This Nasturtium Pesto, with it’s bright green color and bold flavor rings in Spring time. It’s of course, perfect over grain-free and gluten-free pasta. I served mine with millet capellini by Big Green Organic Foods because it’s pretty close to the real thing. This pesto is great over eggs in the morning, a topping on fish, or avocado toast, it’s the ultimate condiment. It is super easy to make, 9 ingredients total in the food processor, mortar and pestle or high speed blender.

Sticking with the unconventional and untraditional Thanksgiving side dish theme, I have come up with this stunning, incredibly delicious, different, and satisfying sweet potato dish. I literally created it on a dime, when recently wondering what to do with three vivid purple sweet potatoes sitting on and staring at me from the kitchen counter. I could have sworn I heard little voices screaming “eat me!” 

Okay, I will admit this side dish is not a very traditional Thanksgiving side dish but will make a great addition to a rounded-out and creative meal. I sometimes crave something other than the usual suspects, like mashed potatoes and stuffing, and preferably gluten-free and dairy-free. As I mention in the title, it is simple, super simple with only 8 ingredients, about 15 minutes of prep time and 20-25 minutes in the oven. I will personally take simple, easy, and non-complicated when it comes to a holiday meal. At least some of the dishes.

This sweet, exotic, crunchy spice topping is the sweet tooth’s answer to its savory counterpart from Egypt. Regular dukkah is a wonderful topping for labne (check out my Coconut Labne here), salads, soups, and main dish items while sweet flower dukkah can be sprinkled over dessert or crowning your favorite yogurt or hot cereal, at the start of the day. Be daring and use it on a savory dish. It’s packed with protein and antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. I love adding dried edible flowers to this dukkah as they add a pop of color. This is the thing I will be bringing with me everywhere this summer. Make a double recipe and keep some on hand for a last minute gift.

This dish is probably the most requested and made dish in my household. My husband adores it and asks me to make it frequently. I call it the kitchen sink quinoa salad because I generally tend to empty out my fridge and use up whatever is in there, in the dish and it always turns out great.

This salad highlights the season’s citrus, and we are lucky in California as we do get some citrus year-round. But now is the time. The bitter chicory complements the sweet, and the toasted hazelnuts add crunch. The sumac and the fennel pollen always make people ask me, “oh my gosh, what is IN that dressing?"

Radishes are one of my top favorite vegetables. There are beautiful to look at, available year round in most parts, versatile and highly nutritious.

With the days cooling down, I have been craving warming curry flavors and something cozy for some time now. Something creamy and coconutty and smooth, with a touch of Indian spices. I had some squashes left over from my Winter Squash Roundup post not long ago and wanted to use them, and whipped this up. 

Sometimes in the middle of the holiday season, in between the egg nog, hot cocoa, Christmas cookies and everything else this season brings, I need something fresh, something bright, something healthy.

Of all the cruciferous vegetables, Romanesco is by far the most beautiful and picturesque, chartreuse in color and spiny in texture. It tastes wonderful too, distinctly different from it’s white and dark green counter parts ( little more nutty in flavor).First documented in 16th century Italy, it is distinctly seasonal, a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving and holiday table.