Quinoa is one of my favorite Super Foods of 2012. I talked a great deal about quinoa this weekend at my nutrition/healthy eating seminar including how to pronounce it, purchase it and cook it. I had a lot of wonderful questions regarding this gluten-free grain. One serving of quinoa provides all 8 essential amino acids, and it is high in protein and fiber. It’s also a wonderful grain for those on a gluten-free diet, and it works wonderful for breakfast, a side, in soups and salads. I recommend buying the rinsed version to make your life even easier. I developed this recipe for Quinoa Salad with Almonds, Cranberries and Mint for Thanksgiving for Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms Turkey. It makes a great side dish or salad, and my kids absolutely loved it. Add grilled chicken or shrimp if you wish for a main dish salad.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a wonderful holiday season! I have so many things to be thankful for, and I appreciate everyone’s continued support. I want to share a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday menu I developed for Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms. I had a blast working on this project, and all of the recipes are “lightened up,” so enjoy. Check out Autumn Quinoa Salad, Rosemary Garlic Citrus Rub, Pomegranate Cider, and Lightened Up Sweet Potato Casserole, just to name a few.

If you’re looking for a healthy side dish to add to your weeknight table or Thanksgiving or Christmas menus, I definitely have one for you. Lemon-Walnut Kale only takes 15 minutes to prepare, and it’s full of fresh vitamins, protein and so many health benefits. Kale is super healthy with more iron than beef, and it’s loaded with calcium, fiber, omega-3 acids and more. It’s said to have detoxifying properties, cancer and heart disease fighting properties and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Just cook it like you would spinach, and top it with your favorite ingredients. It’s going on my holiday table menu this year for sure.

I was fortunate to meet Virginia Wills several years ago, and I had the pleasure and honor to co-speak with her last year at Food Blog South. Last fall, I attended an event in Atlanta where she previewed some of her recipes for her new book, “From Basic to Brilliant”. I couldn’t wait for it to be released. Virginia is a graduate of  L’Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne and, previously, was the Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living. Virginia expands on her incredible style in this 150 recipe cookbook where she offers incredible preparation and presentation techniques (her writing is amazing too). This recipe for Winter Greens and Butternut Squash Gratin is just one of the many stellar recipes in this book. I served it to company this weekend on a cold evening, and I received rave reviews. Her amazingly beautiful photos were taken by Helene Dujardin of Tartlette. “From Basic to Brilliant” can be found at Amazon or any of your favorite online stores as well as bookstores nationwide.

For a chance to win a copy, leave me a comment telling me why you want a copy of this book. Winner will be drawn on Thursday, November 10th and must be a U.S resident. For more chances, leave as many comments as you like telling me that you did the following:

1. Follow Alison Lewis on Twitter

2. Like Ingredients, Inc on Facebook

3. Follow Virginia Willis on Twitter

4. Like Virginia Willis on Facebook

“Reprinted with permission from Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company by Virginia Willis, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.”

Photo credit: Helene Dujardin © 2011

My three kids loved potato salad, and their great grandmother, Dee Dee, used to make the best any of us has ever had. I didn’t have her recipe before she passed, but I know this recipe for Lightened-Up Potato Salad is pretty close. We used to dine with her often on Sundays, and she was such a wonderful cook and baker. I think she would approve this recipe, but she might not be 100% thrilled I lightened it up – she loved the “Real Thing”. This recipe is great for sunday lunches, showers, tailgating and fall parties so I thought today was a great time to share it with you.

Kañiwa, pronounced “ka-nyi-wa”, has been cutlivated in South America for thousands of years. Kañiwa is gluten-free and a great power food. It has been called the “new quinoa”. It is a cousin to quinoa but, actually, has higher protein, fiber and antioxidants along with significant levels of calcium, zinc and iron. Its nutty taste is unique, and it tastes even better than tabbouleh in this recipe for Kañiwa with Lemon, Basil and Tomatoes. To prepare it, you just boil water or broth, add the Kañiwa, cook and cover for 15 minutes. It’s a breeze and a nutritional powerhouse. For more information, see Roland Foods on where to find it. Trust me. You will be hearing a lot more about this incredible grain.

We love cooking with quinoa because it’s so healthy, gluten-free, versatile, and my 3 kids love it. My sister recently made this recipe: Quinoa with Lemon and Herbs, originally from  Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network. It tastes a lot like orzo or pasta with fresh herbs and lemon juice. This recipe uses fresh basil, thyme and parsley, but feel free to use any combination of herbs. I added Parmesan to mine, but feta or goat cheese would work great too. This quinoa recipe makes a wonderful side dish served with fish, chicken or pork, and it can be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Growing up and living in the south, I have always heard eating collard greens and black eyed peas brings good luck in the new year. This year, I had so much fun developing a new, easy recipe for collards for the January issue of Birmingham Magazine. What I really love about collard greens is that they are packed with nutrition and are known as a cancer-preventive vegetable. They offer an excellent source of  vitamins B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese.  One cup of collard greens provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C.  Collard greens are also a very good source of fiber, and several minerals, including iron, copper, and calcium. This 15 minute recipe for Balsamic Glazed Collard Greens has a salty and sweet combination from dried cranberries, toasted pecans and balsamic. Serve with pork, chicken, beef or fish for a tasty and healthy side dish.

It’s the 3rd night of Hanukkah, and I have been searching for a new, creative Latke recipe to prepare. Luckily, I found these Cilantro-Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour Cream from Cooking Light Magazine. With only 260 calories and 11 grams of fat, you can’t go wrong with this healthy and fabulous latke recipe (whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not). I appreciate Cooking Light for allowing me to share their photo and recipe for this post as it was used with their permission. Check out some other Latke recipes that I would love to try.

Latkes-Healthy Green Kitchen

Pumpkin Potato Latkes-Serious Eats

Sweet Potato Latkes-All Recipes

Potato-Apple Latkes-Cooking Light

Winter Sunshine Latkes-LA Times

I love Brussels Sprouts this time of year, and I was so excited about a new way to serve them in this Brussels Sprouts-Tomato Salad. This recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or your weeknight dinner, and it’s a cinch, flavorful and pretty. It was featured in the November issue of Birmingham Magazine and on NBC 13 “Daytime Alabama” this month so it’s quite the popular Brussels Sprouts recipe. I even got two out of three of my kids to try it, and honestly, they liked it a lot!