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My Birthday Party featuring Spring’s Chips + Dips!

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I love birthdays. Not just my own, but it is probably my favorite. I especially love the fact that since having children, my birthday marks the start of “birthday season” in my home as my daughter’s follows close behind mine and my son’s is a month later. Their poor father’s birthday is more of a Thanksgiving thing, but he does have Father’s Day to enjoy so no one is feeling too sorry for him.

My birthday week has begun and I am planning a party where as many people as possible are celebrating FOOD! It is easy. On Tuesday the 28th (aka my big bday!), I simply want you to find something delicious, something totally worth celebrating and then take a picture of it and put it up on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest wherever you roam in this wild online realm and tag @lillystable. That’s it! I want to see all of the food you love to celebrate… it may be your morning cup o’ joe, your favorite piece of toast, or something more involved. And honestly, the more the merrier. Take this as an opportunity to get a little silly with the food photos. Let’s celebrate food in all of it’s delicious glory!

Once the food photo dust has settled, I am going to select a few posts (at least one at random and one because I love it) and then I will be gifting the winners with some goodness from Lilly’s Table!

In the meantime, I love taking my food for a dip, especially when they are outside of the box. In the spring for me, whole artichokes with my favorite dippy goodness is the way I like to do chips + dips, but also thinly sliced raw sweet potatoes with my Guacamamae Salad or my favorite Feta-Guacamole.

We make this dip/dressing frequently in our home as a ranch-style addition to the pull-able leaves off of whole artichokes. The best part is that it can be made entirely with whatever fresh herbs you have available in your home or garden.

617_originalYogurt Ranch
1 lemon*, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced fine (optional if you want a more subtle dressing)
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1/4 cup fresh minced herbs (including basil, thyme, oregano, sage, sorrel, parsley, dilll, carrot tops, etc.)
1 cup plain yogurt
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt + pepper, to taste

Whisk the garlic and lemon juice together. Allow to mellow for a minute. This is a great time to pick, wash and dry the herbs if you have not already done it. Whisk the yogurt and freshly minced herbs into the garlic & lemon juice. With one hand whisk rapidly, while slowly drip by drip drizzle in the olive oil. Add as much olive oil as you like, to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

*If you have a microplane or zester, zest the lemon into the bowl for an extra lemony boost.

Happy week to you! And don’t forget to celebrate this Tuesday the 28th!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Poached Pears with Spiced Ricotta

IMG_9515With Autumn’s official arrival, some people are excited about the crispier air & the changing colors, but as always I am excited about the food. Of course, I am eyeing those winter squash and pumpkins, but at the moment I want to talk about the fruits of fall and how a ting of spice can make magic.

Lately, we have been swimming in apples. We find apple tree owners who are overwhelmed by their supply and we arrive with ladders or small children on our shoulders and lend a hand. We are always happily to adopt your fruit, by the way! Certainly, we feel we are the true benefactors as I haven’t spent a dime on apples in months. My children happily pick them up and start munching at nearly any opportunity. My one-year old isn’t even picky as he picks up apples off the floor that have previously been nibbled on, most likely by him. We certainly feel grateful for these apples. However, lately I have been dreaming about a similar fruit, but with a slightly sexier shape: the pear.

I have this vague but happy childhood memory of canned pears that my Mom would dollop with ricotta and call breakfast. I loved it! That was entirely the inspiration for this simple, yet elegant breakfast.

Poaching in juice is certainly the appropriate way to go if you will be starting your day with this dish, but if you prefer to call this dessert (or a fancy-schmany brunch?) by all means use champagne, riesling, prosecco or any drinkably delicious white wine.

When poaching fruit a low simmer is ideal, but I like to get there quickly by turning the heat high first and I keep a close eye on it. If possible, reduce the hot juice just before you see more than a couple of bubbles burst along the edges of the pan.

After the fruit is removed, blast that heat high and reduce the juice (or vino!) into the most lovely sauce.

