‘Tis the season for strawberries! Juicy, sweet, lush organic strawberries. (I’m stipulating organic when it comes to strawberries because they are one of the top-sprayed fruits, and seeing as you’re eating the outside of the berry, it makes sense to opt for organic strawberries.) Most of the time, I like to have a variety of [...]
When the days get hot and the veggies get fresh, salads get even more appealing. Crisp cucumbers, anyone? For this salad, I contrasted the bright freshness of the cucumbers and quickly simmered green beans with savory, salty olives and a creamy hummus dressing. The same dressing could be used to marinate chicken tandoori-style, or you [...]
Continue reading about It’s a Dressing, It’s a Dip, It’s Delightfully Easy to Make!
The next time you make bacon, save that grease!! It’s great for making fried eggs, slow-cooked collard greens, sauteed chicken … just about anything, really. And rendered bacon grease is essential for making your own tortilla chips. Fresh-off-the-stove chips are worlds away from the pre-bagged varieties you find at the supermarket (which are usually made [...]
It’s hard to say whether the current status quo is due to an onslaught of commercials featuring kids eating carrots while playing in valleys or whether Americans have a group-mind when it comes to dressings, but one thing is clear: Ranch is just about everybody’s favorite dressing. I love the concept, too — you can’t [...]
Nuts make great snacks — they’re delicious, they’re convenient to carry, and thanks to the fact that most varieties of nuts are mostly fat and protein, nuts are one of the most satisfying foods on the planet. But there is something better than plain nuts: DIY seasoned nuts! I say DIY because most commercially seasoned [...]
Here in North America, we should pay more attention to pecans. After all, they’re our most prolific native nut! (Other native nuts include the nearly vanished chestnut and the fairly uncommon beechnut and hickory nut.) And since pecans are rich in monounsatured fat, they can handle some light frying and under-400F-degree baking. That means you [...]
If I say, “Name a nut!” you probably won’t say “Chestnuts!” I don’t think of them much, either — when I think “nuts,” I think of walnuts and pecans and pistachios and macadamias and peanuts and pretty much every other kind of nut except chestnuts. I’d probably think of Brazil nuts before chestnuts. But lately [...]
Chocolate figs come in lots of variations: fresh figs, dried figs, figs soaked in booze, unadorned figs. And there’s the chocolate component: dark, really dark, ultra-dark. (I guess you could use milk chocolate, but the bitterness of dark chocolate contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of figs. Also, dark chocolate sets better than milk chocolate does.) [...]
Continue reading about Figs + Chocolate = Easy, Elegant Dessert
Nobody can resist a salty, crunchy potato chip. (Hence the famous campaign of “You can’t eat just one!”) But you know what’s even more irresistible? Homemade potato chips! Sweet potatoes make especially delicious chips since their sweetness provides a natural contrast for salt and spices. And as long as you cut the potatoes as thinly [...]
