‘Carrot Soup with Coconut Milk’

December 5, 2025 Comments: 2

Recipe Courtesy of Michael Anthony’s V is for Vegetables Cookbook

This bright orange bowl of yummy carrot soup has several layers of complimentary flavors.  Carrots, yes–but also sauteed fennel, onions, and garlic.  A splash of orange juice as well, which is always a great addition to any dish that involves carrots and/or fennel.  The liquid for the soup can be veggie stock, water or even chicken stock: dealer’s choice.  And we’re not done yet!  A touch of fragrant coconut milk added right into the milk before everything is pureed to smooth adds an unexpected creaminess and flavor.  Top each bowl with some diced red radishes and some fresh herbs, if desired.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the above post*)

Kohlrabi & Radish Salad with Toasted Walnuts

December 4, 2025 No comments

Ever tried kohlrabi? This distant cousin of cabbage has a similar taste to that of broccoli stems, with the crunch of water chestnuts.  It can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and is perfect in a simple salad or slaw like this one.

Simply toss together the peeled, thinly sliced kohlrabi with some thinly sliced radishes and some toasted walnuts; then, all of these crunchy ingredients are combined with a light walnut-lemon vinaigrette and some sliced fresh chives for a bit of a peppery bite.  Another easy way to prepare kohlrabi is to dice it, toss it with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and perhaps some fresh herbs or za’atar for a low-carb alternative to roasted, cubed potatoes.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Fettuccine with Seared Scallops & Fresh Tomato Sauce

December 3, 2025 No comments

Two restaurant quality dishes that I find most people are wary to make at home are seared scallops and lamb chops. When actually, all you have to do for both proteins is sear them stove-top on both sides. I encourage you to try making both at home to impress your next round of dinner guests, or to surprise your family with an elegant weeknight dinner.

Take scallops for example; once you find high quality, jumbo sea scallops all you need is a hot pan, a touch of butter and olive oil and your trusty kitchen tongs.  They sear in the hot pan for about 1-1/2 minutes on one side (until caramelized and lovely) and then you flip them and cook them for about 30 additional seconds. Serve them on a bed of risotto, spaghetti squash, or like in this recipe, over al dente pasta with a simple tomato sauce studded with briny olives.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Tahini Chicken with Bok Choy & Mango Salad’

December 2, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

This colorful and flavorful entrée salad comes together in no time at all, and is a super healthy dinner idea. The base is crunchy bok choy and red cabbage, along with cubes of sweet ripe mango; and the dressing? An Asian-inspired vinaigrette made with a touch of honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil.

The chicken cooks quickly on the grill pan seeing that they are boneless, skinless chicken thighs; seared first on both sides then glazed with a tasty mixture of honey and tahini, or sesame paste.  The tahini gives an underlying richness to the chicken, which you then cube and place a top your gorgeous and healthy salad base!

Greek Lamb Meatloaf

December 1, 2025 No comments

Greek Lamb Meatloaf

With lamb on the brain I decided to experiment with a Greek-inspired ground lamb meatloaf. (And boy I’m glad I did, the results were super flavorful!)  Into the ground lamb I added some chopped Kalamata olives, some crumbled feta cheese, dried oregano, and minced garlic.  The meatloaf gets its lovely moist texture from the addition of one egg, some Panko breadcrumbs and from the natural fat ratio of the lamb itself.  Lovely when served with a quick-and-easy Greek yogurt-based sauce studded with chopped, fresh dill and the bright flavor of lemon juice, a nice side dish idea for this hearty main dish would be some roasted potatoes and maybe a fresh cucumber and tomato salad.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Charred Orange-Chili Broccoli’

November 30, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

This spicy, Asian-inspired sauce would be fantastic on just about any roasted veggies. A sweet-yet-salty-yet-spicy sauce made stove top with chili sauce, soy sauce, fresh orange juice, sesame oil, and brown sugar, this warm sauce is poured over roasted broccoli florets and finished off with toasted sesame seeds for a touch of crunch. Try this sauce idea even in your next stir fry, or on a crunchy broccoli slaw as a vinaigrette idea.

Baked Flounder with Walnut Romesco & Fried Capers

November 29, 2025 No comments

A Romesco sauce is a classic Spanish sauce predominately served with fish, that is a purée of roasted red peppers, raw almonds, breadcrumbs, sherry vinegar and garlic. Smoky from the roasted red peppers, a luxurious texture from the addition of bread crumbs, and just the right amount of rich acidity from the sherry vinegar, this sauce not only pairs well with your favorite fish, but also shellfish liked seared scallops or shrimp.  (In my opinion, the sauce works well on pork or even a grilled skirt steak, as well as a dip for crudités!)

My version of a traditional Romesco sauce leaves out the breadcrumbs, but subs in a touch of grated Parmesan cheese instead, and includes raw walnuts instead of almonds. Best when served at room temperature, this time I decided to dress up baked fillets of mild flounder that had been seasoned and topped with a touch of fresh dill.  And to finish the dish off?  A few briny fried capers for a touch of crunch and an extra ‘pop’ of salty flavor.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Raw Kale Salad with Crispy Prosciutto

November 28, 2025 No comments

This healthy kale salad becomes even more desirable with the decadent addition of crispy prosciutto, crunchy sunflower seeds and shaved Parmesan. A simple Dijon mustard and lemon juice vinaigrette adds just the right amount of brightness to each-and-every bite; this is a lovely side salad but could easily be made into a main course salad with the addition of roasted chicken, pan-seared salmon or even a vegetarian main with slices of crisp apple, buttery pears, or protein-packed lentils or chickpeas.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Roasted Haricots Verts with Olive Tapenade

November 27, 2025 No comments

Roasting thin French green beans helps them to retain their natural crunch while tenderizing them just slightly.  My favorite way to cook haricots verts, roasting requires little effort and is the ideal way to cook a number of veggies. For this recipe, I topped the simple roasted haricots verts with a homemade olive tapenade: a coarse chop of mixed, pitted olives, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, vinegar and some fresh parsley.  Wonderful on its own, but this dish is made even lovelier when served over white wine-braised leeks.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Spaghetti Carbonara with Parma Ham’

November 26, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Delicious Magazine

A bowl of classic Roman Pasta Carbonara always contains a handful of specific ingredients: pasta (obviously), bacon, eggs and cheese.  More often than not, specifically spaghetti is used, guanciale or pork cheek for the meat, and Parmesan for the cheese.  Such a simple and satisfying pasta dish and it seriously only takes about 5 minutes for it all to come together (once the pasta cooks of course).

Here’s how you do it: you cook the meat with some minced garlic while you cook the al dente spaghetti noodles, then you stir into the cooked noodles the eggs mixed with the grated cheese, some black pepper and some pasta water to make the sauce thicken slightly. Next comes the cooked meat, garlic and sprinkling of chopped parsley. The egg-cheese-pasta water mixture makes for a creamy and naturally smooth sauce that is out-of-this-world tasty.  I liked this specific recipe from Delicious Magazine because it used slices of Parma ham instead of pancetta or guanciale, which is lighter on the grease and crisps up beautifully in the pan.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/healthier-spaghetti-carbonara-with-parma-ham/ )

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