Harvest Vegetable Soup

In times of struggle, anxiety, illness, there is no better balm than soup. It is literally a healing food. It’s also a comfort. It’s unfussy. It can be made quickly, easily, cheaply. This soup, in particular, lends itself to adaptation. Toss in a little of this. Add a little of that. Which makes it well-suitedContinue reading “Harvest Vegetable Soup”

Super Simple Roasted Vegetables

Eating local means embracing root vegetables, especially in the winter — and on into spring. That’s hard for some folks, I know. To me, roasting the roots brings out their best flavor — and makes for a pretty simple meal. My go-to roasted veggie recipe includes winter greens and nice dash of cayenne and turmeric.Continue reading “Super Simple Roasted Vegetables”

Springtime Fried Rice

We love fried rice at our house — served with some rubbed pork or sautéed tofu or even as the star attraction of our dinner, with a little Ginger Orange Sesame Slaw on the side. And Spring is the perfect season for it, what with the hens laying regularly again, the herbs growing like weeds,Continue reading “Springtime Fried Rice”

In-Season Veggie Pasta Salad

  When early spring begins to show her face and salads are again appealing, it’s time to throw together this dish. In summer, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, cucumbers and green onions can easily be subbed for the veggies listed below. But just now, asparagus, kale and chives are all I’ve got growing, so olives and dried tomatoes orContinue reading “In-Season Veggie Pasta Salad”

Herby Orzo

I’ve made my share of risotto and herby pasta over the years, but this winter I fell in love with a new earth-y, broth-y, rice-like pasta dish that has the potential to taste even better as the first fresh herbs of spring shoot up and I’m looking for ways to eat them. I can’t say enough aboutContinue reading “Herby Orzo”

Fermented Carrots, Three Ways

Fermented food is getting its due these days, with more and more research showing the health benefits of eating probiotic and lacto-fermented foods. What does that mean, exactly? Well, that all your parents’ worries about keeping the food in the fridge and making sure mold never made an appearance in the kitchen were a miteContinue reading “Fermented Carrots, Three Ways”

Mediterranean Green Beans

  We grow several varieties of green beans in our garden and in a good summer, we harvest more than we can eat. I happily blanch, cool and freeze our garden bounty knowing that come January, I’m going to be thrilled to pull this taste of summer from our deep freeze. The olives and sun-driedContinue reading “Mediterranean Green Beans”

Mashed Butternut Squash

We grow our own butternuts and often we buy them in bulk, as well. So you’d think we cooked these amazingly nutritious root veggies in all kinds of ways. But in reality, not so much. We do love this Thai Butternut Squash Soup. Occasionally, we’ll stuff and bake them. And they do wind up inContinue reading “Mashed Butternut Squash”

Autumn’s Apple Cabbage Slaw

I have a thing for slaw. It maybe has something to do with my love for salads. Slaw is simply a great way to toss together lots of seasonal veggies and have the whole taste even better than the parts. It keeps well in the fridge. It’s already dressed. Slaws are big hits at potlucks. ThisContinue reading “Autumn’s Apple Cabbage Slaw”

Mixed Greens and Berry Salad

I created this recipe to hand out to participants of a class I taught on surprising ways to eat your berries. It was a hit. The biggest takeaway might have been how pleasing it is to mix all kinds of bold flavors in with your spinach or lettuce. Yes to arugula and to mustard andContinue reading “Mixed Greens and Berry Salad”