Tag Archives: nuts

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Wedding Delicata Squash

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I was introduced to delicata squash some years ago while celebrating the wedding of friends in Santa Cruz. Delicata is a small, lovely squash that looks gorgeous and tastes the same. It’s a little bit sweet, and a little bit not. Plus, unlike most other squashes, you can eat the skin of the delicata! 

This was a wedding to remember. In keeping with an old family custom, and so that we could easily identify the affiliation of each of the guests, those invited by one partner were instructed to wear gold while those invited by the other were instructed to wear white. We were members of team white, and I was thrilled to have an opportunity to wear a knitted cream dress that had been hanging in my closet for a long time. Once we arrived at the outdoor venue, we all joined together in a sea of yellow, gold, beige, cream, and white to form a new, beautiful, extended family. It was very moving, and most memorable. The simple beauty of this recipe will always remind me of the love and joy we helped to create on that beautiful October day.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pomegranate-Pistachio Salsa

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It probably won’t surprise you to discover that I never tire of reading cookbooks and food magazines. I’m always looking for something new and different. I was thumbing through a copy of Food & Wine recently, and came across a really interesting fresh pomegranate salsa that involved charring a red onion and serrano pepper, while simultaneously reducing sherry vinegar in a small saucepan. 

In theory it sounded amazing, but in truth it sounded like a lot, even for me. But I love pomegranates, and I love pistachios, and I loved the creative mixture of ingredients. So I decided to try it a different way. It looks like it’s time to up my salsa game. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: A Summer Creamsicle Smoothie

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It’s summertime, and even though the weather this week has been a bit on the cool side, it was boiling hot last week and the week before. So you never know. Anyway, summer calls for something a little different. I recommend that you try blending up this smoothie in your high-speed blender. Then sit back and relax while you drink it nice and slow…

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YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cashew Cream

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This very easy recipe takes food from simple to spectacular. Put cashew cream on your grain bowl or veggie bowl, and you’ll take it from everyday to amazing, good to great, ordinary to extraordinary, standard to spectacular. You can use any kinds of veggies, whether steamed (broccoli, cauliflower), roasted (carrots, asparagus, onions), stir-fried (snap peas, mushrooms, sprouts), or even raw (tomatoes, cucumbers). And it’s also perfect for grains like brown rice, bulgur wheat, or even quinoa (which I know is not technically a grain). We eat a lot of vegetables in my house, and the leftovers usually get eaten. Recipes like this one are a big part of the reason why. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pecan Bread (vegan, gf)

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My family gets together for dinner every Friday night, and it’s always like a touchstone. It’s the end of the week, and the start of the weekend. It’s a chance to catch up with everyone, and a chance to kick back. It’s a time to share ideas, and to find out who’s heard from our son and daughter-in-law overseas. It’s an opportunity to drink a glass of wine, to eat my husband’s delicious cooking, including his homemade challah, and to mark and celebrate special events from the week, including birthdays and anniversaries. We are a noisy group, and we range in age from 6 weeks to 88 years, so it takes a while for everyone to get situated around the table. When we can, we eat around the massive picnic table that my parents brought from New Jersey when they moved next door. Otherwise we gather in the living room. And then, finally, it’s time for a taste of Lisa’s pecan bread.

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YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad

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Thank goodness for quinoa and pistachios. If your mint isn’t coming up yet, feel free to substitute lemon balm, which grows wild and crazy around my house. This is a very forgiving recipe, and if you have other things you’d like to add or use up, like shredded carrots or chopped red pepper or a little lemon juice, then go right ahead. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Date-Nut “Cookies”

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Looking for something inspired for snacks, dessert, or breakfast? Consider these date-nut “cookies.” I called them cookies only because they are round. If you have children at home, they will probably enjoy helping. If you have any vegan and/or gluten-free family members in the high school or college-age range, they will probably thank you, and then volunteer to make them next time around. Under ordinary circumstances I would consider these a special treat for holidays or company, with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. But nowadays, being absolutely anything but ordinary, I would make them any time at all. I think you’ll like these very much. Sweet and nourishing. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PANDEMIC: Walnut Brownies

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Some of my friends think I never eat treats, sweets, or anything fun AT ALL. They are so wrong. It is true that I don’t eat what I would categorize as “food-like” products or manufactured calories like corn syrup, white flour, and maltodextrin. But I definitely enjoy my share of desserts, especially this year. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Walnut Brownies

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I have a wonderful recipe for you to make for your kids, your friends, yourself. This might be good for Thanksgiving, too. No big groups this year, of course, so you may end up having to eat it all yourself. Go for it. It will make an amazing breakfast, too, with or without a cup of very good and fragrant black coffee. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chocolate-Covered Walnuts

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This week I have a simple recipe for you to make alone or with kids, for your own self or for a friend, at any hour of the day or night. Feel free to eat these chocolate-covered walnuts for breakfast with a cup of coffee, or any other time you feel like it. They’re not candy; they’re food, and I hope they satisfy your heart, soul, and mind. And your taste buds. 🙂

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