Looking for simple dinner? This is a tasty dish that is perfect for a spring evening by yourself or a dinner party with friends (in which case, you could pair it with a beautiful glass of Sauvignon Blanc!). It has the appeal of comfort food, but it’s definitely good for you—healthy fats, lots of green, and quinoa…all great things for you body. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Serves 2
For the fish:
For the herb salad (organic ingredients when possible):
* Make this super simple dressing for the salad in a bowl; set aside until later.
For the Quinoa (organic ingredients when possible):
Directions
1. I like to toast my quinoa first, but it’s not necessary. It adds a nice nutty dimension to the quinoa. To do it, move the raw quinoa around in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat for about a minute. You’ll be able to smell the nuttiness that I was referring to. Then add the quinoa straight into a pot of boiling water. If you’re not toasting the quinoa, just start here. I cook my quinoa like pasta—in boiling water and drained. I usually cook it for just over 10 minutes, so that it’s cooked but still has a little bite.
2. In a separate saucepan, heat up the extra virgin olive oil over a medium to low heat and add the onion and garlic. I like to keep the heat low here. The objective is to not let it color, but to make it soft and translucent.
3. After about 2 minutes, add the celery along with half the lemon zest and a little bit of salt. Continue cooking over a low heat for another 3 minutes, or until the celery has become soft. It should still have some bite, and keep its lovely green color though.
4. Then add the peas over the same heat for a further 2 minutes or so, until they are just cooked and still bright green.
5. By this point, your quinoa should be just about ready, so drain that, and add it to the pea mix and remove it from the heat.
6. Now is a good time to cook the fish, so just heat a minimal amount of extra virgin olive oil up in a pan and add the fish and cook on medium-high heat. I like mine pink in the middle (salmon can be served medium rare*), so do less than a minute on each side in a hot pan. However, adjust cooking time if you prefer well done (about 4 minutes on each side). Season with salt and pepper as you go.
7. When you’re fish is done, and you’re ready to plate, add the fresh herbs to the saucepan with the quinoa, along with the other half of the lemon zest, a good squeeze of lemon, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Then add the goat cheese and give it a good stir.
8. Taste for seasoning, making sure there is enough beautiful lemon in there to lift everything up.
9. To plate, spoon the quinoa mix onto a plate and top with the salmon. Then quickly toss the herb salad in the dressing you made earlier and scatter over the salmon.
10. Enjoy!
*Because the salmon is cooked to your liking, remember that consuming raw or undercooked seafood may increase your risk of foodborne illness. If you have any dietary questions, you should seek the advice of your physician or other health care provider.
Chef Jane Coxwell believes the best meals come from thinking and caring about who will be eating them. Starting with a beautiful, approachable recipe means you can enjoy the process, which will make your food taste better. The result is food that is colorful, vibrant and balanced without being fussy or demanding. Jane completed her culinary training in her native South Africa. She then traveled to France to begin work in the yachting industry, where she saw the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of a meal: buying the food, cooking it, plating it, and having direct contact with who she cooked for. She served as Executive Chef at Hall Wines in the Napa Valley, run by former US Ambassador to Austria Kathryn Hall and her husband Craig Hall. After cooking on their yacht, Jane was asked to cook for Clinton fundraisers and other events at the Napa winery. In 2009, Jane joined Eos, Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg’s sailing yacht.
Sometimes we try our best to have our children eat healthfully, but despite our best efforts they want nothing to do with the fruit and veggies we offer. One solution? Make art out of healthy food! Even the pickiest eaters can’t resist the fun presentation.
It’s pretty easy to create simple pictures for kids on their plates. You can even do a shape of the day and cut everything “round” or “triangle-shaped” and they can learn as they eat their snacks.
Avocados make great trees and bushes, but more importantly they’re great for your child’s heart and liver—among other health benefits. Berries are bright and beautiful, and your children will love to make berry-shaped flowers on their plates. Carrots can be cut into sticks or circles and are rich in beta-carotene.
So many nutritious foods can be cut into beautiful “art,” and it takes a lot less time to get creative than it does to convince unwilling toddlers to eat their greens!
Even your kids can create their own masterpieces with different fruit and vegetable shapes. We’d love to see your yummy creations, so upload a photo in the comments below or share a pic via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #HonestDIY.
~ Kate Brightbill of Style Smaller
Almonds are a tasty and nutritious addition to a breakfast cereal, trail mix, or even a party platter. They’re great because they are a good source of healthy fats, are packed with protein, and make a heart-healthy snack. And did you know this “nut” is actually the seed of the fruit found on almond tree? Next time you’re feeling hungry, spice up your snacks with this simple recipe.
Serves 2
Ingredients
Directions
Enjoy the snack!
- Amie Valpone of TheHealthyApple.com
Spring is in the air, which means farmers’ markets are overflowing with tasty seasonal produce, blooming with vibrant flowers, and bustling with activity. This makes heading there a fun warm-weather activity for the entire fam. Who doesn’t love sampling ripe berries or the perfect tomato?
