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Winter Salad with Chicken, Root Veggies & Champagne Vinaigrette
If you thought salad was only a summer dish, I promise this Winter Salad with Chicken, Root Veggies & Champagne Vinaigrette is sure to change your mind. This salad has a ton of warming flavors with a winter vibe from the rosemary to root veggies with lots of options for you to customize to your family’s needs.
This Winter Salad with Chicken, Root Veggies & Champagne Vinaigrette is a wonderful way to celebrate the bounty of the season with a meal-sized salad FULL of nutrients and valor.
First up is the roasted rosemary balsamic garlic chicken that smells like a night with heavy snow and everyone hanging out by the fire all nicely warm and cozy. This chicken is quick to cook, but you can also plan ahead and prep the chicken a day or two ahead, if you are someone who batch preps your proteins at the start of the week. It makes easy weeknight meals even easier. If you want to this Winter Salad to be a side dish to another protein, simply leave the chicken out.
Next up we have some roasted sweet potatoes that add a nice sweetness and texture and can take the place of croutons any day. You may be surprised with the roasted beets in this salad but the nutty earthy flavor they provide pairs very nicely with the rosemary chicken. A sprinkle of goat cheese and chopped pecans are the perfect final add-ins. The topper is the champagne vinaigrette. It sounds fancy, it tastes fancy, but don’t worry it is very simple to make and I’m pretty sure this will become a staple dressing.
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Fall Frittata with Pancetta, Apples, Greens and Goat Cheese {grain-free, low-carb/keto, options for whole30, paleo}
This Fall Frittata with Pancetta, Apples, Greens and Goat Cheese is loaded with warming, autumn flavors and some unique, unexpected twists. Wait till you try this one. This frittata is grain and gluten-free, as well as low-carb / keto-friendly, leave out the cheese for paleo, Whole30 and dairy-free. Read on below for many variations and options with this recipe, so many ways to make this one.
There was a time I would feel personally violated when someone would put fruit into my savory foods. I always thought ‘keep your dang fruits out of my salads, thank you.’ Then I discovered the beauty of blueberries or pears in a salad, cranberries with a baked squash and yes, even apples in my eggs.
This fall frittata brings layers and levels of flavors, sweet and savory, warming and cozy. It’s a pretty fuss-free recipe that is perfect for entertaining. A big WOW without much trouble at all. I made this recently when my friend Daniele came to visit. I prepped all the components ahead, when she got here I assembled it all and placed it on my Traeger Grill. We popped a bottle of prosecco and had the time to start getting caught up while the frittata baked.
I really like this frittata on our Traeger Grill. The smokey, wood fired flavor is a really nice addition to everything going on and I love that I avoid standing over the stove and heating up the house – it is still warm here in Southern California, been in the 90s here all week. You can also just easily pop it into the oven.
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Mini Frittata Egg Bites {gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30}
These Mini Frittata Egg Bites are a wonderful, easy-to-make, one-bite breakfast treat that is perfect for entertaining, great for the holidays, light, simple and super, duper customizable. Read on for lots of flavor options.
One of the perks of this strange career path I have embarked on, is the incredible experiences and opportunities to understand and investigate our food further. I consider it a great blessing that I am able to get behind the scenes and truly see where our food is coming from – as this is of high importance to me, to learn, to educate myself and to share with all of you, to hopefully empower you with the knowledge to make the best choices for your family.
To boil it down quite simply, first, personally I want my food to be nutrient-dense and second, I want it to be bullsh*t free! As a long supporter of Vital Farms I was beyond honored when they asked if I would come to Missouri to tour some of their farms, to meet the growers and most importantly to see how their Girls on Grass live, the pastures they graze on and a peek behind the scenes at how they run things.
I am beyond excited to share that everything this company boasts if truly a reality. No BS! Right down to Stuart, the farmer featured in their incredible new campaign, he’s a real farmer, with Vital Farms. I spent the afternoon on his farm. Across the board on all of Vital Farms’ farms, the beautiful hens are raised under humane conditions and they have time on pasture, daily, each bird getting a minimum of 108sqft of pasture to roam (compared to less than 1 foot that a cage-free hen gets or the 2sqft that a free-range hen receives).
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Sheet Pan Crustless Quiche with Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese {gluten-free + keto, options for paleo and Whole30}
Sleeping in on the weekend, rolling out of the bed at a leisurely pace and enjoying a feast of a brunch, this is something we all long for.
Inspired by local and seasonal fare, the new Saturday brunch buffet at catalina kitchen, at Terranea Resort, goes beyond bacon and eggs to bring you the ultimate weekend brunch experience. A culinary adventure that is sure to satisfy every palate, the epic spread celebrates the best of what California has to offer, through fresh, inspired dishes.
