My Mom left a day and a half ago and I’m still in mourning.

We had such a good time – it was filled with cousins, touring LA (movies, Venice beach, Hollywood Blvd), and many, many amazing meals.

After an amazing last breakfast (bld) and a trip to the airport, I came home utterly bummed and super sad. I ate a brownie for lunch. I sulked around. And then I pulled myself together and made these green beans. Even though I’ve been in a bit of a cooking slump lately, spending some time in the kitchen is always something I enjoy and usually makes me feel better. (If the recipe turns out well, I enjoy it even more!)

These green beans are simply delicious. I had torn out a recipe from Bon Appetit for Green Beans with Miso Butter, but the ingredient list was long and the process a bit tedious for me. I skipped most of the ingredients and process, leaving only my favorite parts. The miso adds wonderful savory flavor to standard green beans and comes together in minutes!

Eat them on a depressing afternoon, a sunny, fun afternoon or alongside some grilled fish, chicken or tofu with a side of brown rice.

I go through a love-hate relationship with quinoa. I’ll go through phases where I make a batch every week and eat it up for quick lunches or dinners but then I’ll go months without making it.

After a pretty long quinoa dry spell, I needed something enticing to bring it back into my life. And I decided that something would be quinoa spring salad.

I combined cooked quinoa with a bright vinaigrette and then topped it with sauteed leeks and asparagus with some salty feta cheese and shrimp for extra protein and flavor. It was delicious! Since most of it can be made ahead of time, it is perfect for rushed weeknight dinners or packed lunches.

Kitchen24 is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in West Hollywood.

It has a lot going for it – it is within walking distance, has a great outdoor patio and a whole list of fun, creative drinks. Oh, and the food is delicious. (Although, I just discovered this past weekend that they have very few appetizers which is too bad – I love appetizers).

Richie and I went for breakfast on Easter Sunday, I was there for lunch a few weeks ago with a friend from yoga and then we visited with my friend (and baby!) who were visiting last weekend for an early evening snack. So far, everything has been great. The California Eggs Benedict was ridiculous and the Cahuenga Chopped Salad was everything I wanted it to be.

I tend to go through salad phases – I’ll make and eat a salad until I get sick of it and then I’ll have to move on. So this chopped chicken salad, inspired by the one at Kitchen24 has been my latest phase.

All of the flavors and components I need in a salad are there: a combination of greens, salty feta, briney olives, protein-rich chicken, flavorful bacon, crunchy cucumbers and apples all tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing.

I can’t give up avocados.

Not just yet. Last week my life changed with a simple little sandwich of whole grain bread + avocado + parmesan – broiled and topped with a fried egg. Thanks to reader Kelli for the suggestion – it is a combination worth trying!

But as much as I loved that sandwich, I needed something new and I had been wanting to combine basil + avocados for quite some time now. Originally I set out to make a avocado inspired pesto, but the feta cheese in the refrigerator caught my eye and I decided that it would be the perfect addition to the spread.

It turned out to be a very tasty addition.

The spread is delicious and so very versatile – it was delicious eaten with crackers and veggies and was just as scrumptious on a burger, I imagine the same would be the case on a sandwich.

I have always loved a good egg salad. I mean, I absolutely love eggs so it is only natural for me to love them in every form. When I came across a recipe for a Cucumber-Basil Egg Salad on the epicurious app (do you have it? you should!) it just sounded like my new favorite egg salad recipe.

The basil and cucumber add a fresh flavor to the egg salad and I decided to use a blend of mayonnaise and greek yogurt after it worked so well in the spring chicken salad. It is the perfect egg salad for spring and summer. Serve over greens with bread or crackers.

The latest natural food trends have always intrigued me, but since working in the natural food business, they are also something that I needed to stay on top of.

It is one of the reasons why I prefer to go to the store alone – then I can spend all of the time I want wandering up and down every single aisle, every single time I visit the store. (And I could literally go to the store every day).

These are my favorite natural food trends of 2012 – they aren’t necessarily “new” items, but are really popular this year.

• Gluten-Free: I’m glad that there are more delicious options for those who must follow a gluten-free diet, but there is also a lot of “junk gluten-free” products out there. (Which means Gluten Free isn’t necessarily healthier)!

