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Are you ready for the game on Sunday? Looking for menu inspration that won't derail your efforts to keep a healthy diet? Get a load of my all-star Healthy Super-bowl Recipe Line-Up. Game On! Turkey Chili with Pintos Low-Fat Ranch Dip Healthy Baked Chicken Fingers Read on to get 7 more healthy menu ideas...
I thought kale chips were my favorite way to enjoy kale until I met this salad. I really want you to try this recipe. That’s all there is to it. It is so darned delicious I can barely deal. I wanted to eat the entire bowl. Please make it and then tell me what you think in the comments below. Seriously! Wait I have one more thing to tell you. Totally non-food related. I am super excited to be pa
Some recipes just speak for themselves. This is one of them. I mean seriously, who needs to be talked into Cajun fries?Full disclosure, back in April 2011, I did have a lot to say about the technique of my original healthy oven fries recipe. I got all specific about the food-science of the technique. Someone please give her the hook! I am not going to get into that this time. Waste no t
Recently I was lucky enough to receive a whole box of goodies in the mail from one of my long-time crushes. No, no, my husband doesn’t need to worry. It was from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery. Call it a culinary crush. The reason they sent it to me is that they wanted me to try one of their up-and-coming products called Fromage Blanc. To say it is like yogurt isn’t really fair. E
Recently I was lucky enough to do some how-to cooking videos for Cabot Creamery Cooperative. The first one is a recipe for my grandmother's broccoli salad with cheddar and bacon. Watch the video and get the recipe...
This week we have another healthy cranberry recipe. Lisa Danforth of Hot Betty BBQ shared her fabulous Cranberry Pesto recipe with us. Served with crostini and chevre, it is a simple and flavorful appetizer perfect for the holidays. It takes mere minutes to make and the taste is majorly addictive. Seriously, I couldn't stop eating these. Yum! In addition to sharing her recipe, Lisa also for
In years past, during the holidays I have offered ideas for home-made gifts from the kitchen that can be consumed by humans. This year I decided to “branch” out… all the way outdoors… to make home-made bird suet. [Ugg that was bad! Please stop me.] It takes only about 20 minutes of effort, and you can let your slow-cooker do the rest. Just be sure to plug the slow-cooker in under your fume
Three Words: Tasty Little Bites. Three ingredients: Cranberry Sauce, Horseradish Cheddar and Pita Bread. Watch the video I did with Cabot for this recipe. Please tell me what you think. I am dying to know. The printable recipe is below and also available on Cabot's website.
I was reminded today of a recent essay by Deb Perelman. She had written, ever so eloquently, of her visceral desire to bake as a way to take control over the disorder that is getting ready to have a baby. Don’t get all excited, I am not having a baby, nor am as eloquent as Deb Perelman, but I did have the need to bake today. Unfortunately my news of which I am trying to make sense, is not
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s official that we are sprinting into a full month of to-do lists, shopping and parties. If you’re like me, I'm guessing a lot of you will be hosting a party in the next month. And, I’m also guessing that like me, some of you are wondering, how the heck can I host a party and enjoy the festivities too? How can I take a packed schedule, add in a dinner party
With Thanksgiving mere days away, I thought I better share this great make-ahead side I developed for Cabot Creamery Cooperative. It is a twist on the classic Green Bean Casserole. It tastes pretty similar to the real McCoy, except it doesn’t have canned soup or the processed canned fried onions. In fact, it's made entirely from-scratch, and I added all-natural Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar,
Not that any of you were planning on ordering in for Thanksgiving, seeing that you are reading a food blog and all, but I wanted to share a number with you. That number is 480. FOUR HUNDERD EIGHTY! That’s how many calories are in a single small side order of Boston Market’s Sweet Potato Casserole. I’m not joking! Look right here, plain as day, on their website. That’s crazy. So is the fact
On Thanksgiving day, plate real estate is a buyer’s market. That’s why I love this recipe. In fact, I think it is kinda genius, if I do say so myself. It combines two Thanksgiving sides into one and doubles as a Vegetarian entrée. So you can serve these stuffed squash cut in half as a side dish or keep them whole as a vegetarian entrée for the non-turkey gobblers. Plus because the stuffi
