Festivities for the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, or Tet if you’re Vietnamese, begin two weeks prior to the official day. As you can imagine, there are many traditions involved in a centuries old celebration. Many old school traditions are still observed, but “thanks to a nearly 50-year Communist-mandated freeze, […]
Meatless
Blueberry Quinoa Salad – Is It A Winner?
The availability of blueberries year round is fast becoming another fantastic benefit of the global economy – and one that contributes to our health and well being considering the nutritional powerhouse that blueberries are. It’s because of the demand for this antioxidant-rich super food that North American highbush blueberry acreage has increased by +55% in […]
Autumn Apple, Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad
Apples = Autumn to me. The signs are everywhere – the days are cooler, evening settles in sooner, and kids are back in school. It must be apple season. One of the earliest cultivated fruits, the apple has come a long way from its crabapple-like ancestors. Careful cultivation has transformed those original small, sour apples into large, […]
Butternut Squash GF Pizza and a #PizzaParty
Does your family do a Friday night or Game Day Pizza Party? It’s a fun way to end a hectic week and have an all-ages party to welcome the weekend. Make our buy pizza dough, have a spread of all the fixin’s and get everyone in the kitchen making their own pizza. I do this […]
Winning Quinoa Recipes
As a big fan of quinoa and an advocate of sustainability, fair trade and supporting local farmers, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the winners of Alter Eco’s Quinoa Recipe Contest. To celebrate the International Year of Quinoa (who knew!), Alter Eco invited aspiring chefs from across the country to share their […]
Purple Power: Eggplant, Hatch Chile and Roasted Tomatoes
Eat the colors of the rainbow, super foods are not limited to green, yellow, orange, and red. But also, the cooler colors of the rainbow: blue and purple. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and the same compounds that put blueberries on the healthy map as a superfood are what make make purple vegetables like eggplant […]
Obsessed with Chiles: Quinoa Stuffed Chile Rellenos
My obsession with chile rellenos lives on – it is how I measure every Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Southwestern restaurant that offers the dish on their menu, and if they don’t – shame on them! When I return from a trip, within a day or two my car finds its way to Great Mex in Costa […]
Herbed Heirloom Tomato Tart
This summery tomato tart is part quiche, part ricotta pie – and wholly delicious! Perfect for dining al fresco, whether lunch, brunch, weekday dinner, or Meatless Monday – the Herbed Heirloom Tomato Tart is summer at its Best! Jump to Recipe What’s Special About This Tomato Tart First of all this tomato tart makes the […]
Purple Potato Pesto Pizza – the Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever!
Dinner is served! And no one is happier than I, when it’s a pizza that turns out this awesome! In more sophisticated speak: a pizza with an unparalleled amalgam of flavors that captures every sense upon first sight, the vibrant colors and textures trigger Pavlovian salivation. The first bite confirms every notion the moment your teeth […]
Weeknight Dinner: Slow Cooker Potato Tacos
For working folks and busy families, the slow cooker can be a life saver. There was a time when I thought it was the greatest addition to kitchen appliances since the toaster, now there are simply too many to choose from. It was the one recommendation that I made to my father and my brother […]