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Grain-free French Tomato Tart {Paleo-friendly}
How are we rounding the corner to the second half of August already? Where has this summer gone? This is about the time of the season where I start to feel a bit like a crazed maniac, trying to consume as much of the seasonal produce that I can, before it’s gone again until next year.
The heirloom tomatoes have been particularly beautiful this year. They are like luscious, vibrant gemstones. We’ve mostly been enjoying them in summer salads, often as the solo star of the show, but this tart has got to be my favorite way to enjoy them, right now.
A rustic savory pie meets pizza, meets a sophisticated sandwich. This tart is so simple to put together, you could easily impress guests and whip it up for a weekend brunch, a picnic or tea! (I like how I say tea like I have ever in my actual adult life hosted a tea).
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Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Fennel and Cranberry Meyer Lemon Salsa
‘Tis the season for sweets and treats, Christmas cookies and cocktails galore. You guys already know by now that I am one for balance and not setting such strict rules on yourself that you restrict everything completely and end up flailing around and ruining your lifestyle after one “slip up”. Balance and occasional indulging is important, especially during this special time of year. However, I am also someone that absolutely HAS to have my daily greens. It absolutely is not an option for me to skip out.
I believe a few treats here and there during the holidays can be a special indulgence without derailing all the special attention you give to your food, lifestyle and your health throughout the year. But, I also feel that just means it is more important than ever to make sure you are getting the good things. Nourishing, properly prepared, nutrient-dense foods – this is precisely the fuel our body needs to get through this hectic, and oftentimes stressful, time of year.
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Roasted Beet and Persimmon Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette
First of all, I have to be honest and tell you that I really wanted to call this post “Ode to Persimmon”. If you can believe it, just a couple weeks ago, I finally tried a persimmon for the first time ever. Yup, to my knowledge, I had never had one until very recently. I haven’t been actively avoiding them, by any means, it just hadn’t happened. I mostly attribute it to growing up in Western New York, where they don’t seem to grow and aren’t as common. On the contrary they seem to be everywhere out here in California.
For me, it was love at first bite. A persimmon is unlike anything I have ever tasted before. I honestly can’t compare their flavor or even their texture to anything else, they are a completely unique and beautiful creation. Their size and look seems more like something of the tomato family than any other fruit. The flesh is soft and creamy, similar to a peach or nectarine, but not as juicy. Something about the sweetness reminds me of dates, but I can’t put my finger on it. The skin of persimmons is edible.
So far, I have enjoyed the persimmons I have been getting in my CSA boxes, raw, sliced or eaten like an apple, in smoothies and in salads. This particular salad has quickly become a favorite of mine. It has the earthy rustic flavor of the beets, with soft sweetness from the persimmons, the creamy, richness of the goat cheese in contrast plus the fresh and bright flavor of the micro-greens (ir a baby green if you so choose instead) and finished with the toasted nuttiness of the tart vinaigrette.
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Grain-free Flatbread with Balsamic Basil Pesto, Peaches, Goat Cheese and Arugula
For me one of the hardest things about blogging has been deciding how much of my personal life to share with my readers. As someone who seemingly only shares gluten-free recipes and the food I am eating, it is quite hard between this site and the various social media outlets, to not let my personal life seep in now and again. How could it not?
While having your life on display can be challenging at times, the incredible trade-off that I have found, both as a blogger and a regular reader of many blogs myself, are the many wonderful positive connections I have made with amazing people – all over the world. Especially through these bits of our personal lives being “out there”. Reading the words and stories of my fellow bloggers and the thoughtful comments of my own readers, have created so many beautiful and meaningful friendships – many with people whom I have never even met.
I met Danielle of Against All Grain several years ago through our blogs, after she had been commenting on my blog and vice versa. She has such a delightful, comforting and nurturing soul. I have always greatly admired the passion she has for sharing her story and her desire to help others gain control of their life and their health through eating.
When Danielle so bravely shared on her blog, her family’s news and journey with her recent pregnancy and then the loss of their daughter Aila Jane Walker, I wanted to reach through the screen, hold her in the tightest hug and cry with her. I wanted to help anyway I could, to show up at their doorstep with food, to comfort them and take care of them, the way Danielle has done for so many people, herself.
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Roasted Grape and Rosemary Savory Goat Cheese Mini Tarts {Grain-Free}
For me, I really don’t think there can ever be too much of the good things in life. Whether that be the grapes growing on the vines in our yard or the incredible lady friends I have met through blogging. I just can’t get enough of either these days.
