What’s more refreshing than drinking your veggies? Ever since the greenmarket started overflowing with spring vegetables and fruit, I’ve been hankering for more fresh juices. Rhubarb lemonade! Spinach beet juice! Celery agua fresca! (Just kidding on that last one…maybe.) And now, cucumber mint tonic.

Cucumber and mint work together as seamlessly avocado and lime, but here’s the kicker: add in a hearty amount of apple cider vinegar. Yes, the stuff you use to attract houseflies and soothe sunburns. Shockingly, when mixed with cukes and mint the result is sweet, rejuvenating, and tangy in the best way. I found out this fun food fact thanks to The New Persian Kitchen on Genius Recipes.

(more…)

Moms are the best. Or at least, I think my momma is the best person in the world. Along with rearing two great children, she’s an amazing person to boot. I’m thankful for the way she taught me to love vegetables, how she stays true to who she is no matter what, her entrepreneurial spirit, and the unlimited love she pours into her family. Even when I was an obnoxious, sassy teen, I still recognized what a beautiful role model she is. And now that I’m making my own way, I’ve come to appreciate the light she is even more.

So I hope that you have the chance to give thanks to your mom tomorrow. And if homemade food is planned, then I highly recommend this flavorful, seasonal dish full of roasted asparagus, sweet carrots, and savory tart crust. It’s good stuff.

(more…)

Hope y’all are staying warm in light of this crazy weather phase. Over here we got at least a foot of snow overnight…with more to come! While one of my friend’s loves to venture up to Cold Spring to play in deep, frozen water, my immediate reaction is to nestle underneath a heavy blanket with a good read. (Maybe build a snowman or two.)

Staying at home inevitably leads to cooking up experiments in the kitchen. And with Sweethearts & Singles Day close by, why not make it a lil’ romantic? While holed up with cookbooks and a hot kitchen, I start dreaming up a decadent breakfast in bed. After a few runs with overly fancy scrambled eggs and dried-out buttermilk biscuits, I’m excited to share Cardamom French Toast with Balsamic Pears.

(more…)

One of the things I love about winter is experimenting with what food it has to offer (note: due to Polar Vortex Part Deux, this is probably the only thing winter has going for it right now). Weird roots that survive the frost or fall veggies that survive well in storage tend to pop up in the kitchen. A particular “root” that’s “spiced” my curiosity (ha!) is celeriac.

Not a root you’d like to meet on a blind date, but it’s definitely a fair-or-foul-weather type of friend. This veggie has the bumpy exterior of a hormonal teen but a sweet, nutty inside with a taste of celery. Roast it, mash it, puree it, yum!

(more…)