Weeknight Easy

February 16, 2010

All Sunchoked Up

There are certain foods that are in your cooking comfort zone – tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, even eggplant to a degree.  Then there are others which you know taste good – they said so on Top Chef – but are so alien to you, that any time you see them in the grocery store, you hurry past and hope they didn’t see you coming.  Sunchokes are one of those foods. I most commonly have heard of sunchokes as the base of a creamy, wintery soup for which people hmm and haw over its delicate taste.  As a relative of the sunflower, […]

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February 12, 2010

A Super(bowl) Makeover Story

I don’t know about you, but I rolled home last sunday full of chili, chips, and chicken wings.  I love Super Bowl Sunday for a variety of reasons – mainly good time spent with friends and the excuse to be overly-gluttonous.  But I forgot that on Super Bowl Sunday, even more so than on my second favorite holiday of the year – Thanksgiving – our eyes become much bigger than our stomachs.  And I came home on Sunday evening with a tupperware tub full of spicy, ginger chicken wings that needed to be consumed. Now, wasting food annoys me more […]

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February 10, 2010

Custard’s Last Stand

Although this may be a shock, there are some people in this world who do not like chocolate.  No, no.  I don’t mean myself.  Trust me, I’m on a steady diet of the dark stuff for breakfast every morning.  It’s good for your health, right?  But there are people out there (hey Dad) who, for some reason, do not taste the bitter sweet, buttery flavors that we find so decadent.  So for those folk, I wanted to offer up a Valentine’s Day treat that is not dipped, coated, or sprinkled with any form of cacao: A Simple Vanilla Custard. This […]

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January 12, 2010

Take Home Take Out

Chinese chicken salad is to an extensive menu as “Don’t Stop Believing” is to karaoke. It is the ultimate go-to. History has proven that, without fail, you will find satisfaction with this choice. A cold bed of cabbage topped with juicy chicken, silky dressing, and those delicious crispy things. It is delicate enough to make you feel healthy, but full of savory bites so that you feel full. Now, as you’ve probably guessed, most prepared versions contain a high amount of sodium due to either the dressing, which is usually soy based, or the spice blend used to flavor the […]

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December 18, 2009

Pot Roasted Pappardelle

To avoid holiday hostess stress, I’ve come to realize that it is best to prepare dishes that can cook uninterrupted and unattended for long periods of time. Whether in a crock pot or an oven safe casserole dish, your one pot pièce de résistance will simmer, thicken, and marinate on its own while you mingle with guests (and charm them with your wit and wile). And when it’s time to sit down (or stand as is often the case in our San Fran apartment), your meal is ready to be plated and served with little hassle. Another tip and host/hostess […]

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December 16, 2009

Sticky Tummy Bread Pudding

Let’s start the morning with a shot of some beautiful, homegrown eggs. Cage free and totally enchanting with their varying shapes and colors. They were a most special gift from some good friends who are raising chickens of their own and I could not wait to use them. Well actually, I had no other choice. I am leaving for a bit of a holiday break and with two dozen eggs, a fresh loaf of no sodium bread, a whole block of Heluva good cheese, and a bunch of fresh kale, I was tasked to use up the goods as quickly […]

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December 4, 2009

Stir it Up

One of the first things I learned to cook, when I jumped out of the nest and went to college, was stir fry. It was a one-pan wonder, filled with healthy ingredients, and seemed to take little skill to master.  Or at least the recipe was simple enough to create a quick, warm, and edible meal. It wasn’t until recently that I tasted some really fantastic, home-made stir fry (care of Boy’s Dad) which was whipped up in virtually minutes post Stanford v. Notre Dame game in a fit of excitement and hunger. Gerhart for Heisman. Stir fry for dinner. […]

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April 1, 2009

Paneer is Here

While at the amazing foodie wonderland that is the Berkeley Bowl (or the “Nerkeley Bowl” as some may call it) I discovered a new addition to my sodium-free arsenal: PANEER This delicious cheese is popular in South Asian and Persian cuisine – it is sturdy and can be grilled and fried and stays firm in a variety of delicious sauces. Although it is referred to sometimes as an “Indian cottage cheese,” I think it tastes is much more like mozzarella (and goes well with a spectrum of flavors from spicey curry to a traditional tomato sauce). It is completely vegetarian, […]

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