Grilled Polenta Cakes with Balsamic Mushrooms & Gorgonzola

February 3, 2026 No comments

Polenta is a classic Italian side dish is made by boiling cornmeal until it is smooth and creamy.  It can be served in this porridge-style underneath a hearty braised meat dish, or it can solidify and be used on the grill, baked or even fried.  Luckily, most supermarkets these days carry tubes of prepared polenta which can simply be sliced and pan-seared or grilled like I did in this flavorful side dish.

Two of my favorite ways to top grilled rounds of polenta is with sauteed broccoli rabe flavored with white wine and loads of fresh garlic, and this way, with a balsamic mushrooms topping flavored with fresh herbs and finished off with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.  Serve this dish over peppery arugula for a hearty vegetarian dinner idea, or as a side dish to a grilled fish or shellfish dish.

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

‘Chicken Curry Stir-Fry’

February 2, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Calling all woks! This curry-infused stir-fry recipe is a colorful and healthy weeknight dinner option.  Made with quick-cooking chicken thighs, the stir-fry would also work really well with skirt steak, shrimp, and even strips of firm tofu.

The protein is coated with yellow curry powder and a touch of cayenne before being cooking to tender; next into the hot wok are garlic, red onions, sweet bell peppers, and broccoli stems and florets.  The veggies cook along with some chicken stock, soy sauce and lime juice until crisp-tender; lovely served over brown rice, this stir-fry is also an excellent dish to add chopped, fresh turmeric into for added health benefit and flavor.

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

Tarragon Salmon with Spinach & Chickpea Sauté

February 1, 2026 No comments

Fresh tarragon, with its lemony-licorice flavor, pairs wonderfully with seafood. For this simple baked fish dish, I simply seasoned two salmon fillets with salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of chopped tarragon. Baked until flaky, a Greek-inspired spinach sauté with hearty chickpeas and briny Kalamata olives is a wonderfully flavorful accompaniment.

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‘Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing’

January 31, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

Sometimes there are those busy weeknight evenings where standing in the kitchen to cook dinner is the last thing on your wish list.  For me, that’s where either the trusty Weber grill comes in handy, or a healthy dinnertime salad like this on that requires minimal cooking.

Shredded, store-bought rotisserie chicken is tossed together with tender butter lettuce leaves, crunchy radishes and cucumbers, crispy cooked quinoa and a creamy Green Goddess dressing.  This version of the classic dressing is made with mayonnaise, fresh herbs, lemon juice, vinegar and anchovy paste, all whirled together in a mini food processor.  The cooked quinoa stands in for croutons here because it adds a lovely crunch to the salad, and also, a ton of protein in each-and-every bite.

‘Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing’

January 30, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.EatingWell.com

With their crunchy outsides and tender, flavorful middle falafel (or Middle Eastern chickpea patties) are always at the top of my order on a vegetarian plate.  I was excited to learn how easy they actually are to make at home, and made healthier because you pan-sear the homemade version, as opposed to the deep fried method usually followed in a restaurant.

Forming the patties is a simple blitz in the food processor of not only the just-tender chickpeas, but also red onion, lots of parsley, ground cumin, lemon juice and a touch of fresh garlic.  The warm falafel are browned and served on a a fresh bed of Romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers and radishes. And the dressing? A simple blend of rich sesame tahini paste, lemon juice, oil and a touch of water to thin everything out.  A healthy lunch or dinner idea that is simply delicious.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/253015/falafel-salad-with-lemon-tahini-dressing/ )

‘Lemon Snack Cake with Raspberry-Cream Cheese Frosting’

January 29, 2026 No comments

I am all for cooking with the freshest produce of the season, but sometimes you just crave an ingredient that is way out of season! Take this week for example; I had a hankering for this sun-filled lemon and vanilla-scented cake with a decadent raspberry frosting.

A great way to get around buying overpriced berries this time of year for a dessert like this one, is to add crushed, freeze-dried berries to a simple frosting for that burst of (out-of-season) berry flavor. The cake itself is super moist, thanks to the addition of homemade buttermilk to the batter, and oh-so-flavorful thanks to lemon zest and vanilla paste. (And feel free to swap in freeze-dried blueberries or even strawberries here, depending on what fruit catches your fancy.) Happy Baking!

Spicy Smashed Cucumber Salad

January 28, 2026 No comments

A fun new way to serve cucumbers is in a smashed cucumber salad like this one. That’s right—you lightly smash the cucumber with a rolling pin or back of a chef’s knife until it just pops open.  By doing this you aren’t smashing the cucumber wide open or even into pieces, you are simply tenderizing the cucumber if you will, just enough so that the texture slightly changes and whatever flavorings you add to the pieces of smashed cucumber are more easily absorbed.

For this specific dish, I smashed the cucumber, tore it into large pieces, and served it on a bed of fresh basil with a spicy Asian-inspired vinaigrette. All you need for the spicy dressing is Asian garlic-chili sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. And for a creamy finish, I topped the salad with some crumbled ricotta salata cheese.

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Blackberry Crème Brûlée with Cassis

January 27, 2026 Comments: 2

Recipe Courtesy of DairyGoodness.ca

Recipe Courtesy of DairyGoodness.ca

A classic crème brûlée is just about as decadent as decadent gets.  A creamy baked custard topped with a crunchy layer of torched sugar…who doesn’t like that?  My favorite thing about a crème brûlée is not only its elegance, but its versatility.

 If you are a lemon fan, add in some lemon zest and juice; if you are a chocolate fanatic, add in some melted chocolate of your choice; if you have some berries on hand, add them into your baking dishes before you pour in the custard mixture.  That is what I did here–plump, sweet blackberries add a perfect sweetness to the custard.  And because I love the pairing of blackberries with crème de cassis liqueur (a black currant liqueur), I added that plus some vanilla extract into the custard base as well.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/blackberry-creme-brulee/)

‘Fig & Greens Salad’

January 26, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

I love serving this unique salad on the side of grilled lamb chops. Something about the combination of the sweet figs and carrots really pairs beautifully with the taste of the lamb.  Also present in this healthy dish are protein-packed chickpeas, cayenne-toasted walnuts and some peppery arugula greens.  The entire mélange is flavored last minute with a drizzle of a simple honey-balsamic vinaigrette for tang.

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Kalamata Olive & Pine Nut-Crusted Rainbow Trout

January 25, 2026 No comments

Everything about this dish is inspired by classic flavors from the Mediterranean.  Flaky trout fillets are coated in a topping of fresh oregano, lemon zest, chopped black olives and buttery pine nuts, baked and then served over a colorful vegetable sauté of squash, Swiss chard and roasted cherry tomatoes.   A squeeze of lemon juice both on the cooked fish and on the veggie sauté adds a last minute ‘brightness’ to the entire dish.

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

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