Crispy Fennel & Apple Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette

What is it like? 

- Crunchy, crispy & juicy

- Super refreshing

Recipe

Serves 4-6, prep 10 minutes

1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly, white part only; also slice 2 tbsp of the fronds
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large apple, sliced small
Onion, diced
1/4 cup parsly, sliced
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp wine whine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste 

Directions: 

1. Chop all of the vegetables and the apple and place them in a large bowl. 
2. Add the raisins, drizzle the salad with white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt to taste, toss and serve! 
3. This salad makes great leftovers, just add a little more vinegar or lemon before serving it the next day. 

Sweet Pork Spring Rolls, perfect for dipping

What are they like? 

- Crispy

- A gentle fusion of Asian-American flavors 

- Sweet & salty 

Here is a photo of the filling, which is also great just served with rice.

Recipe

Fried or fresh, your choice! 

1 lb ground pork OR baked tofu
1 tsp preferred oil, plus 2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 onion
4 leaves of green cabbage, chopped very thinly
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or too taste, plus low sodium soy sauce for dipping 

Optional: 

If you are eating these fresh, add a large piece of crispy romaine lettuce or bean sprout to add a nice crunch! 

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp preferred oil, such as grape seed or olive oil (the olive oil tastes great in the recipe, even though it is not an asian flavor). 
2. Sauté the ground pork with the onion for about 8 minutes, until the pork is almost cooked. Then add the rest of the ingredients and sauté until the cabbage is tender if you plan to eat the spring rolls fresh*. 
3. Prepare the gluten free spring roll rice wraps according to package instructions. Usually they sit in warm water for about 30 seconds until they become soft and pliable. Spread the rice wrap out on a plate, place 2 heaping spoonfuls of the pork filling in the wrap, roll them up (like a burrito), and serve! 

These rolls have such great flavor that I prefer not to mask it with a strong sauce, simply dip them in low sodium soy sauce. 

*If you plan to shallow fry these spring rolls, make sure the pork is cooked, but the cabbage should still be a little tough to chew. To shallow fry, make the rolls with the slightly undercooked filling, heat 1/2 inch of high smoke point oil (such as grape seed or canola oil) in a clean pan over medium heat and place the rolls in the oil. The oil should be about 375°F and you will probably need to turn down the burner after the first few minutes of cooking. Cook the rolls until they are light brown and then flip them and repeat. Place the rolls on a paper towel-lined sheet to cool. 

Colorful Bell Peppers with Almond-Herb Pilaf

What are they like? 

- Refreshing 

- Full of flavor (lemon, olive oil, herbs & almonds) 

- Bursting with color 

Recipe

Serves 2-4, 15 min prep, 40 min cooking

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Pilaf
1/2 cup long grain rice
scant 1 cup water
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp slivered almonds

Peppers
2 bell peppers, any color
1/2 cup water
juice from one lemon, plus more for serving    
2 tbsp olive oil 

Topping
1 cup plain yogurt OR  plain tahini* (or both!) 
1 clove raw garlic crushed, optional 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare the pilaf, heat a 2 quart pan over medium heat until warmed. Add 2 tbsp oil, onion, and carrot and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the pilaf ingredients, bring to a boil, and then immediately lower to a simmer for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. The rice will be al dente and it will finish cooking in the oven.

3. While the rice cooks, slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the stem. Choose a baking dish that is large enough to hold the peppers (an 8x8 pyrex works great). Add 3/4 cup water, 2 tbsp olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon to the dish. Spoon the pilaf into the peppers, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 40 minutes or until the peppers are fork tender.

4. Mix together the ingredients for the topping.

5. Before serving the peppers, drizzle with garlic yogurt or tahini and serve. Be sure to pour some of the sauce over the peppers. Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice.

*You can use 1/4 cup plain tahini for a subtle flavor, which is excellent, or mix together tahini and lemon (if it curdles and or becomes thick, stir in a teaspoon or two of water to smooth the texture). The garlic is optional. 

*Garlic yogurt is a common topping in Turkish cooking.

Smokey Wild Rice Pilaf

What is it like? 

- Smokey 

- Intense, balanced flavor

- Hardy 

Recipe

1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup smoked bacon tips* OR vegan bacon
2 chicken thighs OR butternut squash for vegan
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup white wine, optional
2 cups water
1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1 tbsp dried or fresh parsly
1/4 cup slivered almonds or 2 tbsp pine nuts, optional

Directions:

1. Rinse rice and place in a pan with 2 cup water over high heat. Once it boils, turn it down to low to simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon. If you bacon is regular high fat variety, reduce the heat a little and allow to brown. Then remove and pour out the fat and cook the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.
3. Meanwhile, slice the celery and pepper. Once the meat is browned (but not cooked through), set aside. Then, sauté the vegetables over medium heat for about 7 minutes. While the vegetables cook, measure the wine and slice the bacon into small pieces and the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Turn the heat up for about 30 seconds and then add the wine (it will boil rapidly so be careful not to get burned by the steam).
5. Drain the wild rice.
6. Add the water, drained rice, and the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat up to high. Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes, or until it is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano) and steamed chard or other steamed vegetable. Chard is best when cooked to the point when the leaves’ veins are still crisp.

*You can substitute your favorite regular bacon, especially one that is strongly flavored, like Black Forest variety. If you do not have this kind of bacon, try adding smoked sea salt or smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.

Greek Salad

Recipe

1 cucumber, chopped
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped or whole
1/2 cup green onions, chopped (lightly placed in cup)
lemons juice, to taste
1-2 tbsp olive olive oil
salt, to taste
Optional garnish: Feta (baked tofu for dairy free)*

Directions:
Chop all of the vegetables and place in a bowl. Lastly, squeeze lemon juice over the top, add a drizzle of olive oil, and salt to taste.

* For the vegan feta, I crumbled up gluten free and dairy free baked tofu and tossed the crumbs in a tsp of coconut oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. It offers a great texture.