Friday Night Slice: Pineapple + Jalapeños = Pineapeño

No one has really committed to Spring yet. We’re still in the rainy season and our grill remains bundled up, still in its winter slumber, but this week's Friday Night Slice is one you can make today and carry into the summer barbecue season. I can’t say I know exactly where this one came from. Was it a craving for island breezes and sunshine? Or just a passing thought about the pepperoni and jalapeño from Pizza Port? Maybe both. This week’s slice is a vegetarian pizza I’m calling a Pineapeño.

ByMichelleMarch 28, 20143Comments

Cooking Recipes

Beet Mine, Valentine

We all know Valentine's is designed to sell roses, heart-shaped candy and chocolates. The beet board really needs to get in on this action. Why not tell someone how much you care with a naturally red food? With Valentine's falling on a Friday you aren't limited to a just salad or dessert. Plan for breakfast…

ByMichelleFebruary 12, 20141Comment

Entertaining Recipes

Recovering from a Long Week…with Beets with Yogurt and Za’atar

Wolf was down in California finishing off Triathalon season over the weekend and I was back at the ranch prepping for the long week ahead. Food-wise, it was a hodge-podge, though I did cook Friday night after living off of enchilada casserole all week. It felt good to get back in the kitchen on Saturday morning and do something that didn't involve sitting in front of a computer. Kneading dough for pita bread and running some errands did me some good. But then that pita really needed something to go along with. Hummus? Mmm, ok, but maybe something else?

ByMichelleSeptember 15, 20134Comments

Appetizers Main Course Recipes

Back-to-School Black Bean & Sweet Potato Empanadas

The hand pie may be one of the world’s best food creations. Whether it’s a piroshky, a Pop Tart, a beerock or an empanada, the idea of tucking something sweet or savory into a little pocket of dough is an idea embraced by food cultures the world over. It’s an easy way to have a snack or a meal on the go with relatively minimal mess, which makes these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Empanadas perfect for back-to-school and back-to-work lunch boxes. (I know, I don’t want to think about it, either, and I don’t have kids).

ByMichelleAugust 5, 20131Comment

Book Reviews Recipes Side Dishes

Pretty Good Number One Inspires Asparagus and Tofu with Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette

Last weekend, I finished reading Matthew Amster-Burton's Pretty Good Number One, a travelogue slash memoir slash love letter to Japanese food. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, it's a book I'm sad to say I missed getting on board with, but I've now done my part by putting down $4.99 on Amazon. More on the book…

ByMichelleApril 21, 20130Comments

Main Course Recipes

It’s a (pre)Taco Tuesday Taste-Off

Hold the phone, is this seriously a post for tacos? Are you trying to tell me there’s some grand secret for browning some ground beef in a skillet, adding some spices and then piling it into a crunchy store-bought shell with lettuce, cheese and salsa? Look closer, my friend. That there taco isn’t a standard issue Taco Bell remake. So what gives? It's a pre-Taco Tuesday Taste-Off.

ByMichelleApril 14, 20132Comments

Recipes Side Dishes

Bhutan Red Rice with Chickpeas & Currants

The other night I decided what to make for dinner around 5 o’clock. For someone who likes having a plan, that was late. A bag of chickpeas was thawing the in the fridge, so I made half a batch of hummus and then had to do something with the rest. Flipping to the index in the Jerusalem cookbook there it was, Basmati and Wild Rice with Chickpeas, Currants and Herbs. I went to the cupboard. No wild rice. Just as well, I wasn’t gonna wait around for 45 minutes for it to cook anyway. Currants? Check. Herbs? Well, cilantro. Close enough. Time to riff.

ByMichelleApril 9, 20131Comment

Dessert

Zoku Popsicle Maker: Banana Date Shake

After spending a long winter in the deep freeze, it’s about time to dust off the ol’ Zoku popsicle maker. If like me, you’re not quite ready to go blending up those beautiful strawberries for a taste of spring, there is another flavor that can put you in mind of sunshine and take you right out to the desert. Dates. And in this case, we’re talkin’ about a Banana Date Shake Zoku pop.

ByMichelleApril 7, 20130Comments

Dessert

Lemon Pudding with Coconut Oat Crumble

I’m half Japanese, so tofu has been part of my diet from the get-go. But it was walled off in savory recipes – stir fries, doused with shoyu and green onions, bobbing around in miso soup. Never in sweets. Never. When tofu ice creams came on the scene, I wrinkled my nose. I could eat dairy no problem, why would I eat tofu ice cream? Fast forward to this past November, when I went in for a blood test and came out with slightly elevated cholesterol levels. I wasn’t in the danger zone, but it sure gets you thinking about what you’re eating, especially when you thought you were doing pretty well. It’s gotten me to consider things I never would have before, like this lemon pudding with coconut oat crumble.

ByMichelleApril 1, 20131Comment

Cooking Main Course Recipes

Chicken Black Bean Quinoa Bake

This week kicked my butt. I knew it was coming, but it still owned me. Knowing the days would be long, before work I was either making couscous and farro and prepping vegetables or getting my workout in. Two dinners this week were salads -- whipped together variations of chicken, spinach, some grain or other, and whatever citrus or dried fruit was in the pantry. One night I managed to sauté some chicken and roast cauliflower, but by Thursday, I had no ideas, so Wolf brought home a Costco pizza. Then Friday, I was on my own. With no grocery shopping happening either, a can of black beans saved me. I made Can You Stay for Dinner's black bean quinoa burgers. It turned out to be the genesis of something bigger – a chicken, black bean and quinoa bake.

ByMichelleMarch 24, 20138Comments