Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto

I'm craving warm, hearty dishes due to a mid-summer cold snap. Can a dish satisfy those cravings and deliver a big bowl of nutrients at the same time?

Enter risotto. This risotto is made in the typical way of slowly adding broth to the rice which allows the exterior starch on the rice to become creamy; I just substituted in brown rice for an extra delicious nutty, nutrient boost. Add in mushrooms, ginger, garlic and the whole dish is a big bowl of healthy comfort

Don't keep this one till Fall, it comes in handy all Fat and Happy year round.

Asparagus and Quinoa Stuffed Mini Peppers

Spring time is the best time to enjoy asparagus, but with cold weather and late planting seasons, quality batches of these delectable green stalks are still available into the summer. It's a versatile vegetable and you can't really go wrong no matter how you cook it whether wrapped in prosciutto or dripping with a runny yolk.

In this version, I lightly saute asparagus with mushrooms, ginger and garlic, sizzle the mixture with fresh orange juice and stuff it a pepper along with quinoa. It makes for a super lovely presentation and it tastes just as good as it looks.

Asparagus is a good source of folic acid (helping our bodies convert food into energy) and potassium (an electrolyte that helps to maintain normal blood pressure.) These super stalks help us against pain, aging and inflammation.

So now you have lunch, light dinner or side salad that acts as Fat and Happy powerful as it tastes. Enjoy today before asparagus season fades away until next year.

Asparagus, Cabbage and Couscous Salad with Orange Sriracha Vinaigrette

Tis the season of outdoor concerts and movies and evening picnics in the park. It's also the time of year those of us living in the cold climates gain the opportunity to eat more raw food.

This is a fairly simple salad of raw cabbage and asparagus but it gains a bit of heartiness and chewiness from the couscous. The real kick is tossing the whole mix with the Orange Sriracha Vinaigrette- it's a great combination together and brings the vegetables alive.

Napa cabbage is a friendlier cabbage than most, in my opinion. It's high in antioxidants, folates, Vitamins A, K and C and it gives a great crunch to any salad. Asparagus is rich in fiber, supports our immune system, helps our fight against inflammation, has anti cancer benefits and helps to regulate blood sugar. Power packed nutrition in one fun and tasty salad.

Pack the basket, head to your nearest park and pull out this Fat and Happy picnic loving salad. It will leave the crowd comfortably satisfied.

Watermelon Beverage Dispenser aka Cocktail Keg aka Jungle Juice Jug

Sometimes you see an idea that is so fun you just have to recreate it. And it's a bonus if this idea boarders on reliving your college jungle juice days.....ok it doesn't boarder on it, it dives right into a frat party head first.

The Watermelon Juice Dispenser is case in point. I didn't come up with this idea (you can do a search and see other variation on this) but with the help of eager friends we carved this one up and it became the hit of the party.

It's actually fairly simple. Cleaning out the watermelon and turning it into juice might be the most difficult, not to mention messy, part.

A quick hole at the bottom of the belly, screw in a faucet or whatever dispenser you are using, pour in your juice and voila. Cocktail Keg. Drink Dispenser.

Below you'll find the basics to create this nifty beverage dispenser and then I list three watermelon punch recipes you can play with. For extra fun, I carved a little face in my watermelon. Put some fun in your next party with a handmade Fat and Happy Cocktail Dispenser.

Grilled Tuna with Spicy Cucumber Relish and Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

Healthy summer dishes. They don't have to be difficult or time consuming to be flavorful.

In this recipe, the spicy cucumber relish is off-set by the sun dried tomato hummus. Both condiments are simple back drops to let the fresh tuna shine through.

The relish and hummus can be made a day ahead of time allowing you to get dinner on the table even faster. Enjoy the remaining cucumber salad and hummus between two slices of bread or as a dip for veggies.

Have a Fat and Happy summer dish that shines from the plate.

Turkey Blueberry Grain Burgers with Fig Jam and Brie

Tips and articles about healthy eating are everywhere- email, Facebook posts, magazines, newspapers and even posted on the elevator screen that riders stare at to avoid the uncomfortable 15 seconds of standing next to a stranger. A photographic memory is required to keep it all in, but every now and then one sticks. Today I share one such memorable tip.

We all know how quickly turkey meat becomes dry, especially ground turkey meat used in a burger. Mixing blueberries into the meat not only gives the burger a healthy antioxidant boost but it helps with a juicier result. Seriously. Tested and confirmed.

For this particular recipe I added quinoa and lentils, taking the health benefits one step further. The result is a blue-tinted fun and tasty burger. Fig jam and brie cheese step into the condiment spotlight to really takes this burger over the edge.

Even if you have no intention of making this exact turkey burger version, make note of this healthy tip. It's a great way to sneak nutrients into any Fat and Happy burger.

Grilled Corn with Ancho Chile Pepper Cashew Cream and Citron Salt: An Elote Experiment

Elote, the ever popular Mexican street fare that is seen both on a stick and served in a cup with a spoon. Is it the golden charred corn or the the scrumptious toppings that lures peckish patrons in?  Honestly, the corn just becomes a vessel for the creamy mayo, crumbled cheese and lime. But just thinking about the juicy corn nibbles rolling down my forearms makes me want to lick them now.

It's in my DNA to tweak recipes so you know already my version is going to have a twist or two. First enter twist one - their are sad people out there who can't (or don't) eat dairy. It's torture to watch your friends slobber over their dressed up corn while you push around your naked cob. Until now. With the help of raw cashew it's a snap to make a dairy free cream. It sounds daunting, I know. The idea of  'soaking cashews' sounded challenging, difficult and not all that yummy, quite honestly, when I first heard about it. But once I finally worked up some ambition to give this a try, I've learned cashew cream is pretty simple. The hardest part is to remember to soak them before you need them. Add in chili pepper, garlic and some fixings and the results are sorta magical.

Twist number two- a package of Citron Salt landed in my mailbox as a strange ingredient. What if lemon replaced the typical lime in the Elote? The pale yellow nodules created  perfect harmony with the corn and pepper cashew cream, not to mention adding a real nice little crunch too.

A Fat and Happy Elote experiment gone right. Oh, did I mention how much healthier my version is?

Grilled Rhubarb with Cherry Maple Syrup

In the North-Midwestern regions, rhubarb is often the first of the Spring plants to be ready for harvest. Not everyone is a fan of the the tart, flowery delicacy, but those who are long for this time of year. Sure, you could get some frozen rhubarb throughout the year, but it's not the same. Those crisp pink stalks speak of home spun rituals and a simpler, country life.

Since I live in the hectic, fast lane of the city it was time to take the rhubarb out of the strawberry pie and let it shine on its own. A quick trip on the grill, a simple basting of natures sugar and kiss of savory to top it off- done.

This is a lovely, elegant dessert as is. But a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt couldn't hurt. If you have a chance to latch onto some fresh rhubarb, do! Then head out to the grill to try this simple Fat and Happy sweet and savory rhubarb dessert. It's a wow dish no matter what region you are currently calling home.