Have you ever cooked with Chinese Long Beans instead of regular green beans? They are actually part of the same plant family as the black-eyed pea, but look more like very long green beans and hold up better under high heat, making them perfect for stir fries. You can buy Chinese Long Beans in Asian […]
Meatless
Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella
Eggplant: Love It or Leave It? Which eggplant camp are you in? I love eggplant, but I know many people don’t share my enthusiasm for this stunning purple nightshade. Most objections to eggplant are usually about texture or bitterness. But when eggplant is treated right, it’s creamy and earthy—a superstar in dips as well as […]
Super Bowl Party: 7-Layer Mediterranean Dip
I’m late to the party and it has a lot to do with the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) and Super Bowl falling on the same weekend. Considering we were just in Shanghai, it seemed more pertinent (and interesting) especially since hub’s team, the New England Patriots, put up a good fight but eventually […]
Chinese New Year – Snow Pea and Radish Stir Fry
Festivities for the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, or Tet if you’re Vietnamese, begin two weeks prior to the official day. As you can imagine, there are many traditions involved in a centuries old celebration. Many old school traditions are still observed, but “thanks to a nearly 50-year Communist-mandated freeze, […]
Blueberry Quinoa Salad – Is It A Winner?
The availability of blueberries year round is fast becoming another fantastic benefit of the global economy – and one that contributes to our health and well being considering the nutritional powerhouse that blueberries are. It’s because of the demand for this antioxidant-rich super food that North American highbush blueberry acreage has increased by +55% in […]
Autumn Apple, Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad
Apples = Autumn to me. The signs are everywhere – the days are cooler, evening settles in sooner, and kids are back in school. It must be apple season. One of the earliest cultivated fruits, the apple has come a long way from its crabapple-like ancestors. Careful cultivation has transformed those original small, sour apples into large, […]
Butternut Squash GF Pizza and a #PizzaParty
Does your family do a Friday night or Game Day Pizza Party? It’s a fun way to end a hectic week and have an all-ages party to welcome the weekend. Make our buy pizza dough, have a spread of all the fixin’s and get everyone in the kitchen making their own pizza. I do this […]
Winning Quinoa Recipes
As a big fan of quinoa and an advocate of sustainability, fair trade and supporting local farmers, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the winners of Alter Eco’s Quinoa Recipe Contest. To celebrate the International Year of Quinoa (who knew!), Alter Eco invited aspiring chefs from across the country to share their […]
Purple Power: Eggplant, Hatch Chile and Roasted Tomatoes
Eat the colors of the rainbow, super foods are not limited to green, yellow, orange, and red. But also, the cooler colors of the rainbow: blue and purple. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and the same compounds that put blueberries on the healthy map as a superfood are what make make purple vegetables like eggplant […]
Obsessed with Chiles: Quinoa Stuffed Chile Rellenos
My obsession with chile rellenos lives on – it is how I measure every Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Southwestern restaurant that offers the dish on their menu, and if they don’t – shame on them! When I return from a trip, within a day or two my car finds its way to Great Mex in Costa […]