A couple weeks ago I opened the fridge to find some lovely fresh herbs that were in danger of rotting. Being too lazy to make a pesto, I turned instead to its simpler—and easier—cousin, pistou. Traditionally, pistou is made with just basil, olive oil and garlic. In my case, I didn’t even want to peel … Read more
I think it’s fair to say that I have A LOT of garlic! It all came courtesy of my farm share, but I don’t mind a bit. Garlic is a great addition to almost any dish and can be expensive at the grocery store. The variety in my garlic stash is called hardneck because of … Read more
In addition to being new in the kitchen and thinking, Meal Making Transformation is about being new in our cooking, which means getting comfortable with simple basic techniques, like vegetable roasting. Do you harbor bad feelings about Brussels sprouts? If so, there’s a good chance your Brussels trauma got embedded at a young age, at … Read more
There must be 20 different ways to cook eggs! Here’s a technique I learned from a Japanese friend. I always slice the crepes into thin strips to top a salad or stir-fry, like the salad with Warming Tahini Sauce pictured above. But now I want to experiment using them as a wrap. Any ideas for … Read more
Roasting big batches of winter squash and root vegetables is one of my favorite autumn rituals. It provides me with an easy springboard for several days’ worth of meal ideas. For instance, here are three quick meals made with the roasted spaghetti squash, beets and kabocha squash pictured below: Breakfast: Sauteed onion plus tomatillas and … Read more
A few weeks ago I watched a fascinating series called The Healing Kitchen, which shared many traditional and ancestral healing herbs and plants. It reminded me about humble little purslane, a “weed” you see everywhere and walk right by (or on.) Not long after, I was visiting a friend whose front garden bed was filled … Read more
3 Green peppers are in season, as evidenced by the 10 peppers in my farm share box plus 8 more from my garden! Usually I think of using green peppers as a sidekick, e.g., in a breakfast scramble with tomatoes, onions and chiles, in classic Chicken Cacciatore and of course in about every Mexican dish. … Read more
Whether you shop at the farmer’s market or grocery story, both zucchini and yellow squash should be plentiful, inexpensive and at their flavorful best in mid- to late-summer and early fall. In fact, they get so commonplace that they’re easy to overlook. But in the middle of winter good summer squash is hard to find, … Read more
What’s a good way to stay motivated on your healthy eating journey? Have fun. What’s a good way to have fun? Mix things up! Try something new and different! But maybe your meal making enthusiasm is flagging? Here’s a quick fix: crunchy, refreshing jicima. And here is a quick, 6-minute video that explains how to … Read more
Green and Gold Summer Vegetables A big part of Meal Making Transformation is learning how to simplify healthy meal making without sacrificing flavor. Check out the 4 techniques in this picture recipe for bumping up the flavor in of your dishes. Technique #1: Combine Seasonal Color One of the neatest things about seasonal eating is … Read more