As we head (hopefully) into the spring thaw, have you sowed your spinach seeds yet? Spinach grows very quickly, and you can even sow seeds over snow cover as it thaws for early spring germination.

High in protein, calcium and iron, quinoa (say: keen-wa) is also gluten-free, making the seeds a fantastic choice for vegetarians and those with celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet, as well as everyone else. When cooked, it is fluffy like rice with a mild, nutty flavor and uncooked can also be ground into a flour for use in baked goods.

As winter meets spring, the warmth of the salad fights the still chilly breeze, and the freshness of the spinach foreshadows the bounty that will soon erupt from your garden. It's my favorite time of year, and can I feel myself get anxiously giddy at the thought of the breeze slowly shifting from cold and biting to warm and soothing. I'm ready to break out the lawn chairs and eat dinner on the grass…if only all this snow would melt.

This salad is the perfect accompaniment to an early spring gardening session, clearing out debris, moving leaves from atop the plants and mixing the winter's compost with the topsoil to get the earth ready for planting. Have you started thinking about your spring gardening plans yet?

Lemon Quinoa Salad with Feta and Wilted Spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups fresh baby spinach

4 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked quinoa

¼ cup feta cheese

Juice and zest from one Meyer lemon

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the spinach and scallions. Cook over medium heat until spinach begins to wilt. Add garlic, toss and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the cooked quinoa and continue to sauté until quinoa is heated through. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the salad, add zest and feta. Stir to combine and immediately remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 meal-sized servings or 4 sides.

This week Andrew shared about a Hummus recipe with us on Facebook. We thought that sounded so tasty, we asked him if we could share it with all of you, and he agreed! So below is the recipe from Andrew's girlfriend Karie, and here is a picture of Andrew and Karie, from Virginia Beach, VA:

Andrew & Karie's Hummus Recipe:

• 1 can garbanzos, drain and save liquid
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (or other green like parsley or spinach)
• 4-5 slices canned jalapeños, minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 lemon juice
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Put all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth adding one or more of the 3 liquids until it's not to thick to spread on bread. (Makes a great sandwich with mayo, b&b pickles and romaine- yum!)

Thanks for sharing Andrew! And if you have any recipes please share them with us too!

The popularity of microwave popcorn boggles my mind.

Why would one choose to spend more money, increase packaging waste and eat artificial flavors when the natural option saves money, reduces packaging waste, has no artificial ingredients and tastes better?!?

We all love to snack – especially kids. So in our house, we regularly use our hot air popcorn popper to indulge our cravings, while having a healthy, natural snack.

I purchase a bulk sized container of hot air popping corn and it lasts us months! My kids, especially my two year old, love the excitement of the popping corn and the smell that permeates the house.

After it is popped, I add a bit of melted Olive Oil margarine and a sprinkle of salt (not too much of course!) and we curl up on the couch for a popcorn party.

If your family is in the habit of eating potato chips, why not switch to popcorn to satisfy them? And if you have been using the microwave to pop your corn, this Year, break free and use a hot air popper.

And here is a popcorn popping tip from a veteran popcorn popper:

If you find your popcorn maker sends popcorn bouncing right out of the bowl and all over your kitchen, grab a tea towel and hold it loosely around the popper and bowl. Much less mess – but don’t hold it too close. That air is hot!

It's February, and if you're anything like me, now is the time when you start wishing for the thaw.  The snow has come, I had fun, and now, well, now I'm ready to plant my garden.  This time of year definitely has me digging deep into my freezer to pull out the frozen products from last year's gardening efforts.  I use my pesto stash much more freely, and a few days ago, I pulled out a few containers of shredded zucchini that I had parboiled and just slightly and frozen.

While I had been overwhelmed by the amount of zucchini my single plant seemed to produce last year, seeing those white and green shreds packed deep in my freezer were a welcome contrast to my overcast, gray winter days.  If you don't have your own, don't worry.  Just buy a bag of frozen pieces and send them through the food processor.

I had planned on making zucchini bread loaves when I originally took my zucchini out of the freezer to thaw, but my mind was changed indefinitely when I visited Deb's blog and saw these.  I instantly started dreaming of a creamy orange-kissed center inside my favorite quick bread mix.  It didn't disappoint.

For me winter wouldn't be complete without a few good soups...or perhaps more than a few.  There is no better way to warm up on a cold winter day than with a cup of soup in hand, as it warms you straight down to your gut.  If not the main course, soups provide the perfect starter to ease you in to a hearty meal as well.

If you remember, I was just waxing poetic on the virtues of overwinter leeks, but then I left you waiting for an actual soup recipe to use them in and only provided you with a way to turn the parts of the leek you wouldn't use into a broth.  I intend to rectify that today.  A simple leek and onion bisque will make use of all the vegetables we didn't use when we made our vegetable broth.

