The Creative Palate

Vanilla Protein Pancakes

From the obesity epidemic to the rising divorce rate, political opposition, terrorism, and violence, we as a society have many prominent issues. Yet there is a problem that every person faces every day, from teenagers to the elderly, no matter your race or culture. It’s a force that diminishes our health and overall quality of…

Flourless Peanut Butter Blondies

I didn’t know blondies existed until I was in ninth grade. A girl brought a huge tray of what looked like cookie bars to play practice and gave everyone a piece. After all, nothing brings people together like free food. “Want a blondie?” a friend offered me. I asked what those were, and she replied,…

Vegan Banana Waffles

Pop the champagne, blow the balloons, and pass out the cake, it’s time to celebrate! After years of waiting, I have acquired… (drum roll, please) a waffle maker! Yes, this is a big deal. Don’t judge me. During a casual conversation with my sister-in-law, I mentioned that I like waffles, to which she replied, “You…

Veggie Fritters

“You would make a good motivational speaker,” a friend once said to me. I was in the middle of giving her advice, which meant I had many made dumb analogies and tripped over my words. Motivational speaking is a cool idea, but I explained to her that no one would pay to hear me speak….

Mini Pink Lemonade Muffins

Pink lemonade does not make much sense at all. It makes us wonder: What is the pink in usually yellow lemonade? Some people assume it is from added strawberry or cranberry juice. Today, that may be true, but the origin of pink lemonade is a lot shadier. Josh Chetwynd, the author of How the Hot Dog…

Protein Granola Balls

Many adults like to think themselves young at heart, but some are young in appearance as well. I happen to fall into the latter category. Here’s a rule to live by: Never assume age. Whether you guess too young or too old, it can be offensive. Too many times I met someone new and they…

Gluten-free Oat Buns

Pop quiz: What do these five quotes have in common? “The poor man lived on nothing but bread and water.” “She loved art, but accounting was her family’s bread and butter.” “The trio sat by the table and broke their bread.” “The high taxes were taking the bread out of the miller’s mouth.” “He…

Apple Squash Hash

Humans are easily annoyed. This fact is not shocking, but a lot people don’t realize how relevant it is. We all have our own list of pet peeves. I consider myself hard to anger, but some things always grate on my nerves, such as: noisy chewing doors that are almost closed then slide back open…

Easy Chocolate Drops

Life is about finding balance: healthy eating and sweet indulgences, work and play, dark and light, fire and water, yin and yang, and socializing and solitude. Therefore, last week’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes must be countered with today’s chocolate recipe. High-quality dark chocolate is actually beneficial to one’s health. It is rich in antioxidants, improves cognitive…

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

It’s hard for me to understand vanilla. I mean, I understand what the flavor of vanilla is, but to me, it is just like its informal definition: boring. Just like darkness is an absence of light, vanilla is an absence of chocolate. Many chocoholics would agree with me, but I’m sure I’ve offended many vanilla…

Mediterranean Quesadilla

What’s stranger than a Frenchman overcooking a steak? An Italian making a quesadilla. Well, I’m only half Italian, but I have never made a quesadilla before. I’m probably pronouncing the word wrong in my head right now. For all of the haters who are thinking, “Haha, you don’t pronounce the Ls!” I reply, “You…

No-Mayo Mushroom Dip

I’ve been flipping through cookbooks recently, (it’s a common pastime) and it struck me how many ingredients are in each recipe. This is not some sort of epiphany; of course, it takes a lot of foods to create something unique, but sometimes it seems that there are so many ingredients, they all get lost in…