Delicious, protein-packed enchilada chicken & quinoa stuffed bell peppers with melty cheese and fresh jalapeño. This easy weeknight dinner recipe is loaded with incredible spices and perfect for meal prep! How are you guys? Been listening to any good music lately? There is something about the combination of music and food that leaves me feeling [...]
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These easy Dutch oven recipes work in a cast iron Dutch oven: and they’re not just soup recipes. Think risotto, bread, healthy veggie broth, and more.
Do you have a Dutch oven? When Alex and I first starting cooking, we had no idea what a Dutch oven was! We asked for one as a Christmas gift one year, and the rest is history! There are so many easy Dutch oven recipes, it’s hard to know where to start! Here’s all about Dutch ovens: why to use a Dutch oven, what size to Dutch to buy, and of course: our favorite Dutch oven recipes!
What is a Dutch oven? Why use a Dutch oven?Before we start: what is a Dutch oven? A Dutch oven is a heavy cooking pot with a lid that’s used for braising meat and making soups and stews. Dutch ovens can be used on the stovetop or in the oven, and they’re typically made of cast iron. Some Dutch ovens have an enamel coating over the cast iron, which makes them easier to clean.
Why use a Dutch oven when you’re cooking?
Dutch ovens hold heat well! When we first started using our Dutch oven, we were surprised at how smoothly sauteeing happens. It definitely feels more luxurious than doing the same thing in a normal pan. Dutch ovens are oven proof! Sounds simple, but it’s nice to have a pan that can be used on the stovetop and in the oven. Dutch ovens look pretty. Maybe this is silly, but we keep our Dutch oven out on our stove because it’s nice to look at and gives a cozy vibe. Dutch ovens can cook a myriad of things! Dutch oven soup recipes are delicious, but there are so many other things you can cook as well! Bread, dried beans, risottos: keep reading for the recipes. Which and what size Dutch oven should I buy?If you don’t have a Dutch oven, it can be overwhelming to try to find which brand and size of Dutch oven you should buy. Here are the ones we use: we have had great luck with both:
Staub Dutch Oven:.5 Quart This Staub Dutch oven is our workhorse Dutch oven that we use for everyday soups, risottos and more. The 5 quart size is perfect for a large batch of soup or chili. Lodge 6 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven This is the best dutch oven for bread, in our opinion! We use it to bake our sourdough bread recipe and it works like a charm.Without further ado, let’s get to those Dutch oven recipes!
Roasted Cauliflower Risotto
Of all of the easy Dutch oven recipes, one of our favorites is using it to make risotto! The Dutch oven holds the heat so well that it’s a great pan for risotto. This easy cauliflower risotto recipe features roasted cauliflower and hearty chickpeas. It’s packed with nutrients and is a filling weeknight meal.
Simplified Sourdough Bread
Next in our Dutch oven recipes: did you know you can use a Dutch oven to bake bread? The traditional method of cooking sourdough bread using steam can be hard to create at home, so our recipe uses a Dutch oven instead! Our best sourdough bread recipe is the ultimate guide to mastering sourdough bread at home. It has easy to follow instructions, a printable checklist, and a step-by-step video help you master that tangy flavor, chewy crust, and perfect texture. (As noted above, we use a separate Dutch oven for bread!)
How to Cook Dried Beans in a Dutch Oven
Wondering how to cook dried beans? Our Dutch oven recipe for cooking dried beans is quicker and simpler than the traditional stovetop method.
Easy Vegetarian Ramen
You might not think of ramen as an easy Dutch oven recipe, but it’s perfect for a Dutch oven. This healthy and easy vegetarian ramen recipe is a great way to have an excellent bowl of ramen at home. Fresh and flavorful, it’s a great vegetarian dinner. And with few simple substitutions, it’s vegan as well.
Classic Vegetarian Chili
Chili in a Dutch oven? Yes, please! This vegetarian chili is so thick and flavorful, you won’t miss the meat! It’s a crowd pleasing hit with vegan, vegetarian, and meat eaters alike.
Homemade Vegetable Broth
Topping the charts of our favorite Dutch oven recipes is this homemade vegetable broth. It takes less than an hour to make, is cheaper than storebought, and is a great way to utilize vegetables you have on hand. Make it on the weekend and freeze it for use throughout the week.
Parmesan Black Truffle Risotto
We’re into risotto over here, and this one’s a fancy version! Though it sounds gourmet, this Parmesan truffle risotto recipe is pretty simple to put together in a Dutch oven. And the black truffle flavor sends it out of this world.
