The Real Food Journal
Robin Asbell is your experienced guide to cooking and eating healthfully, sustainably, and deliciously. Her cookbooks, articles and blog are valuable resources for anyone interested in the good life with good food.
It’s Rhubarb Bar Time!
These crunchy, luscious bars are packed with oats and nuts and rhubarb, making them a very respectable snack or light meal. I like to wrap a few in waxed paper to take along when I’m working or on the go.
Make My Ukrainian Flag Tea Latte, Give to WCK
In this video, I’m making a blue and yellow tea latte, to play with the colors of the Ukranian flag. It’s pretty tasty, too. Blue Butterfly Pea Tea makes a beautiful blue layer, and turmeric-tinted almond milk makes a fluffy foam for the top. Both layers are full of antioxidants and are caffeine free, so you can sip and be calm.
Make Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad
We are all waiting with bated breath for the sunshine, so I thought I’d make a salad that’s like a big burst of sunshine in a bowl. This Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad is a juicy and tangy way to enjoy the citrus of winter as we wait for the first berries and sprouts to come to fruition.
Make Mango Salsa for a Summery Bite
When the weather is warm, I find myself making fresh salsas a few times a week. I’m convinced that you can make a chip-worthy salsa out of most anything, especially fruit. If I’ve got fruit, limes and chilies, I’m good to go. Apples, bananas, berries, and yes, mangoes. Mango salsa is a little more authentic, as mangoes grow in the tropical parts of Latin America and have long been featured in salsas. The juicy, sweet-tart fruit lends itself to being transformed into a myriad of fresh sauces, including this easy Mango Salsa.
Watch Me Use Up Leftover Easter Eggs on Twin Cities Live!
eggs at Easter is a tradition, and one that often ends with way too many boiled eggs for you to eat. Don’t let them spoil- watch me make Egg Curry on Toast, Asparagus with Egg Mimosa, and a Provencal Egg Salad in Egg Cups.
Make Garlicky, Herby Beans for a Quick Side Dish
I love to eat beans for pure pleasure. Tender beans are bathed in rich olive oil, infused with piney, herbaceous rosemary and sweetly soft garlic. A hint of heat in the pepper flakes and a pop of lemony tartness rounds out the mouth-filling flavors. I promise that you will love it. If you want to make a meal of it, you can always toss it with some pasta, or spoon it onto a toasted Crostini.
Sesame Noodles with Peapods, Yum!
Sesame noodles are a classic Chinese restaurant dish, and are a regular in the rotation at my kitchen, too. The flavor of sesame is endlessly appealing, a combination of nuttiness and richness that can swerve to the sweet or the savory for delectable results. In this easy noodle dish, we’ll build umami and depth with a few easy additions-including brewed black tea. As the weather warms, cold meals like Sesame Noodles with Peapods will be perfect for a light meal on the patio.
Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Cobbler
The world around us offers a full palette of blue hues, from the ever-changing skies to the wide azure sea. We live in denim and paint our bedrooms blue for a calming place to lay our heads. But our food tends toward the browns, the greens, the beiges, with pops of orange and red. But the blue foods are some of the most nourishing, and should be on everyone’s shopping list. This Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Cobbler is a juicy treat that places two blue all-stars front and center.
Roasted Broccolini with Shallots: a Perfect Side
Broccolini, it’s broccoli, but better.There, I said it. Better. Broccoli is wonderful, but when you cross it with Gai Lan, it is even better. I hope broccoli won’t take it personally, but for the moment, I’m smitten with broccoli’s child. Roasted, of course.
Easy Curried Chickpeas and Vegetables
We’ve all been there, standing in the kitchen after a long day, thinking about ordering pizza. This dish can be whipped up in less time than it takes to have pizza delivered, and will deliver the vegetables and plant-based protein you need. I used romanesco and green beans, but you can use what you have on hand- this would be equally good with cabbage and carrots. Keep canned tomatoes and chickpeas on hand, and you are ready to make a meal.
Warm Farro and Charred Asparagus Salad
Have wholegrains become part of your life yet? I hope you have integrated them into your meals-and will continue to explore more of the varieties of healthy, hearty whole grain foods. For today, I’ve put together a Spring-y, tangy warm salad, based on chewy Farro and topped with asparagus. It will be asparagus season soon.
Banana Muffins with Bubbly Water?
When you start baking plant-based, it may seem as if replacing the eggs in your favorite recipes is going to be impossible. But I’m here to tell you, with a few swaps, it’s easier than you think. In this recipe, I’m going to show you how seamlessly you can replace an egg with some simple bubbly water, and never miss the eggs at all. Banana Muffins with Pecans is the kind of quick recipe you need in your back pocket, ready to use up those over-the-hill bananas in a flash.
