Author: Jacqueline King

Fig and Almond Butter Mousse Pie with Sesame-Oat Crust

Fall Fruit and Almond Butter Mousse Pie with Sesame-Oat Cookie Crust

This luscious Almond Butter Mousse Pie is made with simple ingredients and is the perfect way to showcase fresh fall fruit. The base is a delicious savory crust flavored with sesame seeds and fragrant rosemary. The rich and creamy filling is made with almond butter, coconut cream, maple syrup and a touch of plain yogurt to balance the sweetness. It’s all topped off with your favorite seasonal fruit. I’ve made it using plums, figs, and persimmons and each was wonderful. This recipe is perfect… for Thanksgiving or any dinner party. You can bake the crust and make the mousse ahead of time and assemble it on the day. to feed a crowd. The filling is very rich and satisfying so a small slice per person will do. when you want a decadent tasting dessert, but want to use wholesome ingredients that also happen to be vegan. When you want to serve a dessert that is as beautiful as it is delicious. Nutritional Highlights: Any raw fruit you choose will be rich in vitamins, minerals and …

Iron Rich Red Velvet Smoothie

Published by Jacqueline King

I don’t know about you, but I think Red Velvet is one of the best sweet treat flavors around. Unfortunately cupcakes don’t make the best breakfast food, so here’s a delicious, iron-rich, energizing smoothie that is great in the morning or anytime you need a red velvety boost. This Recipe is Perfect… to satisfy your chocolate or sweet tooth cravings in a nutritious way as an energizing and filling breakfast smoothie as a way to refuel post workout when you need an antioxidant filled energy boost mid-afternoon as a way to sneak veggies in for a picky eater For people with diet related anemia Nutrition Highlights: Cacao powder, Spinach, Beets, Gogi Berries, Chia and Dates are good sources of Iron which is important for your exercise and work performance and immune function. The fats in avocado will help your body absorb the fat soluble vitamins in this smoothie like vitamins A and E and keep you feeling full and satisfied longer. Dried fruits and avocados are full of fiber which can help slow your body’s breakdown of …

Delicious, Nutritious and Easy Fall Garden Pasta

Published by Jacqueline King

Today is world vegetarian day, so I thought it would be a great day to share one of my easy go-to vegetarian/vegan main dishes. It’s super flavorful and nutritious thanks to the variety of veggies included. It’s a really versatile and forgiving recipe so you can change it up and make it your own each time based on what looks fresh at the market or what you have in the fridge. In place of the kale and chard you can substitute other greens, such as spinach or collard or add other vegetables such as broccoli or mushrooms in place of the cauliflower. I like to use Muir Glen organic tomato paste and organic diced tomatoes with basil and garlic for this recipe. This is the kind of main dish you can serve to a meat eater and they won’t even notice that it’s completely meat and dairy free. The nuts add a little protein and great texture and the sun-dried tomatoes add umami goodness. Together with the pasta it makes for a meal that is filling …

Spiced Coconut Dulce de Leche Vegan Caramel Sauce

Spiced Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche ( Vegan Caramel Sauce)

Published by Jacqueline King

When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles I was often sent during summer break to spend time with family in Mexico. Sometimes I would visit family in big bustling cities like Guadalajara and Mexico City, but more often I spent time with family who lived in a small village Zacatecas. It was a very different world than California. My cousins lived in houses made of adobe in what appeared to be a desert save for the small creek nearby that swelled with each rainfall. It was a land of ranchers and cowboys, and with that of course, lots of cows. They would walk through the dirt roads at noontime with bells on as they were shepherded from one place to the next. I was exposed to a variety of culinary treats on these trips, homemade tortillas, cactus salad, salsas made with fragrant chilies, but what stands out in my memory of those childhood travels was what was most appealing to my young palate. Rich and creamy dulce de leche, a thick caramel …

Quick Pan-Seared Branzino with Artichoke Hearts and Lemon-Herb Sauce

Real Food Fast: Pan-Seared Branzino with Artichoke Hearts and Lemon-Herb Sauce

Published by Jacqueline King

When I was a kid, a quick seafood dinner meant fish sticks with tartar sauce. While I’m sure my mom had the best of intentions when pulling the frozen minced fish logs from their packets, (“eat it, it’s good for you!” she’d say) it’s no wonder I grew up thinking I hated fish. It wasn’t until I travelled to italy as an adult (if you can call an 18-year-old an adult?) and tried their simple preparations of white fish that I found out it could be so much more than those mushy breaded sticks of my youth. One of the most popular fish on Italian menus is Branzino, a type of European sea bass with a delicate flavor and firm, flaky texture. It has become one of my favorite fish to prepare thanks to it’s versatility and light, almost sweet taste. Here it’s paired with savory artichoke hearts and a bright, lemony herb sauce. While this recipe is significantly more delicious than fish sticks, you’ll be surprised to find that it’s just as quick and easy to …

