Fruits and Vegetables Archives | Page 7 of 30

Bosc Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola Holiday Stuffing

October 27, 2014

Add a twist to your holiday stuffing! This recipe takes my favorite combo of pears, walnuts and Gorgonzola and turns them into a delicious version of one of my favorite holiday sides.

Friends of ours hosted a Thanksgiving potluck and I was put on the stuffing list. Since mine was stuffing number 2 at the dinner and stuffing number 1 was straight up traditional, I was given free reign to get creative. So I volunteered to bring this.

I made this recipe before…in 2009! 2009?! To be honest with you, I can’t believe I’ve been blogging that long. But there that post sits, with some pretty ugly photos and in need of some revision.

Fall Salad with Molasses Balsamic Vinaigrette

October 16, 2014

This fall salad is loaded with seasonal fruits and topped with candied pecans and blue cheese. The rich molasses balsamic vinaigrette has a mild spice from cayenne pepper.

I have the strangest pattern for salad cravings. For some reason throughout the end of the summer, despite all the light and refreshing produce, salads did not sound good at all. But all of a sudden fall hits and I’m ready for some leafy greens.

Maybe it’s the seasonal fruits like grapes or the heavier toppings like blue cheese that make fall salads surprisingly comforting. That must be why my cravings have finally come around, especially since the temperatures dropped a bit today and the leaves are starting to fall.

Vegetable Party Appetizers

October 14, 2014

Get ready for the holiday season with these vegetable party appetizers! From walnut-stuffed tomatoes, to hot pepper jam and eggplant pâté, you’ll love these easy-to-make recipes using Mucci Farms produce.

There are few things more perfect to me than aisle after aisle, bin after bin, and row after row of fresh produce. It’s why you’ll find me at the farmers market almost every week, hear me asking for just 5 minutes to run in this international market, and catch me hanging out the window with my camera as we speed past the farms when driving through the Central Valley. They can be as common as the green bell peppers my dad grows in his garden or as rare as the tropical fruits we encounter while traveling. Plain and simple, I love fruits and vegetables.

5 Favorite Lemon Recipes

September 25, 2014

Since moving to California with amazing access to citrus, I love cooking with lemon. These are a few of my favorite lemon recipes.

Our backyard is currently filled with the intoxicating aroma of citrus blossoms. It’s the part of the citrus growing process that is second only to the lemons and oranges that come several weeks later. That scent has the power to take you from a bad to a good mood in one swift sniff.

While I wait patiently for new fruit, occasionally sticking my head out the door to breath it in, the lemon tree has been kind enough to produce some stragglers throughout the entire summer. I pulled a few off the tree to photograph last week and it got me in the mood for some of my favorite lemon recipes. These five recipes are from the Fake Food Free archives and worthy of being made again year after year. (Click on the name and it will take you to the recipe.)

Blue Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Lemon Tuna and Chickpea Salad
Lemon Rosemary Thumbprints with Peach Jam
Blood Orange Bulgar Wheat Salad with Honey, Meyer Lemon and Cilantro Dressing
Kale and Pistachio Soup

Olive Stuffed Mushrooms Marinara Recipe

September 18, 2014

This recipe uses a gluten-free filling made with olives and almond meal. White button mushroom caps are stuffed with the filling, covered in an easy marinara and baked until tender.

Almond meal is my new bread crumb. I sprinkle it on as a topping, coat fish and chicken with it, and use it to make fillings and stuffings. It doesn’t get quite as crunchy as bread crumbs, but it does add a pleasant sweetness. It also makes a grain-free alternative, so if you want to reduce grains or add some protein, it will do the trick.

I picked up some white button mushrooms last week. Yes, I know. At first glance they seem boring, but they are one of my favorite varieties. They are easy to work with, cook quickly and stay tender. This batch was on the big side, as in about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter for each mushroom. Perfect for stuffing.

I’ve been combining green olives with tomato sauces a lot lately. I love the saltiness of the olives with the sweetness of the tomatoes, so I kept that theme with these mushrooms by adding olives to the stuffing.

