You know I am a fan of anything having to do with local and seasonal food and I love to dine out, so I was really excited when I got this guide in the mail. Welch’s, well-known for their concord grape juice, teamed up with Zagat, well-known for their guides filled with user-generated restaurant reviews, to put the Harvest Guide together. The guide includes:

• Zagat ratings and reviews of the most notable farm-to-table restaurants in 16 US markets
• A guide to some of the farmers markets across the country
• Tips for incorporating heart-healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables into your diet
• Delicious and seasonal heart-healthy recipes
• A list of what produce is in season when based on region

There’s so much great stuff in this little booklet and an added bonus is that it’s free! As farmers markets and farm-to-table restaurants continue to crop up this guide will surely get bigger year after year. I for one am excited to try out some of the restaurants listed!

What are your favorite farm-to-table restaurants? Are they listed in the guide? 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. 

One way I really enjoy cheese is on a salad. When out for lunch I often get a Greek salad with feta cheese or if I’m at one of those “create your own salad” places I usually add beans and feta or Swiss cheese to my salads in place of an animal source of protein like tuna or chicken. One of my favorite types of cheese is goat cheese. Unfortunately I never really see goat cheese as an option at salad bars. So a few weeks ago I was extremely excited to find Crumbled Goat Cheese at Trader Joe’s.  

I have mainly used the crumbled goat cheese in my salads (picture below), but you can use it in quesadillas, on top of pizza, tossed with roasted beets, and sprinkled on pasta. It is so much easier than buying a log of goat cheese and having to crumble it yourself! 

One thing to keep in mind with cheese is that a little bit goes a long way both in flavor and in calories and fat. As far as cheeses go, goat cheese is one of the more moderate ones in terms of it’s nutritional profile, but if you don’t watch your portion sizes you could end up taking in more than you bargained for! One ounce of TJ’s Crumbled Goat Cheese has 80 calories, 5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium, < 1 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 20 mg calcium. There are many low-fat and fat-free cheeses available these days, but often the flavor isn’t as great so many people end up eating more of it and taking in more calories than they would if they enjoyed a smaller portion of the full-fat version. So as I’ve recommended in the past, look for low-fat varieties of cheese that are flavorful, otherwise enjoy the real deal but be mindful of your portions. 

Do you like goat cheese? How would you use crumbled goat cheese in your kitchen?

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 Tips for Hosting Responsible Cocktail Parties

1. Designate a bartender who can serve your guests and keep an eye on how much everyone is drinking. The Federal Dietary Guidelines define moderate drinking as no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.
2. Remember – alcohol is alcohol. It is important to understand that a standard serving of beer (12 ounces), wine (5 ounces) and spirits (a cocktail with 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits) each contains the same amount of alcohol.
3. Make sure that you provide food to complement your cocktails. Consider food pairings to enhance the flavor of your chosen cocktails: fresh seafood and breads accentuate vodka cocktails, spiced and smoked meats and cheeses complement Bourbon and Scotch whiskies, and fruit enhances Rum and Tequila flavors.
4. Make  non-alcoholic beverages available for your guests. Create festive non-alcoholic punch for those guests who choose not to drink alcohol. And have calorie-free drinks like water, club soda, and diet soda available as well.
5. Make sure your guests have a safe way home either through designated drivers or a taxi. Have local taxi service numbers available for your guests.

Looking for some cocktail inspiration? Try my Blueberry Basil Cooler or Megan’s Strawberry, Lemon, and Basil Soda.

Have fun at those parties and enjoy the holidays! 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you’re in need of a holiday gift for a foodie, a food dehydrator may be just the right thing! It may sound like a contraption from the future, but my food dehydrator is actually one of the best presents that I ever received. And it’s a great device to have in the kitchen! It works by exposing food to low temperatures of heat for a long period of time in order to remove any moisture from the food. Depending on what you want to dehydrate, temperatures can range from around 95° for drying herbs and spices to 160° for making jerky. The end result is a food that is preserved and can be consumed at a later time without worrying about spoilage.

