This garlicky, lemon artichoke dip is a real crowd pleaser. Perfect for entertaining, the last time I made it, it disappeared in 5 minutes flat, I am not exaggerating. I think it was the crispy Charred Shallots. The artichoke dip itself, is made with canned or jarred artichokes, available year round. It is garlicky, lemony and creamy, great with sliced vegetables, almond crackers or chips.

It’s cooling down a bit this week on the West Coast and this dish is the perfect cozy, cinnamony, filling and warm breakfast dish for chilly mornings although I do enjoy it as an afternoon snack. I love serving it with a bit of extra nut milk, sheep yogurt or dollop of coconut whip cream, my guilty pleasure is Truwhip.

Here, finally is that nettle soup I promised you a few weeks ago. Nettle is another one of my favorite nutritional powerhouses. High in minerals and antioxidants including vitamin C. It may reduce inflammation, treat hay fever, lower blood pressure, aid in lowering blood sugar and treat enlarged prostate

Radishes are one of my top favorite vegetables. There are beautiful to look at, available year round in most parts, versatile and highly nutritious.

Let’s be honest though, there is nothing like homemade nut milk. What makes a homemade nut milk work? It needs to be creamy and rich without being too thick.

The winter months bring an abundance of mushrooms. The health benefits of mushrooms are no longer a secret. The supplement aisle in your natural food market is robust with medicinal mushrooms for the immune system, the brain and beyond.

This tea has long been my cold and flu season go-to. I try to make this tea as gingery and lemony as I possibly can, so it almost tastes like medicine, that way it makes me feel like it’s doing something.

I have always loved the crumbly and buttery shortbread-like texture of a Mexican wedding cookie, the melty and soft sensation of the powdered confectioner’s sugar in my mouth, has carried me to new heights. The reality now is I can’t really eat flour, sugar, butter, as a combo deal, not if I don’t want to feel crummy later. Behold the challenge of how to achieve this mouth sensation dairy, gluten and sugar free. I am certain we have achieved an as close as you can get to the real thing cookie and maybe even better then the real thing.

With the days cooling down, I have been craving warming curry flavors and something cozy for some time now. Something creamy and coconutty and smooth, with a touch of Indian spices. I had some squashes left over from my Winter Squash Roundup post not long ago and wanted to use them, and whipped this up. 

I like making this easy frittata ahead and having it as a grab-and-go lunch option when I am between meetings, school pick up, recipe testing and holiday shopping and may sometimes forget to eat. This is filling and super tasty with a side salad, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

Sometimes in the middle of the holiday season, in between the egg nog, hot cocoa, Christmas cookies and everything else this season brings, I need something fresh, something bright, something healthy.

Last year I lent this recipe to the lifestyle site Flaura Wellness, so many of you missed seeing it. And with the growth of Amalgam Kitchen I have decided to post it here on the site for you to enjoy this year, because it is just so darned good.

For starters I just want to say to all the vegans out there, that this can be made vegan by simply omitting the feta cheese or by using a vegan cheese instead. I have done it before with no feta or feta substitute and it is equally delicious. This dish is super easy to make and so colorful and flavorful. So many holiday side dishes particularly Thanksgiving side dishes pack a sweetness punch and although there are hints of sweet in this dish from the pomegranate seeds and the pomegranate molasses (only one tablespoon) drizzled over the whole dish, they are subtle, it’s the tang from the apple cider vinegar and the lemon zest that really stand out.

One of the hardest parts about eating gluten-free and mostly grain-free is the mouth feel and taste of gluten and grain free baked goods. It is often, never quite the same experience with the alternatives.

Of all the cruciferous vegetables, Romanesco is by far the most beautiful and picturesque, chartreuse in color and spiny in texture. It tastes wonderful too, distinctly different from it’s white and dark green counter parts ( little more nutty in flavor).First documented in 16th century Italy, it is distinctly seasonal, a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving and holiday table.

It is often times a vegetarian is over looked at the Thanksgiving table when it comes to a main dish. In the past when I was fully vegetarian, my meal consisted of a plate full of vegetarian sides, which in all honesty was fine for me. Mashed potatoes, candied yams, green beans, and corn bread back in the day, was fine by me. However there were times I wanted something special as a holiday main dish.

Nothing speaks to the holidays more than pumpkin pie. I am a sucker for a good pumpkin pie. And now that I don’t really do gluten flour or refined sugar I have struggled. What to do when one does not want to bake a pie? When one craves a grab and go pumpkin pie kind of situation? A sweet treat days before Thanksgiving? Well you bake pumpkin pie bars.

This dish is as easy and simple as it gets but packed with flavor. I just ate it mixed with quinoa but it is the perfect side dish for your holiday meals, adding an air of unconventionality and flair to say your Thanksgiving dinner. It is not a usual suspect. Green Beans and mushrooms are often found on the Thanksgiving table but because here in California, I can easily find asparagus at this time, I chose to use asparagus as they have a lot less lectins compared to green beans. By all means use green beans for this recipe if green beans are available and you don’t give a diddly squat about lectin levels.

  It’s really no secret, broccoli is considered to be one of the top 12 power house vegetables we should be eating, according to webmd broccoli is filled with cancer fighting phytochemical compounds, vitamins including a serious dose of Vitamin C (135% of the RDI for one cup of  broccoli) and minerals. Its bioactive compounds reduce inflammation. As a matter of fact the compound sulforaphane amply found in broccoli, has been shown to decelerate the biochemical action of aging by optimizing anti-oxidant gene expression.

For the next six weeks, till the end of the year I will be posting 1-2  holiday meal side dishes a week, ( I will call them #holidaysides2021), which can be served throughout the holiday season. They will be pretty easy, unfettered, uncomplicated, totally delicious and completely complimentary to whatever you serve during your festivities. As always, plant based, gluten-free and without refined sugars.