Healthy apple broccoli salad with chickpeas, dried cherries, carrots, pecans and fresh herbs. Tossed together in a light honey dijon dressing to bring this salad together. Easy to make, great for lunch or parties and makes excellent leftovers! I remember absolutely despising broccoli salad when I was growing up; everytime it appeared on a party [...]
The post Chickpea Apple Broccoli Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.
Dreaming of a Croatia vacation? Sibenik Croatia is a coastal town with charming streets and waterfall swimming at nearby Krka National Park.
A few months ago Alex, me and our toddler Larson ventured out on a 3 week vacation to Europe. Most of the trip was on the Mediterranean coast, but we made a brief stop to the Adriatic coast in Sibenik Croatia. Why a Croatia vacation? Croatia is blowing up as a vacation destination for its charming Medieval cities and sparkling blue waters. And have you heard of the Croatia waterfalls? The more time we went in Sibenik, the more I grew to love this beautiful region. Should Sibenik, Croatia be on your travel bucket list? Absolutely. Keep reading to learn why.
Related: 8 Secrets: How to Take Better Pictures on Vacation |
Croatia has become a hot spot for tourists lately. Sibenik is a lesser known Croatia destination, but it’s absolutely worth visiting (it’s pronounced Shib-en-ik). We decided to visit Sibenik partially because of geography: this portion of our trip was a weekend getaway with our friends who live in Vienna. We flew from Rome to their apartment in Vienna, then the five of us (two couples and a toddler!) drove 7 hours to Sibenik. It was a bit of a hike to get there since we were driving, but absolutely worth it.
Sibenik sits in the middle of the country right on the Adriatic Sea. It’s a Medieval town that’s incredibly charming, dating back to 1066. It actually used to be part of Venice for most of history, so it has an Italian vibe. One of Sibenik’s recent claims to fame is that an episode of Game of Thrones was filmed there. If you visit there, you’ll see why — I don’t know anything about the show, but even I could tell the backdrop is perfect for a medieval fantasy storyline. The rough stone buildings and winding streets become more and more magical the more time you spend in Sibenik.
Most of what we did in Sibenik wander around the picturesque streets, eat food, and go to the beach. Pretty much the perfect Croatia vacation, if you ask us! Our Airbnb was near the beach, so every morning we would walk to the beach. (Though it was further from the town, we enjoyed staying in the area near the beach; more below on where to stay.) Here is the view of Sibenik from the beach. Pretty ideal, right?
Long strolls in the historic town center are a must. In the center of town is the St. James Cathedral, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Completed in the 1400s, it’s mysteriously beautiful. (And yes, this was where one of the Game of Thrones scenes was filmed.) I’ve seen lots of European Cathedrals, and this one has become one of my favorites. There’s something about it that’s eerily intriguing. We also wandered around and got lost in the maze of tiny narrow streets of Sibenik.
Aside from the town center, you can also walk along the waterfront near the sailboats and yachts, and get ice cream. There’s also a little playground for kiddos in that area (and a trampoline, which Larson would have loved if he were older).
Of course, some of our favorite memories were eating…and swimming in waterfalls! Keep reading.
Croatia waterfalls: Krka National ParkHave you heard of the Croatia waterfalls? There are two major national parks in Croatia with pristine waterfalls: Plitvice and Krka National Parks. The Krka waterfalls are a bit smaller and not as well known as Plitvice, which is partly why we chose Sibenik as our destination. Krka National Park is under a 1 hour drive from Sibenik. We hoped the Krka waterfalls would not be crowded, but there were more people than we expected (we visited in July)! So, we’d recommend if you go to go as early in the day as possible.
In the midst of a rather dry landscape, Krka National Park is an oasis, full of blue green streams and lovely falls. One of our favorite parts was the hike down to the waterfalls. Wooden paths take you right over the impossibly green water with tangled trees overhead that feel like a Cypress grove. But of course the falls were just magical. The water was crystal clear and I carefully waded in with Larson. It felt like the most surreal experience to actually get to be in the water: and of course Larson was completely delighted! I hope that these falls will be treated gently enough that humans will continue to be able to swim in them. It was a total highlight of our trip!
Another highlight of Sibenik was the food. We didn’t run into the most traditional Croatian food at the restaurants we ended up at, they were delicious nonetheless. One restaurant we enjoyed was Bounty, a small, family owned restaurant right on the water. The food had quite a bit of British influence (think fish and chips), but we had two more traditional dishes: octopus stew over polenta and my risotto with zucchini and broad beans. The Croatian dry white wine was fantastic.
