Whole Foods
The Importance of Soaking Raw Nuts, Seeds, Legumes & Grains
Soaking raw nuts, seeds, legumes and grains before cooking is very beneficial. You don’t have to be religious about it. Give it a try and see how easy it is and what will work for you.
Homemade Almond Milk
Almond milk is the easiest of all the plant milks to make. And honestly, it’s my favorite. No tedious advance preparations are necessary, though *soaking is beneficial. The flavor is so good it needs no additional ingredients.
How to Make Homemade Soy Milk
Learning how to make homemade soy milk is simple, and easily lends itself to a “system”. Whether you drink it daily or use it occasionally for baking, spending $2+/box is not necessary.
Make Your Own Plant Milk: Homemade Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is my favorite to cook with. It is creamy and rich. Making it from scratch is simple and fast.
What’s the Easiest Way to Make Nut Milk? Ditch the Nut Bag…
No matter which milk you are preparing, it will need to be strained. And every recipe I read calls for using a nut bag. Either I’m doing it wrong (likely) or they left out the part where working the milk through the nut bag is akin to doing laundry on a wash board down in the creek.
How to Dry Herbs
While I ran around the kitchen trying to decide which blender or chopper would get the leaves off the stems, my daughter sat on her stool, playing with the parsley. I asked her to please “play” over a bowl. Once I’d assembled my tools, I realized I didn’t need them.
What to Do with Green Tomatoes? Make Pickles!
Every year as I prepare my garden for winter, I wonder what to do with green tomatoes. There is a special place in my heart for the little guys that work hard till the end, only to be defeated when the first frost declares “times up!”
Cooking with Cast Iron Skillets
Cooking with a cast iron skillet can significantly increase the iron content of food.
How to Make Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce
End of season peppers are a dime a dozen. Found in your own garden or local farmer’s market, there are enough hot peppers this time of year to set the roof (of your mouth) on fire. Here’s a simple recipe for homemade hot pepper sauce.
What To Do With Green Tomatoes
While I declare my first-year garden to be an awesome success, I did pull over 25 pounds of still-green tomatoes from the imminent threat of first-frost. They've been confidently plump for over a month, unconcerned with the dropping temperatures and diminished...
Why and How to Grow Sprouts in Your Kitchen
Learn how to grow sprouts in your kitchen. One of the cleanest and highest quality sources of protein are sprouts. With high amounts vitamins A, B, C, E, K, they contain more calcium than cow's milk and all of the essential amino acids. Like the "incredible, edible...
Want to Know How to Cook Artichokes? Yes, You Do!
Knowing how to cook artichokes is awesome! And so easy... Artichokes are intimidating, and though I've been a "foodie" most of my adult life, I've never cooked one! And I'm not alone among my foodie-friends, as I've never been served one outside of a restaurant. I...
Fresh Mint Ice Cream Recipe with Chocolate Chips
Fresh Mint Ice Cream Recipe with Chocolate Chips I've got my first successful garden coming into the peak of harvest, and I'm determined not to waste a leaf! I have several varieties of mint growing with my chard and kale because mint helps with pest control. But...
Easy Summer Snack Idea: Frozen Grapes
This summer has been HOT!!! In an effort to stay cool, we have been enjoying snacks like refrigerated watermelon wedges, Vitamix sorbets and popscicles, and our new favorite: frozen grapes. They are a super-simple crowd-pleaser. 1. Buy fresh organic grapes. 2. Rinse...
Preserve Garden Herbs for Fresh Summer Flavor All Year Round
Gardening is a metaphor. You take the time to roll up your sleeves, get a little dirty, tend, water, and nurture your investment, wait patiently for Mother Nature to do her thing, and she will (usually) give back ten-fold. As the summer draws to a close, now is the...
My Love Affair with Swiss Chard
Login: Kristin Meier I’ll admit it. Swiss chard is my favorite vegetable. It is a super food, packed with nutrients, taste, and colorful beauty. Swiss chard is one of the most nutritious vegetables, being rich in vitamins K, A, C magnesium, manganese,...
Homemade Peanut Butter
Things got a little crazy today at lunch when we ran out of peanut butter. As I am sure you know, it’s a never-ending chore keeping the pantry and refrigerator stocked with the daily “necessities.” Peanut butter is a big one in our house, so I...
Roasted Almonds
Roasted Almonds Ingredient List: 1 lb almonds 2 T pumpkin pie spice 2T grapeseed oil 1T vanilla Directions: Toss almonds with pumpkin pie spice, grapeseed oil, and vanilla. Arrange on cookie sheet. Bake 350 for about 7 minutes, turn, then bake for an additional 7...
Sweet or Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
If you are tired of the standard dish-o-nuts on the table at parties, try utilizing your jack-o-lantern by-products. They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, oleic acid and even tryptophan (nature's sleeping panacea). I've tried to cook these a couple of times, and...
Fall Applesauce: Better Than Apple Pie
I had about 15 pounds of apples. A bushel was given to me by a friend, and I over-ordered with Green B.E.A.N. Delivery. I had a variety, inclduing MacIntosh, Golden and Granny Smith. I cut them all up, leaving the skins on, and placed them in a stock pain, filling the...
Why and How to Grow Sprouts at Home
How to Grow Sprouts at Home...From hair dressers to lawyers, dietitians and doctors, when I admit to being a vegan, the standard response is a furrowed brow, concerned eye contact and the question "What do you do about protein?" If I'm lucky, I might even get a pat on...
Why and How to Use Fresh Garlic
Chopping garlic is problematic if you don’t know how to do it. Convenience comes in a jar. But after tasting the difference and learning the proper technique, I’ll never compromise again!
Crispy Kale Chips
Kale chips don't sound as delicious as they taste. I got the kale memo. Kale is the new beef. It's a superfood and eating it will make you superhuman. That's great. But enough is enough. And then I discovered kale chips. I loved them. And I served them to my kids....