Andrea Bemis

Raw chocolate truffles aren’t just a sweet treat that will suit nearly everyone on your gift list; they’re also super easy! No cooking. What’s extra special about these truffles (aside from how great they taste!) is the fact that they are raw and vegan, but they still taste like an indulgent treat. Don’t be fooled by the “raw” factor — these truffles are totally rich and satisfying.

I love having a healthy dip at my fingertips when I am preparing dinner at home or need a simple appetizer for a get-together with friends. This particular dip of puréed beans and artichokes is filling enough to tide me over until dinner is ready, but also light and refreshing — a perfect snack for the dark and dreary winter days we’re getting in our neck of the woods. A quick whiz in your food processor and this dip is ready in less than five minutes!

This light and crunchy salad is such a welcome change after all the holiday indulgences. I love how easily this comes together, and the addition of the sweet raisins pair exceptionally well with the spiced chickpeas for a wonderful combination of sweet and savory. To make the prep for this salad even easier, you can buy pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store. However, if you have the “grater” attachment on your food processor, that also works well!

Ah, couscous! The food so nice they named it twice. Except this isn’t really couscous. It’s cauliflower. And I feel like I won a gold medal in the kitchen when my couscous-loving husband didn’t bat an eye while he gobbled up this “pretend” version. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t usually like when food is referred to something it’s not.

Summer is synonymous with backyard barbecues, romantic picnics for two, and dinner on the beach. As much as I wish our work on the farm could be grouped into the “romantic picnic for two” category, in reality my husband and I spend most summer days hunched over the dirt, farming our little hearts out and ready to pass out from the 90-degree temperatures at any given moment. Needless to say, turning on our oven on in the middle of the summer just doesn’t happen.

Move over kale salads. Collard greens are having a moment. My husband and I grow a lot of kale and collard green plants on our farm and supply restaurants and farmers markets in our community. We’ve never struggled to sell out of kale, but collard greens are a different story. Apparently not everyone shares our same enthusiasm when it comes to this leafy green. There is good news though. I think this season there is a new trend and collard greens are in the spotlight.

This hummus is so addicting, both in flavor and in color — bright orange! The Moroccan spices add such a lovely dimension, too. This is the kind of warm-and-spicy flavor combination I crave as the days get shorter and chillier. I have a feeling you will be whipping it up more than once this holiday season to share at dinner parties and potlucks. We are in the thick of the carrot harvest at our farm and this hummus is one of the first autumn carrot recipes I’ve made.

This recipe makes me want to change out of my farm clothes, put on a dress, and head to a dinner party armed with a batch of these fritters. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen anytime soon since our organic farm is in full swing for the season and our free time is rare. Last weekend, I was so grateful for all the extra hands helping us out on the farm that I decided to treat everyone to these delicious cauliflower fritters.

I love a good breakfast cookie. I mean what’s better than having a sweet little treat first thing in the morning? These breakfast cookies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with oats, walnuts, shredded carrots and raisins — making them perfect for a quick breakfast. Make them on Sunday, and grab them for breakfast all week long. I was inspired to make these after seeing a recipe on Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks.

Ahh, springtime. You know it’s springtime in the Pacific Northwest when you need to change your clothes multiple times a day. Winter hat and gloves in the morning — yep. T-shirts and plenty of sunscreen to get through the afternoon — for sure. Rain boots and a rain coat around 4 pm — definitely. Springtime on our farm is an exciting time of the year even if the weather is all over the place.

Homemade green goddess dressing with farm fresh herbs, fresh lemon juice and avocado will have you feeling like a goddess in no time. I don’t typically feel like a goddess in my day to day life since I am usually covered in dirt, wearing ripped Levi jeans, and running around trying to get farm chores done. It’s not until I rinse the dirt and grime from the day off my body, pour a glass of wine, and begin preparing dinner that I start feeling like a lady again.

