A couple of weeks ago we were making plans to a host dinner for a large group, and I got inspired to come up with a couple of new salads to add to our regular lineup. I sat down, started thinking, and before you knew it, I had come up with recipes for two brand new salads. And with a bonus — not only did they use up some of the contents of our pantry, they added only a few items to the shopping list! Continue reading
Tag Archives: potatoes
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Salmon Soup
I posted this recipe once a long time ago, but it’s such an elegant recipe that I wanted to share it again for all my readers who had not yet seen it. Not only is it a warm and beautiful color, perfect for the cold weather, but it is also a wonderful addition to the menu for friends whose celebrations include the custom of eating many different kinds of fish on Christmas Eve. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Potato Kugel, Lebanese style
My dear friend Judith, an exceptionally talented cook, has once again outdone herself. This recipe is her version of potato kugel, loosely translated as “pudding,” though more Yorkshire than chocolate. Potato kugel was a mainstay of my childhood. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Thanksgiving Green Beans and Potatoes
This year is the first time in 40 years that my family will not be joining our friends Duane and Connie for Thanksgiving. Yes, you read that right. We are doing this so as to increase the likelihood that we will be together next year. Connie’s annual feast includes a number of very special, tried and true recipes, and this one for Green Beans and Potatoes is one of the ones that I think about most in the between times. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rustic Chicken
Any minute now the tomatoes are going to begin ripening and our counters will be absolutely covered in all kinds of tomatoes, big and small, yellow and red, green and orange! If you are looking for a special recipe to use them, you’ve come to the right place! One thing that I love about this recipe is that you can do the prep work earlier in the day, set it up in no time flat, and then pull it out of the oven in time for a lovely, sunset dinner. This dish makes a great visual impression, yes, but the slow cooking process caramelizes everything to impress your taste buds just as thoroughly. Bon appetit. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Simplest Salad
I’ve been making this salad for breakfast, yes breakfast, for months now. I know it’s a bit unconventional in the U.S. to eat salad for breakfast (though not in Europe and the Middle East), but it’s such a great way to start the day. Its success is built on simplicity. My strategy remains similar, week in and week out. It is never quite the same, and always delicious. Thank you to Alice Waters for teaching me to eat simply. This salad makes one single serving, but is infinitely flexible if you’d like to invite a friend or an army to your table to share a meal. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Lebanese Potato Kugel
My dear friend and talented cook Judith has once again outdone herself. Potato kugel (loosely translated as “pudding,” but more Yorkshire than chocolate) was a mainstay of my childhood. Last weekend she completely surprised (!) me, creating her own version of this recipe that is so familiar and dear to me, and which I grew up eating on so many holidays and other special occasions.
My Grandma Rosie had her own special way of making potato kugel; she taught my mom to make it, and that’s how I learned. Grandma Rosie’s version would have you heating the oil in a square glass Pyrex pan in the oven, carefully pouring the potato batter directly into the hot pan with spitting hot olive oil, and then sprinkling a little more oil on top prior to cooking it, but Judith’s version gives you more control over the crust. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: The Simplest of Salads
Here’s what I made for lunch a couple of days ago. Its success is built on simplicity. My strategy remains similar, week in and week out. Nevertheless, it is never quite the same, and always delicious. Thank you to Alice Waters for teaching me to eat simply. This salad makes one single serving, but is infinitely flexible if you’d like to invite a friend or an army to your table to share a meal. Continue reading
Potatoes, Horseradish, and Other Gifts
Some years ago, when winter was coming to an end and spring was still soggy and cold, I discovered a lone organic potato in my kitchen. I have to specify that it was organic because conventionally grown potatoes are much less likely to root and generate offspring. This sad little potato was dried out, wrinkly, and way past edible. At least six little rootlets were beginning to form on the skin, and so I decided to try an experiment. I cut that little potato into six chunks, each containing a single rootlet. I dug a trench in the garden on the far side of our backyard, and dropped each of the pieces into the trench, about 1 foot apart. Then I covered them with dirt and waited. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Another Kind of Magic Bean Soup — Vegetarian Chili
I love my slow cooker. I even have a bumper sticker that says so.
This is something really terrific — it takes 5 minutes to get ready, all day to cook and fill the house with heavenly smells, and no time at all to bring to the table for a satisfying and wonderful meal. Thank you to Clean Eating Chelsey for her version of Magic Bean Soup. As opposed to this one, from me and Michael Ruhlman. Continue reading