It is pretty much guaranteed to be a lively conversation in the EatingWell Test kitchen when someone asks for cooking advice. Like they need help figuring out what to cook for dinner or to serve at a party. Or they need inspiration for how to use a certain ingredient. This time, I was that someone, and the ingredient in question was two pounds of gorgeous organic tomatillos sitting on my
This is the week when our summer CSA ends and our winter CSA begins. That’s two pick-ups. In two days. Let’s just say, I could open a farm-stand at the end of our driveway and still have plenty to serve my family for the week. Tuesday’s pick-up alone included 4 pounds of potatoes, a half pound of garlic, a bunch of kale, a dozen ears of corn and 24 squashes! Plus much, much more. So I am
My name is Katie, and I am a chocoholic. I eat chocolate every day. Every. Single. Day. And I mean The GOOD Stuff. You know when you buy an over-the-counter medicine and the label says how much of the “active ingredient” is included in the product? Well that’s pretty much how I approach my selection of chocolate. For me, the dark chocolate is the active ingredient, and I want th
In my family, October is the month of birthdays. I did a little math, and I figured out that 60% of my husband’s and my immediate family was born in the month of October. This first week alone we celebrate three of them. That’s a lot of celebrating. That’s a lot of cake. That’s a lot of sugar. I know for sure my kids are going to ingest a lot of sugar this weekend [my little one is tur
After listening to the New Orleans edition of the Splendid Table last weekend, I have had Gumbo on the brain. Since jetting off to New Orleans wasn’t really a likely addition to my weekly to-do-list, I knew there was really only one way to get my fix. And it just so happens that the star produce in Gumbo is in season right now: peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and, of course, okra. I ha
This week I pulled a favorite healthy seasonal recipe out of the archives to talk a little bit about how to cook a pumpkin. The original post/recipe for brown rice pumpkin risotto calls for pureed pumpkin, which you can either make from scratch or use canned. I never mentioned how one goes about making it from scratch. So here is what you do: First of all, make sure you start with a cooki
Oh there are so many exciting things going on right now! First, I got to do food styling for an exquisite photo shoot at Shelburne Museum with the photography dynamic duo Nikole Herriott and Michael Graydon. I was swooning over their esthetic. It was very inspiring! Next, in preparation for an exciting recipe development project with VT FEED I got to revisit my old stomping grounds at the New
Have you ever noticed most recipes for zucchini bread don’t really call for much zucchini? I sure have. On its surface, making zucchini bread seems like an excellent way of using up lots of zucchini. But in reality, a lot of recipes only call for 1 cup! That’s hardly enough to make a dent in the excesses of the ever-present green giants this time of year. I mean seriously, what’s the point?
Congratulations to Ema, comment number 7! She has won the Cabot cheddar giveaway. Here's what she said: "You can't go wrong with gourmet grilled cheese! I like to use Portuguese bread (similar to a sourdough), high quality butter, delicious cheddar cheese and a thick slice of tomato." Yum!!! She was selected at random from Random.org. Ema, please get in touch with me with your shipping addres
With my oldest daughter heading off to Kindergarten this week, the weather promising to get cooler, and the evenings coming earlier, I am feeling a little bit in need of some comfort. Like big bowl of soup comfort. Like big bowl of creamy, cheesy, soup comfort to be more specific. I heart cheese! That’s why I am beyond excited that Cabot Creamery has been so generous to sponsor
Moroccan carrots was a standard in my mom’s summer kitchen. It is just one of those recipes that will always remind me of spending time on Lake Champlain in the summer. [For all I know she prepared them at other times of the year, but I will always think of Moroccan Carrots as synonymous with summer.] So will Tabbouleh and rice saladfor that matter. While I spent my time fishing f
This recipe is an oldie but a goodie. I developed it for the July/August 2009 issue of EatingWell Magazine. I like how it strikes a balance of health and flavor. I revisited it this week because now that pounds and pounds of new potatoes are rolling in from our CSA, I was wondering what the heck to do with all of them. These are the types of questions members of a CSA need to be prepar
