The holidays bring so much joy—the gatherings, the baking, the cozy and comforting recipes we wait all year to make. And while I’ve done a full 180 from the early aughts food rules era (thankfully), I’ve learned something true about myself: I don’t love how I feel when the season turns into a sugar marathon. There’s a difference between savoring and spiraling, and somewhere between cookies for breakfast and back-to-back parties, my body always reminds me it prefers a bit more balance.

A Season for Savoring (Without the Spiral)

That’s why I find myself reaching for Rachel Riggs’ recipes this time of year. Her new book, In Good Health, feels like an antidote to holiday extremes—nourishing without being prescriptive, flavor-forward without fuss, and rooted in California brightness and ease. Rachel understands that food is meant to support us, not stress us. That we can feel good in our bodies without sacrificing pleasure.

Her approach is simple, minimalist, and deeply wholesome—proof that nourishment and joy can live beautifully together.

A Salad Worth Celebrating

When I first opened her Baby Kale with Roasted Sweet Potato, Walnuts + Maple-Ginger Dressing recipe, it immediately struck me as the kind of dish that resets you without feeling like a reset. It’s cozy but fresh, hearty but vibrant, warm with ginger and maple, and exactly the kind of winter salad that holds its own next to all the festive favorites. You’d serve it proudly to guests—or happily make it for a mid-week lunch.

Rachel’s Food Philosophy

Before diving into our conversation below, I wanted to share this passage from In Good Health. It reads like a gentle manifesto for feeding ourselves with intention in a world of extremes:

Once, it was enough to eat like our grandparents: real, natural, and (mostly) unprocessed foods that were free of additives and made in the home kitchen. Today, that is no longer true. Even a diet consisting primarily of natural foods may lack enough nutrients due to the industrial food production practices that deplete our soils and strip nutrients from our foods…

“Food can be our medicine… or our undoing.”

In this book, I present a collection of delicious recipes that seek to fill nutrient gaps in our diet while avoiding common foods that can trigger sensitivities and allergies… My goal was to create everyday dishes that feel bountiful rather than restrictive.

It’s this blend of practicality and care of nourishment anchored in pleasure that makes Rachel’s work so refreshing and, frankly, so inspiring.

Effortless Nourishment

As I made this recipe (and bookmarked more along the way), I kept returning to one idea: food should feel supportive and satisfying, not complicated or restrictive. Rachel’s perspective is shaped by her own health journey and a belief that cooking well shouldn’t demand perfection or sacrifice—it should make everyday life feel better.

Below, Rachel shares the inspiration behind In Good Health, the simplicity that guides her recipes, and how she hopes home cooks feel when they bring them to their own tables.

A Fresh Take on Feel-Good Food

Before we dive into this stunner of a salad, I wanted to learn more about the philosophy behind Rachel’s recipes. Because if there’s one thing she proves in In Good Health, it’s that nourishment isn’t about restriction—it’s about intention. Her approach isn’t rooted in rules or labels, but in listening: to your body, to your energy, and to what feels supportive in real life. Below, Rachel shares the path that led her here, and how she brings ease, flavor, and abundance to the allergen-aware kitchen.

In Good Health eliminates a wide range of allergens. How does this approach reflect your own wellness journey?

I was a specialty food shop owner when I suddenly became unwell and began searching for answers. At the advice of an integrative doctor, I went on a strict elimination diet and ultimately discovered that I just feel better when I omit a wide range of inflammatory foods like gluten, grains, dairy, refined sugar, and nightshades.

How do you keep recipes both nourishing and approachable while working within these restrictions?

Approachability comes through simplicity. I’m a total minimalist, and that translates to my recipes—so it’s all about maximizing flavor while minimizing steps. My limited stamina necessitates a streamlined approach for me, but the reality is that when it comes to getting dinner on the table, we are all, universally, looking for simplicity and ease.

What advice would you give home cooks who are new to allergen-aware or elimination-style cooking?

Look for a resource that speaks to you! Ten years ago, when I first changed my diet, none of the
resources I was finding spoke to my Southern California sensibilities. A lot of the “clean” or paleo-style cookbooks were too meat-centric for my taste or contained a lot of faux versions of dishes. I decided to start from the ground up, focusing on seasonality, the biggest nutritional powerhouses, and my love of chocolate. In Good Health is the resource I wish I’d had back then.

Was there a particular recipe or discovery during development that surprised or inspired you most?

I’m very much a salad and cake kind of girl—so from the very beginning, it was important to me that the book included cakes that were easy to make but still felt special. I wanted simple, one-bowl cakes you could whisk together in minutes—the kind that live on your counter, ready for an after-dinner sweet, a quick afternoon snack, or something to offer a friend who drops by unexpectedly.

What surprised me most during development was just how luxurious these simple cakes could be. They’re made with ingredients I feel good about—like almond flour and maple syrup—which give them a little boost of protein and nutrition. Cakes like the Everyday Chocolate Cake with a pourable ganache that drips down the sides. There are Dark Chocolate Mint Mini Bundts, a classic Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake, and an utterly decadent Chocolate Birthday Cake with a thick, spreadable ganache.

Today, my life is quieter than when I was running my bustling shop—but no less meaningful. These cakes reflect that shift. They’re a celebration of the everyday, meant to be shared with the people I love.

Excerpted from In Good Health: Uncomplicated, Allergen-Aware Recipes for a Nourished Life ©2025 by Rachel Riggs. Reproduced with the permission of Figure 1 Publishing. Photography: Salad by Colin Price, Kale by Megan Morello

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