Crispy Nuts for Happy Guts

Crispy NutsGuest Post by Rebekah Mocerino & Kaelin Kiesel-Germann

Do you love nuts? Is the feeling mutual? Or do nuts cause you digestive distress or “belly bedlam” as we like to call it. There is no doubt that nuts are an extremely nutritious snack. But did you know that nuts by nature are designed to give you tummy trouble? Continue reading Crispy Nuts for Happy Guts

CranAppleNut Muffins—Gluten-Free or Not

Cranapplenut Muffins (c) jfhaugenGot Cranberries?

Wahoo, here’s a great recipe for you if you remembered to freeze a bag or two of fresh cranberries last November or December. CranAppleNut Muffins are delicious. They have always been one of my favorites—even more so now that I’ve perfected a gluten-free Continue reading CranAppleNut Muffins—Gluten-Free or Not

Sugar Plums

Sugar Plums (c) jfhaugen

Everything Sweet and Delectable and Lovely

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads;”

Haven’t you always wondered what those children were seeing? Sugar plums must be something most wonderful, but what are they (and, as I love to cook, how do I make them)? Continue reading Sugar Plums

Fig Black Olive Walnut Tapenade

Fig, Black Olive &Walnut Tapenade Ingredients (c) jfhaugen

Healthful & Delicious Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres

“May the Calendar Keep Bringing
Happy Holidays To You.”

As the calendar brings us closer to Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, so it also brings happy holidays with an increase in parties and gatherings from now until New Year’s Day. With more and more of us eating cleaner and healthier diets, there also comes a quandary around the holidays—what to prepare and what to eat that is both healthful and delicious Continue reading Fig Black Olive Walnut Tapenade

Watercress, Belgian Endive & Pear Salad with Goat Cheese, Shallot-Mustard Vinaigrette & Maple-Glazed Walnuts

Watercress, Endive, Pear Glazed Walnut Salad w/ Shallot Mustard Vinaigrette “There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.”      ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well, maybe 15 minutes, but those are sacred minutes for eating a pear. Its texture becomes velvety, moist and glistens in the light. And its luscious, heavenly fragrance and  flavor are the essence of “pearness.” Continue reading Watercress, Belgian Endive & Pear Salad with Goat Cheese, Shallot-Mustard Vinaigrette & Maple-Glazed Walnuts

Pesto Genovese

Pesto Genovese (c) jfhaugen“Money can’t buy love, but it can buy pesto.”

This anonymous quote says it all—pesto is love itself. I admit to sometimes taking a spoon to my jar of homemade pesto and eating it plain, savoring the complexity of flavor and texture from the basil to the garlic to the nuts to the cheese to the velvetiness of the olive oil. Continue reading Pesto Genovese