Nectarine and Orange Salad: A Refreshing Summer Recipe

The vibrant colors and flavors of the season are everything I want on my plate on these hot summer days, and this Nectarine and Orange Salad delivers those healthy and tasty vibes in spades. It’s a beautiful salad with sliced nectarines, oranges, red onion, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash With Spinach Basil Sauce

How wonderful it is that nature provided us with spaghetti squash, an unprocessed, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free option to pasta. I’m in Portugal, where I love all the organic fresh produce I find at our local farmers’ market. I took advantage of the abundance of squash to make an easy and healthy meal. Vegan Spaghetti Squash With Spinach Basil Sauce is a delightful combination that delivers a delicious and nutritious dish.

Asparagus Salad with Butter Leaf Lettuce, Brie, and Soft-Boiled Eggs

Salads are a mainstay of my diet, offering versatility and freshness that fit any meal. I savor a bowl of fresh greens and veggies not just for afternoon or dinner fare but for brunch and, occasionally, breakfast. This Roasted Asparagus with Butter Leaf Lettuce, Brie, and Soft-Boiled Eggs strikes a balance between elegance and heartiness, perfect whether serving an intimate group or a hungry crowd.

Spinach Risotto with Mushrooms Recipe – A Cozy Fall Comfort Food

We’re looking forward to more cooler days, fall colors, and cherished family gatherings over the next few months. We’re also indulging in simple yet substantial warming meals. One such dish is this Spinach Risotto. Topped off with garlicky mushrooms and a perfectly soft-boiled egg, it transforms into a complete and utterly satisfying meal that’s easy to prepare.

Fresh and Easy French Potato and Peapod Salad

This French-style potato salad is delicious on its own, served on a bed of greens, or used as a side dish with a protein. The crisp pea pods give it a fresh flavor, and the dressing is filled with bright-tasting herbs and mustard.

Quick Pickled Red Onions

Pickled red onions can add a bit of tang and some pretty pink to so many dishes. Add some slices of jalapeños and you will give this wonderful condiment a bite of heat. A staple in most Mexican kitchens, pickled red onions can be a delicious addition to tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas, but they are also wonderful on scrambled eggs, avocado toast, fish dishes and salads. Not as sweet and my Red Onion Marmalade, but they are interchangeable and I always have a jar of at least one of these on hand at all times.

Lemon and Caper Cauliflower Steaks

Cauliflower is a little like tofu, it's a convincing imitator that can be prepared in ways that are usually saved for proteins, like fish or meat. Since the flavor is mild and it has so much texture, you can easily swap it out for animal proteins and have a healthy...

Marinated Feta and Tzatziki: A Taste of Greece

We were lucky to squeeze in a quick trip to Greece just before the lockdowns began. During our visit, we explored all the wonderful nooks and crannies of Athens and indulged in incredible Mediterranean food, including authentic marinated feta and creamy tzatziki. Bring a little of Greece home with these Marinated Feta and Tzatziki recipes.

Provencal Asparagus Tart

There is something about French Provencal food that really speaks to me. Haute Provence cuisine is a much lighter and simpler style of cooking verses Haute Cuisine, which is what a lot of people associate with French cooking. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of...

Creamy Zucchini and Potato Soup

Seventy degrees one day and the next, we have two feet of snow, but it's not a problem as we have no place to go. One day seems to blend into another and I'm forgetting which day of the week it is. I'm also being super lazy about taking care of things around the...

Lemon Asparagus Risotto

Congratulations! We've lived through another week of quarantine and can take a deep breath and begin this new week with a commitment to stay home and stay healthy, plowing past this virus as soon as possible. Yesterday, I completed my workout without tears, so that...

Roasted Pepper, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Salad

Life at my day job as a Realtor has been roller-coaster of changes by the hour since our town has gone into lock-down mode. I had a conversation with a friend that personified all that is and will be so challenging during this period. We are all concerned about...

Peanut Noodles Primavera

If you’re looking for a quick, healthy, and incredibly versatile dish, this Peanut Noodles Primavera is the answer. I like to think of it as a delicious "veggie dump" dish—you can add almost any vegetable you have on hand, and it will work wonderfully. Best of all,...

Mediterranean Flatbread

We flew off to Newport, Rhode Island and the Connecticut coast to visit with family and to celebrate some special birthdays. Those warm, humid summer days that turn into misty cool evenings with foghorns blowing in the Long Island Sound, are evocative of a past life I...

Grilled Flatbread

Lovely flavorful flatbread can be used in so many ways. It can be used torn apart to scoop up hummus and other dips, flat and crisp almost like a pizza with various toppings, or similar to a pita or tortilla, filled with delicious goodies.   Grilling the flatbread is...

