Tomato Abundance

Our local CSA delivered an abundance of tomatoes this past week. There are all sorts of varieties of great organic heirloom tomatoes. Of course, I had just happened to buy three or four tomatoes earlier in the week without thinking that I might get some, so my stash of tomatoes overfloweth. I have been using this opportunity to make some great new dishes using the tomatoes. The other day, I made a ratatouille (you don’t know how long it took me to learn to spell that one), which the kids loved because of the movie. My favorite tomato dish, though … Continue reading →

Black Bean Enchiladas

Here is another recipe that comes straight from my stockpile. Cleaning out the fridge revealed a few things that needed to get used up, and I checked my dry good pantry as well. This meal is pretty easy to make. I prepared it in steps in between activities with the kids. I purposefully left this pretty bland for the kids to introduce them to a new meal. You can turn things up a notch by sautéing some onions and peppers and including them in the dish. Ingredients: One pound bag of dried black beans One can of corn One small … Continue reading →

Non-Seafood Lenten Meals

What’s for dinner during Lent? Two words: Fish fry. Some families live and die by Fish Fry Fridays during Lent, but my clan is not one of them. Heck, my young daughter refuses to eat fish more than once a month, so weekly doses of seafood often result in hunger strikes (which, I suppose is not entirely inappropriate during Lent). If your family is tiring of the same ol’ Friday night fish stick dinner, then consider the following non-seafood Lenten recipes. Not only are they simple to make, they are also incredibly inexpensive: VEGETARIAN PIZZA POCKETS Ingredients: 12 Rhodes Texas … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Summer Meals

Cheap meals don’t need to leave a bad taste in your mouth. There are hundreds of inexpensive summer recipes that are packed with flavor. In fact, many are so tasty your family will never know that you didn’t spend a fortune making them. The following summer recipes are not only easy on your wallet, but they’re also simple to make and taste great: TUNA PASTA SALAD Ingredients: 1 (16-ounce) package seashell pasta, cooked 2 cups mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 cups diced celery 4 tablespoons fresh chopped dill, plus more … Continue reading →

More Meatless Meal Options

Now that Lent is here, many home cooks are looking for meatless options to serve on Fridays. If you aren’t in the mood to fry fish or dine on other seafood options, then consider adding these delicious meatless dishes to the mix. PASTA WITH ROASTED MUSHROOMS AND ROSEMARY CREAM SAUCE Ingredients: For the Pasta: 6 cups cooked farfalle pasta 3 cups crimini mushrooms roasted with olive oil For the Rosemary Gorgonzola Cream Sauce: 1/4 cup butter 2 tablespoons minced onion 1/4 cup flour 4 cups milk Salt, pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes to taste Creamy Gorgonzola cheese 3 rosemary … Continue reading →

Classic Chinese Cooking—Marvelous Mu Shu

Even if you can’t make it to Beijing for the Summer Olympic Games you can still get a taste of China in your own home. Dishes, like mu shu, are extremely popular in Chinese restaurants and are not hard to replicate at home. Mu shu pork is one of the most popular Chinese recipes in the west. The dish is comprised of either deep-fried or stir-fried pork combined with fresh vegetables. Mu shu originated in northern China and was given the name as a tribute to flower blossoms from the cassia tree. But, not everyone agrees with that origin. Some … Continue reading →

Hearty Vegetarian Lasagna

This is not a dish you could easily whip up after working overtime at the office and had five hungry (an impatient) mouths to feed. It’s best made on a lazy Sunday or any other time when you have few interruptions. Despite the disclaimer I can tell you that the end result is well worth the effort. When I was first served this particular lasagna at a friend’s home in Hawaii I couldn’t believe it was vegetarian. There’s no mistaking that it lacks ground beef, but the dish was so hearty and the addition of the macadamia nuts gave it … Continue reading →

Stuffed Vegetables

These days you can find recipes for stuffed everything. From turkeys to chickens, peppers to poblanos there are few items that home cooks can’t devise a way to plump up with other zesty ingredients. In a previous blog I provided recipes for stuffed green bell peppers. The hearty and versatile vegetables are in season right now and my kitchen is overflowing with their goodness. However, peppers are not the only ingredients I have been experimenting with. I recently found a recipe for Stuffed Poblano Chilies that I finally got around to making. While stuffed chilies are not unique, what sets … Continue reading →

Heart Healthy Vegetarian Dishes

Cooking for a mother who is on a low calorie, low cholesterol diet PLUS a husband who has diabetes and needs to eat foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar can be challenging to say the least. However, it is a task that my best friend has met full on… and succeeds at in ways that never cease to amaze me. The following recipes are ones she prepares for her family on a regular basis. I had a chance to sample them during my recent visit home. Because neither one of them calls for meat they were great … Continue reading →

Roasted Veggie Enchiladas

My husband eats anything with cheese on it. It’s truly incredible. It’s as if the cheese somehow transforms the meal from “blech” to “oh la la.” I guess that’s the power of cheese. My husband also hates vegetables. In fact, he’s worse than the kids. He picks his peas out of the tuna noodle casserole while the kids happily munch on their food holistically with no sorting. So I was only too happy to find a recipe that included veggies covered in cheese. This meets the basic cheese requirement of my husband and yet still covers the basic ‘5 colors … Continue reading →