I remember feeling this way last summer— overwhelmed. But in a good way. As the growing season progresses, it’s always thrilling to see what new vegetables arrive in my weekly CSA delivery. This year, we had an abundance of food from our local Grant Family Farms in the first week. In one of our early deliveries, I was so excited to see fresh dill arrive along with huge bunches of parsley and cilantro. Woohoo. There are few things more exciting to a cook than fresh herbs.

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While I was trekking through miles and miles of booths at the Natural Products Expo West this past Spring, I discovered a great company with a very awesome product. Element Bars, based in Chicago, offers tasty energy bars made with natural, whole ingredients. What’s really cool about this company is that they have built an online portal where you can design your own energy bar— completely customized to your tastes. Sweet!

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I recently returned from a trip to Oregon. This trip was a well-needed retreat for me— a chance to get away, spend quality time with friends, and ask deep, contemplative questions about what the future holds. It was also a time for me to let go of all the shoulds and what ifs in my life and practice just being present in each moment. I am learning to allow the future to unfold, which is quite different than my usual M.O.— trying to make everything happen. More »

I’ve got a secret. I realize it may be too soon in our relationship for me to tell you this, but I don’t think I can keep it to myself much longer. You’re bound to find out sooner or later.

I have thing for chocolate. Not just a thing, really. It’s a full-blown, OMG, lose-my-mind-at-the-first-sight-of-it, kind of a thing. Don’t get the wrong impression though, I can’t stand the cheap, waxy kind. You couldn’t pay me any amount of money to eat a Hershey’s Kiss. I love the dark stuff. And French words like ganache, pots de creme, and torte send me to the moon and back. I’ll stop short of saying I’m a chocoholic because I mostly avoid the stuff (really I do)— but once in a while, when I let go and allow myself to indulge, there’s nothing better on this planet than a deep, dark, luscious, smooth chocolate dessert.

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I don’t know about you, but now that days are hot and summertime is officially upon us, I’ve got a hankerin’ for a good burger. As we fire up our grills for the season, I’m on a mission. I want to make to the most outrageous, delicious, veggie burger on the planet. I have to admit, before now, I’ve never made a homemade veggie burger. I’m not sure exactly why. Perhaps because it’s just too easy to pull out a frozen veggie burger and slather it up with all the juicy fixins— ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, avocado, green chili— and voila— summertime burger! But still, those boxified veggie burgers can’t possibly be as good as homemade veggie burgers, can they? I’ve had some good ones, and some bad ones. I guess it’s the principle of it— I rarely eat pre-packaged, pre-made foods, so why do I settle for frozen veggie burgers? I’m certain home-made burgers would be better for us, and would probably taste a whole lot better too. But let’s face it, when it’s 4pm on a Saturday afternoon, and your friends call you over for an impromptu BBQ, what are going to do? Run inside and whip up a homemade veggie burger? Probably not.

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As we get closer to Summer, I see new produce at the market every week. Yesterday, for the first time this season, there was broccoli, asparagus, Napa cabbage, and one of my favorite vegetables— Kohlrabi. I think it’s safe to say that most American’s have never even heard of it. It’s not standard eats, but it should be.

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I wish I liked radishes. Actually, let me rephrase — I wish I liked to eat radishes. Other than the taste, I do like radishes. (I really haven’t met a vegetable I dislike. Let’s just say I like some better than others.) As I write this post, I’m realizing that I have a strong ambivalence towards radishes. In all their beautiful, multicolored glory, they represent Spring and the beginning of the farmer’s market season, which I love.  Each May, without fail, they greet us as sentries standing guard at every farmer’s booth. And they really are beautiful— brightly-colored crimson, soft ivory, and magnificent purple globes nesting in their own haven of densely-colored, green leaves. I am always attracted to them. They look so seductive. They are almost irresistible. Almost.

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I love farmer’s markets. We’re very fortunate here in Colorado to have access to some great markets. I happen to live in Boulder County and think the Boulder Farmer’s Market is pretty special. I also love the Longmont Farmer’s Market— a bit smaller and usually less crowded. There are farmer’s markets all over the country— and they’re usually not too hard to find. Local Harvest is a good place to start if you’re trying to find a market in your area.

Yesterday was a great day at the market. We’ve been having cooler weather and it was bit overcast— a perfect time to go to the market since cloudy days usually mean less people. Despite our wet, cool Spring, there was much to choose form at the market. Here are some of the beautiful things I found:

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The Environmental Working Group has released their revised lists for the Dirty Dozen (the 12 fruits and vegetables highest in pesticide residue) and the Clean 15 (the 15 fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of pesticide residue).

The complete list isn’t available yet, but becoming familiar with, and avoiding the Dirty Dozen, will go a long way to keeping harmful toxins out of your body. For all the foods on the Dirty Dozen list, it’s a good idea to only buy certified organic. If it’s on the list, and I can’t find organic, I won’t buy it, and I won’t eat it.

Dirty Dozen

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (imported)

Clean 15

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

Recently, I posted a link to a video that featured Mimi Kirk—a beautiful, vibrant, 71-year old woman who recently won a contest sponsored by PETA and was awarded the title of Sexiest Vegetarian over the age of 50. (After speaking with her, I decided she deserved a promotion, so I gave her the title of Sexiest Vegetarian on the Planet. I’m pretty sure PETA won’t mind.) During the short video clip, Mimi credited her youthful appearance and excellent health to the fact that she has been a vegetarian for the better part of 40 years. I instantly liked this woman and was intrigued. As luck would have it, a friend of mine who knows Mimi saw my post and offered to make an introduction. Woohoo. This past week, Mimi was gracious enough to spend some time with me and I am excited to share our conversation in an audio file posted below.

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