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Ground Turkey and Ale Cabbage Rolls and My 3 Words

January 7, 2015

I’m sharing My 3 Words for the New Year along with a spiced up and spiked version of cabbage rolls!

It’s a new year. I keep repeating that to myself, but it doesn’t want to stick.

Most years, I feel this big sense of transition as we close one out and enter another. I’m big on the goals and resolutions, so I have those all lined up and I’m ready to jump right in the minute the ball drops.

This year feels different.

We spent the last two weeks of 2014 traveling. We visited Copenhagen, went to Berlin and explored the markets over the Christmas holiday, enjoyed a day in Malmo and returned to Copenhagen for New Years Eve. It was a blissful break filled with new experiences, people and foods.

Spiced Honey Nut and Seed Snack Mix

December 5, 2014

This easy nut and seed snack mix can be made ahead of time for your next party. Serve it during cocktail hour or make it a special addition to the dessert table.

I had my fair share of store-bought, flavored nuts before I realized just how easy they are to make at home. A little of your favorite sweetener, some butter or coconut oil and a few spices, plus some relatively low maintenance time in the oven, and you have a holiday gift for friends or a party snack.

Turkey Red Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

November 18, 2014

These lettuce wraps make a quick and easy seasonal dinner. They are filled with my favorite fall ingredients and served in beautiful red leaf lettuce that is full of nutrients. This post was sponsored by Coastline Family Farms.

Don’t mind my deer-in-the-headlights look. That is just my reaction to how quickly the end of October and most of November have flown by. I’ve been finding myself staring blankly from time to time trying to get my brain to catch up to the date.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s been a reason for it – events. Lots of awesome, new experiences, meet new people, have fun while learning, eating and drinking, events.

Pumpkin White Bean Dip with Cheddar and Jalapeños Recipe

October 6, 2014

This savory pumpkin recipe combines the puréed winter squash with white beans to create a warm dip with the rich flavors of sharp cheddar cheese and a mild heat from pickled jalapeños. It’s the perfect starter for fall dinner parties and makes a great snack for game day.

I’ve already started on my 2014 Winter Squash Collection. The first one, usually a pie pumpkin, enters the house in late September or early October. After that it’s a spaghetti squash here, a kabocha there and I can’t turn down a new variety. They begin to pile up in the corners of the kitchen or on the cool tile in the entry way. I keep them until: 1) I’m hungry for squash, or 2) we get frustrated from tripping over them. At that point, into the oven they go to be roasted and turned into puree.

The small pie pumpkin I bought last week bit the dust pretty early. Half a week into October and I was way overdue for something pumpkin.

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!

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.

Grilled Chipotle Peach and Nectarine Tilapia Packets

August 19, 2014

Grilled Chipotle Peach and Nectarine Tilapia Packets | fakefoodfree.com

We’ve lived in California less than two years and I’ve already started to lose track of the seasons. I grew up around all sorts of berries in Indiana and I visited the orchards in Kentucky so I could tell you exactly when strawberry, blueberry, peach, plum and apple season where in full swing at different points throughout the summer.

But here? Here, most of those fruits last all summer long.

It’s quite the experience for the fruit and vegetable lover. I aim to cherish every moment of it, while still grounding myself with thoughts of those produce-lacking winter seasons spent in Kentucky.

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.

Salmon and Spinach Cakes with Fried Eggs Recipe

August 12, 2014

Protein for breakfast.

Of all the improvements we’ve made to our eating habits over the past year or so, this has been the best one by far.

I wasn’t a complete stranger to a high protein morning meal. I’d have eggs on occasion, or a shake with nut meal, but it wasn’t until we started focusing on eating a lot of protein first thing that I realized how much I relied on carbohydrates for breakfast.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I still work in yogurt with fruit and oatmeal, especially when we are training for a race, but these carb focused breakfasts seemed to be making me crave something sweet every morning.

Once we made the switch, things changed pretty drastically.

Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

July 7, 2014

I like my chicken salad loaded. It’s to the point that I want it to contain equally as many other ingredients as it does chicken. Nuts, grapes, dried cranberries, celery, onion, bell peppers – you name it and I’ll mix it in.

My favorite part is the fruit. I love that little touch of sweetness against all the other savory ingredients. Grapes and dried cranberries are my standards, but this time of year, nothing says summer like fresh blueberries.

Normally when I get my hands on some I ask around on social media as to what other people would do with them. The response is always to eat them fresh, and believe me, I’ve got that covered. But after I’ve downed a couple gallons, I still need a few good ideas that aren’t jam.

So when I got hungry for chicken salad last week, I decided to use blueberries in place of my old stand-bys. It was my first time trying it and it beat my old versions by a mile. Not to mention that there is something so pretty about those deep blue berries no matter what you use them in.

I use a mix of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard as a dressing for my version of chicken salad. It’s become my favorite combination not only for chicken, but for potato salads and slaws, too. If you have your own favorite, don’t hesitate to stick with that and just add the blueberries. They are the real star here, but I do have to admit I am loving them with both the pecans and dill in this recipe.

Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries via @Lori_Rice

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Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

2015-06-25 10:02:59

Makes: 2 to 3 servings

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Ingredients

6 to 7 oz. roasted chicken, shredded
¼ cup finely diced onion
½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill
¼ cup full-fat or 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon sugar (any type - white, raw, brown, etc)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Place the chicken, onion and dill in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chicken and stir well until the chicken is coated and the dill is distributed throughout the chicken salad.
Stir in the pecans. Add the blueberries and very gently stir just until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Disclosure: The Sierra Cascade organic blueberries used in this recipe were provided by Whole Foods Oakland. I was not required to write about them and received no compensation for doing so.

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