I am not a big fan of savory dishes with coconut in them, but a trip to Belize changed my mind – at least about rice with coconut. You see, when I was a kid, I really only ate the sugar-coated, shredded coconut that came in a bag. You know, the kind you find in…
Category: Globally Inspired
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…
Key Lime Bars and Mayan Brownies with a kick
One of the reasons I, and many other people, love traveling is the opportunity to savor local foods. To taste fruit ripened on the branch/vine the way it should be. To experience the bustle, sounds, and sights of an open-air marketplace. To smell a meal prepared with fresh herbs and spices. To toast a new…
High-energy Burrito Soup
This week, we have had more sun in Salt Lake City than we had in most of January. Unfortunately, we also have below-freezing temperatures, and the combination is messing with my head. I sit in the window and feel the warmth of the sun through the window, but when I walk outside, my disappointment that…
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…
Red Lentil Soup on a Cold Winter’s Day
When the weather changes as drastically as it does here in Utah, what I crave does as well. When the snow hits, I gravitate towards soup and other comfort foods, and rely on a strong dose of color and spice to make up for the lack of sun. Red lentil soup fits the bill. I…
Viva [Venezuelan] Vegan! Terry Hope Romero’s New Cookbook
Terry Hope Romero recently released her latest cookbook: Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers. Thumbing through the index, I realized she must be Venezuelan. Sure, she includes recipes from all across Latin America, but I was immediately biased when I saw the words arepas, mechada, caraotas, and cachapas. Mmmm, cachapas…
Adzuki Bean Rice Bowl with Miso Dressing
I’ve had a jar full of adzuki beans sitting in the cupboard for a long time. This is what happens when I buy things out of curiosity rather than with purpose. Even reading a book in which the beans were mentioned as an amazing super food did not spur me to action. Today, though, it…
Clearing the Cupboards = Exotic Trail Mix
I was making a shopping list this morning and realized I had dribs and drabs of certain ingredients, and way too much of others (i.e., they’ve been sitting around for a while and need to be used). This is a common theme in my cooking life. I had about a ¼ cup each of hulled…
Mulberry and Walnut Snack Bars
After making trail mix the other day, I decided to figure out what to do with the mulberries I had left. I ran across a blog called Afghan Cooking Unveiled that had a recipe for Afghan Mulberry and Walnut Power Bars. Very similar to a Lara or Think bar, these raw dried fruit and nut…
Simple GF Miso Soup for Camping and Backpacking
I was craving a steaming bowl of brothy soup today, but did not have the patience to make something from scratch. Instead, I grabbed a box of Whole Foods’ 365 brand miso soup out of the cupboard, some pre-sliced baby portobello mushrooms, leftover pork loin, a bundle of bean vermicelli, and then topped it with…
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. …
GF/DF Karjalan piirakka (AKA Karelian rye pastry)
Today, I had a sudden craving for a Finnish rye pastry with rice porridge filling and egg butter (Munavoi) – which is exactly what it sounds like – on top. Karjalan piiraka, as it is known, is a simple, hearty, but delicious food from the Karelian region of Finland. I ate them frequently during dark…
“Quick” Chile Walnut Hash (a la chiles en nogada)
The title may not inspire confidence, but the dish is delish, so bear with me. This recipe is inspired by traditional Mexican stuffed chiles with walnut sauce. I say inspired, because I offer up a version that is easier to prepare, but maintains the essence of the dish. In a nutshell, the difference between typical…
Hearty Russian Cabbage Soup with Buckwheat Pilaf
Last week, I made Heidi Swanson’s Lime & Peanut Coleslaw. The other half of the cabbage I bought has been waiting in the refrigerator ever since, along with some carrots and a couple of potatoes…together forming the inspiration for this evening’s meal: cabbage soup and buckwheat kasha. I know, I know – it sounds a…