Gluten-free

Homemade ketchup

4 November 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Homemade ketchup

Normally I don’t make my own ketchup at home – for a squirt here or there, Heinz is just fine. But when I make a ketchup-heavy recipe – like the sloppy joes recipe I’m getting ready to post – I don’t mind taking a few minutes to make my own so I don’t ingest a [...]

Read the full article →

Nutella banana crepes

25 September 2011 Chocolate
Thumbnail image for Nutella banana crepes

I wonder why more people don’t make crepes at home. Maybe the French name implies some kind of mysteriously intimidating technique. But really crepes are as easy to make as pancakes and so much more versatile. Fill it like an omelette with savory fillings such as cheese, meat, vegetables. Or, if your inclinations run sweet, [...]

Read the full article →

Mom’s barbecue chicken

31 August 2011 Asian
Thumbnail image for Mom’s barbecue chicken

To many immigrant families, fusion cuisine is not a restaurant trend, it’s what’s served at home. Immigrants bring food tastes and memories from their old home country and combine them with available ingredients in their new home country. Sometimes they create faithful reproductions of traditional cuisine, but sometimes – as in the case of my [...]

Read the full article →

Greek salad

19 August 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Greek salad

Greek salad is desert-island food for me – so essentially comforting and nourishing I would gladly eat it for the rest of my hot and solitary days. With the cool green crispness of cucumber, the warm red juiciness of tomato, the dark glossy brininess of olive, and the bright white softness of feta cheese, Greek [...]

Read the full article →

Nutty fruity granola

24 June 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Nutty fruity granola

As a native Californian, I can’t believe I only just learned to make granola. After all, to much of the country California is the very definition of granola: nutty and fruity. But those that would dismiss granola as leftie health food haven’t discovered the sweet, nutty, vanilla-scented crunch of homemade granola. I think if we [...]

Read the full article →

Cucumber avocado soup

12 May 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Cucumber avocado soup

Here in Ohio we went from cold rain to hot mugginess in a few days, and suddenly I feel like becoming a raw-foodist might not be so hard. I lived for roasted vegetables for months during my elimination diet, but now I can hardly bear the heat of incandescent light fixtures, let alone an oven. [...]

Read the full article →

Arugula, pear and parmesan salad

2 April 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Arugula, pear and parmesan salad

What happens when I, lover of carbohydrates, eliminate grains and legumes from my diet? I’m left with salad, carrot sticks and salad. Fortunately few things are more satisfying to me than a big bowl of fresh, well-dressed veggies – except maybe a warm buttered slice of sourdough bread, a moist slice of chocolate cake, or [...]

Read the full article →

Fennel, orange and avocado salad

23 February 2011 Food
Thumbnail image for Fennel, orange and avocado salad

Roasted fennel brought me out of my winter-vegetable blues, but this simple, refreshing salad of slivered raw fennel, juicy oranges and creamy avocado is giving me a vision of spring. I’ve shoved over my tired late-winter lettuces in favor of this plate of freshness. This is one cold-weather dish I just might miss even in [...]

Read the full article →

Turkey chili

12 January 2011 Chicken/poultry
Thumbnail image for Turkey chili

On a cold winter day, there’s nothing better than a hot meal in a cozy bowl. Food in a bowl retains heat longer, and there’s a particular comfort to eating with a spoon. Turkey chili is a staple comfort food in our house. A big pot makes a hearty dinner with plenty left over for [...]

Read the full article →

Balsamic vinaigrette

22 November 2010 Food
Thumbnail image for Balsamic vinaigrette

I always have a jar of balsamic vinaigrette ready to go in my fridge. I use it almost daily on salads, spread on sandwiches, or drizzled over vegetables. It’s so versatile I rarely bother to make any other kind of salad dressing. And it certainly beats store-bought options with their cheap oils and high fructose [...]

Read the full article →

Next Entries →