Around Anna's Table

‘Seared Salmon with Israeli Cous Cous’

April 13, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple Magazine

A gorgeous plate of simple seared salmon and a fresh arugula salad is welcomed at our dinner table any night of the week! What gives this specific dish its charm is the addition of fresh apples, cooked pearled or Israeli cous cous, and a bright lemon-mustard vinaigrette. I love the addition of nuts to the salad for crunch as well, and the peppery taste of the raw red onion slices is also a delightful addition. Feel free to season the salmon with an herbed salt if you wish or even a touch of fennel pollen, but simply seasoning it with salt and pepper is tasty enough.

‘Mississippi Mud Pie’

April 12, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

Calling all chocolate lovers! This Southern-inspired chocolate cream pie is made that much more decadent with the inclusion of ground pecans in the chocolate cookie crust, as well as toasted pecans on top of the pie itself. The filling is a rich homemade chocolate pudding and the topping? Lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream. The key to this pie is to leave it in the fridge overnight, so that the filling sets nicely and makes the pie easy to cut into slices.

‘Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies’

April 11, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.TheSpruceEats.com

I dare you to try and eat just one of these chocolate chip cookies! No joke, they are addictive. With their cakey texture and buttery flavor, not to include the decadent mix of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, these Italian-inspired chocolate chip cookies deliver it all.

Made simply with butter, sugar, egg, baking powder and soda, a pinch of salt, vanilla and flour, the ingredients aren’t much different than a traditional chocolate chip cookie—until you add in the creamy ricotta cheese. That secret ingredient makes for a pillowy, cakey crumb that is melt-in-your-mouth fantastico. I can’ t think of a better way to use the rest of that ricotta cheese container in the fridge!

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.thespruceeats.com/ricotta-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe-3053299 )

‘Tarragon Chicken’

April 10, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of EatingWell.com

One of my favorite ways to use fresh tarragon is in a creamy sauce like this one. This type of sauce is made in a traditional way by first deglazing the pan you use to sear the chicken itself. You deglaze in stock and wine to scrape up any of the yummy brown bits from the pan, then add in chopped shallots, and finally, you enrich the sauce with mustard, fresh tarragon and a bit of low-fat sour cream. Lovely over these seared chicken breasts, but I imagine this sauce would be very tasty over seared scallops as well.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252589/tarragon-chicken/)

‘Braised Endive’

April 9, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine

This is a fabulously simple (and fabulously French) way to cook Belgian endives, leeks or fennel. A quick braise in stock and white wine, after being seared in a pan covered with butter and sugar to achieve perfect caramelization. Seasoned, and finished off with fresh thyme and lemon juice–feel free to guild the lily here and garnish the braised endive with freshly grated Parmesan cheese as well.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/139-braised-belgian-endive)

‘Marrakesh Carrots’

April 8, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl & Spoon Cookbook, by Sara Forte

Sara Forte’s series of cookbooks are each as fabulous as the next. Her recipes feature whole foods, healthy grains, and incredible photographs, that are actually taken by her talented husband Hugh Forte. I’m working my way through her cookbooks slowly and steadily, but they are on my go-to cookbook shelf that is always in reach when I’m menu planning.

This Moroccan-inspired carrot salad includes chickpeas, dried dates, scallions, red onions, pistachios and cilantro as its base. The olive oil and lime juice vinaigrette highlights the robust flavors of cumin, a pinch of nutmeg and the golden touch of turmeric. Optional add-ons are feta cheese and pomegranate seeds, but if you’re trying to stick on a vegan route, you won’t miss the cheese at all.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.sproutedkitchen.com/home/2014/12/17/marrakesh-carrot-salad-book-pre-order.html )

‘Espresso Pound Cake’

April 7, 2026 Comments: 2

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious.com

A caffeinated pound cake….woo hoo! Craving a coffee-flavored dessert, I searched online for something unique that would satisfy my sweet tooth. I found this recipe from an older issue of Bon Appetit magazine for a heavenly espresso-flavored pound cake.

With all of the traditional pound cake ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder) you add in a touch of ground cinnamon and pecans, as well as instant espresso powder for that rich coffee-taste. Not only is there espresso powder in the cake batter itself, but also in the simple confectioner’s sugar and milk glaze that tops the cooled cake. For decoration, I like to serve this pound cake with a few chocolate-covered espresso beans.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/espresso-pound-cake-with-cranberries-and-pecans-364074)

‘Kale Slaw with Soaked Raisins & Pine Nuts’

April 6, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Sara Forte’s The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl & Spoon Cookbook

Hands down, my favorite variety of kale is Lacinato or Tuscan kale. I like the sturdy yet tender texture of the leaves and its amazing versatility in the kitchen. Crisped up in a hot oven as a snack, chopped thinly for a salad like this one, thrown into a healthy soup recipe or even sauteed….it is marvelous.

This raw kale slaw recipe is another wonderful recipe from Sara Forte’s The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl & Spoon cookbook. Shredded Lacinato kale tossed with balsamic-plumped raisins, buttery pine nuts, crushed red pepper flakes, shallots, and Pecorino cheese makes for a memorable side dish. Some of the same white balsamic used to soak the raisins in is used on the greens, along with olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper.

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

‘Fennel ‘Confit’ with Grilled Lamb’

April 5, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine

The culinary term ‘confit’ comes from the French verb confire which means ‘to preserve.’ It involves slowly cooking food, surrounded by fat or oil, until super tender and insanely decadent. The most common forms of confit are duck confit and garlic confit, but you can preserve any meat or vegetable in this way.

This amazing grilled lamb chop recipe involves a ‘confit’ of thinly sliced fennel flavored with garlic in olive oil. The fennel slowly cooks over low heat until caramelized and very tender, and is served on top of grilled chops that are flavored with ground fennel seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. The confit also includes a bright pop of flavor that comes from lemon zest, lemon juice and the earthy taste of chopped, fresh oregano. I served these lamb chops with the fennel confit with a side of green beans gremolata, herbed spaghetti squash with chickpeas, and a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

‘Chicken & Vegetables with Coconut Water’

April 4, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Using unsweetened, pulp-free coconut water adds a bright finish and depth of flavor to your cooking. In this specific recipe, chicken breasts are rubbed with salt and paprika, pan-seared in coconut oil, and the pan deglazed with coconut water.

Once the chicken is cooked through, you then cook sugar snap peas and sweet peppers in the same pan with the coconut oil and water again. The entire dish has a hint of coconut flavor, without being overwhelming. This is a wonderful way to experiment with cooking with coconut water! This was my first time using it, and my mind is already thinking of other ways to utilize the flavorful, healthy product.