These cookies are actually healthy. Sure, they have chocolate chips and peanut butter to make them taste great, but the oats, minimal added fat and chia seeds (one of the buzziest super foods of the moment) give them plenty of nutritional value. I used this recipe from one of my favorite healthy food blogs.  

Chia Seed Peanut Butter Cookies
makes about 12 

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose or gluten-free flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks or chips 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

This flavorful pasta salad is a great way to use up any fresh veggies you have on hand. You can pretty much add anything you want because the simple red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing complement almost everything. I decided to make a greek-inspired salad, but to add roasted eggplant for variation in texture and flavor and to forgo the olives usually found in greek salads because the feta already added enough saltiness. Paired with some grilled shrimp, it's all you need for a light summer dinner. 

greek pasta salad with roasted eggplant
makes a giant batch, enough to serve at a party!

1 14oz. box of pasta, cooked according to instructions (I used this one)
1 medium eggplant
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 medium red onion, chopped into small pieces
4 oz. block feta cheese, cut into half-inch cubes
3 heaping handfuls fresh baby spinach, torn into small pieces
8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Those who know me know I love pizza in any and every form at any time of day. Unfortunately, general logic and my arteries tell me that I can't have it for every meal, so I do what I can to incorporate the same tastes into new dishes. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to make it. With a few amendments to the original recipe, these were a very satisfying substitute (and the perfect appetizer/finger food) for the I-wish-it-was-acceptable three Artichoke Pizza meals a day.

pizza stuffed mushrooms
serves about 4 (as an appetizer)

For mushrooms:
2 packages of baby bellas
4 oz softened cream cheese
¼ cups grated parmesan
¼ cups grated mozzarella
1 tablespoon ricotta
¼ teaspoons Dried Basil
⅛ teaspoons Dried Oregano
garlic salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped white mushrooms
note: as you can see from my amendments, you can really use any pizza topping in this filling. Use what you like and forget what you don't for your perfect pizza reincarnate!

For (optional) red sauce:
can or jar of pre-made marinara or pizza sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more for extra heat)
salt and pepper to taste

He may have a disturbing penchant for orange Crocs, but I'll give him this: Mario Batali knows a thing or two about good food.  I was recently craving some rustic Italian deliciousness, but I unfortunately wasn't able to stop by Eataly for the best focaccia I've ever tasted (and the most reasonably-priced thing you can buy there, I might add). Instead, I decided to try out this Batali recipe from Food & Wine. 

Simple, elegant, a tad garlicky and of course, fried. Delicious. This dish makes a great appetizer - I'd recommend squeezing a bit of  fresh lemon juice over it just before eating, or pairing it with a side of spicy marinara sauce for dipping. 

zucchini-ricotta fritters
makes 20 fritters

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used fat-free and it still tasted delicious!)
Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper
2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), coarsely shredded
olive oil for frying
3 large scallions, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
Lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

Fact: you could put a poached egg on virtually anything and I'd eat it. I'm always drawn to eggs florentine when I see it on a brunch menu, but one thing I don't like about the dish is the not-at-all-healthy hollandaise sauce it usually comes drowning in. 

This recipe is not only really easy and quick to make, but it's also much healthier. Instead of a butter and cream based sauce, fat-free (or low-fat) ricotta melts beautifully into cooked spinach for a much lighter - yet completely satisfying - version of the indulgent brunch staple. Just add a mimosa for the perfect at-home brunch experience.

six-minute eggs florentine
makes one serving

1 large egg
2 tbsp white vinegar
cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
4 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach (you can also use chopped frozen spinach here)
3 tablespoons low- or non-fat ricotta
2 slices baguette or good whole grain bread, toasted
salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste
parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

As we've already made incredibly clear here at The Fixation Files, we're pretty obsessed with Deb and her blog Smitten Kitchen, one of the absolute best food blogs out there (and there are a lot out there). So when I wanted some appetizer inspiration for a party I was having, I went straight to Smitten Kitchen to find a recipe that looked good. I ended up making this recipe because it sounded easy, flavorful and relatively healthy. Not only were these eggplant toasts all of the above, but they were also gone within minutes because my guests loved them so much. So thank you for the inspiration, Deb! 
This is a great appetizer, side dish or even main course, if you serve the bruschetta with some mixed greens on the side. 

eggplant + feta bruschetta
makes about 8 toasts - but I recommend making more!

1 medium eggplant, cut into small, bite-sized cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled crumbled feta
1 scallion, thinly sliced
3-4 chives, minced
8 slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil 
1 large clove garlic, peeled and left whole

I've loved standard basil pesto for as long as I can remember. I was a weird child who didn't shy away from green pasta - I actually preferred it to the typical buttered noodles most kids grow up with. Now I love experimenting with incorporating different flavor combinations into the pesto I make, and this recipe is my now my favorite summer variety. 

The sweetness of the peas, nuttiness of the parmesan and decadence of the crispy shallots make this pasta a stand-out side dish (great for bringing to a summer party!) or indulgent main course for the next time you encounter a serious pasta craving. 

minted pea pesto with crispy shallots
makes about 6-8 servings

1 package pasta (I used whole wheat thin spaghetti)
1 ten-ounce package of frozen peas, thawed 
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup of parmesan, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup of walnuts (pine nuts work too)
5-6 fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (for garnish)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil, separated
salt and pepper to taste

I don't have a food processor (yet), and I wanted to make some sort of veggie burger. It was hard to find a recipe that didn't need a food processor, so when I came upon this recipe for black bean fritters, I adapted it to make burgers instead of a dipping appetizer. My friend Lauren was in town and helped make these a successful dish, with the addition of a made up Mexican-style aioli for topping!

black bean fritters
yield varies depending on size of patties

For fritters
3 cups black bean, cooked
1 large yellow pepper, remove seed, chop into small pieces
1 small white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large tomato, chopped into small pieces
1 cup corn, cooked
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
2 eggs, room temperature
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (for frying)
Cheese of choice (optional, for melting. we used Mexican mix shredded cheese)
Hamburger buns (we used mini pretzel rolls and made sliders)
Veggies of choice for topping (we used tomatoes and onions)
*add breadcrumbs if mixture doesn't bind easily

For aioli
1/2 cup plain mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
*feel free to adjust measurements to taste 

Onion rings are one of those things that I crave fairly regularly, so I love the idea of making a healthier version for myself at home. This recipe uses a combination of crushed cornflakes and panko breadcrumbs to achieve a satisfyingly crunchy coating, and the buttermilk and cayenne in the batter make for a pretty spot-on onion ring flavor. 

Even though I'm a big fan of ketchup, I felt like homemade onion rings warranted a slightly more inventive sidekick, so I mixed together some of my favorite flavors to make a tangy, sweet balsamic-dijon sauce I kind of can't wait to find a bunch of other uses for.

baked onion rings with balsamic-dijon dipping sauce
makes about 4 servings

For onion rings
2-4 vidalia onions
2 cups corn flakes, crushed to fine crumbs (pulse in food processor or simply crush them by hand in a plastic storage bag)
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil spray

For balsamic-dijon dipping sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
salt to taste

A few years ago, I had a version of watermelon feta salad at a friend's house. At the time, the combination was unexpectedly delicious and the recipe was very simple. I came across this recipe on Pinterest a little while ago, and it reminded me of that salad, though with a few delicious differences. This salad is very quick and easy, and it's the perfect light supplement to any summer meal!

watermelon salad with feta and mint
makes roughly 16 pieces (though I've usually gotten more yield from it)

16 1-inch cubes seedless watermelon, chilled (or however many you can get from a watermelon quarter)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cream cheese or plain Greek yogurt
Pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)