This soup would make a fantastic starter to a grass-fed braised pot roast dinner, but it makes a meal of itself when paired with a loaf of homemade bread.  It's a winter offering of warmth in a cup.

I am not sure how my family would survive without avocados.

I can always count on avocados as a quick, healthy way to feed my kids.

As babies and toddlers, avocados were staples in their diets. Both my kids loved to devour slices of avocados and I was so grateful that they were eating a food packed with healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, nutrients and protein.

And now as my children get a bit older, I still keep avocados as a regular in all of our diets. I especially love to add them to wraps. We eat all kinds of salad wraps, quesadillas, etc. and avocados are perfect for all of them!

Here is a quick wrap idea to feed your kids (or you!)

Avocado and Dried Cranberry Wrap

Ingredients

Flour Wraps - I use whole wheat, multigrain or high fibre white

Sliced or Diced Avocados

Light Cream Cheese

Dried Cranberries

Directions

Spread cream cheese on wraps and arrange avocado slices

Top with dried cranberries

Wrap!

Now, how easy was that? Enjoy!

During the winter, I miss the fresh produce of spring and summer. I long for my grocery basket brimming with berries and veggies straight from the soil at our local farmer’s market.

But fortunately, we have lots of wonderful frozen fruit and vegetable options these days to keep us going through these cold, long months.

My favorite frozen food that my family eats every single day is blueberries! We add them to cereal, smoothies or eat them plain. My kids love them, I love them, and they are oh so packed with vitamins and nutrients – it is win, win, win!

If you and your kids are missing the sweet pies and treats from the holiday season, but you are trying to trim off the fat this New Year, here is a super simple treat that I whip up for my family: Steamed Apples and Blueberries.

Ingredients

3 apples, peeled and sliced

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup water

Directions

Toss sliced apples in lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Add apple mixture, blueberries and water to saucepan

Cover and bring to a boil

Reduce heat and keep covered to steam apples (you may want to check periodically to ensure there is still enough liquid and it doesn’t burn)

When apples are tender, mix corn starch with a splash of water and stir into sauce to thicken

Once sauce is thickened, allow to cool for 3-10 minutes before serving

Serve warm (add a dollop of whipped topping or cream if desired)

Leeks are a fantastic vegetable in the winter time because they can be left in the ground until you're ready to eat them. They're a near essential in winter soups. Paired with a broth, a few other vegetables and a bit of cream to fill you up, leeks are sure to become a staple on your winter comfort food list.

What I don't like about leeks and particularly leeks in soups is that most recipes are only looking for the white and light green portion of the leek, discarding the rest.  In fact, most things that require peeling and pitting and seeding and juicing seem wasteful to me.  I like to repurpose.  The good news is that you can salvage the dark green portions along with your other vegetable waste and turn it into a flavorful vegetable broth that will act as the base for those same soups.

Start with the dark green portion of your leek.  Then chop both ends off of a large sweet onion, peel and save both the ends and the papery skin.  Chop half of it.  Remove the leafy tops and the bottom root ball of the celery.  Crush 8 to 10 cloves of garlic.

After heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot, add all of the vegetable scraps aside from the onion ends and skin and the celery root ball.  We can add those later.  Sauté the roughly chopped vegetables for 10 minutes until they sweat and soften up.

Hands down, my favorite part of holiday baking is the smells.  Whether it's lemon and rum in my cookies or cinnamon and cloves in a cake, the house is warmed from the heat of the oven and filled with scents of sugar and spice.

Gingerbread is one of those smells for me.  Soft and inviting, this delicious cake is full of all the spices that remind me of this time of year.  What better way to top it off than with a bit of holiday cheer whipped up into a cloud of fluffy white on top?

Black Friday has arrived; the countdown to Christmas is officially in full swing.  The crowds have descended upon the malls and mass merchandisers, and I'm holed up at home, laughing about how my holiday shopping is finished.  Completed.  Done.  The only thing left for me to do is to cook up a storm from the comfort of my own home.



Winter is a hard time to find locally grown produce if you live in climates where the cold temperatures freeze the ground.  Winter squash is one vegetable that is easily stored through the winter and allows you to keep eating local even when the only thing growing outside your front door is the pile of snow at the end of the driveway. 



I had purchased a butternut squash about a week ago with no plans as to how I was going to use it.  Inspiration hit hard as I was digging through a cupboard or two, trying to gain some sense of organization as I planned my baking list.  I saw a lone bag of pine nuts and I instantly knew how to kick off my winter comfort food marathon.



Potato and Butternut Sage Gratin with Chèvre (click on post title for full recipe)