If you’re not checking out Food52’s food blog, you should be. If you are a foodie, or simply want to get some ideas to impress others in kitchen, this is the place to be. Check out their website to find gems like this recipe below. So perfectly simple, yet bursting with flavor. Start channeling your inner gourmet cook and make something delicious today!
Tad’s Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4
1 pound old white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Olive oil
8 sprigs herbs (any combination of thyme, sage and rosemary)
3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed (leave the skins on)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the potatoes in a well-seasoned cast iron pan — they should fit comfortably in one layer. Douse with olive oil, like you’re marinating them. Add the herbs and garlic, and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes a few times to mix in the herbs and seasoning.
2. Roast in the oven, scraping up and turning the potatoes every 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are well caramelized and tender, about 40 minutes.
The Iowa Women’s Health Study, which has been investigating the health habits of 34,000 women for nearly 20 years, named apples as one of only three foods (along with pears and red wine) that are most effective at reducing the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women. Other massive studies have found the fruit to lower risk of lung cancer and type 2 diabetes—and even help women lose weight.
Eat an apple as an afternoon snack with a tablespoon of peanut butter (think protein), or add slices to sandwiches or salads.
If you’ve been to my house, you’ve probably eaten my hummus and fresh pita bread standing around my kitchen island. It’s a staple around my house. Super-delicious and good for you, too. The basic recipe is below, but you can add anything you want to it. My favorites include roasted garlic and roasted pine nuts, but add whatever flavors you love.
Hummus is one of the more popular Middle Eastern dips, generally served with fresh or toasted pita bread. Hummus makes for a great snack or appetizer. Tahini is an important part of the hummus recipe and cannot be substituted. You can find Tahini in the grocery store.
I use a food processor to make mine. Be sure to blend ingredients until they are smooth (not grainy and loose) for better texture.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).
Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread. So delish!
If you think Olive Garden and Taco Bell when you think of ethnic foods, you’re missing the boat…the boat to the Mediterranean, that is. I’ve been cooking lots of Mediterranean dishes this summer, from Greek pizzas, pastas, meats, and even desserts. This is one of my favorite go-to pasta recipes. It’s perfect for a quick dinner or lunch, great to stuff into Chinese carryout cartons for a picnic, or even a late night picnic in bed.
The tomatoes, the basil, the garlic, it all brings such a great combination of flavors to the party. Quick and simple, and won’t blow your daily caloric intake budget, either.
Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Feta Cheese
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh linguine
3/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan.
While pasta cooks, place tomatoes and next 6 ingredients (through black pepper) in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
Combine tomato mixture and the reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, stirring with a whisk. Add to pasta; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with feta.
Vegetarian: A vegetarian is an individual who chooses, for health, environmental, ethical, or religious reasons to abstain from the consumption of animal flesh, including poultry and fish.
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats no flesh, but consumes dairy (lacto) and eggs (ovo).
Vegan: A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) is an individual who chooses to abstain from the consumption of all animal products. While vegetarians avoid flesh foods, vegans also avoid dairy and eggs as well as fur, leather, and other goods that cause suffering to animals.
According to the Journal of Nutrition, eating a small square of dark chocolate a few times a week will reduce your risk of a heart attack. According to the results of the research, 20 grams of dark chocolate per week, or 6.7 grams three times per week, is ideal. Research subjects who ate this amount had significantly lower blood pressure levels of C-reactive protein. Because of dark chocolate’s richness, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with much less chocolate than a milk or white chocolate, for example.
Allow me to save your hands from excruciating pain. Never, ever, ever chop hot peppers without rubber gloves on. I made the most beautifully delicious fresh Picode Gallo from my garden tonight. It was only three peppers….I figured why not? Pulling the seeds from my Garden Salsa Peppers with my fingers seemed fine…at first. But as time went on, my hands started to burn from the caspian (the component that brings the heat) in the peppers.
If you’ve already committed the crime, try hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content. Dawn dishwashing liquid also helps. Wash hands over and over. Avoid contact with any other part of your body….or your husband’s body!
Let your voice be heard. Vote for your favorites, such as Supernatural Botanicals Bath and Body and Park + Vine in Cincinnati, in VegNews Magazine’s 2009 VeggieAwards. You can win great prizes!
This is a look at my backyard garden today. My purple hydrangea from the Farmers Market this past Saturday still looks great today, Thursday. I change the water in the vase every other day, and add sweet lemon thyme to the vase, free floating. It’s such a great look for clear vases. Tender young green leaf lettuce is in full bloom. My Roma tomatoes have their first bud, a single tiny green ball. The Tabasco pepper plant has tiny little yellow peppers budding everywhere. (editorial note….these peppers are as hot as fire!) Very young Jalapenos, two single stubby peppers emerging out, in the past few days. Cayenne peppers are green, and will turn red if you leave them on the vine long enough.
Health up your salad. Instead of reaching for the croutons, which can contain a high butter and fat content, reach for whole wheat crackers. Just crumble over a fantastic salad and get the benefits of whole wheat and fiber, along with great taste with half the calories.