There is really only one way to make this dish a more delightful, which is to make a farmers cheese/ricotta from scratch. Stop it. I see that eye roll! What if I told you that making the cheese is probably easier to make than these Poached Pears? Well, you might just have to stay close to this blog, because I will be posting the creamy farmers cheese recipe soon. Although, this one will get you by for a bit, too.

And now… may I introduce:

Poached Pears with Spiced Ricotta
Serves two for breakfast, or four for dessert 

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2 cups pear nectar or apple juice
1 cinnamon stick or a pinch of ground cinnamon
1 whole star anise pod, or a 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ideally freshly grated off a whole nutmeg piece
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup ricotta cheese or fresh farmers cheese

Place the peeled and deseeded pears in a saucepan in an even layer. Pour the juice on top and add enough water to just barely cover the pears. Add all of the spices: ground or stick of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Bring up to a simmer over high heat. Reduce immediately to a slight simmer, cover with a lid and cook 5 minutes. Flip over the pears and continue to cook another 5-8 minutes until just barely tender.

Remove the pears, set aside to drain and cool slightly. Raise the temperature on the poaching liquid to high. Reduce for 8-12 minutes until only about 1/2 cup of syrupy liquid is remaining.

Whisk a few tablespoons of the reduced juice into the ricotta or farmers cheese. Serve the pears with the poaching liquid drizzled around and the spiced cheese filling the inside of the pear.

What fruits are you excited about this season?

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Eggplant Napoleons and 4 Steps for Perfect Eggplant

IMG_9325Eggplant is one of those vegetables that easily fall into the love/hate realm. I am an eggplant lover, my husband, not so much. That being said, he is a good sport and I do my best to make irresistible  dishes. Since I am such a big fan, I can’t really say exactly why someone would be less than joyful to eat eggplant, but my best guess is that eggplant dances on the bitter side. And I am here to offer you solutions! It is a bit step-by-step, but if you skip a one that is okay, too:

1. Dine in season. I know, Eggplant Parmesan sounds like a great idea for a mid-December holiday meal, but that is asking for trouble. I have noticed, the bitterness is more subtle the sooner the veg is picked off the vine. This is probably reason #228 as to why one should eat food according to the season. Just in case you needed a few more reasons.

2. Pick a good one. If you are shopping in the summer or early fall (aka eggplant season) this should be an easy task. Start with a shiny eggplant in one of the glorious shades it arrives: deep purple, rosy, white, green and everything in between. Other than big brown patches, the color can be anywhere on this lovely spectrum. Pick up the prettiest one you can find, rotate and examine it for any bruising or obvious damage. Now gently press your finger into the flesh. It should be firm and your efforts should not indent it. (Unless you were being too aggressive, in which case: stop that, gentle my friend, gentle.)

3. Check out the seeds. This is where the bitterness often hides. When you slice into the fruit if the seeds appear large and ornery then it was probably very mature when it was picked. It is still good but, you will want to follow the next step. If the seeds are diminutive and less obvious such as in a smaller, younger eggplant then do not bother with the next step unless you need to remove excess liquid. Which is also a good idea if you plan to introduce any oil to your dish.

4. Salty osmosis. I don’t remember much from my high school chemistry class, but when it comes to food I have occasional flashbacks. Osmosis is one of them and I geek out on it a bit. Basically, a generous sprinkle all over the cut flesh of the eggplant will draw out excess liquid… including the bitterness! There are other advantages to this step, because eggplant operates like a thirsty sponge, when you draw out some of the liquid it collapses the cells and when you add oil to it to roast, grill or sauté you will not need to use as much oil. Even if you love fat, using too much can get costly so this is a great strategy. Want a bit more about eggplant and osmosis– this article is helpful.

To get your osmosis going: first, cut the eggplant it whatever shape you need. For the Eggplant Napoleon recipe below you will want slices. Once you have salted the eggplant, let it rest at least 10 minutes, but up to an hour is even better. You will notice a dark, brownish liquid seeping out. This is good! When you are ready to use the eggplant, give it a quick rinse without soaking it with the water. Then with a clean towel, gentle press and dry it. The eggplant is now ready for show time.

