Salads & Sides

You might have heard of green rice? Well, when you swap out the rice for quinoa you get this green quinoa that is bright and verdant with fresh, citrusy Mexican flavors.

This apple dressing is simple and unusual. A whole apple is blended with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, water and preserved lemon. The preserved lemon acts in two ways; it adds briny acidity to balance the sweetness from the apple and it gives the right amount of saltiness so that actual salt is not needed.

This chop salad is straight forward. It doesn't require a formal recipe but it deserves to be presented in recipe form to celebrate winter's abundance.

If you're in a cooking rut and dreaming of a dish at the intersection of practical and simple yet also playful and satisfying, this one-pot noodle recipe will surely become your new favorite. It's a flirty and elegant blend of crisp-chewy yuba skins (a current obsession of mine, though you can use pasta instead), cauliflower, meaty green olives, crème fraiche and za'atar.

This has been my go-to salad dressing all summer long. I make a big batch for the week and drizzle it over my favorite summer salad (shown in the video below) or a quick lunch of a poached egg over grilled asparagus, or toss it with grains, Fattoush, pasta, beans or grilled shrimp.

Black (or French green lentils), onions, garlic, and mushrooms simmer in a white wine, lemon, turmeric sauce and are layered over garlicky mashed potatoes. Serve this with roasted Brussels sprout salad with lemon and dill, and it makes a great holiday meal.

The farmer I purchase corn from at our farmer's market says the corn should keep growing until December, if there's no rain. I'm taking full advantage, and I've recently been transforming that corn into this ginger-y, peanut-y corn dish.

In the summer we get amazing dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes and green heirloom tomatoes from Tomatero Farm. I'm always looking for ways to highlight these tomatoes in a meal so that it feels celebratory to eat them. This flatbread is what I've been making lately.

What makes summer feel like summer? There are many factors for me, as I'm sure there are for you. But one is experiencing the ease and lightness of assembling no-cook meals that allow summer produce to shine at their very peak.

This quinoa bowl is a deconstructed version of Asian lettuce wraps. You know the wraps where crunchy veggies like shredded carrots and caramelized ground meat are served in a lettuce leaf and drizzled with a tangy soy sauce?

Not-so-traditional recipe inspiration for the holiday season. :)

Meet ratatouille's sassy Sicilian cousin! Caponata is a complex, sweet and sour dish of stewed eggplant, spiked with vinegar, capers and tomato. To clarify, it's complex in flavor, not in preparation.

Is it too late in the summer to be posting an okra recipe? I hope not because this is one of those simple, can't-mess-up, flexible summer meals that (I hope) will put a smile on your face as much as it does mine.

It's so gratifying to cook with summer produce at its peak ripeness because very little need be done to make it sing. Summer squash (and corn, which is also in this skillet) are the perfect example. They’re sweet, crisp, and the happiest yellow hue ever.

When salad looks like THIS, who could resist? Just in time for summer picnics and barbecues (and 4th of July in the US), I'm sharing my take on the classic watermelon, feta and mint salad.

A friend introduced me to a Greek restaurant in San Francisco called Souvla. They make a killer roasted white sweet potato salad with a garlic yogurt dressing that takes Caesar salad to a whole new level. And I’ve recreated it at home.

Fresh herbs. Most people use them only as a garnish. But I think we should be using them much more generously. I consider herbs as their own category in a meal and encourage my clients to do the same. Did you know fresh herbs can help regulate different systems in the body? Here's the rundown on a few of the most common herbs.

Do you know the Catalina Taco Salad? It's the crispy, sweet and tangy salad made with tomato-based Catalina dressing and all the elements of a crispy taco; corn chips (Fritos), lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar cheese, pinto/black beans, tomato and ground meat. Head to the blog for an updated (Whole Nourishment!) version of this retro salad.

If I could be a salad, I'd choose to be this one. With massaged kale, toasted almonds, dried cherries, a grain such as quinoa, feta and avocado, it's the ideal hearty, crave-worthy salad meal.

Today's recipe turns Elote, a popular Mexican street food of grilled corn on the cob slathered in a lime and chili powder-infused creamy spread, into a one-bowl meal. A base of quinoa is topped with an Elote-style grilled corn salad, spiced tempeh crumbles, fresh tomato and avocado, cotija or feta, and a smoky lime dressing.

Inspired by the Waldorf salad, this Roasted Salmon Salad keeps the freshness and crunch with grapes and celery, adds lemon juice and dill for extra zing, and roasted salmon to make it a substantial meal. Serve it over a playful mix of greens, broccoli, avocado and sun-dried tomatoes, and you’ve got a great light dinner or portable lunch!

This salad was inspired by a salad I recently ate at a Burmese restaurant. With grated green mango, lime, toasted peanuts, and fried onions, it’s tangy and sweet with a bit of salty, savory and spice added for good measure.

Summer will be in full swing soon. For a lot of us, that also means a shift in cooking routine. In summer, I'm all about fresh, no-fuss meals for outdoor dining, casual entertaining, picnicking, grilling, or pool/beach-side eats. With it's fresh, tart flavors and no-cook assembly, this smoked salmon appetizer is 100% summer-worthy.

If you're looking for a spectacular and simple green side dish, you can stop here. Broccoli and asparagus are sautéed in ghee and olive oil until crisp tender and the edges are golden brown and caramelized. The supporting cast of flavors: fried capers, lemon zest and juice, and toasted hazelnuts.

The dry recycled air, sitting for long periods of time in a confined space, poor quality food, and crossing time zones all challenge our digestion, circulation, hydration, and circadian rhythm. While I'll never get used to the grind of air travel (does anyone?!), I've learned what foods to pack in my bag and how to adjust my mindset to ensure I feel the best I can while in transit and after I land.

This is an excellent winter salad platter. Arugula, cilantro, and blood oranges provide the freshness we crave in the middle of winter while roasted beets, nuts, and dollops of pesto give it substance. But what's even better about this recipe is that it's a buildable formula with endless variations. You'll soon discover it's the only winter salad recipe you'll need!

There's something incredibly warming and satisfying about mixing up a new spice blend heavy on ginger and cinnamon, warming it in ghee and tossing it with chewy brown rice noodles, snow peas (in my case frozen peas, adapted to the current winter season), crunchy toasted almonds, and plenty of bright cilantro. That's exactly what you get in this Thai Noodle Salad. It's one of many recipes in Laura Plumb's soon-to-be-released Ayurvedic cookbook that you won't want to miss!

It's finally here! A probiotic-rich, fermented salad you can easily make in your very own kitchen! This Beet and Red Cabbage Sauerkraut boasts the good-for-you bacteria that we all want in (but are usually missing from) our diet. And I'm so excited to finally be sharing a friendly, approachable, and delicious fermented recipe with you!