Thai Cilantro Sauce I adore herbaceous green sauces to embellish the simplest dishes – grilled chicken, pork…or juicy flank steak…a platter or raw tomatoes. Pestos made with basil, arugula, cilantro-pecan and tarragon wait in my freezer for just the recipe or menu idea. I’ve built blogs around other favorites, Argentinian Chimichurri and Italian Salsa Verde. So […]
Shopping for Whole Grains
September 28, 2012 by 4 Comments
My son recently called me from the grocery store with a question. ”Hey Mom, what is the best source of whole grains –pasta, bread, cereal or brown rice?” A fabulous question that is not easy to answer. A college student, he explained that adding whole grain sources of carbohydrates to his diet made him feel […]
A Last Grab for Berries
September 18, 2012 by 4 Comments
Photo by Lorelle Del Matto Antioxidants for Health / A Berry Tart Lately I can’t resist buying a flat or two of berries from my local Farmer’s Market. I enjoy them raw, blended into smoothies, tossed in salads, cooked into savory and sweet sauces and baked into tarts and cheesecakes (healthful, reduced-fat of course). […]
A New World of Vinegar and Oil
August 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dressing Up Summer Salads – Cumin, Chili and Oregano Dressing Remember when raspberry vinegar dressing was a gourmet treat? It was usually paired with fresh raspberries, toasted almonds and warm goat cheese. While that sounds passé today, it may have sparked a creative approach to salads that continues to grow. Recent gifts of black currant […]
National Farmer’s Market Week
August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Celebrate with Chimichurri Sauce National Farmer’s Market Week runs through August 11 and celebrations are going on around the country. Reliable sources say the number of famer’s markets around the country grew almost 10% this year and according to the USDA, grew 17% last year. No wonder the popularity is growing. Having a face and […]
Beets – A Taste Transformation
August 2, 2012 by 1 Comment
Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Walnuts and Sherry-Walnut Dressing What food do you adore now but despised as a child? For me it was beets. The beets of my childhood were canned red ones steeped in pickle juice or fresh beets prepared in a pressure cooker, which brings them to the same unpalatable state. Years […]
So, How About That Steak?
July 6, 2012 by 2 Comments
Flank Steak with Tequila Lime Marinade and Chipotle Lime Cream Eyeing the beef tenderloin on the menu of The Barking Frog, a Woodinville, Washington restaurant where we were celebrating my birthday, my daughter asked, “Is an 8-ounce portion a lot of meat?” My husband said that it was a good, generous portion. I explained that […]
Polenta – Italy’s Other National Dish
June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Polenta On The Grill On a visit to Pescolanciano, Molise, Italy, the birthplace of my husband’s grandfather, our relatives showed us a video of the Polenta Festival that takes place each August. The entire village comes together to prepare and eat polenta. We think pasta is Italy’s favorite staple but polenta has a rich culinary history […]
Copper River Salmon – A Taste Test
June 7, 2012 by 4 Comments
Spanish-Style Salmon with Fennel, Orange & Olive Relish If you like sunshine, June is generally a horrible month in Seattle. As summer launches in most places, we have grey skies and rain, often lots of rain. There is one consolation: fresh wild Alaska salmon, in particular, salmon from the Copper River. The season starts around […]
Meze Means Mediterranean
May 29, 2012 by 2 Comments
Tzatziki When it comes to healthy eating patterns, I find the easiest to embrace is “Mediterranean.” And there’s no better way to experience it than with a “meze meal” which I made recently for my family. It’s borrowed from the traditions of small plate dining of Greece, Turkey and the Middle East with Tzatziki, a […]
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