Healthy Recipes

Sweet cherry frozen yogurt, swirled with dark chocolate.When I lived in Philadelphia, we often took summer road trips to upstate New York, driving past the bustling city and later the crazy-gigantic mansions of the Hamptons, our eyes glued out the window in the hopes of spotting a celebrity. We’d keep driving until the road collided with the ocean at the easternmost tip of Long Island: Montauk Point. There, we would settle into our own crazy-gigantic mansion not-exactly-so-gigantic popup tent. No one was complaining… we had the beach right outside our door!It was during one such summer at Montauk that I first encountered Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt. I didn’t actually order the flavor for myself; no self-respecting chocoholic would ever go for cherry frozen yogurt when Chocolate Fudge Brownie was on the menu.Thankfully, my sister is not a chocoholic. And thankfully, she is willing to share her ice cream (unlike me – Katie doesn’t share food!). It might be a younger sister thing… she got so used to me taking her candy/chocolate/cookies when we were really little that she gave up any protective instincts. Either that or she’s just super nice.In any case, as we sat on the dock eating our ice cream, I decided her Cherry Garcia cone might be better than my Chocolate Fudge Brownie one. (I blame the sea air for this moment of confusion; it was obviously messing with my young chocoholic mind.)The next day when we went for ice cream (of course we went for ice cream every day… it was summer vacation!) I eschewed the chocolate and ordered Cherry Garcia instead. And no, I didn’t share.Homemade Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt1 1/2 cups plain yogurt of choice (such as Wholesoy)1/16 tsp saltsweetener to taste, depending on your yogurt. For a plain, sweetened yogurt, try 2 tbsp sugar, 2 NuNaturals stevia packets, or 2 tbsp pure maple syrup2 tbsp milk of choice (omit if using the maple syrup option above)1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract3/4 cup pitted cherries, diced (fresh or frozen) (120g)3-4 tbsp shaved chocolate (I used a vegetable peeler to shave off pieces of a chocolate bar) (15-20g)Frozen yogurt recipe: In either an ice cream machine or a large airtight container, combine the first 5 ingredients. (For optimal creaminess and best texture, use the ice cream machine. However, it does work—and still tastes delicious—if you don’t have a machine.) Once churned (or simply stirred in the container), add the cherries and shaved chocolate. Stir (and transfer to an airtight container if it’s not already there). Seal the lid and freeze. If not using an ice cream machine, stir the contents every hour for up to three hours. Otherwise, eat immediately or freeze up to an hour for a firmer texture.Store leftovers, in the airtight container, for up to a month, and thaw 15-30 minutes before eating.Click for: Frozen Yogurt Nutrition FactsSince you all seemed to really enjoy my food blooper post from a few weeks ago, maybe the above photo will amuse you more than it amused me. Darn wind; that was my snack!Link of the Day: 36 Healthy Cookie Recipes

What's the Acid-Alkaline Diet and is it right for you? ** This is only a summary of our content.**

Elizabeth Smith From the beginning, Whole Foods Market® has supported local makers and growers—and they’ve supported us, too. We’ve kept that love alive by filling our aisles with the best that our local communities have to offer – even as we’ve grown. Today about 25% of the produce sold at our stores comes from local farms, and 10-30% of the products in our aisles come from local producers depending on availability, store size and the needs of the community. What’s “local”? Our stores across the nation define “local” one community at a time. For some, “local” means within the state, while for others it means within a certain mile radius, which may include a bordering state or two. Also, local ownership is just one part — we look for local manufacturing and/or use of local ingredients, too. Local yokels. We’re proud to have local foragers, dedicated team members seeking out the best local products all over the map, so we can bring more great stuff to our customers and be a community resource for local growers and artisans. Starting small with big dreams. Through our Local Producers Loan Program, we’ve committed $10 million in low-interest loans for local producers. These loans help small independent producers expand their businesses, a real win-win! How can I sell my product at Whole Foods Market? We may be big, but our vendor partners don't have to be; some partners sell to hundreds of stores while others only sell to one. Interested? Here are the steps: Find out if we’re the right retailer partner for your product by reviewing our Quality Standards.   We buy products by store and region – it doesn’t all have to go through our headquarters! If your product meets our Quality Standards, contact your local regional office. The regional office will direct you to the local forager or regional buyer for your next steps. Every region has a different review process. Local matters. In your closest Whole Foods Market, you’ll discover the best of your local community. Buy local to: Support local farmers and food artisans, and their families Strengthen local economies Connect to the seasons, regional varieties and the people who grow your food Reduce the environmental impact of transporting goods to market What’s your favorite local product at your Whole Foods Market store?

