It’s still a little chilly, but signs of spring are coming. This recipe is a wonderful choice for spring or winter – dandelion greens are a great spring green, rich in highly absorbable calcium as well as iron. To make this recipe in fall or winter, substitute a heavier green like collards or kale!

• 1 bunch (about 1 pound) of dandelion greens
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp. tamari or soy-free coconut aminos
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

1) Wash greens and remove the tough, fibrous stem bottoms. Coarsely chop. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and blanch greens for about 1 min. Drain in a colander and run cold water over them to cease cooking.

2) Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute shallot until soft, then add garlic and mushrooms, cooking about 4 min. more.

3) Stir in greens, ginger, and tamari. Cook 3 additional minutes, then remove from heat.

4) Toss with optional lemon juice before serving.

This, along with our family sweet potato recipe, is what I’ll be bringing to this year’s Thanksgiving potluck! I can’t wait to try it!

Serves 4

• 4 fuji apples, cored within 1/2″ of the base
• 2 tbsp. sucanat or xylitol
• 2 tsp. molasses
• 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
• 3 tbsp. chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp. pastured butter
• zest of one lemon
• 1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

If needed, slice a little off the bottom of the apple so it will stand. Place apples in a 9 inch glass pie plate. In a small mixing bowl, mix xylitol (or sucanat), molasses, 2 tbsp. maple syrup, cherries, walnuts, butter, and lemon zest. Stuff apples with mixure, overloading extra over the top. Place remianing maple syrup and apple juice at the bottom of the pie plate. Bake apples for 20 minutes, basting with juice. Cover and bake until tender, about 15 min. more. Serve warm.

The cooler weather causes an increase in cravings for starchy, warm, heavy foots. This recipe is sure to satisfy!
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch chard, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, rolled and sliced at an angle (chiffonade style)
1 cup ricotta cheese
20 kalamata olives, halved
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated
12 oz. brown rice penne pasta

Boil a pot of water for pasta
In a large skillet, heat oil and cook garlic over medium heat until soft and beginning to brown. Add chard and stir occasionally until greens are just wilted and bright green. Remove immediately from heat and liberally sprinkle with fresh pepper and salt.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Toss pasta with greens, basil, olives and ricotta cheese. Sprinkle grated cheese atop each serving.

Here are a few of my favorite sweet treats for Halloween parties and events where I need to whip up a healthy, tasty sweet treat!  These are very kid friendly and quick to make as well!

Date Coconut Balls
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 generous cup soft pitted dates (it’s okay if it’s a bit more)
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup finely shredded zucchini squash (use the fine side of a box grater and don’t tell the kids!)
• 1 cup shredded flaked unsweetened coconut, divided

 
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper.
Place the almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process into fine crumbs. Add dates, a few at a time, processing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt. At first the mixture will just look like bread crumbs, then it will come together in a ball. If it doesn’t come together, add a few extra dates.
Remove the cookie dough from the food processor and mix in the shredded zucchini and a half a cup of the flaked coconut with your hands until well combined. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the remaining half cup of coconut on a plate and roll each ball in the coconut to coat. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and freeze several hours until the balls are firm. Remove them from the freezer and serve thawed.
Note: You can store these cookies in the freezer or refrigerator. They taste best when served cold, but not frozen.
Makes 15 cookie balls.

Aimee’s Almond Oat Energy Bites**
2 1/2 cups Rolled Gluten-free Oats
1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Organic Raisins (very important – grapes are a highly sprayed crop)
1/2 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 oz. Vanilla flavored Nutriiveda Achieve, or vanilla Whey or Rice protein
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/3 cup Agave Nectar (honey can be substituted)

1. Grind 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds in food processor until powdery.
2. Combine remaining 2 cups oats, remaining 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, raisins, chocolate chips, and cinnamon in large bowl. Add oat/seed and protein powder and mix well.
3. Stir in almond butter and agave nectar in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer to dry bowl and mix until soft dough forms.
4. Moisten hands, and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place in freezer 20 minutes to set, then serve or store in the fridge.

** This recipe is great for kids who are very sensitive to sweets; the added protein helps keep blood sugar stabilized. This recipe also has an ideal carbohydrate/protein ratio that makes it beneficial for endurance sportsand wilderness hiking!

Quick and Easy Chocolate Truffles (now with Kitty option!) 

Makes 24 “truffles”
2/3 cup walnuts
1 cup packed, pitted dates (about 24)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
2 Tbsp cacao nibs or finely chopped dark chocolate
Toast the walnuts in a preheated 325F oven for 15 min., or until browned and fragrant. Stir the nuts half way through baking.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are pebble sized pieces. Set aside in a medium bowl.
Place the dates in the processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Process until they’re smooth and form a ball around the blade. (At first, you will get lots of sticky pieces.) Add the cocoa and process until smooth.
In a bowl, knead the date mixture with the walnuts and cacao nibs until they stick together. If the mixture is too sticky, add more nuts or cacao nibs. If too dry, add a couple teaspoons of water.
On a cutting board lined with plastic wrap, shape the mixture into a long 1″-wide rectangle. Slice pieces with a sharp knife. Or, roll into 1″ balls. Store leftovers in the fridge.

