I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time containing myself from buying too much every time I’m at my farmer’s market or favorite local produce shop.

How could you resist not going home with one of everything here??

Greens of every kind (I came home with swiss chard, fresh spinach and dandelion greens on this trip), local tomatoes (ours typically come from Ruskin, FL and you can literally smell the freshness as you walk up to the boxes of tomatoes), and a variety of beautiful eggplants, peppers and squashes you don’t typically see on your regular trip to the grocery store. Produce heaven!! I love it. Absolutely love it.

I pretty much always come home with a big bag of tomatoes. That’s a given.

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Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend!! My holiday started last Thursday when my friend Kristen flew into town for a visit. We planned a fun couple of days earlier this year with tickets to Justin Bieber (we are closet Beliebers) and a day of eating and drinking around the world at Epcot with our friend Julie. Music, food, drinks and friends – doesn’t get much better than that!

Before we started getting ready for our night out with JB, I wanted to make something to snack on while we sipped some wine and got ready. I literally whipped up this Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Spread with Walnuts in minutes, with ingredients I almost always have on hand.

It’s fun cooking for friends and I was excited to experiment with an appetizer idea that had been in my head for a while. My daughter and husband approved as well!

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This post was sponsored by Sabra.

Hey, do you know what today is? National Hummus Day! Let’s celebrate with some … hummus, of course (and a coupon – get your couon here – available today only!).

I don’t know about you but when I’m asked to bring an appetizer, or if I’m having people over for a get-together, a veggie plate is a no-brainer when it comes to figuring out what food I’m going to put out to snack on. A veggie plate with hummus, that is. (I love how Sabra refers to this as the #UnofficialMeal, it really is!). Sometimes I make my own, but most of the time I grab my favorite Sabra flavor or spruce up my own version using their classic – like I did today with this Lemon Pepper Hummus.

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Happy New Year!! I can’t tell you how excited I am about a new year starting, it’s really one of my favorite times of the year (I feel the same about back-to-school season). I’m all about fresh starts, reflection and growth. This upcoming year is going to be full of changes for me personally, one major change is that I’m going back to school! Yep, I turn 40 and start my first class toward a degree in nutrition and dietetics in just a little over a week. I am over the top excited and terrified at the same time. I’ve spent a good part of 2015 talking to a life coach and researching schools and programs….I’ve had a tug to pursue this career for years and now is the time to finally move forward. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to be patient with yourself and just trust in timing. (Thanks Merrill.)

So, with the New Year I think it’s obvious a lot of us are in the mood for lighter food and getting back on track. I try really hard to balance things out over the holidays (I got to the gym 5 days this past week and THANK GOODNESS I did…), but let’s face it, it’s hard when there are random cookies, pizza nights or snacks everywhere you turn. I’m craving routine and I know it’s coming and with that better food choices will be a heck of a lot easier to make.

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Back in the day, when my husband and I first were married (almost 13 years ago), we lived in a very rural area of Central Florida. We had built a house there, because it was very affordable and near his parents, and lived there for about 3 years. It was just a little too rural for us and we found ourselves often driving the distance to where we live now to work and play. Although we were very happy to move when we did, we have some nice memories of life in our first house and the area it was in. Since we felt a bit isolated and were so far from our friends, we spent a lot of time finding ways to entertain ourselves – which of course included eating out at restaurants nearby.

One of our regular places to grab dinner was a little Mexican place, and this is where I tried Roasted Tomatillo Salsa for the first time. I remember not really knowing what a tomatillo was at the time, or even knowing that I was even eating tomatillos. All I knew is that I had to have this salsa every time I ate at this restaurant, it was usually the first thing I requested after ordering our drinks. I loved it with chips, but I loved it on pretty much anything I was eating from tacos to rice and beans to salad. Obsessed.

Tomatillos are naturally tart when eaten raw, but roasting them really brings out their sweetness and such a great flavor. I have used them in verde sauce and served over these Cheese & Onion Enchiladas (so good!!) and roasted them to make in salsa like this one I’m sharing today. Although I cheated and used jarred salsa, I’ve added green tomatillo salsa to soups like this Summer Chicken Chili Verde as well as Skinnytaste’s Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken plenty of times. Delicious!!

