I hosted some friends on a recent summer night and there was the teeniest chill in the air that hinted at the change of the seasons. I set out to experiment on a dish that still had the bright, fresh flavors of summer, but with a hearty twist. The result: this lentil and quinoa salad, full of crisp spinach, delicately sliced slivers of red onions, crumbles of goat cheese and crunchy almonds, and topped with the tastiest, juicy peaches. Add the lentils and quinoa while they’re still warm to the bowl to help wilt down the spinach and red onions, and soften the almonds a bit. The goat cheese will also blend into the mixture, but save a little to add on top too! The celery seeds give the salad extra flavor, and I kept the dressing super simple with some fresh citrusy lemon juice and a light drizzle of oil and vinegar. Add the fresh peaches to the bowl right before serving to keep them from getting mushy, the sweet flavor of summer peaches is the highlight of this dish!
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I got the most beautiful box of colorful summer ingredients from my friends at Clover Food Lab delivered last week and it inspired one of the tastiest (and summer-iest!) salad I’ve made in a long time. It was a perfect pairing at my book club dinner with herb-y lobster rolls. Atop a big bowl of fresh mixed greens, I sprinkled thinly sliced red onions, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden, loads of summer blueberries and fresh corn cut off the cob. Everything was topped with goat cheese crumbles and chopped up pecans and almonds. Give it a little drizzle with white balsamic and good olive oil (I LOVE Graza Olive Oil!) and season with salt and pepper before serving – major YUM! Get the simple recipe below: 
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We kicked off the official start of bbq season this weekend, so I was in the kitchen experimenting with some tasty new side dish ideas. Every summer barbeque needs a pasta salad, and I have a few classic versions I always lean on but decided to mix it up with something fresh. Fresh English peas and sweet snap peas are some of my favorite seasonal veggies, and they were the inspiration for this pasta salad recipe. They got tossed with some fun corkscrew shaped pasta, crispy, salty bits of cooked prosciutto, and a lemony dressing with fresh lemon thyme. The result was a bright, tangy side salad that was perfect for al fresco entertaining – get the full recipe below!
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As we gear up for Easter weekend celebrations, I wanted to share an ultra-easy dish that combines just 3-ingredients and works great for brunch menus or as an impressive appetizer. The classic combination of prosciutto and melon isn’t a new idea, but for spring and summer celebrations, I amp up my display by cutting the melon slices with floral cookie cutters. The variety of sweet, juicy melon pieces in floral shapes, layered with ribbons of salty prosciutto, and a few fresh mint leaves for garnish and color, is an eye-catching combination that will impress guests! 
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I have been absolutely *craving* this salad since I made it, and added it to our weekly plan twice since. The first time I snapped a pic and shared it on Instagram, and got dozens of messages coming in asking for the recipe. It’s easy, quick, and probably going to be one of my favorite summer dinners this year. I marinated some white beans with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and parsley. Then I whisked up a simple creamy lemon dijon vinaigrette, and used it to dress a big crispy green bowl of spinach and shaved Brussels sprouts topped with the beans, prosciutto, leftover grilled chicken and shaved parmesan cheese – chef’s kiss! Save this one for an easy weeknight dinner, or. make it in a bigger batch for some top notch spring entertaining!
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I sing my love of Little Leaf Farms from the rooftops, so I couldn’t be more excited to get my hands on the newest addition to their sustainably grown green line-up: Sweet Baby Butter Lettuce!!The new Sweet Baby Butter Leaf greens are sustainably grown in Little Leaf Farms’ state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse (located right here in MA!) – so it’s an ingredient I always feel great about buying. We eat so much of it, and I’m loving this new variety that has a sweet flavor and a tender yet crispy texture (the Little Leaf crisp is something I always hear readers rave about).
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One of the things I learned quickly with my own garden was how important it was to keep pollinators happy! My friends at Little Leaf Farms are always on the forefront of creating more sustainable growing practices and I love that they worked with Best Bees to install a hive at their MA-based greenhouse to help protect and expand the dwindling bee population and keep the ecosystem surrounding the greenhouse healthy. (Be sure to check out this past post from when I got to visit the greenhouse and learn all about the Little Leaf Farms growing process and sustainability efforts!). The added bonus of course is some delicious local honey from the beehive!
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I like to take advantage of that fresh start feeling in January and use it to motivate healthy eating habits, especially coming off an indulgent holiday season. For me, it’s all about getting fresh, local ingredients into my meal plan. I have SIX tasty recipes below full of crisp, fresh, local Little Leaf Farms greens, plus ideas for reducing food waste, how to make cost-saving homemade dressings, and how to get out of a lunchtime routine rut. Get inspired with the recipes and ideas below!
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If I could only pick one thing to be on my Thanksgiving Table, I think stuffing would be at the top of my list. I get to eat it once a year (maybe twice if there’s a Friendsgiving on the calendar) and I make it count but loading it full of savory flavors. I love it so much that sometimes I even make two varieties – a traditional recipe and a wildcard stuffing. I’m sharing tons of ideas for making a unique Thanksgiving stuffing with different flavor combinations and mix-ins that you can choose to make it a dish of your own. 
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Give me a side dish that combines sweet and savory, and I’m a happy girl! This Thanksgiving side dish does just that – sweet potatoes get baked and then scooped out and mixed with butter, candied pecans and browned and crumbled chorizo sausage before getting placed back into the potato skins and baked for a second time. The dish only has 5 ingredients, and yet the combination of flavors packs a punch! Ditch the old school marshmallow covered sweet potatoes and give them a fresh upgrade with this chorizo and pecan topping – get the full recipe below:
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