One of our favorite restaurants was called SHE Bio Bistro, which had more of a hippie California vibe crossed with Croatian food. The highlight of this meal was the Dalmatian potato salad (Sibenik is on the Dalmatian Coast). It was so simple, but intensely flavorful with tangy potatoes, olive oil, salt, red onions, capers, and a sprinkle of parsley. One of the other standouts was an orange & almond polenta cake, with the texture of cheesecake but made with polenta, ground almonds, eggs, yogurt, and rum. This one was Italian inspired, and we noticed a lot of Italian influence in the food of this region (like lots of truffle pasta, etc). After all, Sibenik was a part of Venice until almost the 1800’s.
We also stopped at the farmers market and got some delicious pastries, including this spinach and cheese filled filo pastry called burek! It was fantastic and if you go, you must keep an eye out. We did a little research and found that many countries in Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, Balkans and Western Asia serve burek. Traditionally the burek in Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia is round and filled with meat or cheese.
In Sibenik we stayed in this Airbnb. While it wasn’t quite our decor style, it had a lovely view of the water and was a 5 minute walk from the beach. It was also about a 15 minute walk into the historic center of town. For me, an ideal vacation is steps from the beach and a short walk to town, so this was the perfect locale. (We picked the same type of location in Tellaro, Italy.) Our Airbnb owner was the kindest, most charming couple who had big gardens and even dropped off some produce they had grown so we could cook it for dinner! As nice as it is to stay in hotels, we love renting houses especially when traveling with kids: having access to a kitchen and having the ability to meet locals are two huge perks.
When we picked the dates for our trip, we had no idea that one of the days we’d be there would be the World Cup final. As the weeks approached and the Croatian team kept winning, we crossed our fingers they’d be in the final game. Somehow, Croatia was in the World Cup final and the game took place the last day we were in Sibenik! We got Larson a Croatia jersey and staked out a spot in a local bar. The crowd was incredibly tense as they watched the players in the most important game of their lives.
Sadly, Croatia ended up losing the game. However, the amount of celebration after the game was just as much as if they had won! People were all over the streets in their red and white garb, honking horns, crying, singing, hugging, and shooting off fireworks. When we asked our Airbnb host if he was sad, he said “No! It’s a huge honor to be second. As Croatia we are a small country. We are so proud!”
This, of course, endeared us to the country even more. We had an incredible time in Sibenik and would love to go back someday (especially to Krka National Park!). Are you interested in Croatia as a travel destination? Have you been? Let us know in the comments below!
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
Packed with nutrition and deliciousness, sweet potatoes are versatile and healthy. This sweet potato hash is a healthy, delicious, vegan side dish that is easy to make and can even be a full meal.
Aren’t sweet potatoes amazing?
They’re super yummy. They last like forever in the pantry. They are healthier than regular white potatoes. They can go sweet or savory.
See? Amazing.
If you’re like me, at any given moment, you probably have 2-3 sweet potatoes sitting in your pantry along with an onion and a few stalks of celery in the fridge.
And do you know what that means?
It means you can make this delicious, easy and healthy side any time you want!
This sweet potato hash is one of the best sweet potato recipes to use any night of the week while you’re dealing with the rest of dinner. Just pop the sweet potatoes into the pan and forget about them for like 20 minutes while you take care of the rest of the meal. Or the kiddos. Or Facebook. Whatevs.
Really, this “side” could easily be made a meal by itself, if you’re willing to forgo the meat in your dinner. It’s very filling and satisfying to the tummy. I’ve also just wrapped them up in some lettuce leaves for a tasty and quick dinner.
OMG yum.
Seriously, though. This sweet potato hash recipe is super versatile — it can be a vegan breakfast hash, lunch or dinner.
It can be a side, a meal, or a wrap filling. It also happens to be completely vegan and paleo, too.
This simple sweet potato recipe really covers all the bases.
I say sweet potatoes are amazing, but you’re not 100% convinced yet?
Ok, then let’s have the “why are sweet potatoes good for you” talk…
Sweet potatoes are:
low in calories – 86 calories per 1/2 cup high in fiber high in potassium high in vitamin A – 1/2 cup of sweet potato = 283% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin A. Yes, 283%. No mistake here. fat-free a great source of vitamin B6 a great source of vitamin E a good source of calcium and magnesiumNow you believe me when I tell you sweet potatoes are good for you, right?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SWEET POTATO AND A YAMOk so here’s the deal. You know those yams you can buy at the grocery store? Yeah, those are probably sweet potatoes.