This Eggplant Napoleon recipe gives all the enthusiasm of the more classic Eggplant Parmesan (which I also love) but with a bit less oil, less ingredients, no gluten or starch and not even a sauce to worry about, just fresh tomatoes, herbs and cheese. I like to use a fresh mozzarella, but that is hardly required, firm mozzarella, provolone and even smoked versions of those cheeses could all work. Occasionally, I will do a fresh ricotta, but I still like to top it with some mozzarella, because I love when it gets that golden, nearly crisp topping.

Eggplant Napoleon
serves: 2 main dishes, or 3-4 as a side dish

2 pounds of eggplant (preferably the big, round, short ones)
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces mozzarella
2 tomatoes
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2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on each side and spread it out in a colander for at least 10 minutes. Longer if you have time, up to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Wash and tear the basil into pieces.

Rinse the eggplant and pat dry or press in between a towel until no longer moist. Drizzle a baking dish with olive oil. Spread the eggplant slices throughout, not overlapping. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake 5 more minutes until they are just starting to become golden. Pull from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375.

Now, assemble your napoleons:
Start with the base eggplant- I choose the largest rounds available for the best base. Top with a tomato, few pieces of basil and then a slice of cheese. Repeat until all of the eggplant is used, with the smallest rounds last. Finish the top with a slice of cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until a knife easily slices into the eggplant and the cheese is golden.

What is your favorite eggplant recipe? Please tell me in the comments below.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Tortilla Egg Wraps for a quick morning

Tortilla Egg WrapPut away your knife & cutting board, pull out a pair of scissors. Grab a small jar with a lid, instead of a bowl & whisk. You need just a few more tools: a spatula, your favorite skillet, and all of the ingredients. Now, set the timer and see how quickly you can whip up this snappy little breakfast from start to finish.

With two tiny ones at home, breakfast is not only mandatory but it is full of challenges and opinions being chanted at me as I try to balance everything on my morning to do list. More and more I require my breakfasts to not need a lot of time, brainpower or my attention. We have our favorites that wax and wan throughout the month: yogurt & granola, eggs & toast, pancakes or waffles with fruit and there are plenty of variations throughout this list.

I started making this tortilla wrap when we lived in Tucson and were shamelessly blessed with the BEST TORTILLAS EVER. This speedy little dish comes together faster than fast. Although, you have no time to multitask. With a bit of focus, just minutes later, the wrap is complete and easy to tuck in a napkin to take on the go.

My other favorite part of this dish is how I can cut it up into little rounds and serve them appetizer style as we all take turns dashing in and out of the kitchen or dining room. When I need an easy, take it on the go breakfast and pronto, this always comes up.

There are a few tricks to make this recipe work. First, soft whole grain tortillas are a very, good idea. Try making these egg wraps for the first time without distractions. Basically, it is a one egg omelette with some goodies and a tortilla smashed on top. Then shimmy the whole hot thing on to a plate and start snipping greens for the next one (if you have a mini crowd as I do). Once the tortilla and filling is cool enough, quickly roll it up and slice (a serrated knife is a good idea for this task!) in small rounds or keep it in tact and just wrap it in a napkin and hand it to whomever is flying out the door.

I have made it countless times, and surprisingly, I have not of done a lot of variations so far. That being said, I am sure finely diced sweet peppers, mushrooms, or shreds of carrots could work well, but I usually just grab a fistful of easy to sauté greens and whatever melt-able cheese is handy in my fridge. And voila- all three macronutrients are tucked into this one on the go dish.

Let me know if you are planning to try this! You can do it! A speedy breakfast is just a few minutes away.

Tortilla Egg Wrap
Serves just one: multiple the ingredients as needed, but always make one at a time for personal sanity.