Moroccan Cauliflower Soup
This list is not all Dutch oven soup recipes, but of course we had to mention some of our favorite soups! This cauliflower soup recipe is vegan and full of cozy Moroccan spices, like ginger and turmeric. It’s a healthy cauliflower soup that’s easy and delicious. (PS Head over for the video of our Dutch oven recipe in action!)
Roasted Tomato White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Oh, did we mention mac and cheese? Making the creamy white cheddar sauce is perfect in a Dutch oven. This homemade mac and cheese with tomatoes is comfort food at its finest, featuring a silky cheese sauce and roasted cherry tomatoes. It’s a fan favorite!
Hearty Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
Another favorite east Dutch oven recipe is this hearty sweet potato and kale soup! It features black beans, sweet potatoes, and kale, and is flavored with cumin and lime. It’s bursting with flavor and a deliciously healthy recipe.
Kale and Mushroom Risotto
Can’t stop, won’t stop on the risotto recipes! This kale and mushroom risotto comes together in about 30 minutes in the Dutch oven. It’s easy to make and perfect for company. Enjoy with a glass of wine and toasty bread.
Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup
The last easy Dutch oven recipe is a preview from our cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking! It’s one of our most popular quick soup recipes. Full of zesty flavor, black beans, and tomatoes, it’s topped with crunchy tortilla strips.
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Pin RecipeThese easy Dutch oven recipes work in a cast iron Dutch oven: and they’re not just soup recipes. Think risotto, bread, healthy veggie broth, and more.
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A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes
These are seriously the best lemon bars you’ll ever make — they’re healthy lemon bars that are refined sugar-free and contain no refined flour! The perfect sweet treat!
As we all know, the holidays bring about A LOT of sweets — in the form of candy or chocolates or lattes or pies and so on. As someone who wants to eat healthy, it can become super disruptive to constantly be needing to turn down sweets, despite (obviously) wanting to enjoy a sweet treat.
The struggle is real, peeps.
So, what can we do?
A lot, actually 🙂
The very best way I’ve found to combat all the highly processed, super sugary foods out there this time of year is to take control and make my own holiday treats, by using whole, real ingredients.
That way, I know I’m still following my clean eating lifestyle and avoiding processed sugars AND I’m getting my sweet holiday treat on, too. It’s like a total win-win.
Plus, you can even bring your better-for-you-treats with you to holiday parties and no one would ever even know they’re healthy. True story.
Like this pecan pie or these healthy lemon bars, for example.
First off, these low-calorie lemon bars are the best lemon bars I’ve ever had. The fact that they’re healthy lemon bars is just gravy.
Healthy dessert recipes seem more complicated than regular ones. But the thing is, they aren’t. The steps for this healthy lemon bar recipe are very simple and easy. Here’s how to make lemon bars:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a pan with coconut oil and set aside. For the crust – start by combining softened coconut oil, sea salt, and raw honey with a mixer until the mixture is creamy then add spelt flour and almond meal slowly until you form a dough. Transfer the dough to the prepped ban and press it evenly. Bake the crust until it’s golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. For the topping – start by mixing eggs, raw honey and lemon zest; Then add in the arrowroot starch and the spelt flour; Mix until no lumps remain. Pour the lemon juice and whisk until combined. Pour the egg-lemon mixture over the cooled crust. Bake until the topping is set. Once the lemon bars are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool at room temperature. Cut into lemon squares. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours and enjoy!In order to get the cleanest edges for your lemon squares, I recommend allowing these healthy lemon bars to cool before cutting. After the bars are removed from the oven, they continue to cook some. Additionally, the crust needs time to completely cool to be sturdy enough to hold up the lemon filling. All of this requires time and patience. Cool the lemon bars in the pan completely.
Got runny lemon bars? Chances are you either (1) didn’t cook it quite long enough or (2) didn’t allow it to cool completely before cutting.
In order to make these lemon bars healthy…
I use spelt flour, almond meal, raw honey, and coconut oil in the crust, as opposed to a combo of (loads of) butter, (loads of) white sugar, and (loads of) refined flour. Get the point? We want to make healthy lemon desserts. I also cut out as much of the raw honey as possible – the idea was to give it sweetness, but not make it overly, sickly sweet. The same goes for the lemon topping – I replaced all the white sugar with (less) raw honey and your typical all-purpose flour with a little spelt flour and arrowroot starch.Needless to say, these tasty little lemon squares were quickly a hit with anyone who tried them, which is always a great feeling, ya know?
Isn’t it the best to love a treat and THEN find out it’s healthy?!?
Seriously, though, I hope you enjoy these lemon bars for the holidays.
And I also hope this lets you see that it’s possible to make it through the holidays and still stick to your healthy eating goals. I know how easy it can be to let go, eat one bite of this cookie, that one cupcake, those two candy bars, this small latte, and so on…
It happens to the best of us.
