Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a tiny seed that’s made the big time, and for good reason. It’s gluten-free, loaded with nutrients, and is considered a complete protein. It also makes a great picnic or party salad, like this one with roasted sweet potatoes! (Recipe adapted from Earthly Choice Quinoa.) Quinoa itself is pretty bland, so it really benefits from a seasoned vinaigrette and other flavor-helpers. Double the recipe for a crowd, or for lunches and leftovers.

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Roasted Potatoes with Parsley-Dijon Sauce

Local friends living within the Chadds Ford Junxion magazine distribution area may have noticed a familiar face among the pages lately!!

For everyone else, here’s a reprint of the recipe. Sometimes just a simple herb sauce is all it takes to elevate a classic comfort dish. Try this with a rotisserie chicken for an easy/fancy spring dinner.

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Mango Loco

Or loca: I’m crazy for these produce department newcomers, ataulfo mangoes. For anyone who loves the floral/tropical flavor of mangoes but can’t stand the fibrous, get-stuck-between-your-teeth nature of the common mango, be sure to stock up on these golden beauties before they disappear for the season.

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Smoky Eggplant Dip (Baba Ghannouj)

Baba ghanouj

Love this dip! Easy, healthful and exotic. (My food trifecta!)

If you can find any late-season eggplants at the market, grab’em. Throw them on the grill with whatever else you’re cooking. Let the eggplants get nice and charred, and then wrap them up until you feel like making this irresistible dip. (Even mid-winter, you can make this in the oven with grocery store eggplants.)  Continue reading

The Secret(s) to Quick and Amazing Zucchini

roasted zucchiniBring on the heat! A little oil and a quick char from the grill or hot oven caramelizes the zucchini and enhances its otherwise bland-ish (sorry, zucchini) flavor.  Maybe you already knew that part? (Especially if you’ve tried oven-roasted broccoli.) So the other secret, then, is . . .  Continue reading

The Best Black Bean Salsa

Best black bean salad

Well – at least I think it’s the best. Love yourself, love your salsa. This salad/salsa/dip/side is in heavy rotation in our house from Cinco de Mayo to the end of tomato season.  If using as a salsa/dip, we like Tostitos Scoops for obvious “scoopability” reasons.

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Bouley Birthday

menu

In our family, the birthday person gets to pick what he/she wants to do for his/her birthday dinner. Sometimes a favorite home-cooked meal is requested, and other times (often times) the wish is for a trip to Benihana.

benihana

For my birthday dinner last week, I was deliberating between Shanghai Jazz and Smashburger when my friend Susan presented another option: a multi-course tasting menu at Michelin-starred chef David Bouley’s Tribeca test kitchen, complete with wine pairings and hands-on instruction. Hmmm.

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Kale, Cabbage and Quinoa Salad

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Wait – keep reading! If the idea of a kale and quinoa salad sounds less than appealing, I should also mention the crunchy toasted almonds and tangy-sweet balsamic dressing. And, that this delicious fiber-fest is also vegan, gluten-free, low-calorie, nutrient-rich, and filling. FILLING! Now do I have your attention?

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