I was beginning to feel the onset of a sickness yesterday and to ward it off I decided to make Caldo de Pollo soup.  I was first introduced to this soup when I was managing the Lents International Farmers Market in Portland, OR.  Through out the year at the market we would have members of our community who had immigrated to Portland, come and share recipes from where they grew up.  The day our 'chef in the market' made caldo...

Last week I took on my first client!  I am formulating a meal plan based on their specific dietary needs and then cooking and packaging it all up for them for the upcoming work week.  While it is not feasible to cook for everyone, I offer meal planning as a service.  If you have a particular wellness goal, or have a specific dietary need and are not afraid to get in the kitchen- let me do your meal planning for you!  I can tak...

If you grow nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus), you probably have a lot of them, as they are vigorous growers and are quick to reseed.  I absolutely love them to add the flowers a pop of color to my salads in the summer.  Their flavor is spicy, but also a little bit sweet.  In addition to the flowers, you can also eat the unripe seed pods and leaves.  They are very high in vitamin C and iron and are the densest plant source of lut...

One reason for not cooking at home that I consistently hear is that they don’t have enough time. I have been there myself, and what I realized was that I actually did have the time, but that I was so exhausted/stressed/hangry that I didn’t actually want to cook, that it was easier to just go out or eat whatever I could find in the cupboards. The times that I actually bucked up and did make my way into the kitchen to cook a mea...

<<<<Let me start with a disclaimer here: although very yummy, it was kind of hard to take a photo that made this soup look appetizing.  Mushrooms and sausage are kinda weird looking.  Also, this soup tastes better the following day. >>>>

Perhaps you do most of your foraging for wild mushrooms in the woods, or maybe you do most of your foraging at your local grocery store or farmers market.  No matter, as...

 I would not typically describe myself as a lazy person, but as someone obsessed with efficiency.  To spend hours canning a meager amount of anything is always so disheartening.  Back in the good ole' days community members would meet at the local grange hall (like a rural folks community center) or go from farm to farm and everyone would pitch in and put up (ie can) their harvest together.  It was a social event and also a wa...

“Not only this same fungus [the chanterelle] never did any harm, but it might even restore the dead.” —L. Trattinnick, Essenbarre Schwamme (nineteenth century).

Chanterelles are up among my favorite mushrooms to harvest and eat.  The are dense and firm when they are smaller and make them perfect for pickling whole.  I have a spot that is on timber company land and is covered in chanterelles so I don't feel too ba...

• Kale chips instead of potato chips.  Kale chips satisfy the need for a crunchy and salty snack but had the added advantage of being good for you.

• Zucchini ribbons instead of pasta.  Even if you dont have a fancy spiralizer you can make zucchini ribbons using a peeler.  Simply use the peeler down the length of the zucchini until you reach the core, then flip over and do the same to the other size.  Sautee or use raw in...

Nigella sativa aka Roman coriander, aka black cumin, aka black seed aka love-in-a-mist.  So many names for what is generally recognized as a pretty, rapidly spreading flower.  Aside from being a pretty plant, the seeds of this flower are both delicious and have incredible health benefits.  Slightly floral and a bit cumin-y I have used this seed to top salads, as an ingredient in herbal beer, and sprinkled atop roasted vegetabl...

The way that I prefer to cook at home is in the spirit of a traditional foods diet.  Foods are minimally processed to enhance nutrient bio-availability and flavor.  I like to use the ideas below as a guiding principle towards the foods I eat and how I prepare them.  I hope you enjoy the info and resources.