After 2 weeks of fermenting on our kitchen counter, a gallon of tasty green bean pickles, crisp, sour and salty sit in our fridge ready to add crunch to any meal. Pickling fresh garden produce the lacto-fermenting way, actually enhances their nutritional value. In a few days we’ll have our pole beans coming on at which time we will get another gallon brewing. Try making them … Read More
Pickling Naturally : Swiss Chard Kimchi
I have been making lacto-fermented vegetables for years, not knowing they had an official name. Simply put, lacto-fermentation is a microbial process using beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. and other lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (commonly known as probiotics), which thrive in an anaerobic fermenting environment. For thousands of years, people of different cultures (no pun intended) used natural fermentation … Read More
Arugula Pesto with Angel Hair Pasta and Salmon
This meal comes off as being a fine dining dish, even though it takes minutes to prepare once the pesto is made. It was Friday, time to celebrate with a TGIF dinner! Besides, we had more arugula than we knew what to do with and I needed to mow it down so we could start over. Time for arugula pesto! … Read More
Tofu-Peppercorn Ranch Dressing
Scanning the magazine covers the subtitle of Whole Grain Salads caught my eye. We were catching a plane heading to the friendly skies of Nashville to visit our daughter Kyah and family for Memorial Day weekend. I needed some light weight reading material. One flick through bon appetit pages stirred up enough inspiration for me to make the purchase. The … Read More
Freeze It Fresh: Polenta, Sausage and White Bean Bake
I am giddy with excitement over this new/reinvented, make ahead freezer meal! It’s all you’d want in a make ahead meal…comfort food status without the cheesy calories. It’s full of flavor and quick to assemble. Erin and I are putting our heads together to create several healthy make ahead meals for 2 households. She shared this white bean recipe with … Read More
Asian Asparagus Salad
Our Easter was spent celebrating Christ’s resurrection with our church family, then “dunch” with our in town family and friends. Spring was in the air. As usual, our feast reflected the season with a side of fresh asparagus. But this time I changed up how I prepared them. Eating seasonally offers the best in prices, and flavor. I welcome fresh … Read More
Make It Healthy, Make It Fast
It’s Sunday… but Monday’s coming! Putting together health conscious meals takes a little planning and effort. Even with decades invested in natural and clean eating, Jack and I are in a season of life that makes putting food on the table fast a necessity… and because we choose to eat fresh and natural – it’s a challenge! Most weekdays we … Read More
Kale – Cilantro Pesto with Toasted Quinoa and Black Beans
It’s that wonderfully crazy time of year again when I vow not to over spend, not to over commit, and not to over eat. It’s an extra ordinary challenge with the on going shopping lists, seasonal sights and sounds to attend, and beautifully decorated confections all over the place. My goal is to stay healthy, reign in the holiday busy … Read More