©iStockphoto.com - Fertnig

This cool salad combines the seasonal flavors of early asparagus and late blood oranges, with a crunchy topping of toasted walnuts that provide a health kick of omega-3 fatty acids. The olive oil and walnuts help the absorption of some of the vitamins in the vegetables and fruit.

This salad keeps for a few hours in the fridge, so you can make it up ahead of dinner. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Fertnig

Seasonal eating in winter tends to be heavy on potatoes and starches, which store well in colder climates where nothing actually grows outside in January, but winter’s seasonal produce include root vegetables and citrus. Winter-stored carrots and fresh orange juice combine in this tangy-sweet salad to provide a light, sunny flavor to counterbalance many of the heavier vegetables and starches in winter seasonal eating. Raisins add a jolt of sweetness and color interest that make this salad suitable as a side dish or dessert. By grating the carrots in a food processor, you can have this salad ready in less than five minutes.

Golden raisins, dried with a different process, have a brighter flavor than their black counterparts that complements the orange flavor of the dressing; however, golden raisins are harder to find as organic produce than black raisins, since the process to make them generally includes sulfur dioxide treatment to preserve the lighter color, which is not allowed in certified organic produce. A few companies produce organic golden raisins available through online retailers and some health food stores. If you’re worried about using raisins that aren’t certified organic, use all black raisins. (continue reading…)

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Winter is here, and there’s nothing like a good heaping of starch to stave off the blues. Here’s four fun ways too cook potatoes: no need to stick with boring old baked!

Hasselback Potatoes: The Swedish know how to make a good potato. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put your potato on a chopping board, on place in a large wooden spoon. Starting at one end of the potato, slice almost all the way through in intervals about 3 to 4 mm apart. Thinly slice a few cloves of garlic, and once the potatoes are in a baking dish slide the garlic in between the slits. Drizzle the potatoes with melted butter and olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes until the outsides are crispy. (continue reading…)

Try this super-easy alternative to sugar-laden cranberry sauce for a festive treat, or just keep a container of it in the fridge for light, healthy snacking year-round.

4 cups cranberries
6 cups sliced apples (leave peel on)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice (continue reading…)

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As days get shorter and colder, warm, rich foods like creamed spinach become more appealing. By using tofu and cottage cheese instead of saturated fat-laden heavy cream, this recipe cuts down on the fat and calories. and increases the protein content to make health-friendly comfort food. For another health boost, try the recipe with collards, kale or other greens in place of the spinach.

The cottage cheese in this recipe imparts the expected creamy flavor that usually comes from heavy cream when making creamed spinach. For those following a vegan or casein-free diet, the recipe can be made with a whole block of soft tofu instead of the tofu-cottage cheese mix, but you may need to add seasonings to compensate for the lack of cream flavor.

(continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Fertnig

If you planted a garden this summer, the end of the season can bring an overabundance of produce. This recipe for slow-roasted vegetables uses up lots of fresh vegetables before the plants succumb to the first frost of autumn, and is a delicious way to pack more vegetables into a meal.

Roasted summer vegetables are versatile. The flavors and sweetness of the vegetables are concentrated in roasting, and hold their own served over whole grain pasta. You can also serve these as a side dish. (continue reading…)