Nicoise Salad

The Nicoise Salad is one of the great French culinary concoctions. It is simple, fresh tasting, and a nutritiously power-packed dish. It is a wonderful salad to make for a buffet table or pot-luck, as it allows people to take the ingredients that suite their particular diets and preferences.

Lemon Jewel Couscous

Looking for a side dish with bright and fresh flavors? This Lemon Jewel Couscous is great hot, cold, and at room temperature. It can be served as a side dish or as a wonderful vegetarian or vegan entrée, when plated on a bed of greens, such as arugula. In the warmer...

Tomato and Wine Focaccia Bread

Bakery Life and My Tomato and Wine Focaccia Bread Every day from April through October, my mornings began at six. I’d quickly dress and head to my charming little shop and catering business on Fishers Island. My friend Kristen, a dedicated mother of three adorable...

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons are a wonderful addition to many recipes. A staple in Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine, they have become a more popular ingredient, adding a lovely and unique citrus flavor to chicken, fish, vegetables, rice and, my favorite, couscous dishes.  ...

Lemon Cherry Ricotta Cake

It felt good waking up with the sun this morning, pulling my hair up into a ponytail, skipping the make-up, throwing on sweats and a tee-shirt, knowing that I didn’t have to leave our little birdhouse today. As I stood for a minute sipping coffee at the kitchen sink,...

Latest Recipes

Nectarine and Orange Salad: A Refreshing Summer Recipe

Nectarine and Orange Salad: A Refreshing Summer Recipe

The vibrant colors and flavors of the season are everything I want on my plate on these hot summer days, and this Nectarine and Orange Salad delivers those healthy and tasty vibes in spades. It’s a beautiful salad with sliced nectarines, oranges, red onion, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds.

Welcome!

I’m Eva Marie, a cook, traveler, and an integrative nutrition and brain health coach. This is my little nook where I share my recipes, travel experiences, and stories. I’m so glad you stopped by to have a look around.

 

Travel

5 Reasons to Visit Medellin, Colombia

5 Reasons to Visit Medellin, Colombia

The plane lined up for its approach for landing, flying down through the clouds and into a heavenly mountain oasis. We made it through customs quickly, into a hired car, and soon we were winding our...

Andalusia & The White Hill Villages

Andalusia & The White Hill Villages

From Seville, we rented a car and drove through the Andalusian Mountains, visiting a couple of the White Hill Villages. The color of the green grass covering the rolling mountains was almost unreal...

Spain: Barcelona & Seville

Spain: Barcelona & Seville

One of the first things I noticed upon arriving  in Barcelona, the capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia, was the contrast between the medieval, contemporary and Catalan modernist architecture...

Living Well

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Life In Portugal

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Latest Blog Posts

Southern Honey Cornbread

Southern Honey Cornbread

Cornbread: A Taste of Tradition My cornbread memories take me back to camping trips and barbecues. This southern staple, however, has its roots in Native American cuisine, where cornmeal was a dietary essential. Over time, cornbread evolved into the moist, hearty,...

Anna’s Apple Pie and Our November Gift

Anna’s Apple Pie and Our November Gift

Discover the story and tradition behind the delicious Anna’s Apple Pie. Learn how to make the tasty butter pie crust and sweet and tart apple pie that has become a family favorite.

Chipotle Cowboy Coleslaw

Chipotle Cowboy Coleslaw

I’ve been away for so long that I almost forgot it was Labor Day weekend back in the States. Even though the long weekend is almost over, I thought I’d share this Chipotle Cowboy Coleslaw recipe—perfect for a holiday cookout or barbecue. Our European Road Trip...

Fig and Wine Focaccia Bread

Fig and Wine Focaccia Bread

Recently, I decided to incorporate figs into my wine focaccia bread recipe, and it turned out to be a delicious success. In this recipe, figs are placed on top of the focaccia and lightly sprinkled with a pinch of sugar before baking. The result is a savory bread with sweet, slightly caramelized figs—a luscious mix of flavors that delights the palate.

Zucchini and Edamame Salad

Zucchini and Edamame Salad

Some dishes are so fresh and bright that they taste like summer, and this Zucchini and Edamame Salad is one of those. And just like summer, the beauty is in the ease and simplicity – it can be thrown together in minutes!
This time of year, gardens and markets are overflowing with zucchini, and everyone is trying to figure out what to do with them. You can stuff them, slice them, sauté them, and grill them, but why not keep things cool, healthy, and delicious? Most of us don’t think of eating zucchini raw, but fresh, uncooked zucchini shaved into thin ribbons has a delicate and crisp taste.

Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta

Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta

Our Saturday ritual consists of a walk to our local farmers’ market, and coffee and breakfast at a favorite restaurant. I often find that the farmers’ market dictates our menu for the week, with the lush fruits and veggies in season inspiring me. This Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta is no exception.