pickled green tomatoes

In case your stressing about what to do with your end-of-season harvest: 1.) pick the last green tomatoes 2.) wash 3.) slice and salt 4.) stack 24 hours 5.) vinegar 24 hours 6.) drain and pack with hot pepper, garlic, and basil.

coconut curry cauliflower

Fantastic for a dreary winter day.  Sautee some green chili, an onion, chopped carrots, and chopped celery. Add a bit of salt or a tablespoon of fish sauce (your choice).  When that's all tender add a whole cauliflower, separated in pieces, two tablespoons of Jamaican curry powder, and a cup or so of water.  Stir then reduce the heat to medium, cover and let simmer.  Once the cauliflower is tender, add a can of coconut milk. If you want this more as a side, let that cook down to your preferred consistency OR if you'd like a chunky soup add another cup or two of water and bring to a boil (just recheck for salt).  Dress with thyme if you have it and enjoy!

brussels sprouts and pancetta

Chop some pancetta (use bacon if you have to), and sautee with chili peppers and onion till they just start to cook then drain the fat, and a handful of halved brussels sprouts and cook till the bacon starts to get crispy.  Add a 1-2 cups of white wine to deglaze let that simmer and reduce then remove from heat, cover and store till your ready.  Prepare this well in advance and serve as a side at room temperature so you don't have to worry about steaming up your kitchen in mid-summer heat.  Goes GREAT with steamed corn and your favorite meat on the grill.

easiest "stuffed" zucchini ever

This is so easy, you can prep it way in advance and it basically cooks itself.  Get your zucchini, wash and cut them in half.  Place them on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet or baking pan, season with some olive oil, salt and pepper then spoon on your favorite Italian-style dip or tapanade.  A few spoons of pesto, an olive tapanade from Harris Teeter or even an artichoke bruschetta topping. Make your own or buy it already made.  Toss it in the oven at 275-300 for 15-20 minutes or until the zucchini are tender with your fork.  Serve warm or room temperature.  An awesome vegan, gluten & dairy free and light carb dish! 

skinny guacamole

Well, we all love our Skinny Margaritas and whole grain tortillas but look at this great tip I got from June Eating Well magazine.  Replace half your avocado with cooked zucchini to cut about 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving.  I tried and and it tastes great. Its the same color, consistency and even has more nutritional diversity than regular guac.  If you're not making your own I also don't see why you can't mix in half part zucchini into your favorite store-bought brand.  Eat up and stay skinny!

fried hot peppers and potatoes

I know I've written about this before but it's just so great.  Get some hot peppers, wash and cut them in half removing the stems (leave the seeds if you want it extra hot), drop them in an inch or two of hot frying oil and fry them till they're soft and start to crisp.  Remove them with a slotted spoon or fork, set them on some paper towels to let the remaining oil drain .  Now drop sliced potatoes into that same [now seasoned] hot oil, let them fry till they start to turn golden brown, mix with the hot peppers and you're done.  I will make an entire meal out of this dish but it's also a perfect side for almost anything.  Steaks, roasts, rotisserie chicken... I can't wait to have this with my turkey on Thanksgiving.

broccoli rabe and sausage

My mouth is watering just thinking about the bitter greens with the savory sweet sausage.  YUM! Wash your broccoli rabe (2-3 bunches), with a small knife trim the tips of the stems and slightly split them where they're thickest (just so they cook evenly). Then boil (or steam) with a touch of salt.  When they're tender drain and set aside. In a large pan or a wok, throw in 4-5 links of chopped sausage and garlic and simply cook that over medium to low heat till it's all golden brown.  Mix the sausage with the broccoli and VOILA, just drizzle a bit of raw olive oil over the top and serve with cracked red pepper. This can work as a side or a full meal on its own!

stuffed cherry tomatoes

Fantastic for appetizers and you can make them the night before. Wash a pint or two of cherry tomatoes, cut the tops off and with a small melon baller scoop out the inside.  You might need to ruin one or two till you figure out the trick.  Set the tomatoes aside and in a food processor make your own concoction of a chunky cheesy pesto.  If you need inspiration for a start, throw in some fresh basil (at least a fistful of leaves), one cup of parmiggiano, black pepper and half a cup of olive oil.  Start pulsing slowly and add ingredients a little at a time till you have an evenly distributed, loose but still tacky mixture you can spoon in the tomato cavity.  Taste your mixture as you go along till you get the combination you're really looking for and if you want to complicate this even more throw in some roasted peppers or balsamic vinegar. Spoon the mixture in your tomatoes and keep cool till your ready to serve.  I did these for my birthday this year and they made AWESOME garnish for bloody mary's the morning after.

