One of my favorite springtime foods is a large salad. While some might consider this rabbit food, I would beg to differ since certain salads have enough substance to be considered a full- on meal. This recipe combines pungent celeriac, dark dandelion greens, and the sweet note of blood oranges and beets to make a lovely medley of flavors. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, beets aid in clearing a congested or stagnated liver. This also makes sense from a Western standpoint since beets help to thin out bile, thereby allowing for the smooth flow of qi.

Liver Lovin’ Springtime Salad

1 organic celeriac peeled

3 organic golden beets cubed

3 small organic blood oranges

¼ pound of organic baby arugula

¼ pound of organic dandelion

1 organic garlic bulb, roasted

¼ cup organic chives diced

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel away the outer layer of the garlic keeping the bulb intact. Chop ¼ off the top of the bulb, exposing the inner cloves of the bulb. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and drizzle olive oil over the garlic. Wrap the entire clove with parchment paper, wrapping under garlic to secure it. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes as you prepare the rest of the salad.

Place cubed beets  in a steamer and steam for about 15 minutes until soft. Set aside in a bowl. In the meantime, peel celeriac’s skin and discard. Continue to peel away at the celeriac to get long strips – don’t worry if some of them are short. Place in a bowl along with arugula, dandelion and beets. Chop chives and add to bowl.

Peel blood oranges and remove white pith. Cut into ¼ inch slices and add to bowl.

By this point the garlic should be ready to remove from oven. Allow to cool, and begin to make salad dressing (see below). With a small knife, cut around each garlic clove and remove with fingers or a cocktail fork. Add to salad.

Dijon Honey salad dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp organic Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey (or to taste)

Juice from one organic lemon

For salad dressing combine all ingredients into a small jar, close and shake vigorously. Pour over salad and eat immediately.

By eating according to the spring season we can discard the old and allow new energy to flow in. So eat your greens, breathe deeply, and welcome in the new change with seasonal foods under your belt.

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, and there’s no easier way to say “I  LOVE YOU” than with a sweet chocolate surprise. Here is a decadent, guilt-free dessert for you and your sweetie to enjoy.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Description

Toasted sesame seeds add extra crunch and a tasty surprise to this delicious dessert. Look for large strawberries with stems for the nicest presentation.

Makes 10 (2-piece) servings Read the rest of this entry »

At this time of year it’s easy to feel sluggish, as if the energy is just draining from your body. The temptation is to reach for those stodgy comfort foods, to draw the couch closer to the TV and conserve as much energy as you can by doing as little as physically possible during the remaining  winter months.

If this is how you feel now, there’s a good chance that the person who emerges from hibernation at the end of the winter will be a bigger version than what now exists. Months of heavy food and inactivity will inevitably take its toll on your waist line.

However, during the winter months our bodies seem to crave stodgy food. There’s nothing more appealing than freshly baked muffins, filling the air with sweet cinnamon odors at this time of year…..yummm  

There are several reasons why our eating habits  can change when it’s cold and dark. Now, most people live in centrally heated houses but for our ancestors, the onset of the cold weather was a signal to start laying down an extra layer of fat. In this day and age it’s no longer applicable to take on extra calories to combat the cold. However, it is possible that we are still programmed in some way to do so. Read the rest of this entry »