Look what I found at the market today! Swiss chard is usually mostly green but today it was an explosion of vibrant color and you know what that means? Even more nutrients!

Designer shoes on sale or hot pink Swiss chard – guess which one gets me excited? I was so excited I rushed home to make my spaghetti with chard for dinner. It’s my favorite pasta side dish and I had it with salmon patties.

The chard is sauteed with some garlic and olive oil, add some Parmesan, stir in the spaghetti and it’s done. Ten minutes. Like all leafy greens, Swiss chard has many health benefits.

If you want to try my easy spaghetti with Swiss chard, click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

The short answer is yes. Warm liquids, such as soup or tea do help relieve cold symptoms but chicken soup is a better choice. Here’s why:

1. A compound found in chicken soup (carnosine) helps the body’s immune system to fight the early stages of a cold or flu.
2. Soup contains anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce a cold’s miserable side effects.
3. The soup’s salt, steam and heat can also help thin mucus, making it easier to expel. The steam also soothes irritated passageways in your nose and throat.
4. Soups are also hydrating, which is particularly important when fighting off an infection. Staying hydrated is key to recovery and salty, chicken soup is packed with electrolytes that may help retain even more fluids than water or commercial electrolyte drinks.
5. Warm soup or other liquids can help open up sinuses, relieving congestion and shortening the time the virus is in contact with the lining of your nose. The faster you can move the mucus through you nose, the better.

Make chicken-noodle or chicken-rice soup or just sip it as a healing broth. If you would like my recipe for healthy, homemade chicken soup click here. – Jenny Jones

I don’t make plain rice any more. Why would I when it’s so easy to add a vegetable to rice while it cooks? And Brussels sprouts make a really good (and healthy) addition. They are a cruciferous vegetable that can protect you against cancer and heart disease. They also benefit your eyes and provide lots of minerals, vitamin C, fiber, and even protein!

My rice of choice is Uncle Ben’s converted rice, which cooks beautifully in 20 minutes, just enough time for the Brussels sprouts to turn soft and tender, and kind of sweet.

There is no meal in this house without at least one cooked vegetable, and always a salad, and this is an easy way to get people who may not like steamed and cooked vegetables to have them mixed into a tasty rice. This easy side dish goes really well with my salmon patties or lemon chicken cutlets. This is a really easy, simple recipe that anyone can make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

My Easter bread recipe may be a little late this year. ?

I made pancakes today. From scratch. In five minutes. If you’ve never made buttermilk pancakes from scratch… do it. You will never buy a mix again. Fresh blueberries are just coming into season and I decided to treat myself to pancakes for breakfast.

I put a little butter on the top, which melted right away, and then poured real maple syrup all over. OMG! And here is some good news: you can also make them with whole wheat pastry flour. They are delicious either way.

Blueberries are anti-aging superstars that are full of antioxidants, good for the brain and heart, and defenders against cancer and inflammation. I’ve said enough. Just do it. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

It makes me so happy to see photos of my recipes made all around the world. Please send your photos and I hope you’ll also share where you are from. Send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com

TABITHA MADE MY COCONUT CAKE

“Mmmm…. Hoppy Easter, Jenny he has risen!!!“

~ Thank you for the photo and Happy Easter! ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY EASTER BUNNY BUNS

“Hi Jenny! I made your “?EASTER BUNNY BUNS?”, they were so fluffy and yummy! They aren’t that hard to make, I really thought they would be. I kept eating the raisins…but only the non-matching ones….LOL! I plan on making another batch for this Sunday’s Easter dinner. I can’t  wait for our dinner guest to set their eyes on these beauties. I let them rise a bit longer than I wanted to, but no harm was done, lucky me. They baked up beautifully and my kitchen smelled so wonderful! I have to say that nothings beats the smell of baking bread, I just love it! Thank you for sharing this fun and tasty recipe. Have a beautiful and blessed Easter Ms. Jenny! ?Happy Baking!“

~ They look wonderful! And Happy Easter back to you. ~ jenny

SVJETLANA MADE MY OATMEAL BANANA MUFFINS

“Hi, Jenny, thank you for the recipe, LOVE IT ❤️ I made these muffins for my pregnancy snacks and it is super delicious! I love your recipes, already tried a lot of them, but this one is my favorite! Best regards.”

