- Page 29 of 69 - Wholesome Recipes Made for Sharing

July 21, 2015

Blackberry Thyme Crostini with Creamy Blue Cheese

This post is in partnership with Castello for their Summer of Blue campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Here we are already in the middle of summer and I have no idea how we ended up here so quickly. Summers seem to get better and better as the kids get older. Of course we’ve had our fair share of squabbles and arguments and there are some days when it seems that all we do is try to get along. It’s felt so good to slow down though, to linger at the breakfast table a little longer, to savor juicy peach crumbles, to watch birds from the window bench, to spontaneously go on family ice cream outings, and to take peaceful walks around the neighborhood. To my daughter’s delight, we recently discovered wild blackberry bushes on the trail behind our house. Wild blackberries are smaller than the more common blackberries found in stores, but they are especially sweet. If we ever need a quiet break from our activity or a reset to the day, a little nature walk on the trail to pick blackberries usually does the trick.

July 15, 2015

Kale Radish Kimchi

Fermentation is a process that I found intriguing but intimidating, and it took several months before I gathered enough courage to begin trying it for myself. First I read Michael Pollen’s Cooked, next was Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions, and then I dug even deeper in Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation. Still, the idea of leaving food out at room temperature for days, even weeks, seemed frightening to me. Finally one of my best friends got me motivated to give it a try. She has four kids and homeschools but has somehow managed to incorporate fermentation into her regular kitchen routine. After having tried several batches of ferments myself now, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover the relative simplicity and ease of the whole process. Since our CSA share has exploded lately with all kinds of fresh produce, fermenting seems to be the perfect solution when there’s a bit more than needed for the week. So far our favorite ferment has been kimchi, usually made with napa cabbage, but this time I used kale and radishes from our CSA share. Turns out kale and radishes make a wonderful kimchi as well. Like a good sriracha sauce, kimchi seems to go with everything and makes great a condiment to accompany a wide variety of dishes.

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July 8, 2015

Chocolate Millet Crunch

One of the things I enjoy most about having the kids home with me in the summer is working together with them in the kitchen. Often times I try to find ways for them to help me with dinner preparation- grating cheese, stirring pasta, shelling peas, shucking corn, etc. Once in a while I’ll try to think up a sweet and healthy treat that’s a little more exciting than just dinner and that I know would be especially fun for them. This chocolate millet crunch was our most recent little project. It’s simple enough for the kids to make almost on their own, but tasty enough that it’s hard to just eat a few pieces. These are little mounds of chocolate coated puffed millet, chopped hazelnuts, and goji berries with just a touch of shredded coconut sprinkled on top. Puffed millet can be found in the cereal aisle of a natural foods store and although I find it rather bland on its own, it complements the chocolate nicely and it adds a certain crisp lightness that I love. These must be served chilled to get a crunch, which makes them perfect for those hot days when you just need a little bit of chocolate. [Read more…] about Chocolate Millet Crunch