Root Veggies! Don’t Ya Just ♥ Them? ;-)
I SURE DO!!! 😉
And here are some of my fav ways to prepare and serve these oh,so yummy “gems” from the fall harvest!
Sam’s Famous Carrot Cake with My (NOT Too Sweet) Cream Cheese Icing
My favorite cake, no contest!
Just add dark rye bread and you’re good to go! 😉
One of my fav slow cooker recipes from the Groovy Green Kitchen I.
I make this one a lot. Quick to prepare, hearty and delicious.
And, it includes: onions, garlic and potatoes: all fav rooties! 🙂
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
A delish and elegant salad; brimming with flavor!
A twist on traditional lasagna, again from the slow cooker. Hearty and delish!
HAPPY COOKING and AUTUMN!
Harvest vegetable photo, courtesy of FLICKR
Do You ♥ MRS. Dash BUT Want Organic?
I have been using Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend for many years, including adding this blend to numerous recipes in my:
Groovy Green Kitchen cookbooks,
Weeknight Veggie Slow Cooker (Volume 1)
and
Simply, Super, Supper Soups (Volume 2)
It is a versatile, basic seasoning blend that worked well in a number or recipes.
Unfortunately, it is NOT organic and for me, that was definitely a negative, when it came to using Mrs. Dash.
I have been looking for a GOOD alternative that was ORGANIC for a long time and recently I finally found it! 🙂
is a herb and spice company based in Saskatchewan, Canada where I also grew up!
Stop by their site to check out all their certified organic herbs and spices and other fine culinary products. Also, where to buy in your area or online, see the store location and contact pages.
I just ♥ browsing their site!
So many culinary goodies to choose from and ones that I can REALLY feel good about using too. 😉
And, as far as a perfect ORGANIC substitute for Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend, I like:
Splendor Garden Garlic Herb Seasoning SF (salt free)
It is VERY similar to Mrs. Dash in flavor, color and texture and best of all, all organic ingredients!
Can you tell I’m pumped about finding out about this company? 😉 I really am!
I’ve also tried and enjoyed their: Vegetable Seasoning, All Purpose Seasoning SF and Lemon Pepper Seasoning, so far.
Loved them all too, especially the Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
It has a nice “zing” to it and adds a fresh, slightly citrus note to all kinds of savory recipes.
I recently tried the Lemon Pepper Seasoning in my Tangy Barley Buttermilk Soup recipe and it worked great!
This easy, oh-so-satisfying soup recipe is featured in the:
The Groovy Green Kitchen: Simply, Super, Supper Soups,
my new soup cookbook and also in this previous recipe post.
I added some to the soup when it was cooking and also a sprinkle over each serving to add color, just before serving.
Yummy, tummy-satisfying good! 🙂
Happy (ORGANIC and HEALTHY) Cooking!
How Do I ♥ Chocolate?
….let me count the ways! 😉
I know there are people who don’t like chocolate but I’m NOT one of them.
I L-O-V-E all things chocolate!!!
How about you? Are you a chocoholic or can you give it a pass?
These days, if at all possible, it’s organic cocoa and chocolate, as my first choice.
You can read more about why choosing organic chocolate/cocoa is the best way to go here and here.
♥♥
And here are some of my fav chocolate treats, with recipe/review links where applicable:
My Fav Zucchini Chocolate Cake aka “Naked” Cake
And a foodie haiku as a bonus!
Quick and Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes
You can make these in no time at all and again, great with or without frosting!
Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters
SUPER EASY to Make and Oh So Good!
Perfect for Valentine’s or any day of the year. 😉
Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars
For instant chocolate gratification, just unwrap and savor!!!
What’s your fav chocolate treat?
Have a Great Day and Happy Baking (if you are) 😉
Product Review: ShaSha Co. Organic Buckwheat Snack (Cocoa and Vanilla) :-)
I’m always on the look-out for new snack ideas that are tasty, filling, preferably all organic and with a good or better than average ingredient/nutritional list. Happily, I found a new snack item recently that fits all that criteria. 🙂
ShaSha Co. Organic Buckwheat Snack(s) are crunchy, not too sweet, filling and have a nice cocoa kick to them too. And the ingredient list is ALL organic, I ♥ that.
I‘m trying to buy organic EVERYTHING these days, 😉 but when it comes to snack items, an all organic ingredient list can be hard to find.
Here’s the nutritional info:
I love that organic buckwheat groats are the main ingredient.
Buckwheat is a very healthy food, you can read more about it here, and at many other sites online.
These snacks are also gluten free and IMO, reasonably priced at Amazon for less than $6. for a 170G bag. Considering the organic ingredients, not a bad price at all.