Phew. It’s been a busy week at our farm. The temperatures have reached the mid 90’s, we’ve been putting in 14 hour days, and I’m ashamed to admit that recently we’ve been skipping breakfast so we can get our morning harvest done before the heat of the day. This is obviously not a good thing. A hungry farmer is almost worse than and under-caffeinated one!

Quick and simple snacks that are portable, taste great with ice cold beer, and can be made in a flash are, in my opinion, the best kind. In the heart of the summer, I usually prefer farm fresh snacks like cherry tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt or radishes dipped in hummus, but now that the days are growing shorter and there is a chill in the air, snacks like these roasted almonds are a welcome change.

We harvested so many sugar pumpkins at our farm this season that we had plenty left even after filling all of our CSA boxes, selling at farmers markets, and delivering to restaurants. I don’t mind one bit! I’ve spent my recent evenings roasting and pureeing as many pumpkins as I can. Once I got tired of pumpkin soup, these cheesy pumpkin quesadillas made a nice change of pace for using up the puree!

Instead of buying a one-way ticket to the Mediterranean, I’m going to crank up our wood stove, play some upbeat music, and make the Mediterranean come to my kitchen. This winter weather has been getting us down, but the fresh flavors of feta, artichokes, and olives in this dish are brightening our spirits and making our taste buds very happy. We even invited a few friends over for dinner and everyone agreed that this dish was a real treat on a cold winter night.

Craving a fast and healthy lunch? This simple sandwich packs a lot of flavor and nutrition, which makes it ideal for an easy weekday meal. I love stuffing leftover ingredients from previous meals into a pita pocket, sprinkling in a little cheese, salt, pepper, and calling it good. Simple, fast and satisfying. Who has time for much more? The beginning of a new year can be a hectic time for many of us. Simple, healthy and accessible meals is where it’s at for me in 2015.

I look forward to Thanksgiving all year long, so it feels totally wrong to only enjoy that wonderful food, the great company, and those festive cocktails for just one afternoon. I like to keep the party going all weekend long by using the Thanksgiving leftovers in as many different ways as I can. This simple grilled cheese sandwich is a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce and cheese from your Thanksgiving spread.

My husband and I have been in the thick of the potato harvest at our farm, and with the abundance of fresh dill out in the fields, this potato salad was a no brainer. I wanted to keep the flavors fresh and seasonal, so I combined the fresh dill with green onions, mustard, capers and tahini (I know…not so traditional!). All together, this makes for a flavorful and creamy salad. If you are in need of a little late summer comfort food, I think this potato salad is just the ticket!

This simple chickpea Waldorf salad takes a lighter approach with flavors that take you from the warmer weather into fall and winter. Food like this makes the transition a little easier, so double up on the apples and add a bit of heat from red pepper flakes to warm you up. A traditional Waldorf salad is generally made with fresh apples, celery, and walnuts, and dressed with mayonnaise. I’ve seen a lot of versions that add chicken for a more complete meal.

Our farm is overflowing with summer produce right now, and my husband and I could not be more thrilled. Our hard work is finally paying off and some of our favorite summertime treats are starting to make their seasonal debut. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn, cilantro, and of course, one of my favorite leafy greens: swiss chard! Put those together and you have these healthy, no-fuss swiss chard taco wraps, perfect for a breezy summer meal.

Morel mushrooms are making their seasonal debut in our neck of the woods and I feel so giddy I could explode. The mushroom hunters are out in full force and the excitement and energy surrounding this lovely gem is contagious. Don’t fret if you’re not a mushroom hunter, though. Morels can be found in most grocery stores across the US — now is the time to be looking for them! I have always loved the flavor combination of mushrooms and leeks in pastas and on pizza.

Spring is a lovely time of year to be a farmer. Yes, the days are incredibly busy from sunup until sundown, and most of that time is spent hunched over the dirt in a back-breaking position. But on our farm, we’re are never bitter in springtime (which is quite a contrast to the middle of August!). Right now, the unfolding of the summer seems bright and full of promise. Spring is also a great time of year to start eating lighter and healthier meals to fuel our bodies for long days ahead.