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So far 2014 has been the year of cooking for me. I've been breaking out of my comfort zone, trying new things, and overall just having a great time in the kitchen. Last month I tried a delicious recipe from the cookbook Super Natural Every Day- Pan Fried Mung Beans with Tempeh- and the whole family loved it.

I decided to recreate the dish a second time and tweak the things that needed tweaking, and make it perfect. This time around I knew I wanted to use less olive oil throughout, and substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce. When I first made the dish I had undercooked the beans, so this time I made a mental note to keep them on the burner for about 5 minutes more.

I love cooking for this reason- the ability to always change and adapt and make anything work for you. And another reason I love cooking? Pretty kitchen items. Heart measuring cups, pretty tea towels, you name it. It's so fun to make your workspace a pretty, happy place, and it always makes me smile to be surrounded by beautiful things.

Here's the recipe I used this time around (adapted from Super Natural Every Day):

• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos

• coconut oil for the pan

• 1 8oz package of tempeh, cut into pencil-thick strips

• 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets

• 1 cup uncooked mung beans

• Grated zest of 1 lemon

• a small container of plain Greek yogurt

To cook the mung beans, simply add one cup uncooked beans to a saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Cook until the beans are tender, about 30-45 minutes. While the beans are cooking, you can prep and cook the rest of the meal.

Cut your tempeh into strips and let marinate in about 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce for 10-15 minutes.

Spray a saute or frying pan with coconut oil and brown the tempeh on both sides. Set aside.

In the same pan, put in the broccoli and about 1/4 cup of water and cook for about 2 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.

On a plate put the cooked beans, top it with the broccoli, and then the tempeh. Top with your lemon zest and serve with a dollop of the Greek yogurt!

To make the Brussels sprouts, preheat your oven to 400º. Cut sprouts in half and toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Voila! A healthy, delicious meal for the whole family. And if you have a tea towel from Gingiber it'll be pretty too!