Cold Chinese Sesame Noodles are a great make-ahead dish for lazy summer days or for entertaining. This has been in my recipe repertoire for over 20 years, and continues to be my go-to dish for summer entertaining. Keep it vegetarian, or add some shredded cooked chicken for a main course meal. I grew up eating…
Healthy Vegan Recipes
Quinoa Citrus Mango Avocado Black Bean Salad Recipe
This Quinoa Citrus Mango Avocado Black Bean Salad would make an excellent addition to any meal. Bright with citrus fruits, juicy with mangoes, creamy with avocado, and chock full of protein from quinoa and black beans. Spring is here but temperatures continue to fluctuate between warm and cool. Spring crops are just starting to come…
Mango Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe
Mango Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad is a beautiful, healthy salad that is perfect as a vegetarian main course salad or a side dish. I first made this vegetarian salad six years ago for a Ladies’ church luncheon. We used to host monthly lunches at people’s homes, and our pastor would stop by for a short…
Japanese Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe
Japanese Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing is a healthy and delicious recipe similar to what you find in many Japanese restaurants. I went to my first Japanese restaurant when I was a graduate student in New York City. I fondly remember the simple green salad served with this sweet and tangy carrot ginger salad dressing. I’ve…
Roasted Beets
Roasted Beets are simple to prepare and delicious in salads. I first became obsessed with roasted beets about nine years ago when I ordered the most amazing beet salad at a local restaurant (Farmer’s Table) that used home grown vegetables. It was right around the time when farm-to-table restaurants started to pop up everywhere. The…
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili Soup Recipe
Warm up your belly with this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili Soup – it’s hearty and healthy. 166 calories/1 Freestyle point per serving. Are you surviving the winter so far? I’ll be honest. There have been a few days where I wouldn’t have left the house if it weren’t for our little puppy who’s still…
Clean Eating Lentil Soup Recipe
This Clean Eating Lentil Soup is so easy to make and freezes really well. Make a batch, divide it into meal size portions, and freeze. When you’re yearning for a cup of hot soup, just pull a container out of the freezer. 94 calories/1 Freestyle point per cup. In the colder months of the year,…
Christmas Salad Recipe
This Christmas Salad is a delight for the eyes, perfect for the holiday season. I made this beautiful, jewel-toned salad for some special friends to kick off the holiday season. Featuring arugula and jewel-toned radicchio, beets, pomegranate arils, Medjool dates and macadamia nuts, this Christmas Salad is as delicious as it looks. This salad was…
Vanilla Soy Pudding
Vanilla Soy Pudding is light, healthy and delicious, perfect for a snack, breakfast or dessert. Vegan and vegetarian adaptable, and gluten-free. Suitable for soft-food diet. I made this vanilla soy pudding for a cancer patient who has been experiencing bad side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Some of the side effects include very bad mouth…
Cranberry Pear Sauce Recipe
This easy Cranberry Pear Sauce can be ready in less than 15 minutes; make it ahead of time for Thanksgiving or on the day of the big feast. For the past month, I’ve been volunteering in the kitchen at Grace Farms, a brand new community center in our town, built on 80 acres of open space for…
Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup is vegetarian and vegan friendly soup that is healthy, delicious and light. I made this Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup for a friend who just had oral surgery. She is one of the sweetest, most considerate and thoughtful person I know. Of course, she didn’t tell anyone she was having…
Oyster Sauce Tofu Recipe
Oyster Sauce Tofu is a delightful vegetarian main course that is light and healthy. My dad used to make oyster sauce tofu often. I was always so surprised by how a few simple ingredients could result in such a tasty dish. Often, the most humble dishes are the most delicious ones. 58 calories/serving; 2 Freestyle…
Farmer’s Market Corn Salad Recipe
Farmer’s Market Corn Salad features fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and basil at their peak. I made this simple corn salad for our Dominican Republic mission trip reunion this past weekend. It was the first time our group has gotten together since our trip in early August. We bonded during the nine days we…
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is an easy, healthy and delicious vegetable dish for everyday meals. I had this dish in Cantonese restaurants many times before I realized how easy it was to prepare at home. This week, I prepared a meal for one of our church families, including this side dish. Little did I…
Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Tacos Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Tacos are delicious and so flavorful, even non-vegetarians will enjoy them. Two of my boys are dating vegetarians, so during “girlfriend week,” I made vegetarian dinners along with regular meals to satisfy everyone’s dietary choices. The twins actually have high cholesterol (they inherited the bad cholesterol genes from my husband’s side…
Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad Recipe
This Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad is perfect for warm weather entertaining. Serve it as a dip for an appetizer, salsa on top of grilled chicken or fish, or as a salad. Casual summer dinners, barbecues and get togethers call for easy recipes that can be thrown together quickly with fresh in-season ingredients. I love…
Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho Recipe
Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho is a refreshing, healthy cold summer soup that features summer produce at their peak. My mom used to make gazpacho in the summertime. It was perfect for the sweltering heat as no cooking was involved and the soup was served cold – that’s a win win in my book. Most people either…
Georgian Tarragon Soda (Tarkhun) Recipe
Georgian Tarragon Soda (Tarkhun) is a refreshing drink with a touch of anise flavor, perfect for a hot summer day. Recently, I hosted a birthday party for our Georgian friend, and made this Georgian tarragon soda as a special treat. I learned of tarragon soda a number of years ago, but didn’t realize how easy it…
Georgian Beet Green Pkhali Recipe
Georgian Beet Green Pkhali are a traditional dish made with finely chopped beet greens, walnuts, garlic and herbs. Spinach Pkhali was one of the first Georgian dishes I tried when our Georgian friend invited us out for Georgian New Year a number of years ago. That evening remains fixed in my memory as everything we…
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Recipe
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice is a versatile whole grain side dish. Enjoy it with beans, with chili ladled on top, chicken carnitas, in burritos, or stirred into black bean soup. My boys love Chipotle Mexican Grill. It’s a restaurant chain that serves semi-fast Mexican food made largely with sustainable ingredients. They try to source antibiotic…
Caribbean Black Beans Recipe
Caribbean Black Beans is a quick and easy dish. Serve with grilled fish or chicken carnitas and steamed rice. I first made these black beans about twenty years ago, and still have the original recipe cut out from a magazine. Before the internet days, I used to clip out recipes and put my favorites in…