Months ago, way back in November 2016, I posted about The Dude Diet by Serena Wolf and said Laura and I would be trying some of the recipes over the winter. Well, it’s now spring, but we’re finally getting into it!

Laura made the Quinoa Crunch Granola. She’s actually made it a couple times now, with some slight modifications based on what we had around the house (i.e, walnuts instead of pecans). The first time she used a liquid coconut oil and the second time a virgin coconut oil in solid form, you know, the white waxy-looking stuff? We both prefer the taste of the liquid coconut oil. The recipe calls for “liquid extra-virgin coconut oil,” but we need to shop around a bit more for a liquid coconut oil that is also extra-virgin. The Quinoa Crunch has been a great addition to our breakfast routine and also does double duty as a snack.

The first recipe I tried was the Smoky Black Bean Chicken Stew. With the exception of the cumin, which makes Laura ill, I followed the recipe to a T and–wowzers–was it spicy! I LOVED it, but the chipotle peppers in abodo sauce were too spicy for Laura. I made a less spicy version for her the next day that was a bit too bland that’ll I’ll work on jazzing up.

I took Serena’s advice and added some crumbled goat cheese the first time I ate this stew and it was so delicious–the creamy tang made me make obscene groaning noises as I ate. I’ve since tried it with sliced avocado on top, but my fantasies about this dish go back to the goat cheese version.

Up next, Smashed Potatoes with garlic and thyme.

You can check out Serena Wolf’s recipes online here.