Beecher’s Raw Milk Flagship Cheese

Some people bring back t-shirts or key chains as souvenirs.  In our family, it’s food – usually in the form of cheese.  When I visited Seattle in August, I made sure to visit Beecher’s Handmade Cheese at Pike Place.  It was very crowded that afternoon, so we just tasted a few cheeses and scooted out the door.  I couldn’t stop thinking about their cheese.  It was only natural then, that I couldn’t pass up a […]

Continue Reading

Goat Cheese Pesto Dip

I always feel a little sheepish when I post a pesto recipe.  Pesto is a no-brainer kind of recipe.  I feel like everyone knows how to make it.  It’s as easy as can be to swap out different herbs or greens, use different nuts and cheese, etc, etc.  But I have to share this recipe because it’s hands-down my favorite pesto of the moment.  Maybe ever.  I guess if I mixed pesto and goat cheese […]

Continue Reading

Vegan Pea Shoot and Vegetable Rice Rolls with Coconut Dipping Sauce

Pictures and text by Lindsey Rose Johnson. Vegetable rice rolls are one of my favorite go-to gluten-free snacks, lunches, dinners.  They are so versatile–you can put practically anything inside those papery rice wrappers and call it good.  I prefer mine chock full of raw veggies, and sometimes even some slices of fruit. Becoming gluten-free meant I had to get educated quickly on what I could and could not eat. There was a big learning curve. […]

Continue Reading

Fennel Orange Salad with Kalamata Olives and Microgreens

I sit down to write a little something about the recipes I post and sometimes I just don’t know what to say.  How many times can I tell you how much I love fennel and orange together?  Or how much I adore salad?  Or how much I love fennel orange salad? Or how blasted cold it’s been and how much snow has fallen and how much I am longing for spring to arrive? I could […]

Continue Reading

Holiday Entertaining: 3 Easy Cheese Christmas Appetizers

Easy Cheese Christmas Appetizers | CafeJohnsonia.com

I’ve partnered with Harmons Grocery to bring you three easy Christmas appetizers to serve at your next holiday party. When I was first married, I did a bit of catering.  All of the wedding open houses I catered took place during the holidays.  I absolutely loved creating menus to reflect the flavors of the holidays.  The buffet table of my favorite open house consisted of tasty appetizers, a couple of really good green salads, and […]

Continue Reading

Hot Salmon Spinach Dip

Raise your hand if you always order spinach dip for your appetizer when you’re eating out?  (I’m raising my hand.)  I love the stuff.  Usually it has artichokes in it.  Sometimes green chiles.  But this version…you’re gonna love it.  It just seemed natural to add salmon and dill to spinach dip and bake it until bubbly. Now, I have to tell you that I used Copper River Salmon. And you might be tempted to scold […]

Continue Reading

Quick Cucumber Pickles

It used to be that I couldn’t walk away from a grocery store without a few jars of pickles. Our family goes crazy over anything pickled. We’ve attempted other sorts of pickled vegetables (and fruit), but never cucumbers. I don’t know why. I guess I never saw a reason to when our fridge was always full of them already. This summer began my love affair with cucumbers. They’ve never been my favorite veggies.  I didn’t […]

Continue Reading

Fruity Guacamole with Cinnamon and Sugar Tortilla Chips

As I mentioned last week, I was able to attend evo conference.  I was able to attend a fun dinner sponsored by the California Avocado Commission that included quite possibly the most delicious avocados I have ever eaten in my life.  (I brought some home with me.) Before a cooking demo by THE Too Hot Tamales, we all participated in a bit of good-natured competition in the form of an Iron Chef-like Guacamole Fest. Susan […]

Continue Reading

Radishes with Vegan Coconut Butter

So…the original recipe for the Vegan Coconut Butter is titled “coconut margarine.” I don’t want to call it that because the word conjures up bad images of the toast of my childhood. This ain’t even close to margarine. It melts on your tongue–just like dairy butter, only with an ever-so-slight coconut flavor. I can’t remember exactly how I came across this recipe. I think I was at the gym watching New Scandinavian Cooking (my favorite […]

Continue Reading

Oven Baked Potato Chips with Kale-Lemon Pesto for The Super Bowl

Hell has frozen over.  I’m posting a recipe for Super Bowl Sunday. I honestly could not tell you who is playing and until Tuesday when I Googled it, I had no idea it was this Sunday.  (Does that make you love or hate me a little more?  I still don’t know who’s playing.) I whipped up some awesome pesto to use up a little of this and that in my fridge.  I haven’t been eating […]

Continue Reading