Art of Natural Living

Enjoying the Green Life

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale

By Inger Aug 9, 2026 Cooking & Recipes, Soup, vegan, Vegetarian Recipes 2 Comments

With a bright fresh flavor, this Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale is easy, healthy and delicious all year round.

Like many natural foodies, I enjoy cooking locally. And this means I get excited about recipes that work with local ingredients all year long.

Like this hearty Tuscan White Bean Kale soup, full of kale, tomatoes and hardy keepers like onions and carrots. Tasty and versatile, it will take you seamlessly from late summer into winter.

Now I hate to say it, but sometimes I find vegetable soups a little bland. But not this one! This is thanks, in part, to an ingredient combo known as mirepoix . Mirepoix is a classic mixture of minced carrots, celery and onion that is sauteed to flavor a soup base.

And it requires minimal effort if you use a food processor! Hooray for natural goodness made simple!

Peach Hot Sauce

By Inger Aug 1, 2026 Condiments, Preserving & More 5 Comments

Fruity with a nice kick of heat, this Peach Hot Sauce will liven up your harvest. Why not can a few jars to preserve the season!

My family has never been big on jams. So when I decided to do more canning, I knew I’d need to work harder to find fun and unique recipes. Why so challenging? Well for food safety reasons, canning recipes aren’t supposed to be modified (with just a very few exceptions).

This means you can’t really punch up a boring recipe at will, in contrast to day-to-day cooking. So I was delighted to discover a recipe for Peach Hot Sauce in a favorite canning blog, Food in Jars.

The sauce is seriously tasty with a sweet fruitiness and nice kick—even using a milder pepper than the original called for (see below). And I love the light golden color. Makes it look kind of innocent until the heat kicks in.

You can use this beautifully complex sauce in many ways. Try it in wraps, on hot wings, or as a grilling sauce or marinade. Or atop cream cheese for a spicy appetizer. Really anywhere a hot sauce would be good! Read more

Southwest Chicken Salad

By Inger Jul 25, 2026 Main Dish, Salads 8 Comments

Southwest Chicken Salad is a main dish salad that’s easy, healthy and loaded with flavor. Perfect for summer–or all year round!

Recently, a favorite restaurant of ours closed. And although I enjoy the replacement, there is a dish from the original I can’t stop missing–a Southwest Chicken Salad. A perfect combo of healthy and tasty, it was always a favorite for healthy eating.

Guess it’s time to try making it myself!

Happily, I learned that homemade is just as tasty and not hard at all. You just whip together a spiced-to-taste yogurt dressing (so you can indulge without guilt). Then pile up pre-washed lettuce and add easy-to-source toppings. There’s even a little crunch from some corn chips.

Now with the lettuce contamination scares now, I’m not buying mine in the store. Instead I wash and spin local lettuce from the farmer’s market or my CSA. It’s still super easy and ready to eat!

Even better, with summer’s heat upon us, a flavorful entree salad means no heating up the kitchen!

All Natural Chocolate Delight Dessert

By Inger Jul 18, 2026 Desserts & Snacks 9 Comments

With a pecan-cookie-flavored base, topped with layers of chocolate and cheesecake, Chocolate Delight is a special summer dessert.

I still remember the first time I tasted Chocolate Delight. It was at a family picnic, and my husband’s aunt brought a big tray. After the first bite, I realized it might be the best potluck dessert I’d ever had.

There was a layer of chocolate pudding, a cheesecake-like layer and a whipped topping that were delicious. But the best part of all was the base. Similar to a pecan cookie, the nutty flavor made it unique–and absolutely delicious! Read more

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