Inspired Edibles - ~ wellness, wonder, words ~

Sweet & Savory Braised Butternut Squash with Yogurt Sauce (Kadoo Boranee)

November 17, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 49 Comments

Imagine soft succulent morsels of butternut squash braised in the warming spices of ginger, turmeric, chili & cumin and tucked into a bed of tzatziki-style sauce and you will have an inkling of the culinary pleasure that is Kadoo Boranee.

This Afghan style braised butternut squash is quite simply the most memorable dish I’ve eaten in the past couple of years and my new favorite way to enjoy seasonal squash.

My husband and I discovered it at this restaurant when we were celebrating our 19th year wedding anniversary this past summer. If you’re ever visiting the beautiful Santa Cruz area, I highly recommend it for its outstanding food, friendly and attentive service, intimate courtyard and proximate views. …

6 Ways to Arm Your Immune System for Cold & Flu Season

November 4, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 25 Comments

It’s no fun being sick. We’ve all experienced the nasty symptoms that can accompany a cold or flu and know how difficult it can be to carry out our day to day functions. Reoccurring and enduring illness can also impact our ability to care for our loved ones and manage our work responsibilities.

By building a strong immune system, we put ourselves in the best position to stay well during flu season and lessen the frequency and duration of illness when it does set in.

Beyond exercising appropriate personal hygiene (our first defense against colds and flu), here are some of my favorite strategies for staying healthy through the long winter months. …

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Macadamia & Beurre Noisette

October 29, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 24 Comments

Growing up in the country with miles between houses, trick-or-treating by foot was not really feasible (nor was biking in a costume). Instead, my Dad would drive my younger brother and I along the country roads making as many stops as he could and waiting in the car as we knocked on doors and worked our magic. We would travel around 3 different lakes before retiring back at home to spill our pillowcases full of candy (yes, pillowcases!). My brother, clever as a fox, always ended up with more loot than me. He figured out that if he left his pillowcase in the car and went to the door with a tiny Jack-o-latern pail (which he usually left empty or with one or two feeble candies) it would look pathetic next to my massive and bursting-full pillowcase and the neighbors would naturally take pity on him and give him twice the amount of candy. It worked like a charm. Back in the car, he would dump his loot into his pillowcase and start all over again with an empty bucket at the next house.

All I could do was admire the kid’s ingenuity (although I really should have been asking for a cut of the spoils since his success depended on my compliance – I was half the act). …

Quinoa, Black Bean & Sweet Potato Slow-Cooker Chili {with Avocado Cream}

October 14, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 29 Comments

I’m practicing.

If I were to go by today’s weather I would be making you iced tea with a sprig or two of fresh rosemary while sporting a bikini but that’s not happening because I’m practicing — practicing and preparing for El Niño.

We’ve been promised (again mind you) a long wet winter here in drought-ravaged California and I’m getting ready with some warming comfort food worthy of a proper fall. …

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Apple & Fennel

September 30, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 38 Comments

Checking out of the Safeway this weekend (the undisputed hub of sociological observation), I was reminded that fall means different things to different people.

I’ve already confessed not knowing very much about this well-loved game, but I nevertheless relish every bit of lively banter emerging from the lips of patrons and clerks as I catch snippets of information and predictions. I also find myself anticipating the somewhat corny but hopelessly contagious sounds of the high school marching band booming across the street from us during Friday night home games. …

Millet Porridge with Fresh Fig, Honey and Hemp

September 16, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 20 Comments

Every once in a while it’s nice to be reminded that the universe is working in your favor; even when it comes to something as seemingly insignificant as a fig.

And so it was on an early Saturday morning when I was preparing to head across town in pursuit of the not-so-common, common fig.

I had just made a similar trip the week before and was feeling a bit sheepish about the expense and the weekend departure from the family when the doorbell rang. …

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

September 13, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 32 Comments

I had planned a warming porridge for this past week’s post but a combination of weather (oppressively hot) and a new baby (not mine) queered the pitch.

That’s alright because in the process of being derailed, I discovered these obscenely delicious cookies. So I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your Sunday evening to bring them to you. …

5 Keys to Bone Health

September 2, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 29 Comments

I broke my wrist on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the park. I was doing backflips off the monkey bars with my boys and I might have gotten carried away. I over-rotated the landing and was heading right for my tush (which is what I should have let happen) but instead, I stretched out my hand to protect my fall and landed with the full force of my weight on my wrist — my bone didn’t stand a chance.

Refusal to grow up aside, the incident (which happened a few years ago) reminded me of just how disabling it can be to break a bone.

Although bone mass generally peaks somewhere in our twenties, that’s not the end of the story. Bones are not the fixed, lifeless structures we sometimes imagine. Instead, they are growing, living tissue that is constantly being remodeled and there’s plenty to do – at all ages – to help preserve bone integrity, improve bone strength and minimize our risk of fracture. …

Blueberry Burst Breakfast Muffins

August 19, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 33 Comments

Not so long ago it seems I was making muffins for our family on a weekly basis. I’d bake a batch or two on the weekend (sometimes making extra for my mom) and the boys would enjoy them throughout the week — in their lunchboxes, after school or as a grab-and-go on their way out the door. But muffin making eventually gave way to bars (a dragon lives forever but not so little boys) and over the past couple years, I think I’ve only made muffins once or twice. …

Black Bean Tacos with Mediterranean Salsa (Gluten Free)

August 5, 2015 By kelly / inspired edibles 31 Comments

We’ve been doing some collaborative cooking in our home lately.

Last week our youngest made this dish ~ a fairly detailed and somewhat laborious recipe for a young cook and I was happy to partake in both the result and the journey. He managed it with quiet confidence and persistence working through each of the steps and even made a second trip back to the store on his bike when he realized we didn’t have sour cream (I suggested Greek yogurt but was overruled – he made the right call). I have to admit I enjoyed the mom break ~ so nice to have someone else prepping food for a change but more than that, it was one of those satisfying moments when you see your child’s culinary prowess expand beyond spreading peanut butter (although we all know peanut butter sandwiches are tough to beat). …