What ingredients are in salsa verde?

• 1.5 lbs tomatillos, husk removed, cleaned and quartered
• 2 poblano peppers, cut into large pieces
• 1 jalapeno, cut into large pieces
• 2 onions, cut into large pieces
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• large bunch of cilantro
• 2 limes
• coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

How do I make salsa verde?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place tomatillos, pobalnos, jalapenos and onions into a large bowl. Season with cumin, salt and olive oil and coat evenly using a spoon to mix.
3. Roast in oven for 15 minutes until soft.
4. Once cooled, place ingredients into a large food processor. Add cilantro, juice from 2 limes, a big pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Process by pulsing 12-15 times or until you reach desired texture. Taste for salt and adjust. Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos, grilled chicken or fish.

Making your own Roasted Tomatillo Salsa also knows as Salsa Verde is truly simple, and such a treat to serve as part of a salsa bar when you’re entertaining. I like to include it along with fresh tomato salsa, guacamole or a chunky dip like this Mango, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa when putting together a Mexican inspired spread to serve family and friends.

If you cook with tomatillos and make something other than salsa with them you’ll have to let me know! I would love to try them in different dishes.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!!

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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs tomatillos, husk removed, cleaned and quartered
• 2 poblano peppers, cut into large pieces
• 1 jalapeno, cut into large pieces
• 2 onions, cut into large pieces
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• large bunch of cilantro
• 2 limes
• coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place tomatillos, pobalnos, jalapenos and onions into a large bowl. Season with cumin, salt and olive oil and coat evenly using a spoon to mix.
3. Roast in oven for 15 minutes until soft.
4. Once cooled, place ingredients into a large food processor. Add cilantro, juice from 2 limes, a big pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Process by pulsing 12-15 times or until you reach desired texture. Taste for salt and adjust. Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos, grilled chicken or fish.

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Mexican Recipes {Fiesta Food!} on Pinterest.

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This Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms recipe is sponsored by Fisher Nuts.

Stuffed mushrooms are an appetizer that always grabs my attention at a party. If you are a mushroom lover, like me, you probably feel the same. The ideas for stuffing mushrooms are endless, so many combinations to play with, a couple of my personal favorites are these Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms and these Spinach and Toasted Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms. Well, you can officially add these Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms to my favorites list.

The ingredients for the stuffing are simple, which is always best. When I was in NY with Fisher Nuts and Chef Alex last month I was so inspired by the use of such simple and fresh ingredients in all the recipes we tasted. One of my favorite recipes I was able to try was Chef Alex’s Walnut Stuffed Cherry Halves. These little bites included walnuts, arugula, Parmesan and balsamic vinegar and were true perfection. Chef Alex mentioned that she likes to use arugula in recipes as she would an herb and that really stuck with me. I am a huge lover of arugula salads but was inspired to use arugula a little different this time when I included it in the Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushroom recipe.

The mushrooms come together pretty easily and can be prepped ahead and cooked later. Just stuff them as you would, and place them carefully in a large tupperware container until you are ready to cook and serve. They cooked up fast, in just 10 minutes, so they are a great to serve to friends and family if you are entertaining over the holidays. They are also vegetarian which is always a nice option to have so that everyone can enjoy them.

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Can we talk about all the goodness happening in these little bites? Yep, I recently discovered the amazingness of quinoa bites and I have to warn you…I’ve become a bit obsessed.

These Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites here today are a little extra special though. Not only are they insanely delicious, but they were made with double the love…for my friend Bev of Bev Cooks who is (very soon) expecting twins! To say that I’m happy and excited for Bev would be an understatement and I wish I could personally deliver her a plate of these myself.

Today, a great big handful of blogger friends are coming together to celebrate Bev and her soon-to-be bundles of joy with a Virtual Baby Shower. If you follow Bev then you already know she’s incredibly hilarious and talented – her writing and humor honestly makes me laugh out loud all the time. Don’t even get me started on her food, let’s just say I want to eat at Bev’s house pretty much every day. Her babies honestly have no idea how lucky they are to have such a special mommy!

