No-Cook Meals
Velvety Chocolate Mousse and a Guide to Unrefined Sweeteners by Chef Amber Shea Crawley
Whenever possible, I like to use natural sweeteners–pure maple syrup being a favorite–and try to limit overall sugars in general. I do have a sweet tooth, so it is an ongoing challenge! With wider access to a broad range of sweeteners, I have started to dabble with options such as coconut sugar and stevia and…
Homemade Cashew Milk — an easy option to almond or soy milk
A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with my friend Daina after a yoga class and, as it often does, the conversation turned to food. ย Daina is a master gardener and a talented cook who crafts healthy and delicious recipes with ease. ย When she mentioned her favorite go-to dinner which incorporated her homemade cashew…
Everything Sauce
Lacking a better name for this sauce, I call it my “everything” sauce because it seems to taste great with almost everything! ย I typically make it for my Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken, and I frequently use leftovers drizzled on steamed veggies, as a light, flavorful pasta sauce, or as a tasty alternative to mayonnaise. Over the…
Honey Orange Poppy Seed Dressing
A few months ago, I enjoyed a restaurant salad that tasted especially delicious. Where salads are concerned, I firmly believe that a well crafted dressing has the ability to push a salad over the top. In this case, I had ordered a basic turkey cobb salad and paired it with a creamy orange dressing from…
Apple Pecan Spring Greens with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Apples, pecans, and blue cheese are the base of this versatile salad, and the speedy maple-Dijon-cider vinaigrette makes it a keeper. As I was walking my boys home from school one day last spring, a friend of mine drove by and yelled a funny thing out her car window. โI love your maple Dijon vinaigrette…
Raspberry Peach Coconut Smoothie
We sometimes enjoy smoothies for breakfast, although I more frequently make lunch out of them. For a meal on-the-go, the make-ahead recipes (see drinks and smoothies category) are particularly handy. My kids, on the other hand, often request a smoothie as an after-school snack. New flavors are developed based on the fruits they request —…
Better-for-You Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Update: ย As I made a fresh batch of this tasty dressing for the big game tonight, I thought it worth linking in a few more ways I like to use this beyond the typical dressing or dip (links provided below). ย Also, my friend, Carrie, kindly figured out the nutritional information which I have included below.…
Spinach Salad with Citrus, Avocado and Balsamic Reduction
A few weeks ago, a friend emailed me, saying that grapefruit is one of his favorite fruits, and wondered if I had any recipes using this fruit. On one of those aforementioned evenings, when the refrigerator was looking rather bare, I did happen to have a bag of baby spinach, a grapefruit, and a red…
Homemade Chili Sauce
Forgot to buy chili sauce at the store? No problem, because great chili sauce is quick and easy to make at home! Chili sauce is a condiment I use occasionally, but not often. Needing some for a shrimp recipe I planned to make this weekend, I added it to my grocery list. Or, at least,…
Easy Yogurt Fruit Dip
ย A fruit tray is a delicious addition to any party menu as well as a healthy option that looks pretty and is typically a hit with kids and adults alike. ย Recently, I hosted an event and wanted a dip to serve alongside the fruit.ย I experimented with the following recipe and served it in a…
Fall Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
With winter just around the corner, I am sort of thinking I should have chosen a different name for this salad! ย This is the perfect recipe to get through the cold months when fresh produce is not abundant. ย It is also a worthy counterbalance to the excesses of the holidays…like all that Oreo Bark! Loving…
Royal Icing
Making gingerbread housesโwell, actually, graham cracker houses โis an annual holiday event in our house. The first year I thought of doing this, I offered to make enough โbasesโ for my sonโs entire pre-school class. It was a bit overwhelming at first. I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into! But once you…
