Crunchy, crispy, chewy and creamy. Do these words appeal to you? If yes, you’ll like this salad with four Cs. Crunchy carrots, crisp arugula, chewy pistachios and creamy burrata mozzarella. Toss with a red wine vinaigrette and get ready for a light lunch or dinner. Continue reading
Light meals are not just for warmer weather. Above all, we always crave colorful crunchy platters of protein loaded with fruits and veggies. Winter fruits and vegetables make lovely salads. Continue reading
The new year begins in less than two weeks. Are you ready? Got something fizzy for New Year’s Eve? The celebration is complete with good luck food on New Year’s Day. In past years I’ve published dishes with black eye peas, the southern symbol of good luck. They resemble little coins. Paired with something green and gold, the money symbolism inherent in these tasty peas is obvious. Continue reading
Spring salads lead to lighter eating for the upcoming summer season. It’s time to step away from heavy foods and crunch into bright, crispy seasonal fruits and vegetables. This Strawberry Sugar Snap Salad has plenty of color and crunch. Moreover, the heady Thai basil dressing and peanuts take this pretty salad in a more exotic direction. Continue reading
Meyer lemons are short in season, yet long in flavor. These thin skinned golden citrus fruits sport a floral aroma. They possess a lemony sweetness that is less astringent than the juice of regular lemons. Because their skin is so thin, one can eat the whole fruit sliced thinly in desserts and savory dishes. Continue reading
Technically, this Lime Basil Cantaloupe Salad is a fruit salad. Both tomato and cucumber are also fruits, as is the lime in the vinaigrette. The salad is savory enough, however, that you can please those with palates avoiding sweets. Continue reading
Normal kids ate sandwiches for lunch during summer vacation. This kid scrounged around for ingredients in the family kitchen. Then I moseyed out to the back garden for ripe tomato and cooked up this Bacon Tomato Potato Salad. Continue reading
The first tender basil leaves taste like summer. Basil finds its way into many a spring and summer meal, like with Basil Buttermilk Soup and Coconut Basil Lemonade . This Basil Caesar Dressing is one way to stretch the basil enjoyment all season long. It keeps well in the fridge for several weeks and a little dollop goes a long way. Continue reading
Cooking is my passion and my life. Even so, if you offered me a no-cook recipe, I am all in. Even in the dead of winter I’ve been known to eat homemade soup straight from the fridge, lazybones that I am when it comes to hunger versus effort. Today’s recipe for Asparagus Burrata Salad, with its base of bright and tart turmeric hummus, is for those days when you want fancy without the heat of the stove. Continue reading
A little smoked salmon goes a long way. Especially if the salmon is high quality in-house smoked salmon from your local fishmonger, like the burnished slabs found at Tuckahoe Seafood here in Richmond. In this Smoked Salmon Apple Salad the rich smoke taste is offset by the crisp of Virginia apple, earthy baby arugula and a sweet-tart lemon maple mustard vinaigrette. Continue reading