Category Archives: Type of Food

Real Caesar Dressing

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

About a decade ago, I came across a Caesar dressing recipe in Fine Cooking by Ana Sortun, the chef/owner of Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. Several years later, I met Ana at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and waxed on about how incredible the recipe was. Then I realized how silly it was to be praising the acclaimed chef of a high end Turkish restaurant for her Caesar salad dressing recipe. But, honestly, it made that big of an impact on me. Over the years, I memorized and adapted it, and this is the version that has stuck as a staple in our house. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:31]

 

Naked Root Vegetable Gratin

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

After much agonizing, I’ve come to think of this dish as a naked gratin and close cousin to pommes Anna. I used a mixture of rutabaga, kohlrabi and sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes) in lieu of potatoes, and it was out of this world. The sunchokes, especially, gave it an amazing nutty earthiness. If you can find a pound or so of those, I highly recommend using them. But go with whatever root veggies suit your fancy. One other embellishment I loved … smoked sea salt. Not necessary by any means, but fun if you want to give it a little something extra.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:21]

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Chives

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓

A plate of soft scrambled eggs is one of my hands-down favorite easy dinners, and can also be transformed into an easy appetizer by topping crostini (and if you’re feeling decadent, drizzling with truffle oil). Watch my video down below to see how easy it is to make these luscious scrambled eggs.

 

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]

Kale Salad with Toasted Coconut Chips

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓

I’ve been wanting to do a kale salad for a long time, and this is the one I wanted to make. Rubbing breaks down the cells and softens the kale, yet leaves all of its meaty taste.

kale-salad

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon tamari sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey, liquified
2 tablespoons minced scallions
4 packed cups Tuscan kale (also called dinosaur or black kale), zipped, cleaned and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup julienned radicchio
1 cup cilantro leaves
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup toasted, unsweetened coconut chips

Shake together the oil, lime juice, tamari sauce, cider vinegar, honey and scallions in a tight-sealing jar.

Place the kale in a large bowl and rub a handful at a time between your palms as if you were warming your hands together. You’ll feel the kale “soften” after 15 seconds or so. Then grab another bunch and do the same thing until you’ve rubbed all of the kale.

Toss the kale, radicchio, cilantro a generous pinch of salt and pepper together in the bowl and pour dressing over top. Toss well to thoroughly coat and top with avocado and coconut chips.

Serves 2

 

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on by — 4 Comments ↓

This Thanksgiving, Mom requested butternut squash soup and grilled cheese. I made enough to freeze for easy meals in December, and I’m glad I did … this soup may be simple, but it’s gooood.

simple-butternut-squash-soup

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:225]

Nourishing No-Knead Bread

Posted on by — 7 Comments ↓

Making this bread recipe, adapted from cookbook author and cooking teacher Penni Wisner, is one of the best things I do all week. From mixing the ingredients to flipping the finished loaf out of the pan, the whole process is satisfying. And with this no-knead technique, time and the yeast do most of the work for you. I like dusting the dough with cornmeal for a nice crunch, though you can use sesame seeds, poppy seeds, rolled oats or simply flour. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour — it’s easier, really, and you’ll get more consistent results.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:23]

 

Nectarine Blackberry Cobbler with Coconut-Oat Topping

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓

This show-stopping cobbler recipe–featuring peak-of-season nectarines and blackberries–has half the sugar and butter you’d find in a regular cobbler recipe, yet packs a much richer flavor thanks to whole oats, raw coconut, sour cream and lemon zest.

nectarine-blackberry-cobbler

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:217]

Sticky-Spicy Sauteed Asian Eggplant

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Not everyone is an eggplant lover. But this eggplant recipe may change that. Long, slender Asian eggplant are no-fuss, and soak up the spicy, sweet, sticky sauce they’re doused with when creamy and tender. This is a hearty, gluten-free, vegetarian main course paired with brown rice, quinoa or even wheat berries, but would also make a terrific side dish.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:211]

 

Lia’s Best Barbecue Ribs Recipe

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

A pressure cooker makes this sublimely tender, shot-through-with-flavor-to-the-bone barbecue ribs recipe possible in under an hour using the same technique as our Last-Minute Corned Beef From Scratch. Given their quick and easy nature, and the proliferation of really good bottled barbecue sauces out there, I opted not to take the extra step of making a sauce from scratch. When choosing your sauce, look for as few ingredients as possible (ideally all “real” words) with real sugar or honey or molasses or maple syrup as a sweetener, rather than high fructose corn syrup.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:160]

 

 

 

 

Tomato Salad with Green Beans, Corn and Bulgur

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

This tomato salad is the perfect fresh-from-the-garden all-purpose summer side dish for the season. It’s bursting with green beans, tomatoes, corn and cucumbers, with toothsome bulgur adding just a touch of heft (and healthy whole grain) while soaking up the tangy dressing.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:162]