Preserved lemon is typically found in Moroccan tagines and in Ayurvedic cuisine as a remedy for stomach issues and goes as far back to 18th century England. Adding preserved lemons to a recipe is like adding a pop of color to your finished dish, chopped up pieces of the lemon rind will add such a nice flare to salad dressing, soups, pesto, sauces, baked chicken, or fish dishes and beyond. I love adding small pieces of preserved lemon to many savory recipes for that special umami surprise when one would not expect it.

Recently, I completed a 10-day winter reset using Macrobiotic and Ayurvedic principles in the food I prepared, and my husband and I ate.

In Macrobiotics, founded by George Osawa, one of the main principles is to be in harmony with nature. Also, what is emphasized is an acid, alkaline balance as well as the selection of foods which are considered anti-inflammatory, organic, and locally sourced when possible and based on combining healthy traditional food, including fresh vegetables, whole grains or their products, beans, fruit, nuts, seeds, pickles, fermented foods, herbs, seasonings, sea vegetables, and teas.

A version of these cookies was first featured in my Chronicle Books 2009 book I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas. They were super tasty but full of gluten and sugar. Here in the Amalgam Kitchen, we decided to turn the recipe on it’s head and make them not only Paleo but almond free, I explained in my last post, I recently became aware I am allergic to almonds. We developed this new version with my ultimate grain-free baker’s blend and added some dried cranberries and boy, am I telling you, we have a winner here. It’s half way between a short bread and a chewy cookie and packed with sweetness from the cranberries and crunch from the walnuts with a distinct maple over tone. This cookie is a must add to your holiday baking and dare I say it should stick around until winter’s end, guilt free.

I recently took a blood food sensitivity and allergy test (the Dunwoody) at my doctor. Here is an at home version, if you are feeling like you need to know about your potential food allergies. I sadly learned I was allergic or had a high sensitivity to some of my most favorite foods. Coming in first place was almonds, the precious nut I (seriously) eat every day of my life in some form or another. Almond milk, almond pasta, almond bread, almond creamer, almond crackers, you get the picture.

Labne (Labneh) is a Middle Eastern strained dairy yogurt, having removed most of the whey, the yogurt cheese has a thicker and richer consistency, similar to the tangy taste of sour cream. It is super easy to make and goes well as a topping, side or appetizer with so many things. What’s more, this recipe is dairy-free, made from coconut yogurt which is full of probiotics and healthy fats. It couldn’t be more simple, requiring only 4 ingredients.

Fall brings cooler, crisper weather and shorter days as well as a beautiful host of seasonal fruits including pears, apples, pomegranates and my favorite, persimmons. This bread uses Hachiya persimmon, which are great for baking because as they ripen, their flesh turns very soft and purée-like, which is great for incorporating sweetness and adding a rich darker color to your bread batter. Dates and walnuts are perfect companions to the persimmon in this delightful fall quick bread, perfecting suited for with an afternoon cup of tea.

The sumptuous, sweet, luscious sensuous fig is at the height of it’s glory at this moment. But blink and the season will be gone. This smoothie is sweet but not too sweet, creamy, and packed with plant protein from Mikuna, made from the the low-lectin, regenerative crop Choco and is only one ingredient. It is truly one of my favorite protein powders.

This cold sesame soba noodle salad recipe is a favorite from my cook book, Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic, published by Chronicle Books in 2010.

It’s official, popsicle season is here. Nothing like a refreshing, juicy and sweet cold treat to beat the heat. Strawberries are still in season, shining stars at the moment but run don’t walk to your nearest farmers market as they are peaking now.

I originally developed this recipe 16 years ago for my cook book Anna Getty’s easy Green Organic. It was one of those recipes I tried over and over again to get it just right. It is by far my favorite quick bread, over the Gluten-Free School-Is-In Banana Bread and my Sweet Potato Bread with Walnuts and Cranberries, and those are both really really good.

I promised you some smoothies after I posted my Velvety Hemp Milk and here are my favorite three smoothies this spring.

This hemp milk is more than creamy, it is velvety and silky. The two things which make it so are 1) The Cap Beauty Daily The Coconut Butter , which is a 100% stone ground, next level in texture and taste coconut butter. The fat from the coconut butter makes this milk last in the fridge for an epically long time, up to 7 days. 2) And using Ellie’s Best Nut Milk bags , which every time yield, the perfect pulp-free nut milk.

What can I say about this sauce? This Creamy Miso Tahini Sauce is the sauce of all sauces. Full of flavor and creamy goodness, it is simple, quick and easy as it gets. Toss 7 ingredients into the blender or food process and puree till smooth. It stores in the fridge for up to seven days. It is perfect poured over quinoa, steamed Japanese sweet potatoes and avocado.

This salad was inspired by my favorite salad at the now closed, Campanile, created by renowned chef Nancy Silverton (of Osteria Mozza), Mark Peel and Manfred Frankl. It has actually been closed since 2012. Sniff, sniff. The restaurant was beautifully housed in one of Charlie Chaplin’s former offices on La Brea Boulevard in Los Angeles and the food was uncomplicated yet inventive and impeccable.

One of my most favorite things about traveling to Britain is the afternoon tea service. Complete with cucumber tea sandwiches, petit-fours, a tea pot with hot tea and scones with jam and Devonshire clotted cream. The service is decadent and such a beautiful ritual to share with good friends and family.

Asparagus tall and honorable, embodies the crisp and bright days of Spring. Asparagus is rich in fiber, folic acid, Vitamin K, chromium and amino acids. It is on the top of my list of my favorite spring veggies.

This recipe was originally developed for my cookbook, Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic. I was a long time fan of deviled eggs and adding curry powder was my special touch. Now I have revamped the recipe to include crispy Basmati Rice and Indian lime pickle which is at once spicy and tangy.

I have been a fan of Coffee Cake for a long long time, however, it is normally made of gluten and filled with refined sugar and so I don’t eat it. I love the moist cake and the thick layer of the crunchy crumble topping.