Guide to Ripen Produce [Infographic]

Ripe and Easy A Guide - How to Ripen Produce Infographic from Lunds & Byerlys

Eating healthy means eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.  In fact, the current recommendations from various health organizations are 5-8 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit per day.

Preparing delicious meals means selecting and using the freshest produce picked and/or ripened at its peak.

This infographic entitled The Best Way to Ripen Produce from Lunds & Byerlys beautifully illustrates an easy guide to ripening certain types of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

For more information and a detailed explanation, visit The Best Way to Ripen Produce - Lunds & Byerlys.

BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and Quinoa from Good Dinner Mom

BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and
Quinoa (Vegan + GF) from Good Dinner Mom

From Good Dinner Mom:

"BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and Quinoa is super flavorful. And the fact that it’s vegan, gluten-free and incredibly healthy is an after-thought… but a good one :). Cauliflower and chickpeas get mixed with a classic barbecue rub (who would have thought?), then tossed with quinoa, and layered with a super-simple yet perfect cole slaw, wrapped in heated or fried corn tortillas. Then go crazy with lime juice, sliced jalapenos, salsa if you want (and of course, cheese for a vegetarian option) – or just keep it simple. Love!"

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions at BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and Quinoa - Good Dinner Mom.

10 Flavor Combinations You Must Try for Your Cooking [Infographic]

10 Flavor Combinations You Must Try - Infographic/Article
from OneGreenPlanet.org

From One Planet Green:

An important part of cooking is putting together flavors that complement each other. Foods have flavor profiles which are like classification systems for tastes. Flavor and taste are actually scientific processes. Foods contain flavor compounds and aromas so foods that have similar flavor compounds, such as vanilla and basil, work well together.

Read more about each of the food flavor combinations illustrated in this infographic in this article:  10 Flavor Combinations You Must Try for Your Cooking - One Green Planet.

Two excellent resources for flavor combining are two books:

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity with Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and More, Based on the Wisdom of Leading American Chefs

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible is universally recommended by vegan, raw, whole-food plant based culinary institutes and cooking schools.

Infographic and Article source:  One Green Planet.

Vegan Lentil Lettuce Wraps from Green Healthy Cooking

Vegan Lentil Lettuce Wraps + Tahini Herb Sauce
from Green Healthy Cooking

From Lorena (Green Healthy Cooking), the author of this vegan lentil lettuce wraps recipe:

... on a delicious ranking scale of 1-5 THESE Vegan Lentil Lettuce Wraps are a FIVE! Yes, together with the Out of This World Tahini Herb Sauce, these are probably even a FIVE-POINT-FIVE! They are fresh, they are crunchy and creamy and salty and sweet and sour and spicy and yummy and delicious and delightful and simply highly pleasant to the taste.

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions at Vegan Lentil Lettuce Wraps - Green Healthy Cooking.

Recipe, ingredients and instructions for the Tahini Herb Sauce at Out of This World Tahini Herb Sauce - Green Healthy Cooking.

Healthy GF Carrot Cake from The Big Man's World

Healthy Carrot Cake
GF + Vegan from
The Big Man's World

From The Big Man's World about this healthy, gluten-free carrot cake:

"The best tasting carrot cake, you won’t even need the frosting- Crumbly on the outside, moist and flavourful on the inside!"

The author provides for both a non-vegan and vegan options.  The vegan option involves substituting a flax egg, dairy-free yogurt and milk.  The author also provides an option to add protein to this cake.

This moist and yummy bread (especially the protein-packed version of the recipe) is delicious and filing for breakfast, as a desert or snack, or anytime!

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions at Healthy Carrot Cake {Vegan + GF} from The Big Man's World.

16 Vegan Salad Dressings and Vinaigrettes from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

16 Vegan Dressings and Vinaigrettes
from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

This is an amazing collection of 16 delicious, nutritious and easy vegan, gluten-free and paleo salad dressing recipes from Sam at It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken.

Some are very familiar (Thousand Island) while others are more exotic (Chipotle Lime).

Most have only a few ingredients and all are made fresh - no preservatives, no additives, and no other toxic chemicals so often found in expensive commercially made dressings.

Many can be used as sauces in various dishes other than salads.

The 16 dressings and vinaigrettes include:

Catalina Dressing
Coleslaw Dressing
Thousand Island Dressing
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Walnut Basil Dressing
Peanut Butter Dressing
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Chipotle Lime Dressing
Sweet Dill Dressing
Cherry Tomato Dressing
Maple Mustard Dressing
Tangy Miso Dressing
Carrot Ginger Dressing
Greek Dressing
Creamy Ranch
Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions for all 16 dressings and vinaigrettes at 16 Vegan Salad Dressings - It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken.

Need some ideas on building a satisfying, nutrient-dense green salad?  See:

How to Build a Super Healthy Salad
Superfood Salad Ingredients

Soft Pumpkin Cookies from Whole New Mom

Soft Pumpkin Cookies (Vegan + GF + Sugar-Free)
from Whole New Mom

From Adrienne (Whole New Mom), the author of this recipe:

These cookies are amazingly low in sugar (which is great if you are on a candida diet) and yet they still taste great.  The pumpkin adds a natural sweetness and the orange flavor adds a nice hint of orange.

The main ingredients for these delicious vegan, gluten-free pumpkin cookies include unsweetened pumpkin, GF flour, coconut oil, nuts (walnuts, almonds, macadamias) and/or seeds (pumpkin, sunflower).

The recipe includes specific recommendations for certain ingredients, including the sweetener.

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions at Soft Pumpkin Cookies - Whole New Mom.

Raw Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake from Crate n Plate

Raw Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
from Crate N Plate

From Amanda (Crate N Plate), the author of this delicious raw vegan Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake recipe:

"This is a mini cheesecake. It’s great for those of us who don’t have many adventurous foodies in our lives. Mini cheesecakes equal more cheesecake for us but not too much cheesecake that it’s overwhelming. You could easily double this recipe if you’re serving a larger group though! Just make sure to invite me, please."

Healthy ingredients include almonds, cashews, oats, and apples.

Recipe details, a complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions at Raw Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake - Crate N Plate.