palm heart ceviche

Delicious recipe that anyone will love- but even better if you have vegans or or people with gluten issues coming over and you want to please everyone.  Get two cans of palm hearts*-  the ones labeled as tips and ends are fine (they're cheaper too) since you'll be chopping them into bite-sized pieces anyway.  Put them in a container with the juice of 4-6 limes (depending how juicy), one lemon cut in thin slices, two jalapeños, half a red onion very thinly sliced, and salt and pepper to taste.  Let this marinate in the fridge for at least an hour but you can do this well in advance.  Serve the palm heart/onion/jalapeño mixture chilled with only a bit of the marinade (don't let everything be swimming in juice), chopped fresh cilantro, a few wedges of avocado, and if you like with a 1/4 ear of boiled corn.  Any left over juices can get sopped-up with bread, added to a meat or fish marinade or used in a salad dressing.

*Costa Rica has great sustainable palm heart production so aim for that when shopping.

quinoa

So a couple people have asked me recently where to find and how to cook quinoa.  Well, long story short, this is an awesome grain and hot in any restaurant pretending to be healthy.  Find it in bulk at Whole Foods and in boxes in the healthy food section of most grocery stores these days.  It comes in red and white.  The red has a heartier taste but rumor has it that they both carry the same nutritional value.  To cook you do 2 cups of water for every cup of quinoa.  Bring to a boil and let simmer, cover it and cook till all the water's absorbed in about 15 minutes.  Use this as a substitute for rice or couscous- its really pretty good.

veggie fajitas

So I had this at Lauriol this weekend with Shannon with our usual Sunday afternoon pitcher of sangrita.  Easy enough to make at home, this is an awesome idea if you wanna share a healthy, fun, low stress meal.  At Lauriol they essentially get two of all the vegetables they have (cauliflower, asparagus, peppers, onion, whatev)  and throw them on the flattop grill with a nondescript Worcestershire-ish sauce.  They bring it out on a fajita plate with some guac, salsa, sour cream and tortillas. How easy is it to get two different bags of mixed frozen vegetables, throw them in a saucepan with a touch of oil and Worcestershire or soy sauce, wait till they brown a little then serve them just like that with a couple tortillas and a vat of guacamole. Plus its another great excuse to make margaritas.

lentils with edamame, cauliflower and corn

I love me good dish of lentils- they're cheap and crazy healthy too.  This is perfect especially if you've been gorging on burgers and macaroni salads at back yard barbecues all summer long and need a "cleanse."  Throw some chopped onions and garlic in a large pot with hot pepper, oil and salt and start to cook on medium heat till the onions soften.  Add half a bottle of beer and let that reduce a bit then add a bag of dried but washed lentils and cover with about an inch of water.  Simmer on medium heat. After about 15-20 minutes when the lentils start to soften (but are still pretty al dente), throw in a whole head of washed and chopped cauliflower.  Let it all cook together for about 10 minutes then add a bag of frozen edamame and frozen corn.  Another 5 minutes, give it a good stir and there's your dinner. You can eat this hot as is, with yogurt and naan or pita, or sometimes if I want it cold as a side I add touch of vinegar for that added tang in acidity.  Screw Activia, this'll make you regular.

string bean side

Whether you're grilling or just having a regular dinner you should always ALWAYS have something green on your plate, if not even try and have it be mostly plants.  Whichever way you swing though, people get tired of salads some times and honestly out in the heat they don't always hold up so well.  Try just having substantial vegetable sides that are cold and large enough to substitute a salad.  Get a big bunch of string beans (I know Giant and most grocers even sell fresh bags of them), wash them and remove any stems, then steam them if you like but I prefer to drop them in a pot of salted boiling water for only a few minutes till they're tender - do a taste test to see how al dente you want them, drain them, toss them in a bowl, drizzle some olive oil, a touch of red wine vinegar, a fair amount of chopped garlic and salt to taste.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  Fresh healthy and DELICIOUS.

