Homemade Kumquat Marmalade

If you can get your hands on some fresh kumquats, then put this kumquat marmalade recipe at the top of your list. In our garden loaded with citrus, we are always searching for ways to utilize their delicious bounty. Beyond cocktails, there is always one recipe we go to the most: kumquat marmalade. If we are down to our last jar, and the tree doesn’t have a some ripening kumquats, we get a little nervous.  Time for careful rationing. The flavor and texture is just so perfect. A complex taste of citrus sweet with a tinge of tart and bitter. The softened, delicate kumquat rinds are perfectly suspended within the marmalade jelly. It is so good!

Video: Recipe for Homemade Kumquat Marmalade

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What are Quinoa Patties?

They’re basically a quinoa patty, just like it sounds. Think of a veggie burger patty made with wholesome quinoa. What a delicious surprise these quinoa patties were. Wow. Not that we were expecting them to be bad, but we weren’t expecting them to have much flavor. Don’t get us wrong, we absolutely love quinoa and usually use it as a base for salads and main entrees. But we really thought these fritters would be rather bland when fried up. That’s why we added parmigiano reggiano cheese into the recipe and maybe that was what made it so good! Either way, bad on us for judging a dish before we could even make it.

Video: Quinoa Patties Recipe with Tomato Chutney

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Healthy Turkey Avocado Spring Rolls

We’re obsessed with spring rolls. If you read our spring rolling tutorial and see our recipe collection, you’ll understand. The joy in eating these turkey spring rolls is that the recipe is adaptable to everyone’s taste. These summer rolls are lighter than a turkey sandwich because the rice paper has less calories than bread. And best of all, there’s a light peanut dip if you want to indulge in a flavorful dip. It’s like a rolled up salad with a peanut dressing. Only difference is that you’re eating a roll.

Different filling options for spring rolls or summer rolls

The possibilities are endless for what to stuff in these rolls. But the best options are crisp, thinly sliced veggies for easy eating. Here’s some different ideas:

• If you prefer to have different vegetables such as red bell pepper, carrots or sliced celery, then you can certainly mix up the inside trimmings. Just slice the bell peppers and celery thin. And for carrots, use this great OXO julienne tool or vegetable shredder that we’re obsessed with!
• Avocado is a great pairing with turkey! Think turkey avocado sandwich, but in rice paper instead of bread. The creamy avocado is so good with the turkey.
• Fresh Herb, you must have fresh herbs! Even if it’s cilantro or a few leaves of fresh basil. This makes the spring rolls fantastic.
• Thin slices of cucumber give great crunch. It’s a classic vegetable filler for Vietnamese spring rolls, so don’t skimp on the cucumber.  

Video: Easy Turkey Spring or Summer Rolls

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Persimmon Cookies Recipe from Grandma

This cookie recipe is direct from my Grandma’s recipe box to you. They are a gloriously soft, moist cookie. Somewhere in-between the texture of a cookie and a fluffy cake, these persimmon cookies are similar to the cookie part of a whoopie pie cookie’s texture, but with the addition of toasted nuts and dried raisins or cranberries.

Grandma will always be one of my greatest kitchen inspirations. Anything she had in her rotation would almost always be a guarantee that I’d like it. Grandma left me with my first memories of cooking, and of trying octopus, and of learning as a five-year-old that I actually liked cooked carrots. If there was something I didn’t think I’d like, she would affectionately but unwaveringly insisted I try them. “You don’t have to eat them all, just try them.” After I found this recipe in Grandma’s recipe box and my mom declared it was one of her favorite cookies that Grandma would make, Diane and I knew we had to make a batch. And then another, and another…  Over the years it has become a must have for us every fall & winter.

Video Making Grandma’s Persimmon Cookies

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