You know that old song, “I’m a little bit Country, I’m a little Bit Rock and Roll?” (I think it came out like the year I was born, so I’m pretty sure I just called myself old… Sigh…) Anyway, this recipe is a little bit Texas and a little bit Vermont. Growing up in a house with a mom from Texas and a Dad from New York, it was just as likely that we’d have grits for breakfast, as it was to h
My kids love green beans. And broccoli. And Greek olives. And fresh figs. What can I say? I’m a lucky gal. But I like to think that some of it wasn’t luck. Even before our fist daughter was born, I worried I'd end up the foodie mom with a picky eater. So I started researching it when I was pregnant. How DO you get kids to be adventurous eaters? I started by asking my mom how she got m
I don’t really get a lot of comments on my blog. I guess it’s because I don’t spend enough time figuring out the whole SEO thing, commenting on other blogger’s blogs and social networking. I do spend way too much time at my fitness club, on photo shoots, developing recipes and taking care of my family. But last week, my broccoli salad actually got a comment. And let’s just say it wasn’t nic
I’ve been thinking a lot about my Grandmother lately. She passed away two years ago this month. Saying she was a really great cook is sort of an understatement. My sister and I were lucky enough to go through her recipe files shortly after she died. Sitting in her giant kitchen, surrounded by cherry red co-ordinating Kitchen-Aid appliances and silicone spatulas, I felt like we were paying
For a moment there I was wondering if someone was trying to tell me not to post a new recipe this week. For starters, my camera and laptop got run over by a car last Sunday. Amazingly, nothing was damaged. Thank you padded Canon bag! And thank goodness it was a small car. Then I left my tripod at my Mom’s by mistake, which resulted in a lot of pictures that look like this. Pretty good, but
We have been getting so many greens from our CSA lately, it’s hard to keep up. Even for me, a certifiable salad nut! That’s why I am glad there are so many family gatherings and summer festivities to which I can bring a big ol’ salad bowl brimming with green salad. This week, I whipped up this simple Caesar dressing and made a giant salad with chopped Romaine, spinach and a little green l
Here is a really easy way to make a fast and garlicky marinade for chicken breast without making a big mess or even getting a knife dirty. All you need is a re-sealable bag (aka a Ziploc) and a meat mallet with a smooth side. No need to chop the garlic. Just peel it, pop it in the bag and then get your aggression out by smashing it silly with the smooth side of a meat pounder. Then open
This week has kind-of gotten away from me. I have been trying to get this recipe out as soon as possible while there are still strawberries available. We picked some perfect little strawberries at Arcana this week as part of our CSA share. So I thought I’d do a healthy twist on strawberry shortcakes. This recipe is a little different from your everyday strawberry shortcake because inst
I just got back from a fun and food filled weekend in Montreal. My husband and I dropped our girls off with my in-laws, met up with my sis and her husband and headed north on Friday evening. Just a two hour car ride later and we arrived in a large international city. It is so bizarre to be so close to where I live in the Green Mountains of Vermont. That night we ate at a fun Portuguese rest
With potlucks, picnics, al fresco dining and casual summer entertaining events filling our weekends (and even spilling into the work week) it is important to have a few simple summery noshes in your recipe repertoire. Here is one I go to again and again. It is a classic Italian antipasti of grilled bread topped with savory white bean puree and garlicky greens. I love the way it can easily be ada
This post has been a little slow getting out of the kitchen and onto your computer screens because I wanted to get it just right. The first recipe test I did yielded promising results, but none that would stand a chance of meeting your expectations of the deliciousness that is Pad Thai. The way I see it, Pad Thai is somewhat of a magical entity: a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salt and fat. Al
This recipe is so eighties-catering-gimmicky, I’m almost embarrassed to be sharing it with you. But it tastes so darned good, so here it is. Besides, the eighties are really in right now, right? So there. Don't mock me. Here is the gimmick: crispy little wonton cups for individula hors' d'oeuvres. So here's what you do: you buy wonton wrappers. Look for them in Asian markets or in large super
I have just finished reading [or more accurately, I have been listening-to on Audible while jogging or driving to pick-up my kids from one activity or another] James Beard Award winning, Blood, Bones and Butter: the Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, by Gabrielle Hamilton (Random House.) And I am obsessed. Truly. I have had goose bumps for five days straight. I have been that crazy
