YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

If you are not familiar with the celebrity chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, now would be a good time to get acquainted.

Everything Yotam touches turns to gold. I am sure that his kitchen must have more than three dimensions. He mixes ingredients better than I mix metaphors.

If you don’t already have one of his cookbooks [Ottolenghi (2008), Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012)] in your home, prepare yourself. YO takes flavor to the next level. Look at this list of ingredients – I’ve used all of them, but never to such glorious effect. And it’s not just flavor. He takes texture to the next level, and color. You could make this and turn an ordinary dinner into a celebration, or share it with a deserving friend, or make a memorable contribution to a workplace potluck. This recipe falls into the category of “contributions from the heart.” You have to try it to believe it. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Lentils & Collards Soup

I’ve posted this recipe in these pages once before, but it’s so unusual and delicious that it’s definitely worth repeating. Plus I have a lot of collards in the fridge at the moment. I love how the aromatics supplied by the cumin and cinnamon and lemon in this soup yield a result whose flavors are so different from the spice combinations I normally tend to reach for. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Vegan Cassoulet

Last week we were expecting a whole crowd of people to gather for dinner on Friday night. My husband had been away all week, and we were all looking forward to enjoying good food, good company, and a glass of good wine. 

I was looking for a main course that would serve as a dramatic centerpiece for our meal, a symbol of sorts, and so I decided to try making a vegan version of a cassoulet. Traditionally, the cassoulet, a staple of French cuisine, is made with meats and poultry like mutton, pork, sausage, and duck confit, and different regions of France are known for their own distinctive versions. But I had my heart set on making a new kind of cassoulet that, while plant-based, was still intensely flavorful.  Continue reading


My Dad and His Ketchup

My dad used to bemoan the fact that most national brands of ketchup, barbecue sauce, and similar ultraprocessed items listed high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as either the first or second ingredient. He knew that high-fructose corn syrup was associated with the explosive epidemics of obesity and diabetes, and he hated the idea that so many people were unaware that they were putting themselves at risk. He was on a never-ending personal mission to improve the quality of the food that he fed his family. He spent a lifetime encouraging family, friends, and casual acquaintances (otherwise known as his pre-friends) to eat less HFCS. And, although he was not usually the kind of person to ask for even small favors, he once asked if I would post an entry on the subject. I was happy to say yes.
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YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: October Soup

I was looking back through old posts, and discovered this one from 2011, eleven years and almost 1000 posts ago. Though I do not remember who gave me this recipe, I do know that it came from someone I was working with at the time.*

I arrived home from work one particular evening to find my daughter frying onions, and I asked her what’s for dinner. “I don’t know,” she said, “this is as far as I’ve gotten.” Her amusing reply put me in mind of a guy named Jeff whom I had met many years prior. He became famous in our family, and remains there to this day, because of something he used to say: “First I fry the onions and garlic, and then I decide what to make for dinner.” And that is what my daughter was doing. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Red Lentil Soup for Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight at sundown. High Holiday foods tend toward the sweet and the circular: sweet to represent our wishes for a sweet new year, and circular to symbolize the seasons that run one into the next, round and round, year after year.

So it is traditional to eat many different kinds of fruits, especially apples, prunes, pomegranates, dates and apricots; and sweet vegetables such as beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, and leeks (sliced into rounds, of course), as well as black-eyed peas and lentils. And lots of honey, especially for dipping bread and apples. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: A Week of Menus and Recipes

I suppose it was inevitable, but last week I entered quarantine in a small apartment in Jerusalem for up to two weeks. Purely a precaution, no worries. Plus, there’s a balcony. And sunshine and wifi, so I am totally fine. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Stuffed Pepper Fireworks!

I love heat, so this is the perfect recipe for me. But if your tastes tend more toward the gentle landing, you can skip the jalapeño and reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, or just forget them altogether. The chili powder will still give you a little bit of excitement. For me though, I’m all in, which means that if my batch of jalapeños isn’t particularly hot I’m happy to use two. And that is why I’m just gonna recommend that you try this gorgeous fireworks of color all landing on your tongue at the same time. Your tastebuds will sing! Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rustic Zucchini & Tomatoes

A very long time ago, I spent an exhilarating and exhausting day working up an appetite climbing inside the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. Later that night, I ate a dish just like this in a busy restaurant in Cairo. My memories of that meal are layered through with the sounds of noisy waiters running between the kitchen and the small round tables, clanging pots, joyful patrons, and the smart smack of pottery plates, all while dozens of cats walking silently above us on the beams of the restaurant’s ceiling. If you’ve been gardening this summer, or if you’re friends with someone else who has, there’s a good chance that you already have what you need to make this recipe. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Parsley Salad(s)!

There is an incredibly warm and cozy spot in my heart where the parsley goes. Parsley doesn’t usually get you riled up the same way that basil, thyme, and oregano do, but, if you ask me, it is absolutely its own kind of wonderful. What’s different about these recipes is that the parsley here serves as the green, the herb, the main event, the everything. It’s not a decoration or an herbal sprinkle or a garnish, it’s just the parsley, and it’s definitely meant to be eaten this way. No competition, no second fiddle. Continue reading