3 big leaves (kale, collards, spinach, chard, arugula, whatever is green and sauté-able)
1 green onion
1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
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1/4 cup shredded cheese (monterey jack, cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, etc)
1 whole wheat tortilla

Wash and dry the greens and green onions. Place an 8-9 inch skillet over medium heat. Stack up the leaves and use kitchen shears or scissors to thinly slice into the skillet. Use the scissors for the green onions as well, discarding the hairy tips. Toss periodically as the vegetables start to cook.

Add the butter to the veggies. Place the egg in a bowl or jar with the pinch of salt. Whisk or shake the jar until it is beaten up. Pour the eggs over the veggies. Lift the pan and tilt around until the egg is thinly and evenly distributed.

Sprinkle the cheese across the top. Shake the pan and lift the edges of the eggs up. As soon as it is loosened, place the tortilla on top.

Carefully, place a plate across the skillet with your hand on top. Lift the pan and plate together. Then flip the egg and tortilla onto the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the skillet to warm briefly for just another few seconds.

Slide back on to the plate. Roll up and cut into 2-3 inch slices to be shared or just enjoy the whole wrap yourself.

Let me know below if you made it, are planning to make it or you have any questions!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Rule Breaking Grilled Potato & Greens Salad

Grilled Potatoes GreensSummer meals are often all about the ingredients: the ripest tomatoes with a fancy-ish cheese, crispy cucumbers with vinaigrettes, zucchini blended into the simplest soups.

And then there is this salad.

While finding the highest quality version of each of the merely seven ingredients in this salad is of course a super-dooper idea, it is not quite as necessary as acquiring a perfect tomato for your caprese.

You see the magic actually happens after the ingredients mingle and dance together.

This is not something I knew when I first started whipping it up. I ignored all sorts of rules about heat & acid when my mind wandered to the fantasy of a perfect Potato Salad with a dressing lighter than the cloying mayo kind, with grilled instead of boiled potatoes, a drizzle of tangy yogurt and more greens than anyone should ever put in this salad and still name it after the spud.

But, I made it anyways. (Dare I say… ala Julia Child’s quote “In cooking you must have a what the hell attitude”.)

The initial result of my wild idea was not very poetic. A more perfect person, would probably have required a silky dressing properly soaking each wedge of artfully grilled potato and maybe they would all rest on a fluffy bed of greens. Instead, I looked at the mess of a salad I made and saw curdled globlettes of yogurt twisting through the singed, way too dark in spots, potato wedges. And then there were the greens: some were entirely wilted and others that were still seemingly raw.

Oh, the disappointment. But, oh well, my family had to eat and that was what I was serving, pretty or not, here it comes.

So apparently, the lemon based dressing managed to curdle in the heat, but instead of the usual awkward cheese moment, it somehow became little droplets of goodness. And the random decisions each baby green made as they either wilted or stayed crisp managed to make complete sense too. At least in our mouths as we gleefully chewed away.

Unlike the standard heavy potato salad this one is best hot or room temperature. It loses a bit of magic when icy chilled, although, I have been known to grab a cold wedge of potato with sauce & greens clinging to it and munch down happily without complaint.

In a shameless final promotion of this salad, I just made it recently for the World Cup Final. Sadly, we had to leave during overtime, merely moments before the only goal in the game. As I went to pack up the last dredges of our salad, every guest asked if they could take another serving before it went sailing out the door. Yes, it is that good. And the ingredient list is nice and compact, too: 
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Grilled Potato & Greens Salad
serves 2-3 people

1 1/2 pounds red or yukon potatoes (any thin-skinned potato will work well)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 cups arugula, spinach, or another tender baby green
1/2 cup basil, optional (roughly torn)

Heat a grill over medium-high. Cut the potatoes into wedges (if they are small, leave them whole) and toss lightly with half of the olive oil. Place directly on the grill, reduce to medium, cover and sear for 6-10 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly, if the potatoes are not becoming tender. Once grill marks appear, flip over and sear on the other side for 6-10 minutes until cooked through.

Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, salt, yogurt, lemon zest and juice. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil while whisking rapidly.

