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BLT Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette
One of my favorite things about this salad is that it is a deconstructed sandwich that has easily swappable ingredients. Certain ingredients can easily be swapped to still have the idea or flavor of a BLT sandwich without too much fat or calories. This is a ridiculously flavorful salad that I came up with by using leftovers. I mixed up some plain green cabbage with some shredded kale leaves and added some diced tomatoes and turkey bacon. Instead of using romaine in this salad, (which you could!) I chose a variety of greens for extra vitamins and nutrition. Lots of iron, fiber, folate and vitamin K among others in kale and cabbage . I like…
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Chef Julie’s Kale Slaw
In Western Washington, it can be a very rainy time of year. Nutritionally, our bodies need lots of healthy foods to continue maintaining lots of vitamins from foods such as dark leafy greens and citrus fruits. Did you know citrus fruits including lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit are at their juiciest in the wintertime? Keeping with our vitamin routine and taking a look at other vitamin rich foods, it’s great to also consider an important aspect sometimes overlooked or lesser known called folate or folic Acid. One of the many functions of folate is that it helps to create normal red blood cells and hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a red, iron…
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Za’atar Chicken
I recently discovered this wonderful combination of ingredients and spices that make up Za’atar. A delightful earthy smelling and light flavor of seasonings used a lot on bread, tofu, yogurt and other proteins like chicken in Eastern Europe and parts of The Middle East . This combination of spice and cuisine is gaining in popularity in my neck of the woods for its great unique taste (and smell!) and its wonderful flavor addition. One of the primary ingredients is called Sumac which was originally grown in the Middle East as a bush. The Sumac bush produces these deep red berries which are dried and ground into a course powder. The…
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Pumpkin And Sweet Potato Soup
It’s still pretty cold in Western Washington but we’re marching towards spring. There are a few extra minutes of day light every afternoon now but as soon as the sun goes down, there is still a strict chill and cravings for something creamy and delicious. This soup is loaded with vitamins and it has just the right amount of sweetness. Let’s dish on milk real quick. I make this soup dairy free because I love the light flavor and texture of almond milk. This soup was created for its ability to dairy swap. You could certainly use regular cows milk (low fat) or even cashew milk would be okay. At…
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Maple Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops
In Washington state, we use outdoor grills all year long. A couple times a month in the winter, there are opportunities to find a dry day for outdoor cooking. If you live in an area where it would be pretty impossible to pull out the propane because its covered under feet of the fluffy white stuff, there are indoor options these days for grilling. I do like using indoor grill pans that you can put right onto the stove top in the winter. These pork chops with a maple bourbon glaze are sure to be a touchdown hit with your family and friends this winter. They are paired perfectly with grilled…
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Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Growing up in the Midwest, this soup was a very big part of my diet in the fall and winter months. The richness of the soup along with the heartiness of this recipe really warms and fills even the hungriest bellies. Wild Rice is a very popular and regional food that tastes really good surrounded by a rich chicken stock and vegetables. During the holidays, my mother would make a version that included leftover holiday turkey. By using brown rice flour or corn starch instead of all-purpose flour as a thickener, this is a gluten free soup. Low fat milk may be substituted for whole milk but a thinner…
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Sweet Potato And Black Bean Tacos
A delicious dinner without fuss, you’ll love this simplistic vitamin packed dinner. I love that its quick to make and filling. Its an nontraditional meal but I find when I made it for children, they love the shapes, textures and flavors. They will likely eat the meal in pieces if they are under the age of about 7 but that is pretty normal, right? Sweet Potatoes A food that I love to cook with in the fall and winter months that is very versatile and packed with nutrition is the sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, vitamin B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and, due to their orange color,…