Sometimes I feel as if the busyness of our lives is directly proportional to the minutes of daylight. I’m not complaining at all though. I am actually having a blast, and I sure do love the extra daylight. Right now, we’re digging up and moving three of my perennial beds, and I am currently working on two food features for two different magazines. How cool is that?!! I’m also squeezing in traini
Mizuna is one of those tender greens you usually only see in a store-bought salad blend. That’s why I was blown away when a large and gorgeous bunch of Mizuna was included in our CSA share at the last pick-up. If you are not familiar with mizuna, you can read more about it and order some seeds for your vegetable garden here at High Mowing Seeds. If you can’t wait to grow your own, just substitu
This week I am beyond pleased to be doing a guest post for Phil and Lauren Rubin, the dynamic duo behind www.2peasandapot.com. What an honor! I completely admire their writing, photography and innovative recipes! When they asked me to contribute to a series they are putting together all about seafood, I immediately thought of doing a cedar plank salmon. I have been wanting to share this brillia
It’s giveaway time again! Rejoice! This time I am so happy to have the opportunity to share with you these amazing organic micro-batch spice blends from Teeny Tiny Spice Company of Vermont. I discovered this company a while back and have been using their blends obsessively since. Recently, I have been lucky enough to do some photography for their website. And now they have given me some blends t
If it were up to my kids, they would eat Annie's bunny crackers, yogurt and fruit for 100% of their daily calories. Don't get me wrong, they are great eaters. Neither is particularly picky, knock on wood. They just like their sweets and their easy carbs. So I feel like I have to strategize every day to make sure they are also getting vegetables, calcium, healthy fats and protein. More
I ran this recipe about a year ago, and suddenly I found myself craving it again. I decided to try it out in my wok this time. I have had my wok since I was sixteen. I have to admit, I probably just wanted a wok because I felt like such a badass cooking for my friends with it. Now, a million years later, it is perfectly seasoned and I love it dearly. If you don't have one, a simple wok seti
A few weeks ago I put out a call on my Facebook fan page and Tweeted to my followers to email me recipes that needed a healthy make-over. I love making over recipes. I got my start at it in the EatingWell test kitchen when I was lucky enough to write their Rx for Recipes column for a spell. I got to make-over everything from latkes to pound cake. My proudest moment was when I had been wor
I used to hate what Vermonters call “Mud Season.” When I first moved to Vermont, I thought the March weather in Vermont was some sort of cruel trick. I couldn’t understand why it was such a terrible combination of mud, sticks and winter. Clueless, I even took my snow tires off in March the first year, and was wondering why it was so easy to get an appointment. Silly me, that’s because the n
There are times in recipe development when the stars align and a keeper is born. This soup is one of those recipes. I realize I posted a soup last week, and I should probably mix it up for this week, but this recipe is so darned delicious I can’t wait. I just need to share it. I am obsessed! I have been obsessing about developing it since Wednesday, February 22 to be exact. “Really, Sweet
This soup always makes me think of a client I had when I worked as a personal chef. She requested it when she wasn’t feeling well. She said she felt like it was “clean.” I kind-of agree. It is so pure and comforting. I love the little pop of ginger that warms me up from the inside. It is just perfect for this last stretch of winter where I feel like I too need a little clean eating. I
I launched HealthySeasonalRecipes.com a year ago this week. To celebrate, I want to share one of my most prized recipes. It is not mine really. I got it from a restaurant where I worked called Isabel’s on the Waterfront. Luckily, I wrote it down, because the restaurant closed down years ago. When I worked there, I made this marinade recipe so many times, I had it memorized. I think I could
“The farm always made a little bit of vinegar” says Malah Miller of Dwight Miller Orchards. “But that fell by the wayside until we ran into a bad crop of apples one year and all we could do was juice them.” And so, the farm that had been producing vinegar since the 1700’s once again turned their apple cider into vinegar. It was easy enough to sell it off to a dairy farmer who supplement
