Homemade applesauce, although sort of resembles the store-bought stuff, blows it away with the soft texture and wonderful sweetness. Sometimes the simple things are worth making at home.
Applesauce is another homemade item that you probably think: “Shoot, that probably requires some tools I don’t have…” Actually… all you need is a peeler, knife, pot and smasher. Boom applesauce! It’s so stinkin easy that you will likely pull it right into your set of GO TO recipes.
The apples used in this recipe were of the variety “On Sale.” Yes, that is a variety most likely found at your grocery store. They may have been Fuji apples, but I forgot. I have made this easy applesauce recipe out of quite a few varieties of apples thus far and have not found a bad one. Some end up a little more tart than others, but absolutely edible. If it’s slightly tart, just give it a few days in the fridge and voilà it becomes sweeter.
This super quick kale salad recipe will remind you of your favorite Cesar salad, but without all the dressing! It features my favorite deep dark green lacinato kale. You will love this recipe as a savory contrast to the sweeter Massaged Kale with Cranberries and Sunflower Seeds.
The lemon juice with a little salt magically wilts down the greens making them soft and luxurious. I like to give this one a quick massage speed up the process and make it extra tender, but you can also just let the lemon and salt work their wilting magic over a few hours. Check out the video to learn how-to massage the kale!
Parmesan provides the blast of flavor. Be sure to look for a quality chunk of parmesan to grate into your salad, mmmmm… worth every penny. Even with the best parmesan you can find, you only need a few bucks worth for a whole dish! True Food Kitchen Restaurant and Cookbook Review
Recipe Inspiration:
Adapted from Dr. Weil’s cookbook, this is a close cousin to the Kale Salad served in the True Food restaurants. On my recent trip to Denver, I tried the real deal at True Food in Cherry Creek. The restaurant is super hip: fun concept and lots of veggies on the menu (but also some meat and booze — look, it’s a party; bring friends!)
The True Food – Cherry Creek experience: trendy neighborhood, fashionable folks, intellectual chatter and open concept kitchen and food prep areas. The layout and attitude implies respect and authenticity on HOW your TRUE FOOD is PREPARED, the heart of the “True Food” concept. The service had a educational flair, with the waiter answering all menu questions with an underlying knowledge of the health benefits. Bottom line, a cool place to stop by in Denver.
The salad was great at the restaurant, but a little pricey for my big appetite for greens. As with any great experience comes a price tag, but HOORAY: this salad is one you can make at home. Thank you, Dr. Weil — for the cookbook featuring many of True Food’s popular dishes. Filled with beautiful images and fun commentary from the Chefs who worked along side Andrew Weil in creating these recipes, this cookbook is a treat. Pick up the True Food cookbook and read the story of how Dr. Weil convinced the Chef to embrace the use of a garlic press. Funny stuff!
This dish with Quinoa, Black Beans, Cucumber and Avocado with Eggs is light, but hearty enough to refuel your tanks and support your journey to greatness. The combination of the vinegar, limes and cilantro creates a wonderful freshness that reinvigorates your soul through your daily grind.You never know, a great idea might even hit you over the head after lunch when you are NOT a wandering zombie in an afternoon coma…
Lunch is often a “human maintenance” meal for me. This translates to: I need food that fuels me through the rest of the crazy day, without leaving me ravenous or sleepy an hour later. Since I love to eat, it also kills me to just grab some junk food and call it okay. So I have been on a quest to find a lunch “supplement” that is filling, enjoyable, and healthy.
This recipe evolved from a bean and quinoa salad dish that my mom regularly makes at home. From that inspiration, I added some avocado and eggs to make it a little more savory and substantial enough to call it a meal. Without the eggs, it can also be a great side dish.
I like to use organic dried black beans cooked via the pressure cooking method, but you can use canned ones. I recommend spending the additional nickel and grabbing the organic ones if available. The organic version will have fewer preservatives and I usually feel less “musical” after the meal. Even if the upgraded beans are a couple bucks, you are nowhere near the cost of a cheeseburger! Treat yourself!
This is a great meal to partially prepare ahead of time, especially the beans and quinoa. I like to make a large batch of beans and quinoa, and store them (separately) in left-over containers in my fridge. They last for about a week without getting funky. With these prepped, you can pull together all kinds of healthy meals on the quick (and cheap).
Do you love hearing people comment on how awesome the dish you brought to the party is? I know I do! These delicious Bacon Wrapped Dates will delight your tastebuds with the rich sweetness from the dates contrasted by savory, salty bacon.
I’m exited to share this recipe with you because it’s kinda become my “thing.” I always bring my ” Dates” ;) to parties and secretly I can’t wait to hear, “oh my gosh, these are so good! Who brought these?!”
Now that my secret is out …
Not only are these delicious, they are SO EASY to make! I recommend getting the Uncured Bacon from Trader Joe’s because it is nitrate and nitrite free. You can also pick up a package of their Fancy Medjool Dates there, too. It ends up being analmost perfect ratio (sometimes there are a few dates left over that you can use in another recipe).
But wait, there’s more! These are also pretty healthy! So they have a high sugar content, but the protein and fat in the bacon helps slow down the absorption of the sugar into your bloodstream allowing it to disperse and digest normally. Dr. Mercola shares these various health benefits:
First and foremost, dates areeasily digested, allowing your body to make full use of their goodness.
Dates contain 6.4-11.5% of fiber which helps move waste through your colon and helps prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol absorption by binding with cancer-causing chemicals in your body.
Dates contain iron, potassium, B-vitamins, Vitamins A and K, copper, magnesium, manganese, niacin, pantothenic acid and riboflavin.
Together these factors help your body better metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Eating dates in moderation can contribute to many additional health benefits including stroke prevention, protecting against damage to cells from free radicals, as well as less chance of coronary heart disease and the development of colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
Large chunks of avocados spiked with a zesty lime vinaigrette, smiles are guaranteed. This dish is a great side or main player for a veggie based lunch. The good fats in the avocados will keep both your brain and stomach happy all afternoon. No h-Anger excuses!
(h-Anger defined: the annoyed and dangerous mindset that causes you to turn into a ravenous beast until you get junk food or another meal. No, coffee does not fix this condition. See additional details on the Urban Dictionary.)
I traveled and worked in downtown Los Angeles for many weeks last year. Of all the meals I ate throughout the city, my favorites primarily all came from this quick serve modern cafeteria restaurant on the basement level of the office building.
This mecca of lunch greatness, called Lemonade, seems to exist only in California and the Middle East (go figure…) at this point. This dish falls into their ‘marketplace portions’ category, consisting of relatively healthy, mostly veggie based, and super flavorful dishes. I was so excited to find such a truly filling and healthy option for lunch on the road that I ate there nearly everyday. Oh yeah, and on travel days I would eat it twice… oops. If you are flying Delta through LAX, you can find it right there in the terminal.
Since I am such an avid fan, of course I had to buy the cookbook. So now that my days traveling to L.A. are over, I am working through the recipes and plan to share a few more of my favorites in future posts. Got a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket? Pick up the The Lemonade Cookbook on Amazon.
True Food Kitchen Restaurant and Cookbook Review
. I recommend spending the additional nickel and grabbing the organic ones if available. The 