• Probiotics: Are everywhere! In food, drink, water and pouch form. I’m a huge fan of probiotics but I still prefer mine via supplements.

• Convenience Foods: Foods that require little to no prep time are still a staple in 2012 and come in all forms of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Kombucha: The kombucha section is growing at a steady rate and I’ve tried  a number of them, but my favorites are still GT Kombucha and Kombucha Wonder Drink.

• Greek Yogurt: Like kombucha, I swear I see a new Greek Yogurt brand/variety every time I visit the store. There is even frozen greek yogurt, but I have yet to try it.

• Coconut: Found in waters, teas, oils, baked goods and bars, ice creams, milks and sweeteners.

Which of these food trends do you enjoy? What would you add to the list? 

Southern California is known for its lack of real seasons, and I hear time and time again, “I just could never live without the change of seasons.” To which I reply with, “Yes, I know. Seventy-five and sunny most of the year is awful.”

I might miss the seasons (fall and spring only) at some point, but I haven’t noticed yet – I’ve been enjoying the weather just the way it is.

But now that spring has arrived for the rest of the world, it is time to embrace all of the lovely spring foods and produce.

This Spring Chicken Salad is wonderful – it has the bright and light flavors that we love in the spring and is so versatile – serve it over greens, on toasted bread, in a wrap or even mixed into pasta salad! I hear scooping it straight of the bowl with crackers is also delicious…

The inspiration came from Bon Appetit’s Three Pea Chicken Salad – I wouldn’t have thought to add peas to chicken salad on my own, but it was such a wonderful addition. I’m hooked! As an added bonus, this recipe is on the lighter side, without tasting anything like it. Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise but it isn’t evident at all, in case you live with someone who doesn’t like greek yogurt like me.

A few weekends ago, we visited Short Order for some burgers.  Short Order is Nancy Silverton’s newish LA restaurant focusing on a local, organic and artisan burgers.  We had some delicious cocktails but unfortunately the burgers were pretty disappointing.

All was not lost however as we spotted a Breakfast Cobb Salad on the brunch menu and I knew instantly that it would be on our plate some weekend morning very soon.

It isn’t out of the norm for us to have side salads with breakfast, but I’ve never thought of making it the main event.

I have no idea why…

It was delicious. Satisfying, yet light and felt like the perfect combination between breakfast and lunch. I have a feeling it will become a regular weekend breakfast for us.

Full of greens, healthy fats and tons of flavor.

Why not?

My Minnesota Aunts made the best egg bakes and it was something I looked forward to every time we celebrated Christmas in Minnesota.  It might be a Minnesota thing – I don’t ever recall having it with Wisconsin family – anyone know? I remember them being full of cubed white bread, breakfast sausage, custardy eggs and of course, some cheese. They were delicious. It’s been a few years since I’ve had it, but I haven’t forgotten.

I decided to put a little twist on the traditional egg bake and added sweet potato and kale instead of the white bread. Much healthier, much more flavorful and much more colorful! The bacon and cheese add decadent flavor and richness so it is just as rich and satisfying as the original.

Surely you can only be thinking one thing by this title…

Sandra Lee.

(source)

Quick run-down on Sandy if you aren’t familiar with her (ahem, Mom): she often makes a meal on her food network show out of various packaged foods. Think cookies with cake mix (I’m guilty of that one), risotto with condensed soup (definitely not guilty, ew) and martinis called white knight-ini. Many people have a strong dislike for her, and while I’m not really a fan, she’s pretty harmless.

I saw “stuffing mushrooms” at Trader Joe’s and immediately thought about how easy stuffed mushrooms are to make. They always seem like such a treat too! The easiest way to make them would be to stuff them with one of the many spreads they have at Trader Joe’s and pack it with a little spinach so I did just that.

So you combine the spinach and a spread (I went with the Blue Cheese & Roasted Pecan), stuff it into the mushrooms and bake. So easy it’s kind of ridiculous and definitely considered semi-homemade. I almost went with the frozen spinach artichoke dip since it would be even easier, but I thought I’d mix it up a bit – choose your favorite spread! If you had some bread crumbs in the cupboard, I’d sprinkle a few on top of the mushrooms, but they definitely aren’t necessary.

Sometimes, semi-homemade is just right.

Spill it: Are you a Sandra hater or do you appreciate her “semi-homemade” recipes?