Lisa on January 11th, 2012

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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Lisa on September 28th, 2011

You say pa-tay-to, I say pa-tah-to…or I say yuca. Or maybe ñame or taro or edo or any of the  many other tuber vegetables there are out there. (Although I would assume that Peruvians — who were the world’s original potato growers — would also say patata since they enjoy over 3,000 varieties of them.) [...]

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Lisa on September 16th, 2011

One thing I always have in my pantry: chickpeas. One thing I always have in my refrigerator: tahini. Why? Because hummus is my go-to staple, no matter if I need a last-minute appetizer, a dish to take to a party, or a quick dinner. You just can’t go wrong with hummus. (I omitted garlic and [...]

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Lisa on September 12th, 2011

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 [...]

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Lisa on July 18th, 2011

American cuisine has some instant-hit classics — corn bread, macaroni and cheese, bison burgers — but compared to other cuisines, we really don’t do much with tubers. Potatoes are pretty much the extent of our tuber dabbling. And who doesn’t like potatoes? Stands to reason other tubers would be tasty, too. If you hang around [...]

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Lisa on June 8th, 2011

It’s summer, it’s hot (since when was Detroit in the middle of the Sahara?), and I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to spend much time over a hot stove right now.  Hence, this soup!  Although it involves a bit of simmering time, the heat is on low and you don’t have [...]

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Lisa on June 3rd, 2011

Savory dips are just about the most versatile thing you can make, because not only can a neverending variety of items be considered dippables, the dip itself can become a sauce if you thin it a little bit and then toss it with pasta, whole grains, meat, you name it.  Or you could thin it [...]

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Lisa on March 21st, 2011

Although I normally steer clear of fish on Seafoodwatch.org’s “avoid” list, if skate shows up at my local fish market, I sometimes buy it.  (I actually hadn’t realized skate was on the “avoid” list until after I’d made this dish.)  It tastes a lot like scallops, which is a bonus for me since scallops are [...]

Continue reading about Getting a Jump on Fresh Herbs

As far as whole-grain snacks go, you can’t beat freshly popped popcorn.  But I’m not talking about chemical-drenched “buttery” microwave popcorn — I’m talking about organic plain popcorn you pop yourself and flavor any which way you’d like.  You can stick with the classic butter approach, or you can go with whatever’s on your mind [...]

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Lisa on January 19th, 2011

Natural peanut butter is one of my favorite foods.  Not only does it taste so good that it’s addictive, it transcends sandwiches and chocolate cups to create lusciously creamy soups, sauces, and sautées.  PB is also easy enough to make yourself: just put 1 cup of unsalted peanuts, 1 tablespoon unrefined peanut oil, and a [...]

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