Blueberries and cucumbers are in season right now and with these hot sunny days, a light, refreshing smoothie is simply delightful. Sometimes I like to add everything but the kitchen sink to my smoothies, but a friend of mine who was recently visiting suggested these ingredients and urged me to keep it simple.

Today was the first really warm day we have had this year! Beautiful and sunny. A perfect day for a light vegetable salad. Blanched green beans, lemon zest, a dash of olive oil, and roasted walnuts create this refreshing summer salad, perfect for picnics in the park or summer barbecues.

Beets, beets, I know, either you love them or have awful memories of eating canned or pickled beets as a child. Luckily I didn't have any memories of eating beets as a child, so when I first tried them I fell in love.

We're back with fabulous elimination diet recipes. Oh, how I adore the lovely lemon! I can't tell you how excited I was to taste lemon juice once again. This flavorful dark leafy green salad is a staple in our house this time of year. It utilizes hardy and super nutritious greens such as kale and collards.

This is one of the green smoothies we make in the winter. It is chock full of healing dark leafy greens, cabbage, fruit, and cranberries! Adding the tart green apples and tart cranberries make it palatable without lemon juice.

Today I'm excited to share with you my Pear Pomegranate Salad recipe with Orange Vinaigrette. This delicious antioxidant-rich salad recipe would be a lovely addition to this coming "Giving Thanks" day. The orange-cinnamon dressing pairs perfectly with the crunchy pomegranate, sweet pears, and toasted pecans!

I thought you might enjoy this thick and creamy dairy-free dip recipe for your upcoming holiday gatherings. It would make a great appetizer! In this recipe I use a fresh jalapeño pepper and cayenne pepper for a very spicy dip, but below the recipe I have a variation for a non-spicy herbed version.

Here is a simple recipe for a raw kale slaw. It is very quick to prepare but actually tastes best about 12 to 24 hours after preparing. The dressing is spicy, not the burn-your-mouth type of spiciness, but hot.

Disclaimer: my kids won't eat this!

Romano beans are similar to the standard green bean, but they are flat and grow in Mediterranean-type climates. I bought a bag from a local organic farmer at the Saturday Market. I was thrilled to see that this particular stand was using Bio Bags to sell their produce!

The other evening, as I was preparing dinner, I thought about using up some of the zucchini that I had. Why not layer it, sort of like scalloped potatoes I thought? Hmmm, almond flour might be nice in between the layers of zucchini as would the sweet walla walla onions I had.