Bev and I haven’t had the chance to meet in real life yet (how the heck?) but knowing we are going to have little ones just a few months apart, I think it’s time we plan a play date…(with wine! what do you think Bev??).

So let me tell you a little more about these quinoa bites. I started seeing quinoa bites on Becky’s blog a few months back and I couldn’t stop thinking of them. I cooked up some of her Ham & Cheese Quinoa Bites a few weeks ago and polished them off all on my own in just a couple of days. They seriously make the perfect snack (er, lunch) and I’ve made them a couple times a couple of different ways since. These Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites were inspired by my favorite Greek dish Spanikopita and turned out fantastic. They would be a perfect (healthy) bite-sized addition to any get together, or just to have in your fridge for a quick bite. Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites

Yield: 36 quinoa bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 big handfuls fresh spinach, chopped (about 1 cup cooked)
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 oz crumbled feta
• pinch salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook quinoa (using water or chicken broth) according to directions. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion until softened. Add spinach in batches until completely wilted down.
4. In a large bowl combine quinoa, spinach, garlic powder, oregano, feta, salt and pepper. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust before adding egg. Add egg to quinoa mixture and incorporate.
5. Spray mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Spoon quinoa mixture into tin using a tablespoon, gently patting down.
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Season lightly with a sprinkle of coarse salt while cooling.Let cool for 5 minutes then remove from tin using a butter knife.
7. Makes about 36 quinoa bites.

Bite sized and good for you! These quinoa bites are perfect for sharing or having in your fridge for healthy snacking! Recipe inspired and adapted from So Very Blessed

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Quinoa Love on Pinterest.

Congrats Bev!! I’m truly so happy and excited for you, I can not wait to meet your little ones!! xoxo

Please take some time to check out all these amazing recipes Bev’s friends created for her virtual baby shower (a big thanks to Julie and Lisa for organizing this!):

Appetizers
Bacon Cotija Guacamole from Gaby Dalkin
Gruyère Gougères from Shaina Olmanson
Lemon Risotto Tarts from Kelly Salemi
Goat Cheese Crostini with Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers from Liz Della Croce
Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites from Aggie Goodman
Roasted Red Grape, Brie and Rosemary Flatbread from Laurie McNamara
The Fastest Appetizer Ever from Brooke McLay
Apple Pear Tart – Two Ways from Sarah Glyer

Drinks
Chocolate Chai Frappe from Brandy O’Neill
Cherry Chocolate Kiss Smoothie from Amy Flanigan
Cranberry Sorbet Bellini – Non-Alcoholic and Alcoholic from Megan Keno
Peppermint Mocha Affogato from Christina Lane
toasted marshmallow cream hot chocolate from Jessica Merchant
Pomegranate Lemonade Punch from Heather Christo

Salads
Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Orange and Pine Nuts from Rachel Gurk
Pear Cranberry Arugula Salad from Tracy Benjamin
Brussels Sprout Salad + maple roasted cranberry dressing from Katie Unger
Gluten-Free Pasta Salad from Lisa Thiele
Hearty Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing from Heather Disarro
Winter Citrus Salad from Catherine McCord

Entrees
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta from Heidi Larsen
Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna from Joanne Ozug
cheesy chicken enchilada ‘double’ stacks from Lauren Grier
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup from Kevin Lynch
Thai Spiced Chicken with Coconut Cream Swiss Chard from Brandi Evans
Sausage and Red Pepper Quiche from Tasty Kitchen
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Goat Cheese from Julie Deily

Desserts
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies from Averie Sunshine
Glazed Dulce de Leche Pound Cake from Meagan Micozzi
Mississippi Mud Pie Brownie Ice Cream from Megan DeKok
Buttermint Frosted Sugar Cookie Cups from Shelly Jaronsky
4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies from Ali Ebright
Sweet Potato Creme Brulee from Brian Samuels
Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Mint Cookies from Aimée Wimbush-Bourque
Mini Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Salted Beer Caramel Sauce from Jackie Dodd
Red Velvet Hi Hat Cookies from Kristan Roland
Double Chocolate Panini from Kathy Strahs

