Recipes

Who doesn't love fresh, local veggies in the winter? This carrot, potato & leek soup used the majority of our winter CSA share. Local? Check. Organic? Check. Delicious? Check! I'm sharing this easy dish for our Friday Quickie. Find the recipe & method, after the jump!

Ohhhh baby, holiday season is in full swing. I really love this time of year but it can be hectic as heck. When it comes to meals and snacks I find myself doing two things - 1. Craving sweets in a major way  2. Turning to quick & easy recipes that taste deceptively decadent. This is where my gingerbread smoothie recipe comes in. My gingerbread smoothie was actually born out of a failed attempt at gingerbread protein balls. I followed a recipe but they tasted super overpowering and the texture was off. I had just purchased a jar of molasses and have a husband who goes bananas for gingerbread so I was determined to achieve gingerbread flavor bliss. After playing around with a few combinations I found it. This smoothie takes less than 5 minutes to make and it tastes like the holidays. The protein powder provides extra sustenance so you may just be able to say no to that third or fourth holiday cookie.

Need a healthy appetizer or snack? This flatbread uses foods in season that you can find at the Farmers Market, through this cold season. I went to Headhouse Square and picked up Birchhill Farms Blue cheese, red onions and a Romanesco cauliflower due to the sheer size of that monster veggie. I brought this cauliflower flatbread to Thanksgiving dinner as an appetizer and can confirm that it was family approved. The best part? It didn't take me super-long to whip together, and was less time consuming than the butternut squash flatbread I made. Cauliflower, Onion & Blue Cheese Flatbread Recipe, after the jump!

Last weekend (while Julie was in Nashville with her digital marketing hat on) I was preparing my game face for a friend's game night party, and contemplating appetizers. I knew I wanted to experiment a little in the kitchen and create a new recipe to bring over. I narrowed it down to a dip for easy portability. I decided  I wanted it to be seasonal, and then zoned in on autumn fruits and veggies ... and unsurprisingly arrived at pumpkin. Yes, I'm a little pumpkin obsessed this season.  This pumpkin pie dip is on the sweet side but can easily be served as an app or a healthyish dessert. The pumpkin taste isn't too overwhelming but this dip definitely screams fall and festive. This recipe did not photograph so well, but I'm telling you it's no problem because once you taste it you just won't give a damn. Fresh is almost always best but I was in a time crunch so I used canned pumpkin I had on hand. The ingredient list is pretty short and all you need is a good hand mixer (or a strong bicep, and a spoon). I served it with sweet potato cinnamon crackers, apple slices and carrot sticks. It would also be delish with graham crackers or cinnamon pita chips. My team may have lost in an epic battle of Taboo but my pumpkin pie dip was a hit! If your friends like pumpkin even a little bit this will definitely go over well at your next soiree.

So I haven't always been the biggest cabbage fan. I never disliked it, but I have never been in love with it. Until I found the most perfect, delicious salad ever on health.com and modified it. And I am sharing my cabbage & apple salad recipe with you, lucky readers. The ginger dressing has just the right amount of flavor to compliment the cabbage and apples. The fresh crunch and light flavor leaves you feeling refreshed. Plus, the salad just helps you feel totally healthy and better than a detox. (Says the girl who refuses to try a juice cleanse because she eats too much...) Click through for the best Cabbage, Apple & Ginger Salad recipe you'll ever taste!

OK, I'll be honest. I used to hate cauliflower. Growing up, I remember having the often awful, frozen broccoli / cauliflower / carrot steamed mix repeatedly. And got so sick of the mini-tree'd veggies. (Sorry Mom & Dad!) But I found a Crispy Cauliflower Recipe that changed my perception forever. Plus, CSA cauliflower is so damn fresh and flavorful, I can't praise it enough. If you have a CSA or stop by your farmer's market and spot that white, floury veggie, I demand you make this. Right now.

The best time of spring and fall in the CSA season are all the fresh kale, cabbage, collards and other leafy greens you receive from your CSA. Yet getting veggies week after week tends to allow some of them to get a little withered after a few days. Rather than forcing yourself to eat all the greens that aren’t yet ‘bad’, make them into a delicious juice! I’ve been perfecting this one over the past few months. Click on through for the Leftover Green CSA Juice Recipe!

Pumpkin season is in full swing... pumpkin lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin beer... it's here! Word is Starbucks is celebrating their 10-year anniversary of the pumpkin latte but I'm still feeling cold beverages during these mild fall days. So I set out to make a cold treat that made use of the glorious orange squash-like fruit. The fact that it's a bit healthier and much lower in sugar than a pumpkin latte is just icing on (the pumpkin) cake. It happens to be vegan but you could un-veganize (creating our own words today) if you wish to use cow's milk. Read on for the recipe!

CSA veggies get super repetitive and boring this time of year, so it's time to get creative with the summer harvests. That's why I traded my typical salad-with-lettuce for a CSA Cucumber, Fennel & Mint version. This actually came from one of our CSA's members, but I added a few extras for a more filling lunch. CSA Cucumber, Fennel & Mint Salad Recipe - after the jump!