Pasta and broccoli rabe with fried garlic and chilies

A unique pasta dish that doesn't get old- and shockingly healthy.  Buy two nice bunches of broccoli rabe, wash them well, cut the ends and split and thick harder stalks.  Put an extra large pot of water over the heat with a bit of salt and when it gets to a hard boil throw in the broccoli rabe and a pound of pasta.  Stir occasionally till it gets back to a boil.  At the same time in a frying pan over low heat- just lightly brown some garlic and chopped fresh chilies in olive oil and a bit of salt (I like habanero peppers for the extra kick).  When the pasta is done (15 minutes or so- aldente by taste) drain the water well, toss every thing in a large bowl and pour the hot garlic and pepper seasoned oil over top.  Mix and serve.  This spicy-bitter-savory combination is a great and refreshing meal for a nice summer day.

fennel orange and black olive salad

I think this is the best salad I've ever had.  My mom just made it over Easter and it was fantastic.  Thinly slice a bulb of fennel, add a chopped orange, a can of pitted black olives (quartered), juice from two lemons, extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.  I really cannot describe how perfectly all those flavors marry but its amazing.

spinach, leeks and sesame seeds

So coincidentally I had a couple leeks and a bunch of spinach in the fridge.  I needed to figure out a way to use them up and holy &*%$ I think I did.  I don't think  I ever want to eat spinach another way.  I usually keep sesame seeds in my spice cabinet and tossed a small handful in a shallow pan with a touch of oil, two finely sliced shallots and a light sprinkle of salt.  I let that cook a bit to soften the leeks and toast the sesame seeds then I added my spinach (use fresh or frozen.  just use lots cause it cooks down more than you think) (about two prewashed bags worth).  Thats it.  As soon as the spinach cooks buts still aldente remove from heat and set aside till you're ready to serve.  This goes great with meats, can bridge between Asian and more Western meals, its totally vegan and absolutely delicious.

roasted potatoes with sweet hot peppers rosemary and garlic

Chop up some potatoes, coat with a bit of olive oil, salt and throw them in the oven on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400.

About half way through, toss in pickled cherry peppers (you can find them in the Italian  section of most grocery stores or even the sweet hot ones you can find in olive bars), chopped rosemary, and garlic.  SO much better than plain roasted potatoes.  The unique combination of sweet, hot, and hearty flavors will go great with any other meat or vegetable dish.

swiss chard with onion, garlic, hot pepper and tomato

Now that the weather's getting warmer you'll find all sorts of greens available (and cheaper) at your local farmers markets and grocery stores. Some people traditionally cook collard greens, or kale, some swiss chard and others even broccoli rabe. I know certain recipes call for bacon grease or ham hocks or some kind of fatty flavoring but the way my mom and dad always did it was to get a large panwith a touch of olive oil over low heat, add your cut washed greens, chopped garlic, onions and hot pepper with a bit of salt (if you like add a few fresh tomatoes to sweeten it up) and simmer for 20 minutes or so till the greens reduce and the stalks become tender but still al dente. This is an extremely healthy meal or side dish and I love bringing leftovers to work the day after for lunch. I personally prefer more bitter greens but I say to experiment since there are so many options out there.

eggplant rollatini

Fantastic soul warming and traditional Italian treat that my mom would often make. Have you marinara sauce ready prepared on the side. Get your eggplant, peel and slice it in long sheets, dredge them in flour, dip them in egg, and gently place them in a finger or two of hot fying oil for about a minute on each side or till they're golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel to cool. Then get standard casserole and put a thin coating of marinara sauce on the bottom.  Get your sheets of fried eggplant and roll them with a long piece of mozarella inside (freezing your mozzarella before you cut it works best) and a leaf or 2 of fresh basil. Line up all the rollatini, drizzle some more marinara sauce on top, grate some parmigiano and throw it in the oven at 375-400 for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 10 -15 more and YOU ARE DONE. Fantastic

baby potatoes with rosemary, cracked pepper and olive oil

Title says it all. Wash everything well, toss together all the ingredients (add a little garlic powder if you like) drop in an oven-safe pan and roast, covered, on a middle rack for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees until they're tender with a fork and then roast uncovered for the last 5 - 10 minutes till they get nice and crispy brown. Great side dish an leftovers heat up well -OR- add a little water and mash the leftovers for a different twist.