my Instagram, I’m posting watermelon recipes on the blog. There is nothing that stands in the way between me and watermelon...nothing. 

With that said, I thought it would be fun to post about the many ways you can use leftover watermelon. Do you find yourself cutting a large watermelon and basically having an entire half watermelon leftover? What do I do with the rest of it? 

Well, I am here to solve your problems! To start off, we will get into this quick and simple recipe! Using half of a large watermelon, cut your melon into large chunks and add to a blender. You can blend as is or boost the watermelon flavor with citrus like fresh lemon or lime juice! Sometimes I get a little wild and add fresh mint or jalapeno slices when I want to make frozen spicy watermelon margaritas. 

You can either strain the liquid using a milk bag or cheesecloth or freeze as is. Tip* If juicing, skim the foam off of the watermelon juice. When frozen, add a few cubes to a glass of water, coconut water, smoothie, or make into a mocktail/cocktail. The sky's the limit with these cubes! 

Now that you know of one amazing versatile trick using leftover watermelon chunks, here are a few more ideas! 

• Slice watermelon into triangles and make watermelon popsicles by inserting a popsicle stick into the rind. Freeze them, grill them, or eat as is! 

• Slice watermelon into small chunks and toss into a summer salad (picture above)

• Add fresh mint, feta, lime, and balsamic glaze for a quick watermelon salad picnic!

• Make watermelon margaritas, frescas, or granita! 

• Use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes for a party or for the kids! 

How would you use watermelon cubes or leftover watermelon? Share below, I love hearing your ideas!

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Ingredients

• ½ large watermelon

• Juice from two limes

• ½ cup filtered water or coconut water

Optional add-ins

• Fresh mint

• Jalapenos (to make spicy margaritas)

Directions

1. Cut the rinds off the watermelon and slice into large chunks.

2. Add watermelon chunks to a blender and add lime juice, water, and optional add-ins. Blend until smooth.

3. Either strain the juice using a milk bag or cheesecloth or pour mixture directly into ice cube trays. *Skim the foam off the liquid for smoother texture. 

4. Freeze and enjoy in filtered water, coconut water, alcohol, smoothie, kombucha..sky’s the limit!

Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways

Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways - Salmon Mango and Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche are tasty dishes that can be served over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

This is sad to say, but my first experience eating ceviche was about six months when I was trying out a new Peruvian restaurant with a girlfriend. She ordered ceviche for the table and after having one bite, I was blown away! Why haven’t I had this before!? It seems like I was doing a disservice to my taste buds for not having it sooner!

So instead of dragging her to the restaurant every time I need translating: “I need ceviche!”, I just make it at home! And you can, too! Ceviche is actually very easy to make. 

The ingredients for ceviche:

• Raw fresh fish (snapper, sea bass, halibut, mahi-mahi, tilapia, shrimp, salmon, octopus)

• Citrus juice (lemon, lime, oranges)

• Salt

• Add-ins: mango, red onion, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes

To show how easy it is to make ceviche, I have provided 2-ways that you can make ceviche as well as 3-ways to serve it. You can serve ceviche over nachos, tostadas, avocados or with chips; the possibilities are endless!

Ceviche pairs perfectly with a margarita or a Paloma, just saying! ;)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways - Salmon Mango and Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche are tasty dishes that can be served over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

Ingredients

Salmon Mango Ceviche

• 1 lb raw salmon (skinless and cubed)

• 1 fresh mango (diced)

• 1 cup lime juice from 6 limes

• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)

• ½ red onion (diced)

• ¼ bunch cilantro (chopped)

• 1 large avocado (cubed)

• 1 small shallot (minced)

• ½ tsp pink himalayan salt

Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche

• 1 lb shrimp (raw or cooked) peeled, deveined, and diced

• 1 cup lime juice from 6 limes

• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)

• ½ red onion (diced)

• ¼ bunch cilantro (chopped)

• 1 large avocado (cubed)

• 1 large jalapeno (diced)

• 1 small shallot (minced)

• ½ tsp pink himalayan salt

Directions 

1. Add chopped shrimp or salmon to a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ tsp salt, and minced shallots. Refrigerate and marinate. See Notes for marinating times.

2. Dice remaining ingredients: avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeno, mango, and cilantro. 

3. Once the seafood is done marinating, stir in the diced ingredients. 

4. Season with salt and pepper and serve over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

Notes

• Spicy mayo to go over nachos? ¼ cup mayonnaise + 2 tsp sriracha + ½ tsp lime + 1 tsp water.

• Feel free to sub shrimp or salmon for ahi tuna and diced cucumber to the ceviche.

