I came up with the idea for this Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad last spring, while trying to figure out a last minute side dish just before some guests were due to come for dinner. I took a quick look in the fridge, grabbed a couple of things out of the pantry, and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, the dish was a hit and after making it all summer for simple dinners and entertaining alike, I figured it was about time I shared the recipe here. 
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My new title should be “Queen of the nondescript looking beige dips”. But guys, this Baba Ghanoush is SO, SO good. A little garlicky, a little lemony, and after all what else are you going to do with all of the eggplants that have come in your CSA this summer? (no really, what ARE you going to do? I need ideas. Stat.)
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Summertime always makes me crave simple foods. I don’t know if it’s that summer produce is just so good and fresh that it doesn’t need much, or that the slow pace of lazy summer days makes me a little lazy in the kitchen. Either way, when the warm weather hits, simple is my mantra. Like this Simple Lentil Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables. 
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Does anyone else out there subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share? I get one through a local farm (Featherstone Farms, I love you!), and when I pick up my box of fresh vegetables each week, I get really excited about all of the amazing things that I am going to make. Perfect heads of lettuce, deep purple eggplants, bright green peppers, sweet yellow corn.
This year I’ve been getting a lot of carrots and zucchini in my boxes, which just so happens to be the perfect combination for making these Carrot Zucchini Fritters with Lemon Basil Aioli.
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Breakfast always brings out strong feelings in people. Some folks can’t live without eating two minutes after getting out of bed. Some people never eat breakfast and instead start with lunch. I was always pretty meh about breakfast, but that’s when I thought breakfast was supposed to be sugary cereals (blech…). These Summer Vegetable Breakfast Burritos have totally swayed me into the breakfast is important camp! And they’re easy!
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Fourth of July is coming soon and that means camping, cookouts, potlucks and picnics!
And if I know you, you’re looking for a hearty dish that you can take to that gathering and not worry about the dreaded “sitting out in the heat” problem. No problem! Herbed Picnic Potato Salad is full of flavor, without the mayo!
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Here in Minneapolis we finally saw our first 80 degree day. Everyone flocked outside to take advantage of the amazing sunshine. People congregated on driveways, at parks, around our 10,000+ lakes. Just so dang happy to be outside!
But as the temperatures go up, and everyone gathers outside, snacks are needed. Like this Lemon Rosemary White Bean Dip made with Fresh Crush Rosemary Olive Oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Perfect for a summer gathering (or really ANY gathering).
Don’t trust me? It’ll take you FIVE minutes to make it this delicious dip and you can see for yourself!
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Sometimes, the simplest recipes really are the best recipes. No fuss and full of flavor? I’m totally on board. Recently, I had a craving for cashew butter but didn’t want to run to the store and really wasn’t excited about dropping $12 on a jar of nut butter. Digging in my pantry, I found a bag of cashews I had picked up the week before and I decided I was going to take matters into my own hands. A few short minutes later, our Easy Honey Cardamom Cashew Butter was born.
With only 5 ingredients and no cooking required, this cashew butter is about as easy as it gets. In less than 10 minutes, you can have a jar of creamy cashew butter ready to devour by the spoonful or plop onto some toast or a bagel. Simply grab a cup or two of roasted cashews and a good food processor or high speed blender (like a Blendtec or Vitamix). After a quick pulse or three in the food processor with a few spices (in this case, kosher salt and ground cardamom), we add a little honey for sweetness and set the food processor to run on until the nuts and spices blend into a smooth, creamy butter. Try not to eat it all straight out of the processing jar!…
After what felt like the longest winter on the books, Spring has finally sprung and with it has come my favorite vegetable – asparagus! When I first met my husband, he wasn’t much of a vegetable guy. He considered iceberg lettuce to be a perfectly acceptable salad and the occasional baby carrot was about the extent of his veggie intake. Being a vegetarian at the time, I of course, was a totally different story. He was a good sport though, and gamely put up with my veggie loving self, eventually learning to eat and enjoy veggies, too. One of the earliest veggies I started to make for him (and a total staple in our house now) was asparagus. It’s fantastic simply roasted with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. It’s also great when dressed up a little, like in our all new recipe for Asparagus with Pistachio Citrus Gremolata. 
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Edit: This recipe was originally posted in June 2018 and we are reposting today because well, life is busy, recipes sometimes don’t work out like planned, and mostly because this salad is just so darn good. Spring is finally on it’s way here in MN and I am craving all of the fresh veggies and fruit and this yummy salad combines the best of spring into one easy little package. Read on for the more info!!
Friends, I have an important announcement to make: it’s time to toss out all of those bottles of store bought salad dressing. What kind of crazy talk is this? Hear me out. I know those bottles seem convenient and there are a million flavor options, but most are loaded with less than ideal ingredients, are expensive, and don’t ultimately taste that great. I promise you that with a few simple ingredients and less than five minutes, you can absolutely make a batch of homemade salad dressing that will taste twenty times better and elevate an everyday salad into something totally out of this world. Today’s recipe for Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing is the perfect place to start.
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