Noshtopia

Yes, You Can Have Your Bacon And Eat It Too: BLT Pink Beans Salad

Bacon is a great way to get people to try new things, and in a salad you can use bacon sparingly for flavor versus as a main dish on a plate. When I eat bacon, I always get nitrate-free bacon. Black Forest bacon would be a good one for this dish.

Organic Basil So Pretty It's In The Flower Section

I love how Whole Foods has the flower section in the front as you walk in the store. I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I walked into the Whole Foods on 4th in SF and saw organic basil mixed in with the other flowers. The smell was pretty incredible too!

Linkage: Because Rhubarb Is Such A Fun Word, Let's Make Some Pie With Strawberries

I like saying the word "rhubarb." It's fun and rolls off the tongue amusingly like "kumquat." In fact, I would name a pet rhubarb, maybe a cat or a bird.

Snackage: Vegan Chili Cheese Fries

It's snackage time, and who doesn't love some chili cheese fries?

Easy-bake: Cheesy Vegan, Gluten-free Chicken, Kale, Pasilla Pepper Enchiladas

I've been wanting to experiment with vegan enchiladas for awhile now, and happy to say that my experiment turned out really well. My carnivore dad wanted to eat these!

A Leaner Meatball: Chicken Quinoa Meatballs

I saw these beautiful creatures at Whole Foods Market in Walnut Creek. I love the idea of a leaner meatball. Instead of beef or pork, use chicken and add some Quinoa for even more protein.

Salad Bar Lunch Mashup: Sauteed Spinach, Quinoa, Carrots, Edamame, Black Beans and Green Onion

For lunch today, I created this mashup from the Whole Foods salad and hot foods bar. This is an example of assembly cooking at its best.

Vegan, Gluten-free Dessert: Organic Dark Chocolate Ice Cream With Walnuts, Raspberry and Strawberry Spread

Tonight for dessert was simple, a scoop of Luna & Larry's Organic Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, made with coconut milk topped with crushed walnuts and a tablespoon of Mountain Fruit Co. Red Duet fruit spread which is simply pureed strawberries and raspberries mixed together. This fruit spread is heavenly and remarkably only 5g or sugar per serving.

Turkey Florentine Meatloaf Deconstructed Into Cupcake Form For Cool Portion Control Idea

I saw these Turkey Florentine "cupcakes" at Whole Foods Oakland and thought what a fun and brilliant portion control idea.

Vegan, Gluten-free Chicken and Five Spice Tofu Fried Brown Jasmine Rice

I took your standard fried rice to a new fun level with this creation. This dish is tasty and is real fast to cook!