Ever skip a recipe with “grilled” in the title because you either don’t have a grill or don’t want to bother with grill setup? Me, too, except in this case my grill is currently snoozing and I’m too lazy to replace the tank. Cast iron grill pan to the rescue, and failing that, the oven broiler. Both of these are great substitutes for grilling. Smoky flavor will not be imparted but with items like shrimp which take minutes if not seconds to cook, that won’t matter. Continue reading
Soup is one of those meals enjoyed year round, with seasonal ingredients and temperatures to suit the weather. In summertime, Cucumber Vichyssoise is green and cooling. Autumn calls for Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Cider and Chipotle Spice and winter brings big steaming bowls of White Bean and Cabbage Soup. Spring soups are less heavy, more on the broth spectrum, with light veggies and bright herby flavors. Such is today’s Hot and Sour Scallop Soup, as incendiary as you like with hot pepper and fresh ginger. Continue reading
This sweet potato pilaf is for everyone who loves the idea of adding sweet potatoes to their diet, but will enjoy them more without all the sweet hoopla of brown sugar and marshmallows. There is a bit of sweet tartness with the addition of pomegranate seeds, but not a smidge of sugar in sight.
Sometimes I think proponents of the Paleo Diet are on to something. These folks eat the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors purportedly did, grain and dairy free, with a diet mostly composed of animals proteins, vegetables and fruits. There is no sugar, and therefore no wine or alcohol, and no legumes, thus no beans, lentils or peanuts. Bummer. I am simplifying things a bit, but if you want a good read, Wikipedia is a good place to start. Also no coffee. Double bummer.