Pumpkin Tahini Overnight Oats

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Nov 10 2015

Back in our newlywed days, when we couldn’t afford cable, I had to find something to replace my addiction to Food Network. The answer is always PBS, no? Many of those early Saturdays were spent getting acquainted with America’s Test Kitchen, Lidia Basitanich, Julia Child + Jacques Pepin and hey girl hey, registered dietician Zonya Foco. You may not know that last lady, but she talked about low cal and low fat cooking in her oak-cabinet lined kitchen. She’d go to the grocery store to navigate the aisles in a healthy way and exercise with a trainer. In later seasons, she… Continue reading ≻

Beet Gravlax

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Nov 3 2015

By some cruel twist of fate, I live in the Great Lakes State, but have trouble finding really fresh fish in my city. If you’re making ceviche or gravlax, you don’t want to be on the fence about how fresh the fish is. This year at the farmers market, we have a fish vendor that offers walleye, salmon, whitefish and trout that was caught the day before in cold Lake Huron. I did a little dance of joy, knowing I could finally make ruby-hued beet gravlax at home (!!!) You need a few tools and a couple of days, but… Continue reading ≻

Pickled Giardiniera

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Oct 27 2015

I used to tell Marc that buying me a smart phone would be a waste of money. How many cry-laughing emoji can we insert here? Then I distinctly remember going to an Italian market and seeing a giant jar of Nutella and thinking to myself, I would totally take a picture of this comically large jar of Nutella. Fast forward to the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010 and us waiting in line for 2-3 hours. Not because we had to have it immediately, but because we wanted to people watch and experience the line. The sun came up while… Continue reading ≻

Concord Grape + Balsamic Shrub

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Oct 13 2015

My sister-in-law has a tangle of wild concord grapes growing along her fence and she asked if I wanted some. I couldn’t say yes fast enough. After our sister trip last weekend, I snipped a bag full of grapes to take home. They are so fragrant that I thought the bag she gave me had perfume on it. Did I accidentally forage? I have wanted to make a shrub and I think Kimberley’s was the first recipe that got me excited about it. Just look at the color! I see that her post was back in 2011, whoa. Now 4… Continue reading ≻

Marinated Summer Squash

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Sep 15 2015

Michigan cannot decide if it’s summer or fall right now with swings in temperature from 90 degrees to low 60’s and then back up to 80. That’s fine with me because I can’t decide if I’m ready to let summer go, either. I spent last weekend with my sister in law and we walked around the Ann Arbor farmers market under gray skies with our jackets on. We still saw basil, tomatoes, corn and summer squash, so I guess it’s not too crazy to share this recipe in September. I feel like many of us end up with extra zucchini or summer… Continue reading ≻

Summer Halloumi + Melon Salad

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 11 2015

Ah, summer. The time of year when a salad like this is dinner and everyone is happy ’bout it. This salad is inspired by one I had at Selden Standard recently with seared halloumi, cantaloupe, fresh snap peas and radish. Fresh snap peas were hard to find last weekend and I wasn’t about to mince radishes, so I picked up what was fresh and pretty at the farmers market. Namely baby heirloom tomatoes, green beans and basil. The whole salad is drizzled with a sharp citronette to make the cantaloupe savory/sweet and the golden cheese is even better with a hit… Continue reading ≻

Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 4 2015

All of the stars aligned to make this recipe happen. I had plenty of green lettuce in the house and one of the heads from my CSA was a better version of iceberg, which always makes me think of bacon and blue cheese dressing. I went to Whole Foods and spent some quality time in the cheese department and saw that Roth Kase’s Moody Blue, a smoked blue cheese dressing, was on sale. I could smell the smoke through the plastic wrap. It intrigued me and then the cheese sign said, “For salads that wish they had bacon.” Then it… Continue reading ≻

CSA 2015: Week 5 + Creamy Vegan Lemon Basil Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 24 2015

Whoa, so I posted a steak salad on Instagram Tuesday night and people were ALL ABOUT that creamy lemon basil dressing. Today’s the day I’m sharing! Again, we have lots of lettuce from our CSA and that means lots of salads. I have my favorite dressings, but I’m always ready to try another. I still had basil from last week’s CSA and I was strangely not in the mood for pesto. I was thinking about this Raspberry Basil Vinaigrette that we love, but instead made this creamy vegan lemon basil dressing. It’s blends up really creamy and it tastes like summer. The recipe is… Continue reading ≻

Pork Scaloppine with Fennel Salsa Verde

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 21 2015

I LOVE crossing things off my to-do list and this weekend, we really packed in some overdue chores. Bo-ring, I know, but it felt so good! Marc washed both of our cars, we weeded, trimmed the hedges and washed the windows. I used barely soapy hot water and a squeegee for the windows like This Old House taught me to do. It’s my favorite housekeeping tip ever. In anticipation of the 90 degree day, we finished by noon and rewarded ourselves with a vanilla malt and later this pork scaloppine for a late lunch. I made this dish twice last week and… Continue reading ≻

Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Avocado Popsicles

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 13 2015

It’s popsicle week! That magical time of year when food bloggers show their undying love for this frozen treat. I can’t wait to see what everyone is making, so head over to Popsicle Prince Billy’s blog and check in all week for what’s new. And check out the official Pinterest board of popsicle week hosted by Munchie’s. I knew immediately what I wanted to make this year. I had to recreate my Las Paletas avocado popsicle with chocolate dip I had in Nashville. And because I couldn’t stop at the chocolate dip, I also sprinkled them with roasted pistachios and Maldon sea… Continue reading ≻

Dula Notes

Seasonal recipes and adventures from Michigan with love

Posts tagged: Gluten-free