Roughly chop the arugula or other greens and basil. Fold the greenery into the dressing. As soon as the potatoes are grilled, toss into the greens & dressing.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Day 50: Sugar Free Challenge and Peaches n’ Cream

photo-140For this 50th day of blogging, I am most excited to tell you about the Sugar Challenge my family and I have taken on for the last three weeks. Here I posted about the first day of the challenge, but I have yet to tell you why and what we are doing.

This past year, I have had an internal debate about whether I am addicted to sugar or not. Stress, pregnancy, and some health frustrations all pointed in the direction of my needing to eliminate sugar, but deep inside my inner brat screamed “I wanna COOKIE!”

I noticed I wasn’t alone in demanding sugar treats. Most of us in the family, spent the evenings looking for a sweet way to end the day: a bit of chocolate, ice cream, the occasional cookie. At the start of the day, drizzling on honey or maple syrup, whipping up scones, buying pastries or pouring a bowl of sweet granola was common around here. Nut Butter & Jam sandwiches were also quite popular- anytime of day.

Starting with asking Lulu and Xerxes, we agreed we could do it! We would give up sugar. But, adding merely three years old Juliette to the mix was a bit more of a question. The more I considered the possibility the more I realized how much we relied on sugar to get all of us including her, through the day. “Get in the car and we can go get ice cream.” “Please be quiet and you can have this cookie”. UGH! What if we didn’t have sugar to even offer her? At the very least we would have to figure something else out. Right?!

So, I had a chit-chat with Juliette a few days before we started the challenge and we discussed what contained sugar, what did not and why we needed a break. I still wondered the best strategy for those times when she is offered candy. Man, people love giving kids candy! And I am totally not talking about strange creepy men pulling over in vans. Rather, I am talking about her dance teacher or the super cute nice guys at the liquor store who are so charmed by her patience as I search through Argentine wines. Considering the teeny-tiny lollipop they all love giving her, I was fine discussing with her that they do have sugar in them, but still letting her have them since it was a gift from a nice person. The last thing I need to do is give her some crazy disfunction where sugar becomes the forbidden fruit that she has to devour in hysteria. Growing up in a semi-hippie style, I have seen this happen and it ain’t pretty. A casual lollipop sends the message that this is a real rarity and not a daily treat. And most importantly, Mama doesn’t eat them or give them to her. Only nice random *trusted* people do. UGH. Oh- the challenges of raising children… in this sugar obsessed family society we live in.

Overall, we all seem to be doing well with the challenge. If anything, Juliette’s 1-2 times per week lollipop may put her in the category of cheating less than the adults who, I swear, are even more exposed to sugar outside the home. I just found out about how Lulu  (aka Sharon, my fabulous Mother-in-Law) cheated a bit with a bite of brownie as she wrote in her blog. Of course, she says nice things about me, so I forgive. And Xerxes also seems to bump into the challenge more frequently than Juliette and I do. Although, I did eat a few dried apricots recently at a friend’s house. They were damn good. I can’t wait to get back to eating those.

The other challenge of the challenge was finding a challenge that we could actually swallow. (Challenging sentence, eh? Oh, this is out of control. I’ll stop.)

There was one big and popular sugar challenge that has a slight Palio twist to it, but they appeared to allow a few non-sugar sweeteners such as Xylitol and Stevia. I don’t eat those really normally, we are more into honey & maple syrup as sweeteners, but my focus for this challenge was to really say good-bye to sweetness for awhile, including the arguably natural ones.

The popular challenge also said no fruit. I completely understand giving up juice and dried fruit as they have been processed and no longer contain the fiber or juice that aid in digesting them, but giving up fresh, nutrient packed whole fruit seemed silly to me. Especially for a toddler and nursing mother. Lulu and I found other challenges and decided to mix the best of all of them into our own challenge that we would do as a family for six weeks. We saw them ranging from 21 days to 8 weeks, which made 6 weeks seem rational.

