Shooting more holiday recipes today, which amazingly the 8 of us sharing a studio today fighting over greens. It’s a nice change from the steady stream of baked goods that we’ve had lately!

-Amy Palanjian, Senior Editor

We picked up our first CSA share last night from Grinnell Heritage Farm and let me tell you, having a weekly supply of organically grown veggies from farmers we know is one of the best things about the warmer weather. We’ll need to get into a groove with eating the crazy amount of greens we have between our CSA and our own garden, but I think that’s a good problem to have. Check out localharvest.org to find a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, where you pay a local farmer ahead of the growing season for a steady supply of produce all season long) near you.

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I treated myself to lunch at Host, a new restaurant near our office that uses local and sustainable ingredients. This spinach salad (that featured the same winter-hardy variety that my husband and I grow in our garden), heaped with goodness, with a side of black quinoa salad, totally hit the spot.

-Amy Palanjian, Senior Food Editor

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What makes a food meeting better? Mini biscuits for everyone!

-Amy Palanjian, Senior Food Editor

Meet Amy Palanjian!

· Favorite Ingredient: Maple Syrup
· Go-To Dinner Dish: Tacos!
· BHG Recipe You’d Recommend: Rhubarb Raspberry Apple Pie
· Must-Have Kitchen Accessory: Immersion Blender
· Favorite Person To Cook For: The husband
· Dish You’re Most Proud Of: My granola
· Salty Or Sweet: 90% of the time, sweet
· Best Part Of My Day: Meal times

Another day in the photo studio, another delicious cake to snack on (and pack up to bring home to the husband for dessert)…

—Amy Palanjian, Senior Food Editor

Stir-fried vegetables, tofu, brown rice, and peanut sauce is one of my all-time favorite dinners. This one was extra delicious since it was nice enough to eat on the porch and there are leftovers enough for me to eat for lunch today.

Peanut Sauce
Adapted from The Real Food Daily Cookbook 

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4  cup maple syrup
3 tbs water
2 tbsp tamari
1/2 tsp powdered ginger or 1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Blend the peanut butter, vinegar, maple syrup, water, tamari, ginger, garlic sesame oil and crushed red pepper in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the cilantro and blend just until it’s finely chopped. The dressing will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated (though we usually eat it all faster than that!).

—Amy Palanjian, Senior Food Editor

Pea shoots! I’m loving that our garden is getting such a good early start this year—now if the temperatures can just stay above freezing so that these shoots can deliver us some delicious peas.

I don’t make homemade pasta (shown here with a meat and vegetable red sauce and sauteed chard from the garden) all that often, but every time I do I remember how worth it the deliciousness is. Now if I can just figure out how to oil my pasta machine so that it stops squeaking loudly…