Vegetables

Love or hate them, Brussels sprouts have been considered a tradition at Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations for centuries. My childhood memories of sprouts are not flattering. Most of my friends have similar stories. To clarify, there is nothing more unappealing than a mushy, flavorless, overcooked sprout–nothing! But this dish for roasted Brussels sprouts with almonds and […]

More than 1,000 years ago the Vikings were preserving fish (pre-refrigeration) with some combination of salt and vinegar. Modern-day Danes continue to do the same. Today, Pickling is still considered a cornerstone of traditional Danish food. From fish to cucumbers, people in Denmark pickle just about anything. While visiting Copenhagen with my family we enjoyed the vast […]

Let’s chat a bit about okra. Some people are scared of it, but I love it. Okra, also known as “ladies fingers” or “ochro”, is a flowering plant in the mallow family (the same family that includes hibiscus and cotton) that’s cultivated for its edible green seed pods. For any “nose-to-tail” eaters trying to reduce food waste, […]

Winter is a wonderful time. Earthy, hearty, beautiful root vegetables are in abundance. But what to do with them?  I say roast them. I love slightly browned roasted vegetables lightly toasted in olive oil. Straight-up, as a side dish, or here, mixed together in a hearty winter salad. This roasted winter vegetable salad hits the […]

Impress everyone with this lovely seasonal and satisfying roasted cauliflower steak with a whipped feta recipe.  Honestly, I would eat plain old roasted cauliflower every day.  But as I have said before (and my husband strongly believes), cheese makes everything better.  This dish is inspired by a close friend whom I met 11+ years ago […]

My family and I are obsessed with Din Tai Fung, a famous Taiwanese restaurant in at Santa Clara outpost that we frequent.  My husband is the only one of us who has been to Taiwan, which is partly how this obsession began. Once a restaurant opened in our area, we quickly became frequent visitors. For […]

Some things will never change. Even after 11 years of living in Northern California, I still consider myself a New Yorker. And so when this time of year arrives, I think of corn–the kind of colorful, sweet, cobs of corn that were plentiful on the south fork of Eastern Long Island, where I have spent […]

Everyone needs a go-to, easy salad. This is my new one. I love tofu almost as much as I love salads, so I feature it prominently in this one for this easy and tasty tofu cabbage salad. Tofu, also known as bean curd, is cultivated by curdling soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into […]

I  have talked about wanting to be French. I also want to be Korean. This is not because of the Olympics, although I was incredibly impressed by the opening ceremony. This is about the food. I have always loved Korean food: flavorful, rich, vibrant, and loaded with vegetables. To me, it is a perfect cuisine. […]

Not surprisingly, I know a few chefs.  Most are in NYC.  One I met almost 20 years ago when we began working together as culinary instructors.  We became instant friends and despite the distance between us, we have remained close.  Rian has a lovable Southern background with a great New York attitude. He is quick, […]

Vegetable stir-fry is one of the easiest vegetable side dishes out there.  By mixing different vegetable flavors and textures, you undoubtedly get a more interesting side dish.  What I also love about a good vegetable stir-fry is that almost any vegetable can work, so it is super easy to adapt to the likes and dislikes of […]

It appears I just can’t get enough of these guys.  I think I am drawn to Brussels sprouts because of their strong flavor and the ease of roasting them in the oven. They are a go-to for me during holiday time. I love a great roasted vegetable; I prefer them that way.  I was playing […]

As a kid, I never liked butternut squash, it was always mushy and flavorless.  Years later, I learned how to make it.  It is funny how subtle things in a recipe sometimes make all the difference in whether we like or dislike something.  Growing up, butternut squash was one of those foods that I was […]

Cauliflower has become one of my favorite vegetables.  With its “riced” form, readily available almost anywhere, it has become even easier to cook.  Because of its mild flavor, there are virtually unlimited options to keep this cruciferous vegetable interesting. As I have gotten older, I have had to modify how and what I eat.  Sadly, […]

Boy did I hate Brussels sprouts when I was a kid?  To my six-year-old self, these were odd-looking vegetables not meant for human consumption.  Kudos to my parent, the Brussels sprouts kept returning and eventually, I learned to like them.  Now, older and wiser, I love them.  Their baby cabbage-like appearance, their strong almost spicy […]