 
Ingredients for the ears, noses, and whiskers:
(thank you to Wing-it Vegan for this idea!)
48 whole almonds
24 almond slices
several raisins or a few dates (frozen)

1- Carefully cut about 1/4 inch off the tips of each whole almond. Just the “pointy” ends, these will be your kitty ears as seen in the photo. Use a sharp non-serrated knife and a cutting board for best results. You won’t need the other ends of the almonds, so use them in another recipe above!
2- Cut about 1/4 inch off the tips of each almond slice to make the little triangular-ish noses.
3- Cut the raisins into slices, and then into strips. They are easier to cut if they are frozen and less sticky. These will be your little whiskers, you will need 48 whiskers for 12 kitties. This recipe makes enough for 2 dozen cats.

Wild Pacific Salmon is rich in omega 3 fats and free-radical fighting carotenoids, making this dish one of the healthiest protein sources available. When choosing salmon, always go wild caught – preferably Alaska, as it is swimming in the cleanest waters. Farmed salmon is fed pesticide laden, food dyed pellets and is not an environmentally friendly or healthy choice. Due to their diet, they lack fewer omega-3 fats then their wild counterparts, and their pale pink color comes from the food dye in their fish chow. (MmMMmm, tasty!)

This recipe is an excellent meal during spring and fall – when it’s cool enough that you want a heartier meal but warm enough you don’t want something too heavy. Serve with steamed bok choy or salad in springtime and bamboo rice or Asian style root veggies in the fall.

Serves 4

4 Wild Salmon fillets (8 oz each)
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp powdered wasabi
Furikake or Osaka Sea Salt to taste (a Japanese seasoning found in Asian markets – look for one without MSG)*
4 sheets nori seaweed

Preheat oven to 450. Mix mustard and wasabi powder together and spread on nori. Sprinkle the salmon with salt, pepper, and furikake or Osaka sea salt. Place salmon face down in the middle of the nori sheet and wrap like a package so that fish is fully covered. The nori will stick to itself and the fish. Place wrapped fish in a slightly oiled baking dish. The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the fish and seal in the juices. 

*Hey, Seattleites! Try Osaka Sea Salt available at World Spice Market near Pike St. Market – It’s excellent!

This recipe is an adaptation of my apple gorgonzola fettuccine recipe. Now that I live in San Diego, the local produce is a little different than the pacific northwest. The result of playing with what we could find at the farmer’s market was delicioso!

10 oz. brown rice (fusilli, elbows, or fettuccine)
1 small bunch lacinato kale, veined and chopped
3 persimmons, peeled and chopped
1.5 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. goat butter
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 pomegranate, seeded
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Place chopped kale in cooking water before draining pasta, and drain pasta when kale is bright green and lightly blanched.

2. Melt one Tbsp of butter in a pan, and sauté the minced garlic until soft.

3. Add the rest of the butter to the pan, then the hazelnuts and persimmons and sauté until the persimmons are just heated through – make certain the fruit does not become soggy!

4. Add the cooked fruit and nuts to the drained pasta and kale. Toss well. Crumble in Gorgonzola and cracked black pepper and toss again. Serve immediately, and sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top.

Holy cow, yummy!

This rice pudding recipe is gluten-free, soy-free, AND vegan, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who won’t enjoy it! Made from coconut milk, this warming winter treat provides ample medium-chain triglycerides which are believed to provide energy for athletes and be a fat source that is less likely to be stashed away by the body for future use. Coconut is popular in Ayurvedic medicine and cooking, and is well known for its antimicrobial properties and its ability to balance fats in the bloodstream. I created this recipe in response to having a delicious coconut-ginger tapioca pudding at my local health food store earlier this week.

• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• water
• 2 cups coconut milk (or 1 can + 2 oz. water or non-dairy milk alternative)
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup date sugar (or sucanat)
• 1/4 cup candied ginger bits

Place rice in a small saucepan with the cinnamon stick and add water until just covered. Bring rice to a boil and turn heat down to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick.

Add coconut milk, vanilla, and date sugar and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add candied ginger and simmer 15-20 minutes longer, until most of liquid is absorbed. Be sure to turn heat off when some liquid remains, as it will thicken upon cooling.

Serve warm or cold, and garnish with shredded coconut if desired.

This dressing is wonderful in salads with salmon, chicken or beef as well as tossed in a cold or warm noodles (peanut noodles are a great hit with kids!). I enjoy it for a  fall salad dressing – it’s heavier and pairs well with robust greens such as romaine, radicchio, and will even mellow out chard, kale and the more bitter winter greens. Enjoy!

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup rice wine or champagne vinegar

2 tbsp. coconut oil

2 tbsp. tamari

2 cloves (1 tsp) garlic, peeled

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)

Place all ingredients in the Vitamix and blend until emulsified. Thin with water, coconut milk, or rice milk if desired. If you do not have a Vitamix, I recommend dicing the garlic before blending.

I use this recipe on hikes, as sustaining fuel before long runs, or as a portable snack when traveling. The cherries help sore muscles heal and provide a nice tart bite to counter some of the sweetness. Enjoy!

Tropical Cherry Buckwheat Granola

⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ cup agave nectar
2½ cups toasted buckwheat groats (kasha)
½ cup finely shredded coconut
½ cup slivered almonds
⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup raisins or date pieces
⅓ cup dried tart cherries
¼ cup dried mango, diced

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Whisk together maple syrup and agave. Add kasha, finely shredded coconut, and almonds. Toss to coat. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Toast mixture for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and cool. Toss with remaining ingredients. Store in an airtight container.