Lemon-Thyme Blackberry Crumble

Published by Jacqueline King

Blackberries are just so delicious in the summer and they’re even better when baked with a crunchy crumble topping. This recipe adds a touch of maple sweetness to the berries without covering up their natural goodness with piles of white sugar. A little lemon adds brightness and the thyme gives it a subtle herbal flavor that makes it a step above your ordinary crumble. It took several attempts to get it just right, but the result is well worth it! A sweet-tart filling that is just the right consistency, not too watery or too thick and jammy, and a delicious topping made with ingredients you can feel good about like oats, almonds, and coconut oil. The key is cooking it partway on the stovetop to allow some of the berries to release their liquid. This is wonderful for breakfast topped with coconut yogurt, but in my humble opinion even better as dessert served with your favorite vanilla ice cream (mine is Vanilla NadaMoo!). Make it for your next BBQ or family gathering and trust me, you will put …

Buttery Radishes with Dukkah

Published by Jacqueline King

This is an easy, delicious and flavorful snack or hors d’oeuvre. Find the Egyptian spice blend Dukkah at specialty or ethnic food market or if you’re the ambitious type you can make your own. Instructions: Thinly slice a bunch of radishes, top with a sliver of Miyoko’s Vegan Butter, a bit of Kosher or sea salt, and a sprinkle of Dukkah. Enjoy! xJacq

Everything Bagel Party Potato Salad

Published by Jacqueline King

This is a dish I made to bring along to a Fourth of July BBQ that everyone loved. It’s a fun and delicious rift on an everything bagel with the works. It was inspired by a recipe in one of my favorite cooking magazines Bon Appetit. I adjusted it to make it dairy-free and include more flavorful, crunchy and nutritious veggies. I took a vegan version to the party because I knew it would go well with anything else on the menu. My husband had some for lunch before we left along with the salmon on a bed of salad greens and really loved it. So depending on what else you are serving (or your dietary preference) you can decide whether to add the lox. I used packaged tofu cream cheese from the supermarket, but you could certainly make your own. My cashew sour cream would also work well in place of the cream cheese in this recipe. I hope you enjoy it at your next gathering! xo Jacq Ingredients: serves 8-10 3 pounds Baby or Fingerling Potatoes, halved …

Cooking School: How to Make Delicious Oven Roasted Vegetables

Published by Jacqueline King

Roasting in the oven is the easiest way to make the most out of any vegetable. It’s my favorite way to cook veggies for many reasons: It brings out natural sweetness in vegetables giving them a caramelized exterior while keeping the inside moist and tender. It’s versatile, you can use whatever produce is in season at the market. Roasting is the perfect technique for batch cooking or feeding a crowd. Since you cook on a sheet pan, you can make a large quantity all at once. That means you can turn on your oven once, cook up a couple different types of veggies and have them ready to go in the fridge for the rest of the week. (3-5 days) You can roast without a recipe. Every vegetable will be enhanced by the simple addition of olive oil, salt, pepper and a little time in a hot oven. That being said, roasting is a great opportunity to get creative with your favorite spices. Once you are comfortable with the basic technique, you can have fun experimenting …

The Top 10 Foods to Buy Organic to Avoid Toxic Pesticides

Published by Jacqueline King

We all know buying organic produce is the best choice for our bodies and the environment, but sometimes we have to make choices based on what’s in our wallet. Growing food without the use of powerful chemical insecticides and fertilizers often has higher production costs. Maintaining an organic certification can also cost farmers thousands of dollars in certification fees, which seems like an unfair burden to farmers who are trying to do the right thing, but that’s another conversation. The added expenses for the farmers translate to higher prices for us on organic produce at the grocery store. So every year the good people at EWG rank pesticide contamination on 48 popular fruits and vegetables so we know which are the worst offenders. Their analysis is based on results of thousands of samples tested by the USDA and the FDA. They’ve found a total of 146 different pesticides residues that remain on fruits and vegetables even after they are washed and in some cases peeled. While some of the chemicals are relatively benign, others have been …