~ Thank you for your photos and congrats on your pregnancy. ~ jenny

KYLENE MADE MY CINNAMON ROLLS

“These are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had and I made them! Love Love Love your recipes! Thanks So much, I’ll be making many more of your recipes from my kitchen in Tennessee.?” – Kylene Johnson

~ They look postcard perfect. Thank you so much for the photo. ~ jenny

MIDGE MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD

“I made the No Knead Rye Bread by putting the dough in a USA 9×5” baking pan, then put it in my Dutch Oven. Worked great and got a 4” slice of bread!”

~ Genius! What a great idea. Thank you so much for sharing this. ~ jenny

MARY MADE MY NO KNEAD RYE BREAD

“Better than the bakery!”

~ I couldn’t agree more. I grew up on rye bread and love this easy recipe. ~ jenny

COLLEEN MADE MY EASTER BREAD

“My pic of yummy Easter Bread. I also did a review as I made some tweaks: Hubby doesn’t care for raisins, I added dried cherries soaked in apple brandy instead. I decided to give it a cold rise overnight, wrapped loosely with plastic wrap and towel. After bake, I sprinkled blue crystals on top, but would reco the kind Jenny used as it was not as festive looking as Jenny’s.  It WAS easy and delicious.”

~ Thank you for my first Easter bread photo and for sharing your details. ~ jenny

BHUPINDERJIT  MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“Please help dear jenny. Now a days my breads cracks at the crown gives out too much crumbs on slicing. Though it tastes good previously it used to come out perfectly. I m sending three photographs of my breads.”

~ Please go to my blog (in Chat Room/Questions category) where we can try to figure this out – all your photos are there. ~ jenny

DAWNA (& HER NEIGHBOR) MADE MY 2-HOUR FASTEST NO KNEAD BREAD

“Earlier this week I gave my neighbor a loaf of your 2-HOUR Fastest No Knead Bread. He liked it so much that he wanted to learn how to make it himself so he could take it to the hospital he volunteers at. He was so proud of himself. It was really cute. He kept saying, “Isn’t it pretty”and “I bet my wife is smiling down on me from heaven right now”. Best feeling I’ve had all year!  Thank you, thank you , thank you for such a wonderful and easy, no fail recipe!”

~ This makes me SO HAPPY! What a beautiful man for volunteering to help others. Please send me his name so I can add it to this wonderful photo. This is the best feeling I’ve had all year too!! ~ jenny

ZARINA MADE MY TORTILLAS

“Hello Jenny ! I have to thank you again for another great recipe ! Just made my very first tortillas and it was a success ! While I was making an avocado quesadilla , my daughter couldn’t wait and took one to wrap her Caesar salad ! This simple few ingredients tortillas recipe is a keeper ; no more store bought for sure ! Cheers, Zarina. (New York City)”

~ I’m glad to hear it. I made tortillas myself today – no more store bought here either. ~ jenny

JACALYN MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD, CRUSTY ROLLS & PIEROGI

“What Wonderful Recipes Jenny ✨ Quick No Knead Bread  – Your Crusty Rolls Doubled Recipe! Thank you for Sharing such Wonderful  Recipes! ~ Jacalyn ?High 5!”Outstanding Pierogi Recipe ! Oh Jenny you sure can cook ?‍?✨❤️ Made a Double Batch to freeze ! They are Yummy ! Thank you for always sharing all your  Goodness with so many.”

Thank you for taking time to send your photos – everything looks yummy. ~ jenny

DALILA MADE MY BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

“Hi Jenny! ? I made your BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES for Sunday breakfast. They came out  PYSZNE!!  I followed your recipe to the letter, it was easy-peasy. This is why I enjoy using your recipes in so much of my cooking and baking. They’re  never complicated and you don’t have hard to find ingredients. There were enough blueberries that I had some in almost every bite. What a great start to my day, thank you Ms. Jenny! Happy Cooking! ?” ~ Dalila G.

~ I truly appreciate your beautiful photos. Thank you! ~ jenny

TABITHA MADE MY NO PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

“Jenny’s Peanut Butter Cookies.”