Wait, what? How can that be?
Give me a sec and I’ll explain everything.
First of all, let me start by saying yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. They are not even related, actually. They are both root vegetables, but this is where the similarities end.
So what is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
Yams are native to Asia and Africa. They are cylindrical, they have a dark brown almost black skin and purple or white flesh. They taste nothing like sweet potatoes and they are starchier and drier than the versatile root veggie we all love.
Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, can have white, orange, red, yellow or brown skin and orange, red-orange, and white flesh. They have a more elongated shape than yams and they have that sweet taste we all know and love.
Here’s where the confusion started. In the US, there are 2 types of sweet potatoes sold in grocery stores:
Firm sweet potatoes: These sweet potatoes have gold skin and a pale yellow flesh. These sweet potatoes remain firm after cooking. Soft sweet potatoes: They have copper skin and deep-orange flesh. Soft sweet potatoes become creamy after cooking.What you see labeled as yams in grocery stores are actually soft sweet potatoes. Ahhhhhh!
Now that you know all there is to know about yams and sweet potatoes – well, not everything but everything that will help you when you go grocery shopping – it is time to get back to our sweet potato hash recipe.
And, let me tell you, this is one of those do-what-you-please hash recipes. AKA a versatile healthy sweet potato hash.
You can enjoy it as it is as a side dish. After all, it is delicious. And vegan and keto and paleo and gluten-free and clean eating friendly, by the way.
But you can also transform it into one of the most delicious vegetarian sweet potato recipes if you add a fried egg for a little extra protein. Or maybe even add sausages (if you’re not vegan or vegetarian and you like sausages, of course).
I often get this question so I wanted to be sure to answer it. The very short answer is, “YES!!!!!.” The longer answer is this: You do not need to remove the sweet potato peel to make sweet potato hash. If you don’t happen to like the taste or texture of the peel, then you’re free to remove it. HOWEVER, the peel contains a lot of the nutrients of the sweet potato.
The skins contain…
fiber beta-carotene vitamin C vitamin E folate potassium ironSo it’s a good idea to not just throw all that goodness away.
How to peel sweet potatoes, if you want to:
Scrub the sweet potato with a brush or wet cloth. Rinse the sweet potato under running water. Peel the sweet potato with a vegetable peeler or a paring knife.
If you’re looking to enjoy this sweet potato hash recipe, but you don’t like onions, you have some options for a tasty and easy onion substitute. Here are some easy onion alternatives:
mushrooms shallot chives leeks bell peppers lentils cabbage eggplant carrotsAny of these onion alternatives will work great in this recipe. Of course, you can also decide to just leave them out entirely. These substitutions also work very well if you’re wanting to make sweet potato hash without bell peppers.
Do you want more healthy sweet potato recipes? Sure, no problem. I have other 3 sweet potato recipes you will most definitely fall in love with!
SWEET POTATO SKINSSweet potatoes are perfect all day long. They make a great breakfast, a great lunch, and a great dinner. But they also make a great appetizer. These Sweet Potato Skins are proof of that.
These Sweet Potato Skins are not your typical sweet potato skins, they are made with chicken, spinach, and Greek yogurt, which makes them lighter and healthier than the traditional recipes but not at all less delicious. Get the recipe.
SWEET POTATO TORTILLASWith only 3 ingredients you can make these amazing Sweet Potato Tortillas. They are dense, flavorful, healthy, and perfect for clean eating.
You can use the Sweet Potato Tortillas to make all your wrap, taco, quesadilla, and enchiladas recipes healthy and delicious. Get the recipe.
SWEET POTATO LASAGNALasagna stays on the same level as pizza on the list of favorite Italian dishes. At least in my house. But lasagna is not very healthy. Wait, whoever says that never tried my Sweet Potato Lasagna.
You know why? Because this Sweet Potato Lasagna is mouthwatering and delicious but also healthy and good for you. Get the recipe.
This sweet potato hash recipe is a healthy, delicious, vegetarian side that is easy to make and can even be a full meal.
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
The post Easy Sweet Potato Hash appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.
It’s about that time of year for soup and lots of it. I’ve had a variation of this recipe in mind for quite some time now (it actually came to me while I was lying in savasana in yoga class – go figure), so I’m happy it now lives on the blog.
Friends, let’s make soup!
This soup comes together in 1 pot in 30 minutes!
1-Pot Golden Curry Lentil Soup from Minimalist Baker →
