Something about winter cries Vitamin C(!), and I’m pretty sure that C stands for citrus. Oranges, tangerines, lemons, grapefruit, kumquats, pomelos, tangelos, clementines, mandarins, and navels all start to call my name ’round about now, and here’s a great way to get some more! This simple recipe is a great choice, whether for company or a Sunday dinner at the end of a busy weekend, and it serves four easily. You’ll be happy to have this recipe up your sleeve when you need it. Continue reading
Category Archives: Holidays & Celebrations
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: These Chickpeas Bite!
Looking for something special to share with a group of friends this holiday season? Here’s your answer! Chickpeas are amazingly delicious, nutritious, and full of flavor, and you can double down on all those descriptions when you add some creamy, nutty tahini, umami-rich miso, and bright lemon juice, along with some powerful sriracha! Now that’s a recipe guaranteed to satisfy all your tastebuds! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Thanksgiving Brownies Times Two!
It’s holiday season! And you’re probably trying to figure out how you’re going to get through them with more success than in years past… Here’s one way. Make these recipes, bring these recipes, serve these recipes. I’m not a fan of self-deprivation. Enjoy everything on the table, and know that these brownies are not only entertaining (like all good desserts), but also nourishing. I LOVE beautiful orange sweet potatoes, rich creamy tahini, thick delicious almond butter, and CHOCOLATE! I’m sure you will find something that you love, too, in the recipes below. Enjoy, and have a happy Thanksgiving! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Dr. Weil’s Spiced Nuts
If you haven’t heard of Dr. Andrew Weil, check out his website here. Once I found this recipe, I knew right away that it was perfect for YHIOYP! Nuts are an amazing, nourishing, delicious, beautiful, flavorful food. They are great as an appetizer, as breakfast-on-the-go, as a midafternoon and after-school snack, or sprinkled on salads, squash and so forth! The best nut? One you haven’t eaten for a while! Mix it up! That’s why this is such a great recipe. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Delicata Squash
The first time I had this dish was two years ago, in Santa Cruz, while celebrating the wedding of a wonderful couple. In keeping with an old family custom, and so that we could easily identify the affiliation of each guest, one side was instructed to wear gold and the other white. Guests mingled to create a sea of gold, yellow, cream, beige and white, all joined together to form a new and beautiful family. It was a sight I hope never to forget. The simple beauty of this recipe continues to reminds me of the love and joy of which we all became a part on that beautiful October day. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Vegetable Borscht
I wanted to share this vegetable borscht now(!) so that, hopefully, you’ll have time to make it the week (freeze), day (refrigerate), or at least the morning before you plan to serve it. Which means that, at the very least, you’ll want to make this recipe first thing in the morning to give its flavors time to blend. Besides its deliciousness, another one of the great things about this recipe is the fact that it meets the requirements of a great many different kinds of nutritional approaches. There’s nothing like making many people happy, all at the same time. And that’s not something that should be taken for granted, either! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chickpea (Nahit) Celebration!
Last Saturday our friends welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world and everyone, (especially the two big sisters of this sweet, lucky little boy) is ecstatic. In my family, it is traditional to serve chickpeas to celebrate the birth of a newborn child. The dish is called nahit.
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Hazelnut Spread (Not-tella)
A group of us went out for breakfast this past Sunday morning at one of my favorite spots, a great local place called Cafe Avalaun, and a plate of their heavenly pancakes with “not-tella” arrived at our table in short order. Not nutella, whose first ingredient is sugar and second ingredient is modified palm oil, but not-tella, which the folks at Cafe Avalaun make with real food ingredients, all of which you can find at the grocery store. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Early Tomato Salad
This is not the time of year to turn on the oven or stove. But that’s not going to stop me. The tomatoes are starting to ripen, and it’s time to celebrate. You don’t need more than a knife and a cutting board for this recipe. It’s simple, and it’s oh-so-much-more than the sum of its ingredients. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: The Barefoot Gypsy’s Tabouli
Here is an absolutely fantastic recipe for tabouli from my lucky friend Judith, who got it from her mom, who got it from her mom, who got it from her mom, and so on, which is why my friend Judith is so lucky. Pick up what you need next time you go shopping, so you can make it in time for next weekend’s celebrations! Continue reading