But beyond taste testing, it can be hard to pick the best spring produce. Instead of aimlessly knocking on fruit and bringing home less-than-stellar veggies, check out our tips on what to look for this time of year.
Artichokes. Low in calories and fat, the artichoke is rich in dietary fiber and a great source of folic acid, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Look for artichokes with nicely colored, tight, compact leaves and fresh-cut stems. Supposedly, if you gently squeeze the leaves a really fresh artichoke will squeak. Try grilling this veggie (which is really a flower) by cutting it in half, removing the choke, rubbing with olive oil, and grilling over low-to-moderate heat until tender—about 30 minutes.
Asparagus. Fresh asparagus is a good source of antioxidants, folates, and iron. Because it’s most flavorful in the spring, look for firm, straight, smooth spears that are green and purple in color and have closed tips; avoid ones that are beginning to wilt. To enjoy, roast it! Simply drizzle the trimmed stalks with olive oil, sprinkle it with salt, and roast at 450 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Or, similarly, try the grill.
Beets. The heart-healthy root veggie is a beautiful addition to any salad, meal, or juice—the colors are so tempting! Look for fresh, bright, and firm beets with their greens still attached. Skip the oversized and soft variety. To remove any soil, sand, and other grime from the beet, try our Fruit + Veggie Wash.
Citrus. Navel oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines are great alternatives to dessert, make surprising but pleasing additions to salads, and are an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber like pectin. Look for fruit that is bright in color, firm, but gives to gentle pressure.
Peas. As one of the most nutritious legumes, peas come into season in the spring and continue in most areas well into summer. While shopping for peas, search for pods that are smooth, full, and evenly colored (no yellow). Consider tossing peas into your favorite pasta or making a pesto or hummus.
Radishes. This root veggie is at its flavorful, crunchy best in the spring. Look for a veggie with a smooth and firm root (no cracks in the surface) and vibrant greens that have not yellowed. Remove the green tops once you’re home because they rob the nutrients from the root.
Rhubarb. Fresh rhubarb is abundant in markets beginning in April. The rose-hued vegetable is rich in B-complex vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, as well as a good source of vitamin K. Pick out fresh stalks that are bright red, firm, crispy (like celery), and free of blemishes. Take them home and enjoy in a pie!
Strawberries. We couldn’t wait for the return of these sweet berries full of great phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Skip strawberries with yellow, green, or discolored patches—it’s a sign that the fruit was harvested too soon before ripening. And try to get organic if possible, as strawberries are on EWG’s Dirty Dozen list.
I LOVE to make granola (this isn’t a surprise if you read my blog PUREmamas). There really isn’t anything better for breakfast than a healthy homemade breakfast cereal. And it’s nutritious, full of healthy fiber, protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
But the granola I usually make is raw sprouted and dehydrated. Not your typical oven-cooked breakfast. Many people don’t own dehydrators (although I highly recommend that you buy one). And I do not suggest that you follow a recipe that calls for a dehydrator and then use the oven instead. It never turns out right (i.e., my kale chip recipe)—and those of you who have done this know what I’m talking about. It changes everything. So, today I’ve created a “sprouted and dehydrated” style granola that calls for an OVEN! Yay.
It’s full of wonderful grains. The grains are germinated first and the seeds are sprouted. It’s gluten-free. And I sweeten it only with coconut sugar and honey. That’s it.
I hope you enjoy this breakfast in a big bowl topped with fresh fruit and fresh almond milk. Or good goats milk, which is another favorite.
JULI’S FANCY SPROUTED GRANOLA
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup millet, soaked in water for 1-2 hours and rinsed
• 1/2 cup buckwheat, soaked in water for 1-2 hours and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds, soaked in water for 10 minutes
• 1 cup certified gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup sprouted sunflower seeds (you can buy these, sprout yourself, or just use raw seeds)
• 2 vanilla beans
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 2 heaping Tbsp. good quality organic honey
• 1.4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 pinch sea salt
*Try to use organic options when possible.
Directions
1. First set the millet and buckwheat aside and let it soak in water for at least an hour. Do the same with the chia seeds, except for 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, chop up the oats and sunflower seeds until they are evenly distributed and chopped but not so much they are turned into a flour (about 10 seconds).
3. Add chia seeds, coconut sugar, honey and melted coconut oil. Pulse again until thoroughly mixed (like 5-10 seconds).
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse one last time until the mixture is evenly combined (again about 5-10 seconds).
5. Put mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper try and grease the pan a bit using a coconut oil spray or just rub coconut oil with a towel.
6. Cook at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Please stir the mixture with a spatula every 5 minutes or so.
7. Let cool and enjoy. Store in a dry container in the fridge for a long shelf life.
Hope you enjoy!
— Juli Novotny of Pure Mamas
DISCLAIMER: Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis, treatment, dietary, or safety advice, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified expert with any questions you may have regarding a medical question, condition, or safety concern. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of others and does not represent the opinions and views of The Honest Company. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy or efficacy of any content generated by our users or bloggers.
