Figs with Basil and Chevre

[dc]I[/dc] tried this delicious appetizer at a party recently in LA. “Why didn’t I ever think of this,” I thought? So simple, fresh, seasonal…and easy. So, I made it for my own party when I returned home and about 25 figs disappeared in about 5 minutes.

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Cleansing Spring Soup Salad

glasses-of-cleansing-soup-salad

This is one of my favorite things to make when I feel the need to eat lighter and cleanse. It is not only delicious, but also easy to digest. You will basically be putting your salad in the blender and blending it up till smooth and then drinking as if you were drinking a soup.…

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Beet Kvass – Ancient Eastern European Lacto-Fermented Beverage

glass-jar-of-beet-kvass

This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are loaded with nutrients. One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver, and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments. Beet kvass may also be…

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Dairy Kefir and Kefir Cream

dairy-kefir-cream

Kefir is one of the most powerful foods you can eat. It contains anywhere from 30-50 beneficial microorganisms that inhabit your gut and create colonies of helpful microflora. These little “good” bugs (not all bugs are created equal) literally become your immune system as they fight to protect you by killing invading pathogens (bad bacteria…

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Bone Broth

homemade-bone-broth-in-a-jar

“Indeed, stock is everything in cooking…without it nothing can be done.” Auguste Escoffier
Bbroth or stock as some call it is one of the most nutritious of foods. In many cultur­­es it is consumed almost daily. Ancient cultures would not think of throwing out the bones, the place that holds the essence of the animal. They knew to slowly cook them with water and maybe other herbs and ingredients to extract the precious life giving nutrients from them.

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Osso Bucco – Slow Braised Grassfed Veal or Beef Shanks

This is a warming winter dish and perfect to serve for a romantic Valentine’s meal. Osso Buco is traditionally made with veal shanks. You can, however, use this recipe with great success with regular beef shanks, or any beef or veal stew meat as well. Use 2-2 ½ pounds of stew meat. Make sure to…

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How to Roast a Chicken

Roast-Chicken-with-Pepper-and-Thyme

Roasting a chicken is something every cook should know how to do. It may seem intimidating at first, but it really is easy once you get the hang of it. I am going to give you the formula for making it work every time. But, first, let us talk about quality. Not every chicken is…

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Liver Lovin’ Spring Beet Salad (The Beet Naysayer Challenge)

plate-of-beet-salad

I am publishing this recipe for all of you Beet Naysayers out there who think you don’t like beets. I challenge you to try this recipe and then tell me how you feel about beets! This recipe makes beets taste so delicious that I had about 20 people come up and tell me that they thought they never liked beets, but this dish changed their mind…

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