When my girls Gina of So Let’s Hangout and Emily of The Pig and Quill invited me to be a part of #soletspigout, their virtual summer potluck – I just couldn’t say no! I mean what I would really love is to hang out with all of these fantastic bloggers in person, in the real life – stuffing our faces with food and chatting it up about blogging and all the weird things we do. But, I suppose this is the next best thing – virtual food with virtual friends. All of the fun, none of the calories?
In honor of #soletshangout, all week long these two adorably charming, witty gals have been serving up some tantalizing dishes for their weeklong fest! They’ve shared Sticky BBQ Korean Chicken Wings, Fizzy Herbed Pineapple Limeade, Grilled Thai Beef Salad With Sesame Lime Vinaigrette, Sinless Superfood Devil’s Food Donuts and Grain-Free Stone Fruit Cobbler with Lime Coconut Cream. Phew – are you drooling, yet?
Oh and to see all the fun surround this potluck, be sure to check out the hashtag #soletspigout on Instagram.
When it came time to decide what I would be bringing to this virtual get-together today, with 20+ other food-obsessed bloggers, I knew immediately I would have to bring something that included grapes! If you haven’t heard me mention already here on the blog or on my social media, I am literally overwhelmed by the amount of fresh grapes we are getting from the grape vines we have here at our house.
I have been picking them by the 5 and 10 pound bags. No joke. I’ve been forced to get super creative with all of these grapes, which I have actually been loving and I hope you have been, too! (Did you see this Red Grape and Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts or the Bacon Roasted Grape Salad?) That said, I have also taken to literally giving them away by the several-pound bags, to anyone that will take them. So, please be warned, if you come within even 1 mile of our home or if you invite me to your place, I will send you away with grapes. Lots of them.
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Red Grape and Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts {gluten-free}
We’ve been living here in Southern California just over 16 months and I still wake up everyday, pinching myself that this is where I live. Palm trees, ocean air, the beach just over half a mile away. And then there is my yard! The huge vegetable garden and fruit trees galore – we have fig, peach, orange, banana, apple and loquat trees and the avocado tree! Oh, that avocado tree! Besides that avocado tree, one of my favorite things, however are the beautiful grape vines behind the house. They span the width of the entire house and then some.
There are several varieties of grapes growing back there – to be honest I couldn’t even tell you what they all are! I think these pictured and used in this recipe might be moscoto (red table) grapes, from the little bit of research I did online. But I haven’t a clue. I just know they are yummy and I don’t have to do much to get them to grow!
Last year, I couldn’t seem to get to the grapes before the squirrels and/or birds did, so we really didn’t get to enjoy too many. But, this year I was determined to eat more grapes than the critters and we are definitely succeeding. The first day I went out to start collecting my bounty, I came back in with over 10lbs of grapes and that wasn’t even 10% of them. We have mostly been eating them as is, bringing them to friends and freezing them for a special frosty, sweet treat – but I have also been having fun getting creative with them. Roasting and grilling them, adding them to salads, to smoothies and juices, and more. I just have to forewarn you now, you may see a decent amount of grape recipes in the coming week or two.
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Grain-Free Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Tart {w/ Vegan option}
You guys know that it’s quite rare you’ll find a recipe on my site with dairy these days, after I cut dairy out of my diet two years ago – due to some digestive yuckiness. However, over the last 6 months or so, I have been enjoying, in moderation, small amounts of sheep milk and goat milk cheeses – as they always do OK for me and my sensitive gut. Both seem much easier on my little emo tummy so I have just been going with it and seeing how I react. I am all about listening to your own body, realizing we are all very different and that there is no single diet for everyone! I personally don’t believe in forcing labels and titles onto my diet (outside of the necessary gluten-free, one) and I find that when I eat intuitively and pay attention to my body’s cues, it really is easy to know what works for me and what doesn’t and this can change from day-to-day. Realizing all of this has been quite freeing, actually.
This Grain-Free Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Tart is very simple to make and it is obviously great as a dessert, but it would also be a wonderful addition to a fancy schmancy brunch menu. The tart crust is totally grain-free and so simple to make. After that, no more need for the oven and you can just throw this together and be ready to serve it up in no time. Oh, and I have to say – god bless the people of the internet that have the patience to arrange strawberry slices, one-by-one, in a perfectly symmetrical pattern across the top of a tart or cake. You know the ones. We all want to be them/secretly despise their incredible attention to detail. Well, if you couldn’t tell from the photos,that’s not me. I am a dump and serve kinda gal, it all tastes the same anyhow, right? Read the rest of this entry »
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Quinoa and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers
There is something about stuffed peppers that is always good, no matter what’s inside. I have been wanting to make quinoa stuffed peppers for sometime now and when I came up with the idea to add goat cheese, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. These peppers were so delicious and had the perfect balance of crunch and creaminess. The fresh mint from our herb garden, was the perfect compliment to the tangy goat cheese. These would be great as a entrée or as a side dish. We served these on the side with some fresh Italian sausage patties from Sojourner Farms that we picked up on Friday (which by the way, was better than any Italian sausage I have ever tasted).
