Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Chocolate and peanut butter are a winning combination, and no less so for breakfast! Satisfying, deeply chocolaty and not overly sweet, this dark chocolate peanut butter oatmeal is the perfect thing for a chilly winter morning. Old-fashioned rolled oats allow for both creaminess and texture, and the bitterness of the cocoa is offset by the natural sweetness of carob, prunes, and cinnamon.

Watermelon Mint Slushies

This is, in my opinion, the ultimate refreshment for those still, hot summer afternoons when you just want to lie there, unmoving, until the weather changes. Frozen watermelon, when blended, creates a fine, velvety slush very much like a slurpee. Add a little mint and lime and you’ve got an ultra-refreshing, natural slushie. Oh, and a little rum doesn’t go amiss either, if you feel like turning it into a frozen watermelon mojito.

Quick Garlic Rosemary Focaccia (no knead)

It’s pretty hard to go wrong with freshly baked bread. Add some herbs and garlic? Subtract all of the hard stuff like kneading? Even better. This quick garlic rosemary focaccia makes the perfect side dish and the leftovers are great as a savory snack. The recipe comes together in little more than an hour (most of which is completely hands-off rise time), is made with 100% whole wheat flour, and has little enough salt and olive oil to fit easily into DASH diet guidelines.

cookie dough nice cream

Plan ahead and stock your freezer with frozen bananas and DASH cookie dough bites and you could be mere minutes away from eating cookie dough nice cream at all times! In this recipe, you can choose between chocolate chip cookie dough or sprinkle sugar cookie dough. Chocolate chip is my favorite, but I do like them both. The uninitiated may wonder, what is nice cream? Bananas, basically, but keep reading. When frozen and blended, bananas turn into a sweet, creamy delight reminiscent of ice cream, but without all the bad stuff.

spaghetti squash with creamy red pepper sauce

Spaghetti squash has a mild flavor and can be dressed up any way you like. Its high in fiber and low in calories, but with the right sauce it can be a satisfying meal unto itself. The sauce here is thick, hearty, and intensely flavorful. Although the roasting time makes this dish take around an hour, the hands-on prep is minimal, and I find spaghetti squash with creamy red pepper sauce makes a fine weeknight meal.

peachy baked oats

Is it oatmeal? Is it cake? Who knows. What I do know is that it’s an super easy breakfast offering a balance of fruit, protein, and complex carbs. Vanilla and a hint of cinnamon flavor batter studded with juicy peaches, which yields a cozy texture somewhere between muffin and bread pudding. Peachy baked oats come together in minutes in a blender and can bake while you enjoy a nice cup of coffee or get ready for your day.

basil and carrot top pesto

Pesto is among the best things on earth, if you ask me. An unassuming green paste that instantly transforms whatever you put it on into savory heaven! Which is why I had to create this oil-free basil and carrot top pesto recipe. Toss out the cheese, toss in some nutritional yeast and roasted garlic, and you’ve got an bright, herby DASH-friendly pesto that will treat your taste buds right.