• Marinating times:

• 1 ½ - 2 hours for raw shrimp and up to 30 minutes for cooked shrimp 

• 30 min to 1 hour for raw salmon

Roots Juice

Roots Juice - From the Roots signature root juice - sweet and fun, you can’t tell it’s healthy!

I think it’s only fitting to create a signature root veggie juice in honor of our name, don’t ya think!? With that said, this juice couldn’t be more perfect for that title! Roots juice started out as a refreshing drink for my catered events because people wanted something fun yet sweet while staying true to its healthy roots.

All this time, I assumed this recipe was on the blog! Luckily for you, the community reached out and said, no, haha so here we are! Made with my favorite root veggies (carrots, beets, and ginger) and naturally sweetened fruits, this juice has only 8 ingredients!

Roots juice is great for a brunch cocktail/mocktail, hot summer day, or just to drink with your morning breakfast. You can also skip the juicing part if you are not into juicing/want more plant based fiber into your diet.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Roots Juice - From the Roots signature root juice - sweet and fun, you can’t tell it’s healthy!

Ingredients 

• 2 red apples

• 1 small knob of ginger

• 1 grapefruit (or blood orange)

• 1 & ½ cup strawberries

• 1 small beet

• 2 carrots

• ½ lemon

• 1 cup coconut water

Directions 

1. Prep all fruits/vegetables with inedible rinds removed. Be sure to thoroughly wash all fruits/vegetables as best as possible. 

2. If using a juicer: add all ingredients to a juicer and let it do its work! 

3. If using a high-speed blender like Vitamix, add all ingredients to the blender and blend on high for 2-3 minutes. Strain using a nut milk bag. Squeeze all the juice you can and discard leftover pulp or reuse in something else! 

4. Store in an airtight glass container for up to 48 hour maximum. Fresh and drinking immediately is best!

5. Makes about 4 cups

Strawberry Fields Salad

This spring salad was featured in Bliss Women Magazine. Their mission is to make women's health and well-being a priority. Check out their website to learn more!

Spring is finally here!

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the sunshine lasts longer. I always look forward to the weather becoming warmer and our frozen world coming back to life.  The spring is a gentle reminder that seasons do not last forever and that eventually, flowers will begin to bloom again. How can this reawakening of a flower relate to our story as women? Are you currently stuck in a career that does not allow for growth? Do you want to get your health back on track but don’t know where to start?  Just like a flower emerging from its winter slumber, so can we as women come into a new season of life. It might take some hard work and sacrifice, but with time you will begin to see the fruition of your efforts and fulfillment of your goals.

Not only do flowers bloom but so does spring produce! In-season produce reaps the most nutritional value so look for these fruits and veggies at your local farmer’s market or produce aisle:

Strawberries

Asparagus

Radishes

Peas

Rhubarb

Arugula

Beets

Fava beans

Artichokes

Avocados

Citrus Fruits

Fresh herbs

What better way to incorporate these ingredients than to make a spring salad! Salads are a super-convenient way to get in a couple of servings of vegetables and/or fruit into your diet. Salads can also be fun, colorful and full of great texture.

For this healthy recipe, I have created a vegetarian style salad with most of these spring ingredients that contain healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates that will keep you satisfied.

This winning strawberry fields salad is complex in flavor, yet super simple to make. It provides just the right amount of sweetness from the strawberries and honey balsamic vinaigrette, nuttiness from the pecans, creaminess from the avocado and goat cheese, tartness from the green apples, and spiciness from the arugula and radishes.  The honey balsamic vinaigrette pairs beautifully with the contrasting flavors and textures of the salad.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo with #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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This strawberry fields salad will become your new go-to salad for the spring! Made with fresh spring produce and a bright honey balsamic vinaigrette. A vegetarian and gluten-free option! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup pecan halves

• 1 Tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• 1 cup strawberries (sliced)

• 1 large handful fresh mixed greens

• 1 small handful fresh arugula

• 2 Tbsp goat cheese (crumbled)

• 1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves

• 1/2 cup carrots (shredded)

• 1/2 granny smith apple (sliced)

• 1/4 cup radishes (sliced)

• 1/2 cup fresh snow peas

• 1/2 avocado (sliced

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/2 lemon with zest

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vineger

• 1 Tbsp EVOO

• 1 Tbsp honey

• 1/4 tsp dijon mustard

• salt and pepper to season

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix coconut oil and sugar together and add pecans. Toss until thoroughly coated. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Cook for 5-10 minutes on one side and then flip them and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

4. While the pecans are roasting, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until corporated. Give it a test taste. If you like it sweeter, add a touch more honey. If you like more vinegar, add a touch more balsamic.

5. Toss dressing with the salad and top with avocado and coconut sugar roasted pecans.