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I discovered this amazing pineapple salsa a few years back when my friend Heidi brought it to one of our get togethers. I’ve made it several times since (when I’m not asking Heidi to make it for me) and it’s always enjoyed by everyone. Really, what’s not to love when you combine fresh pineapple with lime, jalapenos and cilantro – each bite truly makes your taste buds sing. Or break out into a little dance. Or whatever suits your fancy.

This pineapple salsa was part of a spread I put together for my husband Larry’s 40th birthday bash this past weekend. We celebrated my husband with all of his favorite things – food being a big part of it obviously. Our good friend, Rich, worked his smoker the day before the party cooking up a ridiculous amount of pork and beef that we served sandwich style with horsey sauce along with several bottles of Larry’s favorite barbecue sauces. In addition to this salsa there was this Cucumber and Feta Greek Yogurt Dip paired up with pita chips (my weakness!) as well as tomato and mozzarella skewers and fresh fruit skewers. We also picked up some glorious macaroni and cheese and cornbread salad from our favorite local BBQ place. There was some good eating going on.

To say we had a great time would be an understatement. It brought me such pleasure to see my husband surrounded by all of his favorite people, dancing to his favorite music, watching clips from his favorite videos on the big screen, drinking his favorite drinks, eating his favorite food. Larry provided the entertainment – because in case you didn’t know, that’s what he’s good at – and we partied the night away. Since his birthday isn’t actually until this Friday, the 8th, the celebration continues this week…but in a little more low key let’s-go-out-for-fondue-with-the-kids kind of way.

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Last weekend, my sweet boy turned 8 years old. So hard to believe how fast my baby is growing up. We celebrated his birthday with a morning of bowling fun with a few buddies, followed by watching the Gator game at home with our family. It was pretty much the most perfect day.

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I’m a bit of a hummus addict. I seriously can’t get enough of the stuff. I put it on everything…sandwiches, salads and just plain old on my plate with some veggies and crackers. Good stuff.

A few weeks ago I felt that I had had my share of hummus for a while. I don’t know what it was, but I just got sick of it. I stopped buying it, stopped making it…I just needed a break. But I found myself missing something in the afternoons when I was getting that snack attack I always get around 4pm. I needed something crunchy, and something to dip that crunchy in. I needed a replacement for hummus.

I had seen the words “edamame dip” around the web but had yet to try it myself. Using the bag of edamame that has been screaming at me from the freezer, some pantry items and some fresh herbs from the garden, I whipped up this recipe from Whole Foods one afternoon and served it to a friend of mine who was coming over for before-dinner glass of wine. A plate of this dip and some dippers, a glass of good vino and some happy kids splashing in the pool…we were set.

I’m happy to announce…edamame dip is my new friend.

This dip has a very fresh flavor…a little bit sweet from the edamame, a little bit earthy from the herbs. Its not super creamy like hummus, but instead more on the smooth-chunky side if you know what I mean. I loved how it tasted and loved it’s pretty green color even more.

Let me know if you try it. Enjoy!

Edamame Dip

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen shelled edamame
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Directions:

1. For dip, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, parsley and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in edamame, followed by stock. Cook until beans are tender and liquid has reduced considerably, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Pour edamame mixture into a blender. Take care as the ingredients are hot - keep your hand over the blender lid. Purée ingredients, gradually pouring in remaining half cup of olive oil. When completely puréed, add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Pour dip into a serving bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe from Whole Foods Market

Grab some dippers and try out these healthy dips:

Lemony Artichoke Hummus

Kalamata Olive and Feta Dip

Healthy Honey Mustard Dip | Cupcakes & Kale Chips

5 Minute Black Bean Dip | Cookin’ Canuck

Avocado-Cilantro White Bean Dip | Chelsea’s Messy Apron

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