The almond meal works so well with these. There is enough moisture in the vegetables to create a stuffing you can mold easily, but if you find yours is a little dry, feel free to add a tablespoon or two of stock to get it to the right consistency.

If you use this as a side dish, it can easily serve 3 and maybe even 4. But if you serve it as a main course like I did, plan on 2, possibly 3. After your first helping you are going to want a few more, so plan accordingly!

Gold Potato and Bacon Croquettes with Jackpot Beer Cheese Sauce

September 16, 2014

The challenge? Come up with a potato recipe that can be classified as Potatoes: Vegas-style! We go to Las Vegas every year so I started thinking of all the words I associate with that sparkly, shiny town.

Gamble – Maybe a little too negative and not something you really want to take with a new recipe.
Strip – As in the street, but it still leaves a little too much to the imagination.
Winner – Maybe.
Jackpot – Now you’re talking.

So I started thinking about what I would consider a jackpot of flavors. You can never (and I mean, never) go wrong with potatoes and bacon. And sharp cheddar, of course. Cheddar then makes me think of beer, as in beer cheese. I tossed around ideas of how to put it all together and finally decided on some crispy, crunchy baked croquettes that resembled playing chips with their disk shape. It has to be gold potatoes, by the way, because there are few cities as golden and shiny as Las Vegas.

Sorghum Pomegranate Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts Recipe

September 8, 2014

Switch up your cold grain salads and add some sorghum! In this recipe, the chewy grain is combined with pomegranate and walnuts, and then topped off with tangy goat cheese.

I was cooling down from my run last week, taking a nice leisurely walk back to the house, when I saw it. Tucked between two houses was a tree with long branches that were bending under the weight of beautiful red pomegranates.

I see fruit trees around here all the time – figs, citrus, persimmons – and while I’ve seen a pomegranate tree before, I had never seen one in our neighborhood. It was gorgeous.

And I want some!

When I see trees loaded with fruit that seem to be untouched I am so tempted to knock on the door and ask if the owners are going to use the fruit. But I have never gotten up the courage. Then again, the stakes have never been quite this high. A pomegranate might be just enough to get me out of my comfort zone.

So here is the plan. I’m going to watch the tree for the next few weeks and if none of the fruit disappears, I’m doing it. I’m going to walk up and ring the doorbell.

I think. Maybe.

Pomegranate and Pear Salad Recipe from Mason Jar Salads

September 5, 2014

Have you ever been the victim of being labeled the healthy eater at your workplace? If not the healthy eater, than the fancy eater?

I thought being teased by peers was something that I’d leave in grade school, but some of my jobs as an adult proved me wrong. I worked in public health so a lot of people were healthy eaters, but I quickly became labeled as a fancy eater in the lunch room.

I was the one who would bring in leftovers of Asian noodle dishes, black bean burgers or grilled pastured, local chicken. It was usually balanced out with some greens, fruit, some healthy fat — all the major food groups. I’d get comments about how healthy I ate and that I must cook, etc.

You never really know what to say to these things. Sorry? I promise I’m not trying to get attention, I honest-to-goodness just eat like this.

Chipotle Tomato Soup Recipe

August 23, 2014

This chipotle tomato soup comes together in minutes. It is rich and smooth with a hint of spice from chipotle peppers.

I love the little cans of chipotles in adobo. I do. But every time I buy one I’m reminded that they may be the reason that phrases like – a little goes a long way – were created. I can never seem to find use for more than one pepper out of the can at a time.

My point being, I have another chipotle recipe to share. So here’s to hoping you like things spicy!

Chili Garlic Bean Salad Recipe

August 16, 2014

This was supposed to be a three bean salad.

I went to the pantry and grabbed three cans of beans, drained and rinsed them and added them to the mixing bowl. It wasn’t until I was halfway done making the recipe that I looked down and thought – wow, all those dark beans look the same. It turns out I grabbed two cans of black beans instead of one black and one can of kidney beans. It seems I have a problem with attention to detail.

Oh well, you are getting a little less variety, but not at the cost of good flavor or a darn easy recipe.