Here are the basics:

No More: 
Sugar or processed syrups
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Honey
Agave Nectar
Natural or scary artificial sweeteners
Dried Fruit
Juice

Okay, in moderation:
Whole Fruit
Alcohol
Frozen Fruit & berries

Fresh fruit has been getting us through the tough days when our inner voice whines for sweetness. For the photo above, we simply whipped cream with a splash of almond extract and piled it high with sliced Colorado peaches. Delight.

After writing this post, Juliette, Xerxes, and I went to a birthday party. The Mom, a dear friend makes beautiful healthy cuisine and knows how to splurge to make a gorgeous dessert. We couldn’t resist and had to eat the Lemon Cake. It was heavenly, because let’s face it, when sugar is given a dose of time and love it can be out of this world. It did taste incredibly sweet, but if I had to cheat, it would only be with something so lovely and divine. Today is exactly half way through. I am looking forward to getting back on track with the challenge. Honestly, today’s experience made me aware that maybe as a family we could collectively give up sugar within these walls, but still make cookies for a friend who needs cheering up or enjoy a treat that is given to celebrate a year of living!

We shall see where this challenge takes us. So far so good!

Cheers,

Lilly

For dedicated meat eaters a common concern about reducing meat consumption is the lack of protein. In truth, when eating a well balanced diet with plenty of vegetables you will receive an adequate amount of protein. But, for those of us who are used to adding chopped chicken to salads for an extra boost or consider a sandwich pointless without the meat, you will most likely need some tips for resupplying your non-meat proteins.

Nuts & Seeds
Grab a handful for a quick snack and protein boost. Sprinkle on salads or cooked vegetables. During the low-fat craze, nuts got a bad reputation, but in truth they are little nutrition power houses containing not only protein, but fiber, folate, Vitamins E & B-2, essential fatty acids and more. Soaking nuts is a method that is becoming more popular as a way to sprout them and increase their nutritional content. While we all have our favorite nuts or seeds, keep your diet interesting and diverse by mixing up your options.

Nut & Seed Butters
Spread nut or seed butters on crackers, bread or veggie sticks such as celery and carrots for a snack. Mix into soups for more flavor, texture and protein. Whisk into sauces for stir fries, such as Thai Peanut Sauces. Try new flavors such as almond, cashew or my latest favorite, sunflower butter. Subscribers to Lilly’s Table can try the Thai Almond Broccoli, too.

Beans
Canned beans are easy to mix into spreads, dips, soups and main dishes. If you are interested in soaking and cooking your own from scratch, here is a nice bean guide to help you along. Cooking your own is a great way to save a few bucks, control the sodium content and leftovers freeze beautifully for a quick meal on another day.

Grains
Often you will see beans & rice paired together in various international cuisine. The combination of beans and brown rice actually provides a complete protein. Pile the vegetables high and you have a delightful vegetarian dish that can evolve with the season’’s produce. If you want just a single fast cooking grain, quinoa offers the highest amount of protein, it is easy to prepare quickly and tastes great tossed in salads or topped with vegetables.

Tofu & Tempeh
Soy has had its fair share of controversy over the years, but it still remains a good protein option. Seek out non-gmo Tofu and Tempeh. Your favorite marinades work well to flavor them. Edamame or non-processed soy beans are also an excellent choice.

Dairy & Eggs
Find the best quality, sustainable options for your egg and dairy sources. We raise our own chickens and are a bit obsessed with the golden-orange yolks they produce. If you can find grass-fed dairy, wonderful, but if not we prefer organic dairy in our homes for the taste and the overall environmental benefits. Of course, this is only for the ovo-lacto vegetarians. As you can see vegans still have plenty of good protein options.

Avoid Soy Products
As a vegetarian for almost 10 years, I indulged in the occasional Tofu Dog, but for the most part I limited the soy products in my diet because they were a bit pricy and they just seemed wrong in some way. Keep in mind soy products are a processed food with often long lists of crazy ingredients. Stick to GMO-free tofu or tempeh and liven them up with your favorite flavors.

What are your favorite vegetarian proteins? Can you help us expand this list or share why you prefer one over the other?

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Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly