Jodi Moreno 4/18/17 Jodi Moreno 4/18/17

spring onion miso soup + quinoa + radish relish

Jodi Moreno 7/12/16 Jodi Moreno 7/12/16

quinoa pea fritters + tarragon zucchini slaw

Jodi Moreno 2/25/16 Jodi Moreno 2/25/16

avocado + crispy sesame, quinoa, rice cakes + spicy mustard

Jodi Moreno 11/12/15 Jodi Moreno 11/12/15

ginger miso butternut squash soup + crunchy quinoa

Jodi Moreno 10/1/15 Jodi Moreno 10/1/15

quinoa and potato hash + ratatouille

Jodi Moreno 5/21/15 Jodi Moreno 5/21/15

grain + sprout bowl with sautéed chard stems + green harissa (and a fried egg, if you like)

Jodi Moreno 3/3/15 Jodi Moreno 3/3/15

braised kale + cauliflower with meyers lemons, garlic + olives

Jodi Moreno 10/15/14 Jodi Moreno 10/15/14

savory pumpkin pie + quinoa crust

Jodi Moreno 4/4/14 Jodi Moreno 4/4/14

roasted artichokes + smashed pesto-y peas + quinoa "bread"crumbs

Jodi Moreno 8/21/13 Jodi Moreno 8/21/13

tomato + avocado + corn + basil + quinoa salad

Dont' worry .... I do not not need a tomato and corn intervention ..... yet.

I do realize that this is about my fourth recipe this summer that involves tomatoes and/or corn. I don't plan on changing the name of this blog to tomato lovers anonymous, and I promise I have noticed that there are plenty of other wonderful summer fruits and vegetables that are begging for my attention too.

As you can tell, I have been completely smitten with tomatoes and corn and a bit obsessed with getting in as many of their indulgences that I can. I promise (with fingers crossed behind my back) that this is the last post involving corn and tomatoes (together). Everywhere I go, including my backyard, all I see are these gorgeous tomatoes and bushels of corn begging to be enjoyed. I just can't help myself.

I posted a picture of this salad on facebook and instagram a few days ago when I was working on the recipe, and never before did I have so many demands for the recipes. Demands! I had planed on posting this recipe sometime next week, but with so many requests I knew it could not wait.

I had thought you were over my tomato and corn pictures and posts, but I was mistaken. Apparently you and I are the same, and you want to savor every second of these tomato and corn filled months as much as I do. Apparently you and I are heirloom tomato and sweet summer corn soulmates.

Last week one of my oldest and closest friends came to visit from Denver with her boyfriend. As with any long weekend with good friends, it was filled with lots and lots of laughs, plenty of great meals, some seriously delicious key lime pie, fancy homemade lattes, and big bottles of rosé. The first night they arrived, we swung by our friend's parent's house to say hello, and while we were there one of her friends was preparing this awesome looking summer salad with corn, tomatoes, basil and avocado. YUM. It took everything in my power not to jump right in and devour their salad.

The next night I insisted that we make that same salad, and we did. It was then that I decided that this was THE perfect summer salad. Since then I have made this salad another three times. It has only been a week. And you know what? I can (and probably will) eat this every other day until summer vegetables start to dwindle.

Don't you worry, I have plenty of fun, creative recipes involving some of the other wonderful summer veggies coming your way ... but for now, let's enjoy these gorgeous plum, ripe tomatoes, and super sweet corn while we can. The way they were meant to be. With just a touch of really god olive oil, salt + pepper, and a few other goodies.

Jodi Moreno 6/12/13 Jodi Moreno 6/12/13

sesame seared wild salmon over a bowl of quinoa, leeks, kale + broccoli

Sometimes I get caught up on coming up with unique recipes for this blog, that I get away from the real deal food I eat on a daily or weekly basis. Not today.

This meal right here is pretty much our go-to Monday night meal, especially this time of year when we're in the peak of wild salmon season. It's feel good food that is easy to make and hits all the right notes of flavor and health to makes this one of my favorite at home. A great dinner for just the two of us.

