Collards are my favorite winter greens, although kale is a close second. It’s probably not a coincidence that the two are closely related. (They’re also related to cabbage and broccoli.) The textured wavy/curly nature of kale makes for better chips, but the flatter, thicker collards are easier to chop and then steam, simmer, or sautée. [...]
Sometimes recipes develop out of necessity. This dip, for example, happened because I was out of chickpeas. (Not sure if there’s been a massive chickpea crop failure or Metro Detroit is in a chickpea feeding frenzy right now, but lately I’ve had a heckuva time finding my favorite brand of canned chickpeas!) I was out [...]
Who says you can’t have a fiesta in the wintertime? (Especially when it’s 48F outside. It’s like spring in the winter!) Unlike mexicanized restaurant food in the U.S., actual food in Mexico is fresh, vibrant, and light in a satisfying and hearty kind of way. Case in point: a crisp, refreshing version of pozole, served [...]
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It’s nearly New Year’s Eve, and chances are you’re looking for a tasty and quick appetizer to serve your guests. One of my recent favorites involves just three ingredients: chickpeas, berbere or chili powder, and extra-virgin olive oil. That plus 15 minutes of occasionally shaking a pan will get you deliciously unique bite-sized appetizers to [...]
When you think of a banana, chances are you think of a Cavendish banana: yellow, curved and long, typically eaten when sweet and soft. But there are hundreds of varieties of bananas — albeit from one genetic source that has been replanted from cuttings for thousands of years — that range from small to large [...]
Raw bell peppers are delicious, but roasted bell peppers are even better. They’re also ridiculously easy to roast yourself: just put the pepper(s) on the center oven rack and roast for 20 minutes at 425F. Immediately drop the pepper(s) into a plastic zip-loc bag, seal, and let sit until cool enough to handle. (The cooling-off [...]
Sometimes kitchen “scraps” are actually the best part. Plenty of classic dishes are based on that “Waste not, want not!” mentality: French ratatouille, Spanish paella, wedges of Italian polenta served with garlicky white beans. Good thing there have always been thrifty cooks among us! Just goes to show that great flavor doesn’t have to have [...]
Continue reading about Stems, Scraps & Rinds: How To Be Deliciously Thrifty
Something new — at least, new to me — is going on the citrus world: sweet limes. Citrus fruits have long been cross-it-over favorites, of course, like the tangelo. (Although I haven’t seen those in a while, I can still remember when they were the “in” fruit.) That deliciously juicy hybrid is a combination of [...]
Steamed spinach, creamed spinach, spinach salad, spinach soup…or spinach pasta! It’s amazing how versatile spinach can be. (Spinach-and-beet juice is another interesting one.) Maybe Popeye wasn’t so crazy, after all… Even though this dish only has 7 ingredients, it has loads of macro- and micro-nutrients and plenty of visual appeal; plus, spinach and whole-grain pasta [...]
Chili powder is actually a mix of several different herbs and spices–most commonly, it is cumin, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and chile pepper. It may also contain coriander, cloves, and/or turmeric. Chili powder is an indispensable ingredient in American Southwestern cooking, Mexican cuisine, and many Spanish dishes. The type of chile used in chile powder [...]