Food dehydrators can be used to make many Nutritioulicious snacks. Some of my favorite foods to make with my food dehydrator are dried fruits and vegetables, fruit leather, and jerky. You can also use a dehydrator to make your own dried herbs or even dried flowers for various crafts.

Have you ever used a food dehydrator? What are some of your favorite food-related holiday gift ideas?

I love Thanksgiving. Every year I am so excited to fly home to San Diego to see my entire family gather around the Thanksgiving table enjoying great food and conversation. However, the majority of the food at our Thanksgiving, while delicious, is anything but nutritious. I know that Thanksgiving is a time to indulge in foods we don’t get to eat other times of the year like stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, so as I do every year, I helped my mother prepare and plate the traditional family dishes. I like filling up most of my plate with veggies and leaving a smaller part to sample the other dishes, so along with the conventional Thanksgiving fare I always make broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans for myself.

Every year my family makes fun of me for “being such a healthy eater” and this year it occurred to me that if I want to eat nutritious food this Thanksgiving, I should share it with my family so that they too could enjoy bulking up their plates with lower fat, lower calorie but still delicious options. So this year I made extra vegetables and put them in a large bowl on the table between the candied sweet potatoes and the buttery mashed potatoes. I also decided last minute to make a side dish of quinoa with green lentils and roasted button mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and asparagus. I actually saw most of our guests (and surprisingly, my parents) try and love my quinoa. I think I started a new tradition this year and learned a great lesson: If you want to ensure that you have something healthy to eat, try bringing or making your own dish to a group dinner.

Quinoa with Green Lentils and Roasted Vegetables
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry green lentils
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3 large sweet potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
• 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
• 10 spears asparagus, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Boil lentils in 2 cups water for about 20 minutes, until cooked but not mushy.
2. Boil quinoa according to package directions.
3. Toss sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus in a large bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes until slightly brown.
4. In a large serving bowl, combine the quinoa, lentils, and roasted vegetables.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 310 calories, 7g fat, 51g carbohydrate, 13g protein, 9g fiber, 40mg sodium

What are your favorite Nutritioulicious Thanksgiving side dishes?

Mushroom and Onion Barley 

Einkorn Pasta with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Bulgur with Ginger & Orange 

Vegetable and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Quinoa-Stuffed Cornish Hens

 What are some of your favorite whole grains?

Tallulah on Thames is a farm to table restaurant that is “committed to sourcing seasonal market-driven ingredients highlighting local farms and artisans to create a genuine and delightful dining experience. Chef Jake’s menu showcases farm fresh + simplicity + flavor.” This restaurant is everything I love about dining out – it was quaint (only about 10 tables in the entire restaurant), focused on local and seasonal ingredients, and the food was absolutely delicious – not to mention gorgeously plated! I couldn’t help but take pictures of the food because it was really so beautifully put together. Here are some of the highlights from our meal (the pictures don’t do the food justice, but you’ll get an idea!):

Vermont Creamery butter with microgreens served with fresh-from-the-oven dinner rolls. Who would ever think to put microgreens on butter?!

Goat cheese stuffed figs with Marcona almonds and many other accoutrements (I can’t remember everything about this dish!):

Aquidneck Island foraged mushroom risotto with crispy brioche, mustard greens, parmesan reggiano, and black garlic:

This dish was definitely a highlight of the meal. I love risotto, but have never experienced it like this. Instead of being served in a bowl, it came on a plate in three mounds topped with foam and lemon zest, which added such a refreshing flavor that cut some of the richness and umami flavor of the risotto. The risotto was filled with various types of mushrooms and there were these little syrupy dots on the plate, which I couldn’t quite figure out. I thought it tasted a bit like black olives and it reminded Andy of balsamic vinegar. Turns out they were black garlic, which neither of us had ever tasted. I googled black garlic at the table to learn more about it and on Wikipedia it says “the taste is sweet and syrupy with hints of balsamic vinegar or even tamarind” – Andy was spot on!