I’m going to give some of the other flavors in this snack line a try too. I’ve previously enjoyed the ShaSha Co. Organic Spelt Lemon Snap cookies many times, and they definitely did not disappoint with these snacks either! 😉
Stop by the ShaSha Co. website (they are Canadian!!!) to read about all their other products and many positive initiatives too. 🙂
Happy Snacking, Weekend and Week Ahead!
PS: If you have any fav organic and/or healthy snack suggestions to try (sweet or salty) please DO share!
Are You Concerned About Food Shelf Life/Storage Safety?
Do you ever wonder if something in your fridge is still safe to eat?
I do, a lot actually.
I had been looking (unsuccessfully) for a kindle book that would list a wide array of foods and what their optimal storage times were. I finally gave up that search and started to look for a site online that would work.
Happily, I found out about STILL TASTY last week and so far, I’m impressed! 🙂
It’s a very user-friendly site and lists a LOT of different foods.
You simply type in the food you are wanting to check on re: storage/shelf life, and a list of various options for that particular food comes up.
For example: I looked up hummus and this is the results I got:
SEARCH RESULTS
Snacks & Sweets
-HUMMUS — HOMEMADE
-HUMMUS, COMMERCIALLY PACKAGED OR PURCHASED IN BULK, SOLD REFRIGERATED — OPENED
-HUMMUS, COMMERCIALLY PACKAGED OR PURCHASED IN BULK, SOLD REFRIGERATED — UNOPENED
You then click on the result for what you need.
I was surprised to find out that homemade hummus stored in the fridge is only good for up to 7 DAYS!
That was an eye-opener for me. I was under the impression that hummus was like some other condiments, that would be OK to use for 2- 3 weeks, if kept in the fridge. 😦
I know this will be a website that I will be visiting on a regular basis. I hope you find it helpful too!
Optimal food shelf life and storage safety is SO IMPORTANT!
Happy (and Safe) Cooking and Week!
Raw Kale & Radish Pesto with Zucchini Noodles
Are you a fan of KALE?
Can’t say that I have been to date, 😉 in spite of liking almost every other kind of veggie there is!
But this post over at Girl Eats Greens grabbed my attention today, as I browsed the WP Reader.
Looks so yummy and healthy too. 🙂
Happy Eating and Week! G
One of my favorite things about spring turning into summer is all the deliciousness that continues to show up at my local farmer’s market. While I don’t buy all my groceries there, I do spend time every Sunday walking along with my pup and seeing what’s new to the market. What I’ve seen a lot lately? Fiddleheads. I have no idea what to do with them. But I’m dying to try them. I also stumbled upon a bunch of bright red radishes.
Growing up, I was never a fan of radishes, I thought they were too bitter. But as I’m getting older I think a lot of it had to do with the preparation of the radishes. As in, there wasn’t any. I was handed a whole radish to pop into dill dip. Radishes can have a pretty strong flavor – but if you break them down, thinly slice or…
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If You ♥ Toast and Jam (and all things organic) ;-)
If you ♥ toast and jam and all things organic (like I do) this is a product you’ll want to check out! 🙂
Italissima Organic Fruit Spread is oh so yummy good, made with organic fruit from Italy and with no added sugar.
And unlike a lot of commercial jams and fruit spreads, this one is not “jelly-like” with a lot of pulverized fruit. It’s very close to good homemade jam with real fruit pieces that you can actually see!
I’ve tried the Blackberry flavor so far and have some of the Blood Orange on the way right now, from Amazon.ca. Unfortunately, did not see this product at Amazon.com but I’m guessing it would be available at a lot of stores in the US and probably Canada too.
The company that makes this product could probably help with where to buy their products in your area, their site can be found here. They also offer several additional flavors of this jam and a wide variety of other gourmet food products.
It’s taken me a long time to find a commercial, organic jam that I really like, but I finally did! 😉 Italissima is a keeper!
Another Green Wonder: Parsley!
After recently finding out about the many health benefits of adding cilantro to smoothies, which I posted about here, I decided to check out another commonly-used herb: parsley.
Turns out, parsley is another nutrient-packed herb, that shouldn’t be considered just as a garnish or to “pretty-up” a bowl of soup. 😉
You can read one of many online articles about the health benefits of parsley at Chatelaine.com. This article also includes a smoothie recipe that’s suppose to be great for reducing bloating and water retention.
I’m going to give parsley a whirl in a smoothie soon.
Let me know if you try it too! Or if you have already. 😉
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR
VEGGIES, YARNS & TAILS 