~ Thanks for starting off this month with one of my favorite cookies. ~ jenny

A frittata for dinner? Made with spaghetti? In 30 minutes? This is my kind of dinner!

Frittatas are usually associated with breakfast because they’re made with eggs, but when you throw in some spaghetti and then add health-building spinach, a little parmesan… that’s a mighty fine dinner right there.  It cooks in 6 minutes on the stove top but you do have to flip it over after 3 minutes. Here’s how I do it:

First, you need to use a fry pan with sloped sides. I slide the frittata from the pan onto a dinner plate, cover that plate with another dinner plate, flip the plates over and then slide the uncooked side back onto the pan. It’s easy, but remember to swirl a little olive oil in the pan before cooking the 2nd side.

I’m trying to eat more vegetarian meals and when it’s an easy one pan meal like this, that’s a bonus. Some recipes use different pasta shapes but I prefer angel hair spaghetti for this recipe, and I like to serve it right away… after a salad of course. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I just found a better and simpler way to make pasta with vegetables. Everything cooks in one pot and you don’t even have to drain the pasta. With a small amount of water the pasta and vegetables all cook in the same pot. I love it.

I make it with two of the most important vegetables for health: broccoli and spinach but it also works with just broccoli. This super fast vegetarian meal takes just 15 minutes and here a couple of tips:

• Be sure to keep the water boiling (not too high or too much water will boil away).
• If too much water boils away, you can add a little more water as needed.
• A timer is really helpful so you can set it for the pasta cooking time and then keep an eye to know when to add the veggies.
• When you add the broccoli, just open the lid briefly, toss the broccoli on top, and quickly close the lid. The broccoli will steam right on top.
• Add more or less parmesan. I like it with three tablespoons.

This can be a side dish or main dish. I plan to try it next with whole wheat pasta and will share my results.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

 I’m so excited to share this new recipe. It’s very similar to my hugely popular simple whole wheat bread recipe. I’ve been curious about baking with sprouted wheat flour and finally decided to give it a try. What a wonderful surprise!

This loaf is soft and delicious with a great texture, and definitely softer than the regular whole wheat version. The dough is a little softer too so I was afraid it might not turn out, but I love it not just for the great taste and texture but because I researched the benefits of sprouted whole wheat flour compared to whole wheat flour. Sprouted whole wheat flour has…

• More fiber
• More protein
• Less gluten
• More vitamins than regular whole wheat flour, like B, C & carotene
• More minerals than regular whole wheat flour, like calcium, iron, magnesium & zinc
• Enzymes that make it easier to digest
• More flavor because the grains are sprouted

WHAT IS SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR? Wheat grains are allowed to sprout before milling, producing a living, nutrient-rich food because vitamins & minerals develop that enhance nutrition and digestibility. The major benefit is that those nutrients are in a state that can be more readily absorbed. (I find sprouted wheat flour at Whole Foods and it’s also available online. Once opened, be sure to keep it refrigerated.)

If you like my simple whole wheat bread, this sprouted wheat loaf is just as easy to make. I’m so glad I decided to experiment with sprouted wheat flour. This loaf is softer than the similar whole wheat loaf so if it’s too flimsy for you, try making it with half whole wheat flour and half sprouted whole wheat flour. It will have more body and a really great taste. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I’ve been reading about how sprouted whole wheat flour is healthier than regular whole wheat flour. Sprouted flour has more fiber, more protein, more vitamins and minerals, and they are absorbed better than from plain wheat flour. It has less fat and less gluten so I had to try it. I was skeptical – too good to be true, right? With less gluten, the loaf would surely be a dud.

Well, lookie here! I made my simple whole wheat bread and just swapped the whole wheat flour with sprouted whole wheat flour and I love it. It rose even faster than my regular wheat loaf. This bread is soft and moist and makes a good sandwich bread. I even made French toast with it this morning.

To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I will bake a few more loaves and then post it as a new recipe. Meantime, if you want to try it, just use my Simple Whole Wheat Bread recipe and swap the whole wheat flour with sprouted whole wheat flour. – Jenny Jones

p.s. One of my visitors (Monita) beat me to it and posted her own loaf made with sprouted whole wheat flour. It worked for her too! See it here.