My family gets together for dinner every Friday night, and it’s always like a touchstone. It’s the end of the week, and the start of the weekend. It’s a chance to catch up with everyone, and a chance to kick back. It’s a time to share ideas, and to find out who’s heard from our son and daughter-in-law overseas. It’s an opportunity to drink a glass of wine, to eat my husband’s delicious cooking, including his homemade challah, and to mark and celebrate special events from the week, including birthdays and anniversaries. We are a noisy group, and we range in age from 6 weeks to 88 years, so it takes a while for everyone to get situated around the table. When we can, we eat around the massive picnic table that my parents brought from New Jersey when they moved next door. Otherwise we gather in the living room. And then, finally, it’s time for a taste of Lisa’s pecan bread.
Category Archives: Nuts
YOUR HEALTH PLATE: Coffee Nice Cream
Inasmuch as it’s going to be around 90F out there tomorrow, I am sharing a recipe that will be perfect for the weather. It’s like a smoothie but a lot thicker. You can eat it as is, or as the base for a smoothie bowl. It’s not ice cream; it’s “nice cream.” And it is delicious. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad
Thank goodness for quinoa and pistachios. If your mint isn’t coming up yet, feel free to substitute lemon balm, which grows wild and crazy around my house. This is a very forgiving recipe, and if you have other things you’d like to add or use up, like shredded carrots or chopped red pepper or a little lemon juice, then go right ahead. Continue reading
Garlic Scapes
Since I’ve been hanging out in Jerusalem with my kids, I’ve had a chance to enjoy the huge CSA (community supported agriculture) boxes that arrive regularly to their front door. This past week they received what Israelis call “green garlic,” and they enjoyed using it in salads like they use green onions, but otherwise weren’t sure what it was or where it came from. So I thought it might be nice to talk about green garlic, also known as “garlic scapes.” Garlic and the entire family of Allium relatives (leeks, chives, scallions, onions) begin their underground lives as soft bulbs. As the bulbs begin to harden, a shoot rises up, breaks through the soil to the air, and curls above ground. This shoot, or flower stalk, is called the scape, and it supposedly appears on only the finest hardneck varieties of garlic. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Homemade Granola
My neighbor Jenn sent over the most wonderful gift two weeks ago. Among other special treats, it included a ball jar filled with a vanilla bean, a handful of cardamom pods, a variety of dehydrated citrus slices, large chunks of candied ginger, a few cloves, and a couple of cinnamon sticks. The instructions said to empty into a pot of water and allow to simmer so as to fill the house with amazing smells. I am still planning on doing that, but first I screwed off the top and ate all the ginger. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PANDEMIC: Walnut Brownies
Some of my friends think I never eat treats, sweets, or anything fun AT ALL. They are so wrong. It is true that I don’t eat what I would categorize as “food-like” products or manufactured calories like corn syrup, white flour, and maltodextrin. But I definitely enjoy my share of desserts, especially this year. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Walnut Brownies
I have a wonderful recipe for you to make for your kids, your friends, yourself. This might be good for Thanksgiving, too. No big groups this year, of course, so you may end up having to eat it all yourself. Go for it. It will make an amazing breakfast, too, with or without a cup of very good and fragrant black coffee. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chocolate-Covered Walnuts
This week I have a simple recipe for you to make alone or with kids, for your own self or for a friend, at any hour of the day or night. Feel free to eat these chocolate-covered walnuts for breakfast with a cup of coffee, or any other time you feel like it. They’re not candy; they’re food, and I hope they satisfy your heart, soul, and mind. And your taste buds. 🙂
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Two-Ingredient Fudge (vegan, gf)
If you’d like to try something sweet to calm your mind and nourish yourself from the inside out, both at the same time, you may want to make this two-ingredient fudge. It won’t take more than five minutes, and it will fill your belly with yummy goodness. This fudge is super rich and nourishing, so I really do recommend cutting it into 18 squares. You can still eat as many squares as you like. And you may eat this for breakfast if you’d like, with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Grain Bowl
For obvious reasons, most of my friends, family, and coworkers are leaning pretty heavily toward comfort food these days. So I figured maybe we’d take a break from kale salad and spicy chickpeas and share a couple of strategies for grain bowls. The nice thing about grain bowls is that you can be reassured that they are super nourishing even if it might feel like you’re eating a bowl of coffee cake. Continue reading