Roasted Red Pepper Butternut Soup

Technically it isn’t fall yet but I’m up in the mountains and the temperatures in the evening are cold enough to warrant warm, creamy dishes centered around squash. Smoothies are often praised for the fact that they are easy to digest because they are already blended up, leaving less work for the digestive system- but the same goes for blended soups. Unlike many traditional comfort foods, a soup loaded with fresh vegetables and other high quality ingredients can be gentle on our bodies and full of health supporting nutrients. Continue Reading →

Chicken Chorizo Bake

It’s dark and wet outside and I’m curled up in blankets by the fireplace. This is my favorite kind of weather, the kind that requires high boots and long coats. It also requires warming and nourishing food that was stewed slowly, to the point where all the flavors blend together and become something even better than each part is individually. Continue Reading →

Black and Blue Cardamom Smoothie

What I like best about golfing this time of year is the succulent blackberries that line the edges of some of the holes. There is something that feels very “hunter-gatherer” about picking wild berries, even if they are right next to perfectly manicured land meant for dedicating hours of leisure time to, something that was in much shorter supply before we developed agriculture and cities. Berry picking also takes me back to my childhood, it was one of the few times that I would have access to an unlimited amount of sweets, and when they were ripened on the vine and warmed from the sun I liked them even more than five cent candy. Continue Reading →

Grilled Orange Chicken with Orange Vegetables

My brother requested orange chicken and he seemed a little surprised when I thought it was a good idea. I later realized that the orange chicken he is used to is deep fried fast food from an Americanized Chinese food take out place. Luckily he liked this version. I use different citrus fruits a lot in cooking, lemon and lime are usually my first choices but orange, blood orange, tangerine and grapefruit all go really nicely with poultry. The left over end bits can be used to make your water fancy. Continue Reading →

Balsamic Salmon Salad

My mom recently commented that it is easier for celebrities to be fit and healthy because they have people to prepare their food and make them exercise. My brother astutely replied that she has me. And thus we began our two week challenge where she eats only what I make for her. I am excited because I finally have the chance to make her eat tons of vegetables and other healthy food to help out her insides. She is excited because it is day five and she has already lost the couple pounds she gained recently from sangrias on her summer vacation, plus an extra three that she has not been able to lose, no matter what she tried. She is liking the results on her outsides. Continue Reading →

Almond Crusted Snapper

There are very few foods that I associate with summer more than fish and chips. It’s a bit messy but it was always our go to choice for picnics on the beach when I was growing up. Having to fend off the seagulls and getting sand in some bites was all part of the fun. The downside is that fried, processed flour (used in the outside breading) is one of the worst things we can put in our bodies from a nutritional point of view. Continue Reading →

Grilled Ginger Lime Halibut

I like cooking with halibut because it is a really dense, heavy fish in texture but the flavor is so light that it completely takes on whatever marinade or sauces you put with it. It is a more expensive fish but it is very nutritious, being high in B vitamins (including the hard to get B12), vitamin A, and the minerals phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Continue Reading →