I think there might be more than a billion cookie recipes out there. Â Perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but there are more cookie recipes than you and I can make in our lifetimes. Â So thinking about the fact that there are zillions of cookie recipes at our fingertips, how come oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies are the ones we always turn to? Â They’re at every bake sale, picnic, BBQ, bakery, and in every dream I have about eating a dozen cookies in one sitting. Â When I offer to bake homemade cookies for my family, what do you think they ask for? Yep!
I accept with gratitude the privilege of growing older, so I don’t want to complain about it.  But.  Every 5 years or so, I get away with less and less with respect to what I can eat.  Sure, I could exercise more.  But I’m kind of busy and I already exercise a healthy amount.  One of those foods that is over for me is the bagel.
Bagels are nothing anyone really needs in his or her life. Â They are completely devoid of nutrition and loaded with simple carbohydrates (and I mean loaded) which turn into sugar lickety split (and then the pro-inflammatory hormone insulin surges and fat gets stored.) Â Even if I were to exercise like a maniac to burn off so many carbs, there’s the fact that I don’t feel great after eating a bagel.
Pancakes are made once or twice a week in my house. Â My whole family is crazy for them and IÂ am have even taught my kids how to cook their own. Â Many a morning I have to leave early for work, so I’ll make pancake batter the night before and pull it out in the morning before I go. Â The kids know how to grease the griddle with coconut oil, sprinkle the pancakes with blueberries and flip when ready.
These ricotta pancakes came about when I had extra ricotta after a pizza night. Â Being totally honest, I am not a huge fan of pasteurized cow dairy and I do try and limit it with my family. Â Dairy is a bit inflammatory, somewhat hard to digest and full of hormones. Â So we eat it sparingly. Â But I have to admit, ricotta pancakes are delicious. Â They’re everything I want a pancake to be — light, fluffy, but still hearty. Â These are much higher in protein than a “normal” pancake and I love getting protein into the kids in the morning! Â Add some lemon zest and poppy seeds for fun and smother them in fresh blueberry sauce and I am in heaven.
I don’t know about you, but to me the perfect recipe is one that is tasty, easy, healthful, and appeals to everyone in my family. Â That is a tall order for sure. Â Most people that I talk to in my classes struggle with having a wide range of great entree recipes and that’s where I have a hard time, too. Â I only like seafood, but my younger daughter doesn’t. Â My husband likes everything well done, but I don’t. Â My son likes everything plain and simple, but the rest of us like strong flavors. Â You know how it goes.
A crisp is one of my go-to desserts whenever I have friends over.  I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t thoroughly enjoy a bowl of drippy warm fruit with a sweet and buttery crunchy topping.  I have peach-blueberry and apricot-cherry on this site, but I mix and match fruit all the time.  I love that crisps are mostly fruit and I love using whatever fruit is in season.  They are super easy to make and can be prepped ahead in many ways.
Sometimes, a little freshening up is in order. Â I put this chopped grilled vegetable salad on my weekly dinner planner and when I pulled the image for it, I cringed a little. Â The photo did not do it justice at all. Â This salad is one of my absolute favorites and one that I posted almost 5 years ago. Â In all fairness to me, I didn’t even know how to use a camera when I started this blog, and although I am still no photography expert, I think my images have improved since 2011. Â So I thought I would pull this post from the archives and give it a facelift, especially on the eve of Memorial Day weekend when you might be inclined to make a fantastic, crowd-pleasing salad such as this one.
I am obsessing over these zingy little skewers!  I have been teaching them all month in my classes and I always look forward to the end of every lesson when I can snag a stick of hot potatoes.  Someone asked me once, “what is it about food on a stick that people love?”  I think they’re just fun and easy and skewers feel like a party is happening.  The potato party is made by the tasty Dijon-based marinade that coats each little spud.  Potatoes on their own can be a tad bland, but add Dijon, garlic, crushed red pepper and lemon juice and you’ve tons of flavor.  I know you’re going to love these.
Where was quinoa 10 years ago? Â Not on most people’s radar, that’s for sure. Â I taught a recipe with quinoa in a cooking class 8 years ago and everyone was skeptical. Â They were sold on it’s health benefits (high in protein, low in fat, full of antioxidants), but not the flavor. Â Nutty? Â Soapy?
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“I can’t get into quinoa.  I’ve tried.  We even cooked it with chicken stock.  Not into it,” I remember someone saying.  We’ve come a long way with quinoa.  When you see it sold in Costco and Target,  you know it has gone mainstream.  I hope many of you have embraced quinoa and figured out ways to enjoy it.  I always used to tell people who are new to quinoa to take their favorite orzo or couscous recipes and swap quinoa.  This would be a major nutritional upgrade and I think a more interesting flavor.
But I’m the first to admit I don’t love plain quinoa eaten out of a bowl with no seasonings, no add-ins. Â Rice, yes. Â But quinoa has a unique flavor that needs a little support. Â The texture is so fantastic though. Â Bouncy, springy, light! Â I love it. Â I make a big batch every other week and stir-fry it a la Italian Fried Rice, or stir in some almond milk and fruit for a sweet breakfast, sprinkle it into pancake batter and add it to salads for a bouncy boost of protein.
I try to teach a great quinoa recipe at least two or three times each year. Â This is one I shared in my classes many years ago and it’s one of the simpler quinoa recipes I’ve taught. Â It’s always nice to have those back-pocket recipes that are healthy, tasty and don’t use too many ingredients or that you can adapt easily.
I could eat this quinoa with toasted coconut and grilled scallions on its own for lunch or with a piece of roasted salmon or chicken on top.  It is perfection with the Thai Steak Salad, which I have also adapted with salmon and chicken.  Mr. Picky, who definitely prefers pasta over quinoa, will eat this with extra toasted coconut and a couple of crushed tortilla chips.  Whatever it takes is my motto!  For those of you with more sophisticated palates, check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe for some additional suggestions.  I highly recommend something spicy!
3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling onions
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (if you love lime, add some zest, too!)
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
optional: half a jalapeño, seeded and grilled with the green onions, finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat a grill over medium heat.
Bring quinoa, water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Turn heat off and allow to sit, covered for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Drizzle some oil on the green onions coating them lightly. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Grill for a minute on each side or until lightly charred and tender. Coarsely chop and set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut flakes, stirring constantly, until golden. They will crisp up off the heat. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Add to cooked quinoa with green onions and toasted coconut. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning. Feel free to add an extra squeeze of lime, if desired.
Notes
This can also be made with rice, but cooking times and water ratios must be adjusted. This is a basic recipe to which I sometimes add avocado or grilled chopped jalapeño or mango. Sometimes I add mint along with the cilantro if I have it.