Dessert was just as interesting as the rest of the meal. Andy ordered a ginger panna cotta that was topped with cranberry and pineapple jam, lychees, and coconut. There were also some microgreens on the plate!

On an unrelated note, I loved the dish this was served in and was so curious whether they bought the dish with the panna cotta in mind or once they saw the dish decided they wanted to serve something in it and came up with a recipe that would fit it! 

I ordered a deconstructed tarte tatin with hazelnut, barden farm apples, pears, and nougatine. Again this was such a unique presentation. There was a mound of apples, fruit puree, caramel dots, and hazelnut ice cream. I can’t even begin to describe the intricacies of what I was eating! 

The meal ended with chocolate hazelnut petit fores, which I don’t have a picture of, but were scrumptious as well. Good thing the next day was sunny so we could walk a little after this decadent meal!

Do you seek out the best dining experiences when you travel? What’s the best meal you had on a recent trip?

 Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review nor was my meal paid for. All opinions are my own. 

Ingredients:

• About 7 medium sized apples (I used golden delicious, but you can use your favorite apple!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 140°F.
2. Puree the apples in a food processor until they are the consistency of applesauce.
3. Pour onto a pan or baking sheet lined with plastic wrap.
4. Place in the oven or in a dehydrator. If using an oven leave in the oven for about 8-12 hours. I used a food dehydrator and it took me about 6 hours for my fruit leather to be done!

Have you ever made fruit leather?

I figured I could modify the quinoa recipe to make my own version of this dish. I know people make pesto using kale so I figured now was a good time to try it. I was out of quinoa, so I used whole wheat pasta in place and the end result was a Nutritioulicious and easy to make dinner. 

Below is the recipe for the kale pesto. The rest of the meal was really easy to make – drizzle vegetables with olive oil and roast at 400 F for about 20-30 minutes (less time for the broccoli), tossing half way through; cook pasta, and mix pasta and vegetables with pesto.

Kale Pesto
Serves 6 (or less if you have a pregnant person eating with you!)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 bunches chopped kale
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Chef Johnny Iuzzini of Top Chef Just Desserts fame (he’s also the pastry chef at Jean George in NY) and Chef Elizabeth Falkner from Orson & Citizen Cake in San Francisco were on hand making their elevated desserts.

After they did a little demo, the guests were divided into two groups, each of which proceeded to make the chef’s desserts in full. I was in Elizabeth’s group making an elevated version of an ice cream sundae. There were multiple components to the Chocolate Gelato Sundae, including the gelato, which Elizabeth had already made using liquid nitrogen (shown above) for quick freezing, chocolate sauce, caketons (cake croutons), and marshmallow cream. It was really fun making fresh marshmallow and then seeing how the whole thing came together. 

The Sundae consisted of layers of chocolate sauce, caketons (love that word!), gelato, and marshmallow cream. It was topped with more chocolate sauce, Scharffen Berger Roasted Cacao Nibs (which are amazingly delicious!), and chocolate curls. Chef Johnny’s dessert was an elevated version of chocolate pudding with passion fruit gelée, whipped chocolate créme fraiche, and cacao nibs. The pudding was garnished with passion fruit seeds, fresh and freeze-dried raspberries, and “thin wisps of tempered chocolate.” 

What I loved about both of these desserts was that they had different textural elements throughout – the crunchiness of the nibs and the freeze-dried berries, the smoothness of the pudding and gelato. I also like how Johnny uses fresh fruit to add natural sweetness to his desserts.

Thanks to the folks at Scharffen Berger for inviting me to this decadent event!

Do you like chocolate? What are your favorite chocolate desserts? 

Disclaimer: I attended this event courtesy of Scharffen Berger and was not compensated for posting about it. Opinions expressed are my own.