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?"

I drink a Matcha Latte almost daily, made with home made nut milk and ceremonial grade Matcha tea. My mother-in-law used to teach green tea ceremony from Japan and gifted me, years ago a large can of ceremonial grade matcha. It is difficult to drink anything else. So naturally when I thought about creating this tapioca pudding dessert, I used the same tea. But honestly, don’t feel the pressure or necessity to use ceremonial grade, I am sure other matcha’s will do the trick

This garlicky, lemon artichoke dip is a real crowd pleaser. Perfect for entertaining, the last time I made it, it disappeared in 5 minutes flat, I am not exaggerating. I think it was the crispy Charred Shallots. The artichoke dip itself, is made with canned or jarred artichokes, available year round. It is garlicky, lemony and creamy, great with sliced vegetables, almond crackers or chips.

It’s cooling down a bit this week on the West Coast and this dish is the perfect cozy, cinnamony, filling and warm breakfast dish for chilly mornings although I do enjoy it as an afternoon snack. I love serving it with a bit of extra nut milk, sheep yogurt or dollop of coconut whip cream, my guilty pleasure is Truwhip.

Here, finally is that nettle soup I promised you a few weeks ago. Nettle is another one of my favorite nutritional powerhouses. High in minerals and antioxidants including vitamin C. It may reduce inflammation, treat hay fever, lower blood pressure, aid in lowering blood sugar and treat enlarged prostate

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

Let’s be honest though, there is nothing like homemade nut milk. What makes a homemade nut milk work? It needs to be creamy and rich without being too thick.

The winter months bring an abundance of mushrooms. The health benefits of mushrooms are no longer a secret. The supplement aisle in your natural food market is robust with medicinal mushrooms for the immune system, the brain and beyond.

This tea has long been my cold and flu season go-to. I try to make this tea as gingery and lemony as I possibly can, so it almost tastes like medicine, that way it makes me feel like it’s doing something.

I have always loved the crumbly and buttery shortbread-like texture of a Mexican wedding cookie, the melty and soft sensation of the powdered confectioner’s sugar in my mouth, has carried me to new heights. The reality now is I can’t really eat flour, sugar, butter, as a combo deal, not if I don’t want to feel crummy later. Behold the challenge of how to achieve this mouth sensation dairy, gluten and sugar free. I am certain we have achieved an as close as you can get to the real thing cookie and maybe even better then the real thing.

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. 

I like making this easy frittata ahead and having it as a grab-and-go lunch option when I am between meetings, school pick up, recipe testing and holiday shopping and may sometimes forget to eat. This is filling and super tasty with a side salad, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

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.

Last year I lent this recipe to the lifestyle site Flaura Wellness, so many of you missed seeing it. And with the growth of Amalgam Kitchen I have decided to post it here on the site for you to enjoy this year, because it is just so darned good.

For starters I just want to say to all the vegans out there, that this can be made vegan by simply omitting the feta cheese or by using a vegan cheese instead. I have done it before with no feta or feta substitute and it is equally delicious. This dish is super easy to make and so colorful and flavorful. So many holiday side dishes particularly Thanksgiving side dishes pack a sweetness punch and although there are hints of sweet in this dish from the pomegranate seeds and the pomegranate molasses (only one tablespoon) drizzled over the whole dish, they are subtle, it’s the tang from the apple cider vinegar and the lemon zest that really stand out.

One of the hardest parts about eating gluten-free and mostly grain-free is the mouth feel and taste of gluten and grain free baked goods. It is often, never quite the same experience with the alternatives.

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.

It is often times a vegetarian is over looked at the Thanksgiving table when it comes to a main dish. In the past when I was fully vegetarian, my meal consisted of a plate full of vegetarian sides, which in all honesty was fine for me. Mashed potatoes, candied yams, green beans, and corn bread back in the day, was fine by me. However there were times I wanted something special as a holiday main dish.

Nothing speaks to the holidays more than pumpkin pie. I am a sucker for a good pumpkin pie. And now that I don’t really do gluten flour or refined sugar I have struggled. What to do when one does not want to bake a pie? When one craves a grab and go pumpkin pie kind of situation? A sweet treat days before Thanksgiving? Well you bake pumpkin pie bars.