Since I post mostly vegan and vegetarian recipes on this blog, I thought twice about posting a seafood recipe here, but this blog is really all about overall health, and wild salmon is one of the healthiest foods on the planet.

Wild salmon is so good for you. You know this. Loaded with Omega3's, wild salmon is straight up food for your brain. When looking for salmon, the only word you need to look for is WILD. None of this organic farmed salmon. There simply is no such thing as "organic" salmon.

I am pretty picky about my seafood, just like I am my produce and most other things I eat and prepare. I eat salmon because of all of the health benefits, but I stay away from many other types of seafood, especially farmed seafood and deep water fish that contain high levels of mercury.

It's all about being a conscience eater and knowing exactly where your food comes from before it makes it's way back to your kitchen.

For my vegan and vegetarian friends, you can make this as a warm quinoa salad and omit the salmon all together. On days I cannot find a good piece of wild salmon, that's what I do. I am kind of addicted to the ginger sesame dressing that goes over this dish. You can put that dressing over anything and it will make it feel like a special meal.

Jodi Moreno 5/13/13 Jodi Moreno 5/13/13

quinoa + white bean burgers with a ramp + chili pesto

I cannot believe that this is the first ramp recipe I am posting this season, since ramps have been on my plate at almost every single meal I've had at home over the past few weeks. Breakfast: side of crispy ramps, lunch: raw ramps in my salad, dinner: ramps any way I can think of.

Ramps, all day every day.

I'm hoping you have not been overwhelmed by onslaught of ramp recipes this year .... if you're anything like me, you'll never be sick of ramps.

But this recipe is not just about the ramps. They're sharing the spotlight with this quinoa burger. If you've been following along here for a while, you know that I have done a few variations of a quinoa burger, shifting ingredients and preparations around each time. This might be my favorite one to date.

The very first recipe I posted for a quinoa burger went internet famous on me. And by internet famous, I mean it has made it's way around Tumblr (not as exciting as being YouTube internet famous). To be honest, I don't even think it was the burger that was getting all of the love, I think it was the avocado spread.

Because let's face it, when it comes to a veggie-type burger, it is just as much about the sauce as it is the patty.

And with that, the conversation gets turned back to ramps.

I've tried some pretty interesting and awesome ramp preparations this year. There is so much you can do with them. They're great raw, sauteed, pickled, or incorporated into a sauce, like this recipe here.

Last night I watched my father-in-law chop a few up and mix them into some homemade guacamole (I'm pretty sure he thought it was green onion). It was so good.

Ramps are a little more pungent and exciting than green onion, but the two can be interchanged in almost any recipe. So if you cannot find ramps where you are, or when their short season is over, then go ahead and sub green onion.

Okay, back to the burgers. These burgers are super versatile. You can switch up, increase, or leave out pretty much any ingredient listed, including the egg, since I know some of you would prefer a vegan version. In the past, my quinoa burgers were made without egg, however the egg really helps to bind. If you prefer not to use the egg, by all means leave it out. Just be aware that they will be a little more delicate (they fall apart easier).

You can go crazy with the toppings. For mine, I just added some arugula and some thinly sliced red onion but you can also add avocado, and any other veggie you can think of. If you want a gluten or bread-free option you can leave out the bun and serve it over a salad or in a lettuce wrap.

The only non-negotiable part is the ramp pesto. You cannot leave out the ramp pesto, it really is the best part.

Jodi Moreno 1/28/13 Jodi Moreno 1/28/13

breakfast in a jar (to-go!) coconut quinoa + a cherry compote with toasted almonds // gf + vegan

Hi Friends.

I've been chatting with some of you about what kind of recipes are helpful to you, and it sounds like we are all very busy people. Too busy. Too busy to make breakfast, too busy to make lunch, and too busy (and tired) to come home and make dinner.

With that in mind, I am trying to include more recipes for busy people so that they can eat homemade + healthy more often. Starting with breakfast.

My great pal, nutritionist, and fellow health enthusiast, Tiffany, asked for an easy recipe for breakfast on the go. This one right here might take a little effort up front, but it can be made ahead of time and it will last you a good couple of days. As you would expect, it is dairy-free and gluten-free and oh-so delicious.

Making your breakfast the night or weekend before and putting it in a jar is a great way for you to be able to enjoy a lovely homemade breakfast on the go. Getting into the habit of making breakfast or lunch for yourself at least a few days a week is just one little thing you can do to improve your overall health + might even put a smile on your face.

News flash! You can put anything in a jar and take it with you, not just this recipe. Oatmeal + raisins, muesli + fruit, or maybe even a little yogurt parfait. All you need is 30 or so minutes on a Sunday afternoon, and you have breakfast ready to go for a few days out of your week.

If you do not own a mason jars, you can also make this in whichever travel container you like to use. I love mason jars (who doesn't). They serve so many purposes. The tight lids also offer extra insurance if you are traveling with your breakfast so that you do not end up with it all over your car or handbag.

Now, of course, if you do not have an office job and you just want to make this for yourself or your boyfriend / husband / girlfriend / stranger, by all means. This recipe is great for that too.

And remember ... you should never skip breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day :)

Jodi Moreno 1/7/13 Jodi Moreno 1/7/13

quinoa pancakes with caramelized apples + hazelnuts // gluten-free

For my first recipe of 2013, I hope you weren't expecting a salad or a smoothie.

Now is probably a good time to tell you that I don't really do resolutions. Not to discourage the cleansers and the dieters - I'm proud of you, yay! - but I do believe that we should be making good decisions to eat healthier all year round, not just in January.

I do feel it is important to take the time to reflect on the past year and think about what was good and what was maybe not so good and make slight life adjustments accordingly.

If I ate too many pieces of pie last year, maybe I try to not eat so much pie this year.

If I didn't eat enough kale last year (not really possible), maybe I try to eat more kale this year.

If I drank one too many glasses of champagne at a christmas party (that may have happened), maybe I try to drink one less next time.

Cutting things out of your life that you enjoy are only going to make you want them twice as much, at least that is what happens to me. So, I prefer to make little changes in order to create more balance.

Balance.

That's what it is all about, isn't it?

Okay, onto pancakes.

I've been on a bit of a pancake kick lately. More than normal.

I guess I was feeling like I needed some more pancakes in my life ... you know, to balance things out.

I made these pancakes with a mixture of quinoa flour and white rice flour, which turned out to be a pretty nice gluten-free blend. The only thing I would mention is that they do have a strong quinoa flavor .... so if you you want more of a subtle quinoa taste, feel free to lessen the ratio of quinoa flour. Say more like 3/4 cups of white rice flour and 1/4 cup of quinoa flour.

If you did make resolutions, I hope that they are ones that you will benefit from all year and bring balance (and maybe some extra pancakes) to your life.

Jodi Moreno 11/11/12 Jodi Moreno 11/11/12

sesame crusted quinoa + kale cakes

Jodi Moreno 9/25/12 Jodi Moreno 9/25/12

pumpkin & beet salad with a carrot ginger dressing

I love Fall.

We're only a few days in, but I have already began to embrace putting on vest and scarf in the morning to walk the dog, and I am so excited to start to see fall fruits and vegetables make their way to the farmer's markets and grocery stores.

I planted some pumpkin this summer (note: some = a lot), and I am going to have to have to get very creative with the dozens of pumpkins I am going to have this October.

Starting with this recipe right here which I created for the fall issue of a beautiful, new online magazine, Delighted.

There are a few other really good-looking recipes using pumpkin in the issue, and I will likely be trying them all. Go check them out, and be sure to browse all of the other great articles on life and style and tips on setting a beautiful table for the fall season.