Did you know March is National Peanut Month? It’s also National Frozen Food month. St. Patrick’s’ Day is March 17. And pecan day is, inexplicably, March 25.

I'll spare you the peanut butter smoothies, frozen dinners and green foods recipes, and go to the other theme celebrated in March: National Nutrition Month, which seems like a worthy designation.

I'm not sure who makes some of these up; I’m assuming the Pecan Council, The Peanut Board And Some Kind Of National Frozen Foods Association – but National Nutrition Month is an American Dietetic Association designation, and a worthwhile one. For all our ramblings about nutrition and health and disease prevention, we don't seem to be getting anywhere with some of our goals. There's lots of theories about why this is, most of them having to do with the central role grains, meat and dairy have occupied in the American diet.

Part of that imbalance has to do with the USDA’s recommendations, and the much-maligned food pyramid. Love it or hate it, the thing has some history. In 1894, before vitamins and minerals were even discovered, the USDA released its first set of dietary recommendations. These more or less held until 1941, when Franklin Roosevelt formed the National Nutrition Conference, which directed the USDA’s release of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). A few years later, the Basic Four—the four food groups that guided American’s food choices for the next 60 years—were devised; these included, of course, milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, and grains.

But most Americans were happily unaware of these nutrition recommendations. So, in 1992, a graphic was created to easily convey the concepts and groups put forth in the government’s recommendation. The first Food Guide Pyramid was released in 1992, and underwent various configurations over the next 18 years.

The vague, ambiguous and seemingly arbitrary suggestions put forth by the USDA in these various incarnations of the Dietary Guidelines and their accompanying Pyramids drew broad criticism, much of it from within the scientific community. Mind you, much of these recommendations occurred in the utter absence of any scientific validation. Walter C. Willett, MD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, at one point proclaimed “At best, the USDA Pyramid offers wishy-washy, scientifically unfounded advice on an absolutely vital topic – what to eat."

So, as we celebrate national nutrition month in March, what are we supposed to eat? I’d argue for a cleaner diet that avoids or eliminates hormones, antibiotics, sugar, flour, processed foods and pesticide residues. Other concepts, gleaned from Willett’s writings, researchers, foodies and me:

• Have 80 to 95 percent of your diet come from whole plant products.

• Use dairy in moderation, as a condiment, not as the primary source of calcium; focus on vegetable sources of calcium, like greens and sesame seeds.

• Use very small quantities—3 ounces, one to three times a week – of high-quality meat products, like pastured or organic chicken, grass-fed beef and bison, and wild caught fish.

• Use beans as the primary source of protein and fiber, and include soy in small quantities, in its unprocessed forms like edamame (whole soy beans).

• Focus on monounsaturated fats, found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado and olives.

• Avoid or eliminate foods that spike blood sugar, including flour; sugar, honey, agave and other refined sweeteners.

Try some of the clean, simple recipes here to get you started. And it’s okay to celebrate Pecan Day too.

Artichoke and Black Olive Tapenade in Radicchio Cups
Makes 6 to 8 appetizer-sized servings
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
3/4 cup pitted green olives
2 tablespoons capers
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
8 ounces artichoke hearts, rinsed well
1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 small head of radicchio
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
Combine olives, capers, garlic, walnuts and artichoke hearts in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped. Add rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice and white pepper, and continue pulsing until all ingredients are finely chopped, but not smooth.
Remove outer leaves from radicchio and compost. Carefully remove inner leaves, leaving whole. Divide Tapenade between radicchio leaves and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts, and serve.

Escarole, White Bean and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
Serves 4 to 6
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large head escarole, cored and chopped
3 cups cooked white beans
1 small bunch scallions, finely sliced
2 small carrots, diced
2 cups baby arugula leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 pint small grape or pear tomatoes, halved
2 to 4 ounces organic goat feta (optional)
In a small bowl, combine mustard, garlic and lemon juice. Whisk in olive oil to form an emulsion. Season with sea salt and white pepper, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine escarole, beans, salad, carrots and arugula. Stack basil leaves together, roll into a cylinder lengthwise, and thinly slice crosswise to make confetti. Add basil to bowl and drizzle with dressing; toss to mix. Add tomatoes and toss gently to mix.
Season with sea salt and white pepper, sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired, and serve.

Lisa Turner is a chef and food writer in Boulder. She also teaches cooking and nutrition classes at Bauman College, and offers catering and nutrition consulting. Visit TheHealthyGourmet.net or InspiredEating.com for more details.