Category Archives: Herbs

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: October Soup

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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: Parsley Pesto

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I am a diehard waste-not-want-not kind of girl from way back. In the past, I tended to make a lot of surprises from whatever was left in the kitchen, and they could either be great or they could turn out as what my kids used to call “refrigerator soup.”

But every once in a while, I hit the jackpot.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Buddha Bowl

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Here’s a really delicious, really simple, really elegant way to be kind to yourself when you’ve had a long day and there are little bits of this and that in the fridge. Seems like there are a lot of days like this lately — which makes it extra important to find easy ways to nourish yourself. The important things to remember here are, first, that you can make this a hundred times and you will never get tired of it because it will never be the same twice, and, second, that steps 5 and 6 are as important as the earlier steps for satisfying both your brain and your appetite. Continue reading →

Making Special Meals Even More So (plus a recipe)

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The other day my son-in-law and I were talking about my upcoming plans to pass along some of our dishes (the ones we use for meat meals), and instead start using my mother’s beautiful china. Those dishes, which lived happily and visibly in my parents’ house for sixty-plus years, have not been used at all for the past 10 or 15 years, and it seems a waste for us not to be using them now. So it will be out with the new, and in with the old. And also, since we don’t eat meat very much anymore, chicken and turkey not more than once or twice a month, and beef no more than once or twice a year, I had the idea to move the meat dishes out of the kitchen itself, and into a little pantry off the kitchen. That way, they will be nearby when we need them, but the rest of the time we will be able to fill the kitchen cabinets with items we use a lot more often.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Watermelon Gazpacho

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Beautiful color, beautiful flavor, beautiful summer food. Something different and delicious…

8 cups watermelon (peeled from rind, seeded, and chopped)
3 pickling cucumbers (approx 6 inches long), diced
1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Measure two cups of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and pulse until chunky (not smooth). Collect the blended ingredients in a pitcher.

Continue to blend one small batch at a time until just 1/2 cup of the unblended mixture remains. Add this to the pitcher without processing, and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, and serve chilled. Garnish as desired with more basil or parsley. 

Yield: 6+ cups

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cucumber Gazpacho

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This is the time of year for gazpacho, so get ready! I’m going to post some of my favorite traditional tomato gazpacho recipes in the coming weeks, but we’re starting with something a little different — cucumber gazpacho. Salad in a soup. I made a slightly different version of this gazpacho last night, and the avocado gave it a super creamy texture. Such a great way to get your veggies, to start your day with leftover gazpacho for a slightly unorthodox breakfast, and to fill your waiting belly with a pile of phytonutrients! Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Green Herb Sauce

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Here’s something you can make that will elevate absolutely everything from just good enough to supremely good enough. Spoon it onto your eggs (whether fried, scrambled, poached, or boiled), spread it around on toast, or drizzle some on your salad, pasta, cheese, tofu, chicken or salmon. Or you can eat it straight from the spoon. Basically, anything goes, and it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for a few days at least. If you don’t feel like grating a lemon, don’t worry about it. If you have a different kind of hot pepper, fine. It will still be delicious. I’m trying to keep this easy. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad

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Thank goodness for quinoa, for pistachios, for Bon Appetit (Jan 2013), and Mark Bittman. If you are looking for a recipe to make for dinner with plenty of leftovers to take to work for lunch, then you have come to the right place. If you would like to make enough for a large group, this recipe doubles nicely. You should also feel free to add more parsley and/or mint if the kitchen spirits move you to do so. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Stuffed Pumpkin & Braised Onions

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My kitchen counter is once again covered with pumpkins and onions, so it must be getting close to November! Here are two unusual and extraordinary recipes to use up your pumpkins and onions. If you have time, try to make the onions the day before, because as good as they are, they taste even better the next day! And they are great recipes for holiday celebrations, too. Continue reading →