Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Avocados

It’s been a little while since I posted a quinoa salad recipe. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped making and enjoying them! Sometimes I think if you’ve tasted one quinoa salad, you’ve tasted them all. BUT. This one is really good and not the same as others I’ve made previously. It’s a totally power lunch with all the protein and healthy fats from chickpeas, avocados, coconut, and pepitas. It was a moment of inspiration as […]

Continue Reading

Heart Healthy Salad with Baked Salmon

Heart Healthy Salad with Citrus, Avocado and Salmon | CafeJohnsonia.com

This colorful healthy salad made with citrus, avocado, and salmon is great for heart health. The days are getting longer again and I know this is February fooling me, but the weather has also warmed up a bit. The bite is gone from the chilly morning air. Oh, that makes me happy! It’s been a long, cold winter. Thank goodness we have citrus in the winter to brighten things up. I made this Heart Healthy […]

Continue Reading

Shaved Fennel Asian Pear Salad with Pomegranate and Watercress

Becky of Project Domestication and I have teamed up again this month to share one more Thanksgiving recipe just in case you needed another item to add to your growing menu. You do, right? I mean can you ever have enough side dishes on Thanksgiving? I think not! Make sure to pop over and check out her fabulous Lignonberry Jam Baked Brie – the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer. Becky is also sharing her recipe for Herb […]

Continue Reading

Pea Shoot and Stone Fruit Salad with Brie and Walnuts

The other day a dear friend came over to my apartment to spend the morning with me.  She was interested in seeing how I work –  the creative process of developing a recipe through styling and photographing.  The way I work is a bit scattered and improvisational at times and I certainly gave her a show!  I had made some tentative plans to cook and photograph a few different things but instead I started chatting […]

Continue Reading

Loaded Raw Kale Salad

My husband and I shared this Loaded Raw Kale Salad yesterday for lunch.  You guys, my life changed the day I first had a raw kale salad.  I don’t remember the exact salad, but I remember thinking, “Oh, okay.  I can do raw kale.  It’s good.”  It was like I could finally be a bona fide kale lover now. In my younger years, I thought kale was only (truly, I honestly thought this) for animals […]

Continue Reading

Honey-Balsamic Roasted Fig Salad

I was in the Seattle area last week visiting with family.  It was so wonderful to have a little break from the hectic summer.  We moved in July.  (Moving is such a nightmare!)  Between that and traveling, I haven’t done as much cooking as I would have liked.  It’s been nice to settle in some more and get back to cooking and baking.  This Honey-Balsamic Roasted Fig Salad was one of my proudest creations.  Truthfully?  […]

Continue Reading

Strawberry, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Cacao Nibs

After I took the pictures, I pretty much ate the entire platter of this Strawberry, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Cacao Nibs by myself.  And as much as I want to feel sorry about that, I kinda don’t.  This is yet another in a series of many clean-out-the-fridge salads.  I love those because they are often a little crazy and extra creative.  They either turn out surprisingly well or terribly awful.  This is the former, […]

Continue Reading

Blueberry, Cucumber, Basil Salad with Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette

Blueberry, Cucumber, Basil Salad with Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette sounds interesting right?  Here’s how this salad came to be. :) My little garden has started producing. That is to say, my container garden. The in-the-ground garden has some catching up to do. I fell in love with cucumbers last summer, so I made sure to plant some in my garden this year. The lemon cucumber plants (my very favorite) promptly died. I couldn’t find replacement seedlings. […]

Continue Reading

Salmon with Thai Pineapple-Cucumber Salad

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw the gorgeous Copper River Salmon we enjoyed for dinner on Sunday night. The color of the salmon is stunning!  As red and beautiful as can be.  Just as salmon should be.  Our family was introduced to Copper River Salmon last year when I was part of the Fresh Catch Crew.  I had fun coming up with new recipes and ways to use the gorgeous salmon.  I […]

Continue Reading

Mixed Greens with Fresh Strawberry-Herb Dressing

If you have plans for a Mother’s Day get together this weekend, I have a recipe for you.  A GREAT recipe.  It’s so good that everyone will fall all over you asking for the recipe–just like my extended family did when I made it for them last year.  Fresh Strawberry-Herb Dressing.  It is an easy favorite of mine.  And I’m excited to make it again and again this year.  The salad and the dressing.  It’s […]

Continue Reading