Freshly back from a week in the desert, I was craving simple, fresh foods, and tossed these two salads together. Only as I sat down did I realize that both are made with ingredients you can get at just about any time of year. Bonus ( Read more... )

 Computer was in the shop for a bit, but it's back home now, and I made a couple of tasty things that I want to remember for the future ( Read more... )

Tonight's food experiment is harira: a Moroccan lentil and lamb stew traditionally eaten to break the fast at Ramadan. I had it for the first time at Toro Bravo, one of Portland's best restaurants, and it was a knockout even among the superlative dishes we had. I was determined to attempt it before I forgot what it tastes like ( Read more... )

Come up with a recipe that is served in one pot but cooked in, uh, four. However! I feel it holds the promise of tastiness, and it's my first deliberate attempt to mingle very different flavors without letting them transfer throughout the dish, so I'm jotting it down while it's cooling and I still remember what the hell I did. In the mix: short- ( Read more... )

So in case it turns out as well as I'm hoping: short-grain brown rice and french blue lentils with (very lightly wilted) chopped radicchio, in a white balsamic and orange muscat vinaigrette with chopped mango, fresh squeezed orange juice, diced serrano, shredded mint, cubed avocado, thin-sliced red onion, and just a dash of sesame oil.

I've started drinking smoothies again (thanks, Mom, the blender stick is fantastic), but am trying very different recipes than the last time they were a staple of my diet. I'm lactose-intolerant, soy-intolerant (sigh), and have learned that I need a lot more protein and a lot less refined sugar than I used to if I want to keep my body happy and ( Read more... )

There's a longer post I should make on my deep and abiding love for Passover, and the continuity of blood- and proxy-family it gave me over the last twenty years of my life. Last year's post covers some of that. But it's late, and I have a full three-day weekend ahead of me (including the great matzah and manischewitz hunt of '10 -- here's hoping ( Read more... )

Spaghetti squash sauteed with roasted sweet potatoes, kale, sundried tomatoes, field roast apple sausage, and fresh marjoram and sage. It's delicious. Also (as not that uncommon for me), accidentally vegan. Will have to reprise this.

Scallops and shrimp marinated with lime, marsala, vinegar, and jalapenos, lightly sauteed with red bell and pasilla peppers, fresh mango, spinach, and mango-chili vinegarette, served with a glass of white zinfandel left over from the wedding I attended last weekend. I like how this summer is going.

Finally made eggplant without drenching it in oil by mistake -- sliced it thinly, stir-fried it with just a touch of grapeseed oil until it was brown and soft, tossed in some good tamari soy, set it aside. Then sauteed a red bell and an anaheim with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, habanero, and lime. Now I'm just waiting for the quinoa to finish ( Read more... )