We’re in prime summer squash season now. While there are many varieties of summer squash, my favorites are the classic, dark green-skinned zucchini and straightneck yellow squash. I especially love the combination of summer squash. local, pasture-raised eggs and fresh tarragon plucked from our upstate herb garden in omelets and frittatas. At the farmers’ market […]
Protein Power: Five Spice Duck Breast Salad
For some people, the slightly gamy flavor of duck may be an acquired taste. I happen to love it! Duck is also a stellar source of protein—for reference only (I would never eat duck “diced!), 1 cup of diced duck contains approximately 30 grams of protein. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals […]
No-Cook Creamy Spinach Soup
If you’re doing a whole foods-based clean eating cleanse or detox, spinach is a versatile staple that you want to have at the ready. An excellent source of vitamins (K1, A, B2, B6, folate , E and C), minerals (manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium) and fiber, spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green. Fresh spinach […]
Getting Sauced: A Healthy Twist on Chimichurri
Herbs are an often underappreciated source of green nutrition. They contain unique antioxidants, vitamins, essential oils and other nutrients that can help boost immunity and promote proper detoxification. Parsley is one of these herbs. I remember a time when “parsley” only referred to the curly parsley that restaurants used as a garnish. The idea of […]
Sweet Green: Pea and Spinach Dip with Basil
Fresh peas, sweet and light, are a delicious rite of spring. They typically debut at farmers’ markets in late spring and early summer. Peas are rich in phytonutrients, including flavanols (like catechin and epicatechin found in green tea and cocoa), phenolic acids (such as those in coffee, berries and artichokes) and carotenoids (such as beta-carotene). […]
Creamy Carb Comfort: Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
If you’re weaning yourself off of “white foods”, like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes—starchy foods that raise blood sugar and can contribute to weight gain—you’ll be happy to know that there is one white food that you can enjoy with virtual abandon: cauliflower mashed “potatoes”. Truth? There are no potatoes in this mash—just cauliflower. But, […]
Grass-fed Beef and Stealth Vegetable Ragu + Zoodles
When the temperature drops and a deep chill prevails, there’s nothing more satisfying (and warming) than a savory one-pot meal. If you’re cooking for picky children (or a fussy spouse / partner / girlfriend / boyfriend), they won’t notice that plenty of good-for-you vegetables hide in this one-pot grass-fed beef ragu served over sautéed zoodles […]
Stress-Busting Basil
This summer, I fell unexpectedly in love with basil. At my favorite farm stand, I would rivet toward the herbs on display, drawn to the co-mingling scent of several varieties of basil, including Genovese (sweet) basil, lemon basil, Thai basil and holy basil, also known as tulsi. The uniquely aromatic, uplifting fragrance of basil […]
Clean Protein: Pastured Lamb
I find pasture-raised lamb to be an incredibly flavorful, versatile and nourishing red meat. A few years ago, I was inexplicably exhausted. Not only did the slightest physical exertion, like a five-minute telephone conversation, drain me of all energy, I was always freezing cold! At the time, I would go to bed, shivering, despite wearing […]
Oodles of Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles)
If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, or neighbors are gifting you with bags of homegrown summer squash, enjoy your unexpected abundance by making zoodles, a.k.a. zucchini noodles. Because I have hypothyroidism and NCGS (Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity), I don’t eat wheat or other gluten-containing grains. It’s not a hardship though! I find zoodles more satisfying […]