• Dinner,  Gluten Free,  Kids,  Lunch,  Salad,  Vegetarian

    Winter Vegetable Salads

    There is no reason why you can’t still eat light this winter in between bites of holiday cookies. (Right?) Personally, when I get home from a long day out in the cold, I want something roasting not only to warm up my kitchen a bit, but to really warm up my meals without adding a ton of calories. To save time and energy, I frequently buy certain vegetables pre-chopped which is easy to find in many grocery stores now. Items I pick up are things like fresh chopped carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, squash of many kinds, onions and other winter root vegetables like turnips, rutabaga and parsnips. Winter is a great…

  • Appetizer,  Gluten Free,  Kids,  Vegetarian

    Delicious Salads For Summer

    It’s getting warm outside, (finally)! In Washington state where I live, we have already reached 80 degrees a few times this year. It’s an exciting time of year full of delicious seasonal foods. Time to show off your salads, friends! Here are some that really hit the spot for me.  When you’re looking for a tasty, simple and filling dish that is still on the lighter side, this variety of summer goodness will hit the spot. Memorial Day is right around the corner so time to get planning! Summer Melon Salad This is an incredibly cute salad full of sweetness. It is a trio of melons with some crunchy red…

  • Gluten Free,  Kids,  Recipes,  Vegetarian

    Chicken, Bacon And Ranch Pasta Salad

    Welcome to the wonderful world of cold pasta salads. Have you been chowing down on them all summer like I have? This is a recipe you must try tonight because I already know it will be a hit. I used to work as a waitress while I was in college and the chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch dressing was a very popular item on our menu. I decided to somewhat replicate this salad with the flavors of the sandwich for some guys I was cooking for. My boyfriends nephew just bought a new house last month. While the boys were busy working on the house last week, I whipped…

  • Appetizer,  Kids,  Vegetarian

    Spring Soba Noodle And Edamame Salad

    One of the trickiest allergies that I, as a chef work with on a daily basis is an allergy to soy and products that contain soy lecithin.  I would like to take a brief moment to speak on why soy is so widely used in The United States starting with the fact that it is inexpensive and plentiful here and in many countries globally. Because soy is so versatile, it is commonly grown. You can notice the versatility of soy just by understanding how many thousands of products use soy. Isolated soy proteins are used to bring together oil, fats and water creating a longer moistness and stability in products keeping…

  • Appetizer,  Gluten Free,  Kids,  Vegetarian

    Coconut And Broccoli Salad

    Oh Broccoli! You’re one of a kind.  Broccoli is such a dramatic food. It’s versatile too. You can see broccoli as a main ingredient like the recipe today or broccoli can take a backseat to be just a component in your meal. Either way, it’s a very delicious choice because of all of its amazing properties. I love to introduce fresh broccoli to toddlers by steaming it to get them used to the flavor. It has so many good vitamins. I often like to serve broccoli almost raw because the texture and smell tends to be more favorable. However, I find roasted broccoli delicious. Not everyone does though. I think it’s great to try…

  • Gluten Free,  Kids,  Vegetarian

    Quinoa And Brown Rice Custard

    Why is Quinoa so AWESOME? Pronounced keen-wah, this is a seed that is healthy and quick cooking. It has a great soft flavor that blends well with rice. Health Benefits of Quinoa 1.     It’s protein balance is similar to milk and has more protein compared to rice, millet or wheat 2.      A good source of riboflavin — riboflavin helps reduce the frequency attacks in migraine sufferers by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells. 3.     Quinoa is used to promote healing of skin injuries in South America, making it a good antiseptic. 4.     It only has 172 calories per ¼ cup dry quinoa. 5.      Since it is…