Instead, try making these healthy lemon bars and do your mind, body, and taste buds a favor! Or use these simple tricks to make other healthy lemon dessert recipes or other healthy dessert recipes.
To sum up these lemon bars are:
dairy free lemon bars; low sugar lemon bars; low-calorie lemon bars. Lemon bars calories –-> 298 per serving.Yay!
All-purpose flour is found in pretty much all the store-bought baked goods. And in most dessert recipes including lemon recipes. However, healthy substitutes for all-purpose flour do exist and you can use them to make healthy desserts.
Spelt flour is what I like to use for healthy lemon desserts. Spelt flour is high in protein and has fewer calories than all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour is another great option for making healthy desserts. It changes the taste of the baked goods a little but it’s definitely a healthier option. Chickpea flour is great for people who eat gluten-free. This flour is grain-free, nut-free, and also high in protein. Coconut flour – another great gluten-free option. Coconut flour is also low-carb and high in fiber. Plus, when using coconut flour, you can use less honey or sugar alternatives because coconut has a natural sweetness. Almond flour is gluten-free and can be used in baking healthy desserts but it’s great in raw desserts too. HONEY VS. REFINED SUGARI really don’t think I have to tell you raw honey is healthier and good for you compared to sugar. I’m sure you know that. But it might be confusing since they both are carbs and honey actually has more calories than sugar. So how come it is better than sugar, you might wonder. Right?
Well…
Raw honey is healthier than sugar because it contains less glucose and fructose than sugar. Sugar has a 50-50 ratio while honey contains 30% glucose and 40% fructose. The remainder of honey ingredients are minerals, water, and pollen. These additional components are partially responsible for honey being healthier than sugar because they provide great health benefits. Honey has a lower glycemic index compared to sugar too so it doesn’t raise the blood sugar levels as fast as sugar does. Despite the fact that honey is slightly higher in calories than sugar, the desserts you’re making with honey are not only healthier but they have the same, if not lower, calories than desserts made with sugar. Why? Because honey is sweeter and you will use less. Honey contains more nutrients than sugar including: Antioxidants; Minerals; Vitamins; Amino acids; Enzymes. Honey is also less processed than sugar and, if you opt for raw honey, you get even more antioxidants and enzymes than you get from pasteurized honey.
HOW TO STORE LEMON BARS
The best way to store lemon bars is in the refrigerator, either in an air-tight storage container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap.
How long do lemon bars last?
Sadly, lemon bars don’t last forever. If stored properly, these healthy lemon bars will last up to 4 days, but you’re likely going to eat all of them by that time anyways!
HOW TO FREEZE LEMON BARSCan you freeze lemon bars? Yes! Lemon bars can be frozen and thawed for later use. To freeze lemon bars:
completely cool the baked lemon bars; slice into the squares; freeze each square on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper first; after they are frozen, wrap them in plastic wrap and then put them in large freezer bags.Frozen this way, they’ll last 3-4 months in the freezer.
To defrost, unwrap the lemon bars from their plastic wrap and then allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Keeping the bars wrapped in plastic wrap when they thaw will make the plastic stick to them.
Are you ready for more healthy dessert recipes? I was very serious when I said I want you to enjoy healthy desserts during the holidays so, of course, I have more healthy dessert recipes for you.
PALEO 7 LAYER BARSThese Paleo 7 Layer Bars make a rich sweet treat. A healthy one too, of course.
The Paleo 7 Layer Bars are perfect during the holidays, they are pretty, and they have so much deliciousness and sweetness in them that I am tempted to believe they are truly a work of magic. Get the recipe.
HEALTHY PECAN PIE (WITHOUT CORN SYRUP!)Pies are very popular during the holidays and you don’t have to feel guilty for eating them. You can make this Healthy Pecan Pie (Without Corn Syrup!) and enjoy it guilt-free.
The pie is so easy to make and it has a healthy pie crust that’s also incredibly easy. This is not only a low-sugar pecan pie, but it’s also a delicious one too and it’s perfect for pecan pie fans. Get the recipe.
HEALTHY NO BAKE CHERRY VEGAN CHEESECAKEHolidays or not, you can never go wrong with a cheesecake. It’s creamy, it’s rich, and it’s delicious. And it can be healthy. Like this Healthy No-Bake Cherry Vegan Cheesecake is.
This cheesecake is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth cravings while still maintaining your healthy lifestyle. Get the recipe.
These are seriously the best lemon bars you’ll ever make — they’re healthy lemon bars that are refined sugar-free and contain no refined flour! The perfect sweet treat!
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