As another year draws to a close, it’s always exciting to take a look back at the most popular recipes. Chart-toppers this year were determinedly and surprisingly healthy and gluten free, with a focus on superstar vegetables like the stylish brussels sprout, the trendsetting cauliflower, and the ubiquitous green machine: spinach. You’ll also notice a meatless trend, with the only meat showing up on this list being America’s favorite: bacon. And finally, only one sweet treat made an appearance in the Top 5 and it’s of the simple, no-bake variety. Way to keep it fresh this year, readers! I’ll be interested to see if veggie and meatless trends continue into 2014.

5. Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette – shred those sprouts and serve them up raw with parmesan, almonds, and bacon + a vibrant citrus vinaigrette. Fantastic! If you love brussels sprouts as much as I do, be sure to also check out my Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic & Orange and the holiday crowd-pleaser Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Hazelnuts.

 4. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower – a beautiful substitute for mashed potatoes, packed full of creaminess and flavor.

3. Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse with Raspberries – an easy, yet impressive dreamy chocolate dessert. Out of 89,000 submissions, this recipe was on the Foodgawker Top Ten Favorited photos for 2013 list. If you are looking for more chocolate in your life, Amy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies were also in the Alaska from Scratch top 10 this year and are a personal favorite of mine.

2. Blueberry Spinach Smoothie – We drink one of these for either breakfast or lunch several times a week. This is a staple recipe at our house.

1.  Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Chipotle Black Bean & Corn Salad – this beautifully healthy and flavorful recipe was the reader favorite this year with over 122,000 pins on Pinterest.

Thank you, readers, for another awesome year of cooking and eating together! Stay tuned for a list of my personal favorites of 2013 coming up next week!