This is a great salad to make for a quick weeknight meal, especially if you throw it together in the morning and it can marinate all day before dinner that evening. It has an Asian flair from the radish and sesame oil, so it pairs well with pork, rice, or any of your favorite Asian-themed main dishes.

Radishes are really wonderful for digestion, particularly for stimulating bile production and improving digestion of fats. They are bitter and spicy, and both of these flavors are known for improving digestive function. Plus they are full of vitamins and fiber, and can be found locally almost year-round.  I used some beautiful purple daikon and black Spanish radish that were grown locally, but you could use regular white daikon and any other fresh radish you have available. If you haven't tried purple daikon, you should really try to find some because it is so mild and delicious! Plus it is such a stunning purple color!

Sesame Radish + Cabbage Salad
Serves 4

2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup daikon radish, thinly sliced
1/2 cup black Spanish or other spicy radish, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 Tbs sesame seeds (black or white)
Optional: 1 tsp chili flakes

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, salt and sesame seeds. Add chili flakes if using.
Add the cabbage, radishes and carrots, and toss with the dressing to completely coat.
I like to massage the dressing into the veggies with my hands a little bit to soften them and incorporate the dressing a little more.
Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Serve chilled garnished with extra sesame seeds.

There is so much to love about avocados. They are full of monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium, and vitamin E, and have even been shown to be anti-inflammatory. They are great for brain and heart health, and are of course delicious!

This Avocado Chocolate Mousse is super simple and can be enjoyed by just about everyone as it is dairy-free, gluten-free, naturally sweetened and really quick to throw together. I love this recipe because it is a great way to get the nutrition of avocados into your diet in a new way that isn't guacamole or just straight up with a pinch of salt. You get a healthy dose of good fats in this treat, as it has coconut milk in addition to the avocado. All you need is a little time and some self-control, and this nutrient-dense dessert can appear at your next dinner party to nourish and impress all your friends. Plus, chocolate!

Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Serves 6-8

4 medium avocados, very ripe--diced, with any brown/black spots removed
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender occasionally to make sure you get all the little bits pureed.

Transfer to a glass container or bowl and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
Serve chilled as is, or top with fresh berries, whipped cream or a pinch of coarse sea salt. You can also use a piping bag to pipe the mousse into cool glasses and make this simple dessert look super fancy!

Homemade ice cream seems like the perfect recipe for a first post on a new food blog. It will let readers know that I obviously have good taste, as ice cream is the best food, and that I am fun and do not take this too seriously. Food is supposed to be fun, and full of love, and this ice cream is just that. This particular recipe will also give you a peek into my nutritional views, as this recipe is full of good fats, made with a wholesome sweetener, and contains raw milk and eggs. Yep, I said raw milk. If that turns you off, you can make this with pasteurized milk, but just know that it won't be quite as delicious or nutritious. Also just know that I love raw milk and use it a lot, so you're going to have to just be ok with that.

Even though ice cream is a sweet/dessert/treat, I am a big advocate of its place in a whole foods diet because of the great source of good fats, which we need for hormone balance,  as well as vitamin K2 and calcium for your bones. It is also a great way to get raw eggs in your diet, providing brain-powering choline and more vitamin K2. Most folks don't need to eat dessert everyday, but when a treat is in order, I think homemade raw milk ice cream is a pretty fantastic choice. Especially when you add in cardamom, a spice known for improving digestion.




















This particular ice cream recipe was inspired by a cardamom ice cream my partner and I had that we just fell in love with. He and I frequently make homemade ice cream, especially in the summer, and we knew we needed to make this flavor ourselves. It turned out so amazing and tasty, I knew that it needed to be my first
entry on my new blog. Please enjoy!

Cardamom Ice Cream
Makes ~2 pints

2 cups heavy cream, preferably raw
1 cup whole milk, I always use raw!
3 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs cardamom powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
Pinch sea salt

Combine the cream, milk, egg yolks, vanilla, cardamom, maple syrup and sea salt in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
<You might be thinking this will be too much cardamom, but you'd be wrong. It's perfect!>

Transfer to your ice cream maker and proceed according to your machine's directions.
Eat immediately once frozen or stick in the freezer to firm up for an hour or two and then serve.