From the kitchen of Dr. Barrett
 
I discovered this recipe courtesy of Lakewinds Food Co-op. They were sampling this recipe during one of my frequent trips to their store and I fell in love. I am dairy-free and have been missing creamy noodles! 

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Ingredients:

• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 cup mushrooms thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 zucchini, about 1 ½ cups diced
• ½ red bell pepper diced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ lb brown rice noodles (shells work well)
• 3-4 cups butternut squash soup

 
Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, sauté the garlic, onion, mushrooms, zucchini and red bell pepper in the olive oil. Cook until tender about 5-7 minutes.
2. At the same time cook the noodles until about halfway done.
3. Add soup, vinegar, half cooked noodles, salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Stirring until shells are cooked.

 
Serves 3-4
 
Variations: I find that adding a spicy meat such as hot turkey or pork sausage really adds to the meal.  I add the meat to the onions and garlic until fully cooked then add the vegetables and continue with the recipe as written.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Prepare your grains according to package directions. I used a combination of brown rice, forbidden black rice, and red quinoa for lots of color and texture. The rice I chose took about 40min to cook so I got it started first and added the quinoa in with 10min left in the cooking time. If you have bone broth on hand use it instead of water to cook the grains and get all the additional health benefits.
   
3. Wash and dry your sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.
4. Mix 2 Tbsp each coconut oil and coconut milk and coat the sweet potato cubes with the mixture.
5. Lay sweet potatoes out on a cookie sheet (I cover mine with foil for easy clean up) and bake for about 50 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a fork and are browning on the edges.
6. While your grains and potatoes are cooking, prepare the white miso sesame sauce by combining ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and olive oil in a food processor and blending well. After the ginger and garlic are well incorporated into the liquid add the thicker elements of honey, tahini, and white miso and blend until smooth.
7. When your potatoes and rice are close to done, steam the spinach or other leafy greens and toast enough black and white sesame seeds to sprinkle over each bowl. I had a mesh colander that fit right over my rice pot and was able to steam the spinach easily right on top. You'll know the sesame seeds are done as they start to release a lovely toasty scent.
8. The last step is layering everything in your bowl with a little miso sauce and then cooking up an egg however you like and finishing off with toasted sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.

What I love about this recipe is the how much you can experiment with variations. The original version had broccoli instead of spinach and I just swapped in a different nutrient-dense veggie that was easier for me to digest. Add as many veggies as you can! It is easy to just add something else to the roasting pan with the potatoes and not even dirty another dish. Comment below if you think of a particularly delicious addition or variation!

From the kitchen of: Bri Dunbar
Recipe adapted from nomnompaleo.com

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I LOVE a good salsa! And in the summer I'm especially drawn to ones that incorporate fresh fruits. Sometimes in addition to the mango, we add in peaches or pineapple depending on what looks good while we are grocery shopping or perusing the farmer's market. This snack is a big hit at our house on sunny summer afternoons. Bonus points if it's enjoyed outdoors!!

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, diced
  
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 med avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of himalayan salt
• pinch of fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• juice from 1/2 lime

**optional: add in other diced fruits

Directions:

1. Mix together.
2. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

**Also delicious over a piece of seared fish.

From the kitchen of Monica Mack

When a large basket of rhubarb arrived in my CSA share, I went looking for new rhubarb recipes to try. This strawberry rhubarb chia pudding turned out really well and I would definitely make it again! Try it out like this or make your own version with other fresh fruits you may have in abundance this summer. Chia pudding makes a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack that is full of fiber!

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups rhubarb stalks (1/3 inch slices)
• 2 cups quartered strawberries
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1½ cup almond milk
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, add the rhubarb, water, and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes.
2. As soon as the rhubarb starts to soften, add the strawberries and continue to simmer. Cook about 5-7 minutes until strawberries and rhubarb have softened and a thick sauce forms. Set aside to cool.
3. To make the chia pudding, place milk, chia, coconut, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir well and place in the fridge to set at least 1 hour to overnight.
4. To serve, spoon half of the chia pudding into 2 separate bowls and top with strawberry rhubarb compote.