These grilled tomatoes were a regular side-dish to my family’s BBQ meals for as long as I can remember. You can make them any time of year, but I especially love making them in late summer/early fall when the tomatoes, garlic, and herbs are fresh out of the garden. If you don’t have a BBQ, you can make these in the oven too! Tomatoes are loaded with health-boosting nutrients, including lycopene – a strong anti-oxidant associated with cancer-prevention (especially prostate cancer), cardiovascular health, and more recently with bone health!

You Will Need:

• 2 tomatoes (I like using larger, ‘meatier’ tomatoes like beef steak tomatoes as one half of that size of tomato makes a decent side serving)
• 2 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 heaping TBSP each of finely chopped parsley and basil
• 1 TBSP of grated Parmesan cheese
• A pinch of salt and pepper

Step 1: Cut the Tomatoes

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut side up on a flat surface (e.g. plate, cutting board, baking dish or sheet). If you can’t get them to sit more-or-less flat, you can cut just a TINY bit of the bottom off to flatten them out. I prefer not to do this as you will lose some of the juices when they are cooking.

Step 2: Top the Tomatoes

Mix the olive oil, herbs, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and then evenly spoon and spread/press the mixture onto each tomato half.

Step 3: Grill and Enjoy!

Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a BBQ grill that has been heated to medium/medium-high (350F to 400F) and wait until they are done! Do not flip them as you will lose all the toppings! It will take about 20 minutes for the tomatoes to soften up. You can cook them for a shorter or longer period of time depending on how soft you want them to be.  I like them to soften up quite a bit so they taste more like a light tomato sauce than a raw tomato. If I am grilling meat, poultry, or fish as my main, I like to time the grilling of the tomatoes so they will be done at the same time as the meat/poultry/fish. If you are cooking them in the oven, set the cooking temperature to 350F. When I do the tomatoes in the oven, I sometimes set the oven to broil for just a minute or two toward the end so the cheese crisps up/bubbles a bit. These yummy tomatoes make an excellent side to any dish, especially steak, chicken, or white fish. Enjoy!

These grain-less cookies are loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients. They are easy to make and freeze beautifully.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. Feel free to change things up, for instance, you can swap out the walnuts for pecans or slivered almonds, use your favourite dried fruit instead of dates, use sunflower seeds or pine nuts instead of pepitas, and your favourite nut butter if it’s not almond butter! I’ve swapped out ingredients virtually every time I make these cookies depending on what I have on hand. As far as cookie recipes go, this one is pretty forgiving!

You Will Need:

I’ve listed the ingredients in groups so that the instructions will be easier for you!

Group A: The Stuff to Soak

• 1/2 cup plain whole fat yogurt or kefir
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Group B: The Dry Stuff

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine ground unrefined salt (e.g. Celtic sea salt, Himalayan crystal salt)

Group C: The Stuff to Whip

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey (or molasses)

Group D: The Stuff for the Bits and Pieces

• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 12 dates chopped up into small pieces
• 2/3 cup raw walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup raw pepitas (‘green’ pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cup organic dark chocolate chips

Step 1: Prepping Group A ingredients

• Preheat oven to 350, then stir the chia seeds into the yogurt/kefir and set aside

Step 2: Prepping Group B Ingredients

• Mix all Group B ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside

Step 3:  Prepping Group D Ingredients

• Mix all Group D ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Don’t they look delicious just on their own? Would be a great top for a bowl of yogurt!

Step 4: Prepping Group C Ingredients

• Using a mixer on medium speed, beat sugar, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract until light and creamy
• Add honey (or molasses), almond butter, and chia-yogurt/kefir mixture and mix in until well blended using mixer on low speed

Step 5: Mixing It All Together

• Add wet ingredients (Group A and C mixture) to Group B ingredients (the dry flour etc mix) and using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir/mix until well blended
• Add Group D Ingredients (the bits and pieces) to the above and again, using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir/mix until well blended

Step 6: To Refrigerate Dough … Or Not … Then Bake

Sometimes I refrigerate the dough for 60 minutes before putting it on a cookie sheet (which I line with parchment paper) for baking, sometimes I don’t. The cookies are good either way. If I have time, I prefer to refrigerate the dough as it makes it a bit firmer and I can roll the dough into balls for more uniform and denser cookies. Either way, you will set the oven to 350F.

If you choose to refrigerate the dough, roll it out into ping-pong sized balls (about a TBSP of dough) and SLIGHTLY flatten the balls of dough with a fork before baking – like so…

If you choose not to refrigerate the dough, you will use the ‘drop cookie’ method, and just scoop the dough out with a tablespoon and drop it onto the cookie sheet – like so…

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (give or take a minute or so depending on your oven) until the bottoms of the cookies are brown. Note that coconut palm sugar tends to make the bottoms brown faster/darker than regular sugar. The top of the cookies will still feel soft, but will firm up once the cookies are cooled. Cool the cookies on a baking rack and don’t put them in a container until they are COMPLETELY cooled. The ones pictured below were from a time I refrigerated and rolled the dough. Don’t they look yummy?

These cookies freeze really well, so I sometimes double the recipe. They even taste great frozen – especially on a hot summer day! :o)

Enjoy!

I’ve been making this salad for years. It is so easy and really delicious. It’s a great side dish to poultry or fish mains (especially if they have a Mediterranean theme), and a perfect dish to bring to a picnic, potluck, or BBQ. You can make it more substantial by adding a cup or so of cooked quinoa.

What You’ll Need:

This is an easy recipe because you don’t have to be precise with the ingredients. Add more or less of whichever ones you like. I usually use the following:

• a can of pitted black olives (sliced ones or whole ones cut into halves)
• a large jar of marinated artichokes (try to find ones that aren’t in canola oil) or a can of artichoke hearts packed in water. I had a jar of the marinated artichokes on hand that someone had brought over, so I poured it into a colander and drained off the oil. The herbs in them added some flavour. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters if they aren’t already.
• a package or so of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into halves
• a can or two of chick peas. I had one can of chickpeas and one can of  a six bean mix on hand, so that’s what I used this time
• about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh or dried oregano and/or basil and/or prepared Italian herb mix to taste

Step 1: Mix It Up

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil (add as much or as little as you like), then add the salt, pepper, and fresh or dried herbs to suit your taste. I like to start by adding a little of the seasonings, then mix, taste, add more if needed, mix, taste … you get the idea. Mix well and you’re done!

Feel free to toss in other ingredients that you think would be a good addition to this salad … maybe some hearts of palm, some fresh walnut pieces, and/or some toasted pine nuts. This salad keeps fairly well in the fridge for a few days.

Enjoy!