This is a quick lunch I threw together from what I could find in my fridge and pantry today.  I wanted something to go with the leftover grilled steak and chicken I brought home from a family barbecue the other night and this delicious brown rice salad really fit the bill.

The salad works well as either a side dish or a light vegetarian main course for lunch.  Top with thinly sliced grilled chicken, steak, or tempeh and you have a hearty and delicious summer meal.  Feel free to play with ingredient amounts to suit your own taste.  I think it would be great topped with some sliced avocado and roasted pepitas.

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My aunt, cousin, and I took an overnight trip to the coast last weekend that started with a day of wandering around beautiful Monterey and ended with a Mother’s Day 5K run through the artichoke fields of Castroville.  It was quite an adventure.

One of the many highlights of the trip was lunch at the adorable Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove where we sampled a variety of sandwiches and salads.  Our favorite was a lightly dressed orzo salad with fresh herbs – it was simple and delicious and I’ve been thinking about orzo ever since.  When I saw a bag of organic whole wheat orzo at Whole Foods yesterday I decided it was time to make an orzo salad of my own. Continue reading →

While many types of green salsa feature cooked or roasted tomatillos, this one is a simple mixture of fresh ingredients that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes.  But it’s not just the ease of preparation that makes this salsa great – I absolutely love the texture and refreshing flavor of the fresh tomatillos. Continue reading →

When I first read about Phoo-D’s Edamame Soup with Wasabi Cream, I knew I had to make it.  For one thing, I’ve had a bag of shelled edamame hanging out in my freezer for quite a while, but what really caught my attention was the combination of flavors she incorporated into her soup. You just can’t go wrong with garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame oil – not to mention the horseradish cream on top.  Perfect.

I had planned on following the recipe.  Really, that was my intention.  It wasn’t until I noticed that my bag of frozen edamame was of insufficient size that I knew I would have to improvise.  My first change was to use frozen peas to shore up my meager soybean supply.  Once I started thinking about peas, I remembered the fresh dill and mint in my refrigerator that, though still clinging to life, really needed to be used up sooner than later.  When I started thinking about dill and mint, of course I wanted to incorporate some lemon.  All of a sudden, the soup had changed quite a bit! Continue reading →

While we normally eat spaghetti squash tossed with nothing more than a a bit of olive oil and a handful of fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano, I decided to splurge this time around and used the versatile squash to create a rich and creamy gratin.

This gratin was inspired by a recipe I found at Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen.  I’m sure her sour cream version is wonderful, and that’s what I had originally planned to make, but when I realized that I had some heavy cream that needed to be used, I opted for that instead.  I also added some shallots along with the garlic, and decreased the amount of herbs (mainly because I was completely out of fresh herbs).  The resulting dish was absolutely delicious! Continue reading →

I’m beginning to think there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a tray of slow-roasted tomatoes.  Now, I know I’ve said this about a lot of things.  Bread, for example.  And it’s true that there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a loaf of bread with your own two hands.  But man, these tomatoes are something.  And they are simple.  So simple, that the extraordinary flavor almost doesn’t make sense.  The flavor is sweet, but intense.  Sultry, even.  You’ll see.  You’ll be smitten, too. Continue reading →

My sister is a huge fan of roasted red pepper hummus so she was one inspiration behind me creating my own version at home.  The other inspiration was my fancy new blender that I just knew would create the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever made.

And I was right.  This was the smoothest, creamiest hummus that has ever come from my kitchen.

I’ve been without a regular blender for over a year now.  The last one I owned, an overpriced and under-performing Kitchen Aid blender, broke as soon as the warranty expired.  And I wasn’t in a big rush to run out and replace it with another piece of junk.  I’ve never been a huge fan of blenders because I have never owned one that worked really well.  Sure, they all claim to crush ice.  But they never really do. Continue reading →

Remember I told you I had butterflied a chicken and was planning on grilling it under a brick?  Well now I’ll show you how I did it.

As I mentioned the other day, Pollo al Mattone, or Chicken Under a Brick is a Tuscan style of grilling chicken.  The chicken cooks quickly since it is flattened under the weight of the brick and you end up with crispy delicious skin and juicy, perfectly cooked meat.  What more could one want from a chicken? Continue reading →