Almost two winters ago, I exchanged comments on food photos of several dishes shared by a man named Dirk from Germany on Google+. He commented on photos of the foreign foods I shared and mentioned that many of the ingredients I posted were unavailable to him. Thinking back to my penpal days as a child, in which…
Category: Main Dishes
Parsley Pistachio Pesto + Spaghetti Squash
Pesto – from the Italian word pestare…to pound or crush (which is how it is typically made) – is a powerfully good thing. While the original is a mélange of garlic, basil, pine nuts, cheese, olive oil, pesto can be made with just about any fresh, leafy herbs and raw nuts. Italian parsley, shelled pistachios,and roasted…
Eating Indian Food + Pumpkin Masala Recipe
I distinctly remember the first time I ever ate Indian food. I was 19 and had still not been exposed to many of the world’s cuisines; my tastes were pretty mundane and the spices and heat were just so foreign. It wasn’t until I met my future husband, Will, a few years later that I…
Easy & Elegant Orange-poached White Fish
Some days I don’t feel like cooking. At. All. You probably know the days – the ones when you’re tired, it’s hot, and you lack motivation to do anything in the kitchen that will take much effort, but you also want to eat something that is relatively healthy and light. Today was one of those…
Spiced-rubbed Sichuan Roast Pork
I have a recipe for you. It’s not my own. But it is pretty delicious and inspired by the Sichuan peppers I ran across on my recent trip to China. Sichuan peppers, if you haven’t had them, are an interesting experience. I won’t say interesting flavor, simply because flavor is too simple a word for what…
Crockpot Cochinita (Puerco) Pibil: Yucatecan-style Pork with a Telenovela Twist
The last place I expected to find a good recipe for Cochinita Pibil, was in the comments of an English-language website that recaps Spanish-language telenovelas. If you’re asking yourself how I wound up reading the comments on that site, I have both an easy and a more complicated answer for you. The easy answer is…
Super Simple Stir-fry Formula
My first recipe experiments were in a shared dorm hall kitchen during my freshman year of college. Unfortunately, those meals were mostly forgettable. What I do remember is that my neighbor, homesick for her native Korea, thought I made the perfect taste-tester. She would cook dishes that were unfamiliar and exotic to my rural Utah…
Poached Salmon in Foil Packets – Two Days, Two Ways
I was browsing. Just trying to mind my own business. But, then I heard a deep voice – a la Michael Clarke Duncan – ask, “What’s for dinner?” Standing next to me was the butcher – as imposing as his voice, arms crossed as if proudly surveying the meat, poultry, and seafood refrigeration units that…
Carlos’ Charro No-Bean Chili for Cinco de Mayo
My grandpa Carlos was quite the hipster in his day. He owned a nightclub called El Matador, drove a corvette, and loved his bling. Of course, this came later in life – after years of working hard for others.Less flashy, more family, he was also the cook in the house. Two of the recipes my…
Reinventing Chiles en Nogada Soup-Style
Deconstruct: To break something down into its component parts. For a recipe, this means looking at the recipe and determining the essential ingredients – the ones that make the dish unique, satisfying, and flavorful. Deconstruction is one of my favorite ways to reinvent a dish when I want to experience its flavors AND tailor the…
Batches of Green Chile Garlic Burgers + Evening Rituals
My husband and I have a Monday-evening ritual that involves cooking up the same thing each week and tuning in to the latest episode of House. It’s not exciting. In fact, it is completely comfortable and relaxed – a way of easing back into the week. But, it is something we both look forward to….
The Original Paleo Chipotle Chicken Cauliflower Bake / Casserole
Many moons ago, when gluten and dairy were not an issue for me, I used to love making a chili cheddar pasta dish I’d found in Cooking Light. It was awesome – filled with noodles, milk, butter, and cheese. But, alas, no more. As I transitioned to a whole foods way of cooking, I realized…
Smoky Bacon-wrapped Turkey Meatloaf with Water Chestnuts & Dates
As a kid, I hated meatloaf. I think it was the ketchup. I had a bad experience with it and avoided it well into my 20s. Unfortunately, it meant I never developed a taste for dishes that included it. This week, I decided to test my taste buds and pulled out an old copy of…
Crock Pot Pork Carnitas with Cabbage Lime Garnish
Cubes of pork shoulder marinated over-night in milk and quartered oranges. A 5-gallon pot with pounds of lard and the pork chunks heated to the brink of boiling, and stirred every so often by a 3-foot, home-made wooden paddle. Pork that is extremely tender, has a slight crisp to the outside, and can easily broken…
Gluten-free Friendly Thanksgiving Ideas
Well, it’s that time of year again – cooler weather, celebration, and that feeling of dread that so many of us feel when faced with big holiday gatherings full of social pressure and off-limit foods at every turn. With Thanksgiving coming up here in the U.S., I had thought to invite my immediate family over,…
Pan-fried Chipotle Chops
I fire up the stove, preheating my pan to a medium-high heat – this is particularly helpful with stainless steel and cast iron. While it was getting ready, I butterfly the chops, cutting them on the side without the rind. By the way, I leave the rind on to keep the chops moist and to…
Celebrating Simple Meals That Delight: A Full Meal Recipe
I finished Nicole Mones’ The Last Chinese Chef last week – which I really enjoyed and recommend. Two ideas, in particular, from the book struck me. The first was the idea that food is often most delicious when it is simple – when it has no more ingredients than it needs and the essence of…
Highlighting Native Foods: Three Sisters Chorizo Casserole
Kabocha, a Japanese winter squash that can often be found at Asian grocery stores and sometimes at your local grocer’s, is beautiful, with creamy, deep-orange, and sweet meat. It is also my all-time favorite squash. I like them so much that within two days, I had bought two of these suckers at two separate…
Cocoa Iron Chef Night: Chicken Mole Poblano
Last week presented a new Iron Chef Night (ICN) challenge, and a good reason to finally make mole (pron: mo-lay), something I’ve shied away from for years because of a childhood memory. I don’t actually know if I ate mole that didn’t taste good or if the combination of flavors just sounded horrible to my…
Risotto with Mushrooms – Drinky and Stinky Garlicky Goodness continued…
Today is the day – garlic fest! I’m excited to see what other garlic dishes make an appearance at dinner tonight, particularly for dessert. I’m sure it will be delicious, or, at the very least, an interesting experience. The second entrée we are making is a vegetarian, dairy-free, naturally gluten-free risotto. Sounds delicious when I…
13 Heads of Garlic and Some Strung-out (up?) Pork
Tomorrow is another Iron Chef night. The ingredient: garlic. I have no idea what the complete meal will entail, but, as it is our turn to host, we are preparing the entrée. With vegetarians and omnivores and food-sensitive folks in attendance, we opted for a garlic and parsley pork roulade with a balsamic glaze, and…
Bangers and Sweet Potato Masala Mash
My favorite spice shop is a hybrid of convenience store and Indian market located down the hill from the University of Utah. It seems to cater primarily to soda-loving, potato-log eating folks and homesick students. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, you’d hardly know what a gem of a store it is. …
Easy Paleo Tomatillo Enchiladas
I found a bottle of home-canned garlic tomatillo salsa at the market a couple of weeks ago. It was in a quart-sized Mason jar with a raffia bow and a simple hang-tag for a label. I knew what I’d use it for when I bought it; I’ve just been waiting for the craving. And tonight,…