Hello weekend! Sacramento can’t decide if it wants to be hot or cool right now. But the weather has been cooperating gloriously recently, with lots of sun, perfect for relaxing on the patio with tortilla chips and some coctel de camarones, or Mexican shrimp cocktail. I love this version of shrimp cocktail, it’s sort of like a virgin bloody mary with cucumber, celery, red onions, avocados and lots of shrimp. Perfect for dipping, or eating with a spoon. Or picking out the shrimp pieces with a fork, then the avocado pieces, and then eating the rest with a spoon as if it were gazpacho. Oh dang it, now I want to make it all over again! Continue reading "Mexican Shrimp Cocktail" »

Did you know that lilacs are edible? They are so crazy beautiful and they smell SO good…I absolutely swoon when my bushes begin to bloom. I get a big sad face on when all the flowers drop, so I decided to preserve some of them…in honey! Have I told you yet about how my bees died? (Cue the sad face again.) Yes, it’s true. My hive was infected with a very bad case of mites in the fall and it made the bees weak and unable to survive the winter. I liked keeping bees alot, so I am really bummed. I will probably get some new bees in the future: not this year, but maybe next. Anyway, I had to clean out the hive and squeeze all of the honey out of the frames a month or two ago. It was a big job, and a messy, messy one, let me tell you. But I ended up with lots of glorious, dark, raw, unfiltered honey that I’ve truly been savoring. I used that honey to make this recipe. Making lilac honey is very simple. To make it, just remove lots of (clean and dry) flowers from the lilac stems and pack them into a glass jar (I used one of my teeny Weck ones). You’ll be surprised how many you can fit in the jar if you REALLY pack them in (ie don’t just fill the jar…stuff the jar!). Once your jar is very full, pour honey over the blossoms. Start by pouring just a little, let it settle in amongst the blossoms, then add some more. Repeat until you can’t fit any more honey in the jar. When you check on your honey a day or so later, you will see that the blossoms have all floated toward the top of the jar. Give it a good stir to distribute the blossoms throughout before use. You can use the honey at any point- it does not need to steep, though it’s fine if it does. Lilacs have a flavor faintly reminiscent of citrus, and they may be a little bitter: I think the honey tempers this bitterness nicely. Lilac honey can be enjoyed on toast, biscuits, muffins, scones, etc. You can also just eat it off a spoon (local, raw honey can be helpful for spring allergies). If you don’t want to make lilac honey, other ways to use lilacs include tossing them into salads or drinks, candying them, or see the recipes I’ve linked to at the end of this post. I want to thank everyone for entering my Weck jar giveaway. I have notified the winner, but if you’d like to receive a 10% discount on Weck jars (plus free shipping if you spend more than $50), you may go ahead and use this link provided by Annie over at Mighty Nest. The coupon is good for one week from today. More recipes featuring lilacs: Lilac Ice Cream from Cookblog Lilac Cream Crepes from Taste of Home Lilac Jelly from Morgan Botanicals More info on lilacs: The Secrets of the Lilac by Jeanne Rose Lovely Lilacs at Care2.com ©2013 Healthy Green Kitchen

4.29 / 5 Stars | 3 Reviews by fueledbyhope "A blend of bananas, peaches, honeydew melon, orange-flavored yogurt, and orange juice, this tasty smoothie is a terrific way to start your morning." View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

4.75 / 5 Stars | 3 Reviews by Mike F "Hot, spicy, and sweet - this mango salsa made with fresh cilantro and habanero peppers is great with fish or chops, or just with chips." View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

4.37 / 5 Stars | 140 Reviews by Cathy "This recipe brings the authentic flavor of India into your kitchen. It's a delicious combination of red lentils (masoor daal), ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, onion and cumin. Serve over plain or spiced rice." View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

4.57 / 5 Stars | 86 Reviews by kimmers "Black beans and tomatoes are simmered with spices and herbs in this flavorful side dish from Argentina." View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

4.53 / 5 Stars | 578 Reviews by AJRHODES3 "A wonderful old-fashioned baked bean flavor. This recipe has served by family for 29 years and originally came from my mother-in-law. It tastes great served with fresh cornbread or biscuits and honey. Although you need to allow time for soaking and simmering the beans, this recipe is still quite easy." View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews