purple potato salad

I fully believe that colorful food tastes waaaay better or maybe it's all in my head! And while I love potato salad, there is something so fabulous about PURPLE potato salad. Did you know that purple potatoes contain four times more antioxidants than white potatoes?!? I love incorporating purple potatoes into my meals and today I've got one of my favorite easy recipes vinaigrette purple potato salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs of boiled or roasted purple potatoes, cut into quarters

1/4 cup of olive oil

2-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 or 3 garlic cloves chopped

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

pinch of salt and pepper

Boil or roast potatoes and remove from heat.

In a bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

While the potatoes are warm toss them with vinaigrette and then add the chopped parsley.

healthy salmon chowder

Living on the Oregon Coast we are surrounded by wild, fresh fish and it's a big part of our family diet. One of my favorite meals in the winter is a big hearty bowl of chowder. But these days, I am eating very clean and healthy with zero gluten and very little dairy so I've come up with my own version of a salmon chowder. It's not the same as that heavy chowder loaded with butter, cream and sodium that I can get at my local fish market. Instead it tastes light, crisp and totally satisfies my chowder cravings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of fish stock (homemade stock is even better)

2 cups of coconut milk

2 poached wild salmon fillets

2-3 tsp coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

3 stocks of celery, chopped

3 potatoes, cubed

1bay leaf

1 teaspoon of fresh dill, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook the vegetables in coconut oil on low for about 20-30 minutes.

Pour the coconut milk and fish broth over the vegetables and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.

Add cubes of salmon to the vegetables and broth and cook on low heat.

Dish and serve with fresh dill and parsley sprinkled on top.

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gluten free fish taco salad

Eating gluten free has changed my life and while I am not strict about cutting out gluten (I cheat once in a while), I have really enjoyed all the great alternatives out there when it comes to eliminating gluten from my diet. 

One of my favorite meals is a fish taco salad- it's kinda like a deconstructed fish taco. I've eliminated the tortillas and the rice and replaced them with quinoa, added my favorites veggies and fresh seasonal fish.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter lettuce

Quinoa

Black beans

Grilled corn

Tomatos

Purple cabbage

Avocado

Grilled salmon

Cilantro and lime juice for added flavor

unicorn toast

My readers will know by now that I love simple, healthy and pretty food! My theory is that the more colorful and beautiful the food, the more you will enjoy it and be less tempted to eat Cheetos and Oreos for breakfast. Something we are loving around here (especially Lucy) is unicorn toast! This colorful trend was started by food stylist Adeline Waugh and basically it's pastel colored cream cheese slapped on some toast. And though it's simple, there is something that feels so special about eating colorful and whimsical food!

There are all kinds of ways that you can make colorful cream cheese but we like using natural ingredients like beet juice, pomegranate juice, blackberries, turmeric, spirulina powder, raspberry juice and more! You can also use natural food coloring if you don't have the time or patience to create your own.

Simply mix the natural coloring with cream cheese to get desired color.

Spread on your favorite bread.

I like taking it even further and add all kinds of toppings like fruit, granola, chia seeds, coconut, etc.

The result is colorful and delicious toast that is healthy (and a HUGE hit with the kiddos)!

kale berry salad

Kale is a big part of my diet and I am always looking for ways to make it exciting. One of my favorite salad combos is kale with berries. The sweet berries mixed with the earthy flavor of the kale is delicious way to get your daily greens!

INGREDIENTS:

Chopped kale

Raspberries

Blackberries

Cucumbers

Chia seeds

Crumbled feta

Pecans

Olive oil

TIP: Use a little bit of olive oil on your hands and massage it through the kale. This will take away the bitterness and turn that kale soft and sweet! You can also get the same result by tossing the kale in olive oil and letting it sit over night.

Dressing:

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons honey

squeeze of lemon

pinch of salt and pepper

beet hummus

I love colorful food, there is something even more pleasing about eating food that is beautiful! One of my favorite colorful and healthy treats is beet hummus. It is easy to make, delicious and super pretty!

You can use homemade hummus or if you don't have lots of time, you can even use store bought hummus.

MY FAVORITE HUMMUS RECIPE:

Typically hummus has tahini or sesame paste but I like to make a nut free version.

1 can garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
dash of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Next, you will need to roast a couple of beets.

Once the roasted beets have cooled, puree them in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Next is the fun part! Slowly begin adding the beets to the hummus. The fun thing about beets is that the color is DYNAMIC and it doesn't take much to transform that hummus into someone colorful.

Keep mixing the beets until you've achieved your desired shade of pink.

The result is beautiful and a great way to brighten up a vegi plate.