Quinoa and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers
serves 44 organic bell peppers (green, red, orange or yellow, any will do)
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup frozen organic corn kernels
salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbledPreheat oven to 475º.
Cut off top of peppers and remove seeds. Set aside.
Rinse 1 cup of quinoa thoroughly. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup of quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. (I refrigerated the leftover quinoa for a salad tomorrow after yoga.)
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chopped mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender; add corn and 1 tablespoon of fresh mint. Cook until heated.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa, mushroom mixture, 4 ounces of goat cheese, remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
Arrange peppers in a small glass baking pan, brush skins with a small amount of olive oil. Stuff peppers with filling, top each pepper with the remaining crumbled goat cheese. Bake until peppers are slightly blackened and the filling top is golden and crispy, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes,
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Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza (Gluten-Free)
It has been hard to find good pizza crust since I have gone gluten-free, I have found a couple that come close, but most are thin and end up very crispy. I don’t mind that style of crust, but I have just missed a good thick and hearty crust. This was the first time I have ever made gluten-free pizza crust, completely from scratch. This crust was just that, thick, doughy and airy. So good. I came across this recipe in a book called The Gluten-Free Italian Cookbook by Mary Capone. I picked it up at this adorable, locally owned shop in Loveland, Colorado called Granny’s Gluten-Free Zone, I strolled in their randomly looking for this book after my friend Jane told me about it. I wish the crust had a bit more crisp to it, but I also think I probably could have left it in the oven just a few minutes longer, I was just way too excited and didn’t want to over bake it.
This toppings for the Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza are perfect, I have made this so many times. I don’t like a lot of stringy, melty cheese on my pizza, which is how this pizza came about in the first place. The goat cheese gives the perfect the tang, the caramelized onions and shallots add an almost sweet element and of course the tomatoes and basil are a classic combo.
Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza (Gluten-Free)
Serves 2-3Gluten-free Pizza Crust
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp quick-rising yeast
3/4 cup warm water (about 110° F)
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh rosemary, basil or oregano (I went with basil and oregano)Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
In a small bowl, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir until just dissolved. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in warm are for 10 minutes. Mixture will form a foam head of about 3/4″.
Using your food processor (which is how I did it and it worked surprisingly well), add all dry ingredients: flours, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt, directly into the processor bowl. Blend in the processor, about 1 minute. If using a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients, and whisk together until well combined.
In another small bowl, whisk olive oil, eggs, and vinegar until blended. Add egg mixture and yeast mixture to dry ingredients, mix until combined.
Blend dough in the food processor for 2-3 minutes. Dough will be sticky and soft, it doesn’t seem much like dough at all. Add in the herbs and gently pulse or mix to combine.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Dip your hands in water or olive oil and shape the dough into a round shape about 1/4″ thick. Place in a warm, draft-free area and let rise 40 minutes. Dough should double in size.
Brush top with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of course salt.
This recipe can also be used to make gluten-free focaccia if you spread it to 1″ instead of 1/4″.Toppings
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt
1 small onion, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 oz mozzarella, shredded
red pepper flakes
fresh parmigiano-reggianoPreheat the oven to 400° F
Caramelize the onions and shallots. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the thinly sliced onion and shallots, stir to coat them with oil. Spread the onions and shallots out evenly in the pan, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle salt over the onions. Let cook for 20-30 minutes. Stirring as they stick, being careful to not let them burn. If you stir them too often, they will not brown. When they are caramelized, remove the pan from the heat.
Build your pizza. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the oiled pizza crust. Place a thin later of tomatoes on top of the crust, then lay a thin layer of the caramelized onions and shallots down. Sprinkle the fresh basil evenly over the top of that and then evenly sprinkle the shredded mozzarella, you just want a very light layer. Crumble the 2oz of goat cheese evenly over the top and sprinkle on faa pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes.
Bake the pizza. Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is a golden brown and the cheese is melted. Cut into 8 wedges. Lightly grate fresh parmigiano-reggiano on top, garnish with fresh basil.
