Posts tagged healthy eating
LENTIL SOUP || ALL THE WAYS

Hello! How is everyone doing this side of the ball drop? We are good—healthy, which feels like a small miracle. Feeling more playful (also miraculous—levity always is). And still experiencing the same waves of energy that have categorized the last two pandemic years.

The good news: there are recipes specifically made for this kind of cycle; Fall-back recipes that are always nourishing and delicious, that flex beautifully with ambition yet offer ease, when needed. Like today.

One such recipe—Red Lentil Dal— is the very thing I cook most often; the soup that is on our table once a week in any season, and any year—certainly the last three. It’s everything you need it to be, every time.

Read More
FLAWLESS (+ EASY!) FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

In early December, I start cataloguing all the gorgeous things I will bake—our annual Yule Log and epic gingerbread projects, three-tiered Christmas cakes with wrinkly chocolate bark up the sides—bookmarking recipes and instagram posts in files labeled CHRISTMAS BAKES that dates back a decade deep.

My sister and I send these things back and forth to each other with notes like “this one?” or “sooo pretty—let’s try this!” And then, as the days get closer simply “if we had to choose just one thing, would this one be it?”

By the time we actually all arrive home, just days before Christmas, the agenda is big and the days short, not to mention that there are presents to wrap, plus 18 mouths to feed three times a day. In short, sometimes ambitious baking projects don’t make the cut. But this cake? This always makes the cut.

Read More
RADICCHIO WITH FETA, PISTACHIOS AND SALTED HONEY

Hi friends! Happy December. I’m about to shower you with a half-dozen new cookie recipes in the next two weeks, so how about a palate cleanser before we begin?

We spent thanksgiving this year with dear friends who hail from California and Spain, and our menu was tapas style—croquettas and Spanish tortilla, Jamón and Manchego, along with pickled mushrooms, homemade focaccia, confited turkey and many shaved salads (like this one). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, shaved bitter salads are the unsung hero of holidays meals, so I’m sharing another with you, from Food52’s latest book, Big Little Recipes, by Emma Laperruque.

The genius of this salad is in its simplicity—radicchio, feta, pistachios and honey—just five (yes five!!) ingredients. In short: EASY. There’s always time to make this salad, even amidst the business (and busy-ness) of holidays.

Read More
BITTER GREENS SALAD WITH CITRUS AND HAZELNUTS

And so it begins, a five month-addiction to citrus fruits that starts just shy of thanksgiving and doesn’t end until the snow thaws. I’ll be finding little orange-hued peels on side tables and radiators and under the couch until I’m filled with deep regret…except breaking the habit for my kids means no more succulent little snacks at my desk-side, either. So I’ll keep buying—rather hoarding them—by the bushelful.

Citrus is a winter game changer—between meals, certainly, but at them, too. They are single-handedly responsible for keeping salads on our table even when my body craves warm, filling foods. Because a little citrus-laced salad, actually, is the thing that makes warm, filling foods that much more delicious. Take Thanksgiving….

Read More
MAHI MAHI KEBABS WITH AVOCADO PESTO AND HERBS

When it comes to making dinner, there’s a fundamental difference between the way I meal plan, and how my mother did. I make whatever I’m craving right now (and what doesn’t require a trip to the store), my mom made what she knew everyone would eat--without complaining, and zero cajoling. 1980’s moms didn’t have time for cajoling, which meant our family meals were a fluid rotation of Cashew Chicken, Baked Meatloaf, or Thick-Cut Pork Chops with Corn and Mashed Potatoes. There were also kebabs—-all kinds of kebabs: Pork kebabs, chicken kebabs, veggie kebabs--anything that could go on a stick, mom put on a stick, because mom knew that kebabs were the Holy Grail of family food.

Read More
LATE SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH CORN, ZUCCHINI AND KALE

The seasons are blending and it’s my favorite time of year—almost. Except this year there is anxiety. Worry about how it will all work, about children at home for months on end, about keeping all of the balls in the air.

But this much I know—there is corn and zucchini and tomatoes still in the market. In the orchards, branches sag, laden with blushy apples and almost-ripe-pears. Nature reminds us: where we see lack or even fear (what if, what if…)—look a layer deeper and we see that there is plenty. Abundance. Simple gifts.

As we grasp for summer sunshine and our favorite tattered sweater— in equal measure—it is time to make soup. More specifically, this soup.

Read More
TURKISH EGGS WITH GARLICKY YOGURT

I’ve been leaning on old habits this summer-like simple, satisfying, eggs-as-hero meals. Turkish eggs--a spicy poached egg dish over garlicky yogurt- is a recipe I first learned when I was single, living in the east village in NYC (where Turkish restaurants abound) and often cooking for one. A good creamy-yolked egg is always incredible, but especially when you pair it with a garlicky, dill-forward yogurt (called Cacik). Instead of poaching, I quick- fry my eggs in butter and oil, and top them with whatever baby greens we have on hand, fresh feta, and Aleppo pepper.

Since more is more for me on flavor these days, sometimes I keep going with chile sauce or crushed red peppers steeped in brown butter, to drizzle over the top. This is great served warm, or at room temperature--for breakfast, lunch or even dinner, with a plate of flatbread, pita or warmed naan.

Read More
WHIPPED FETA WITH PLUM, TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD

Last summer, on my quick spin around the West Coast touring my then-new book, Every Day is Saturday, I had dinner with my old friends Sue Vu and Ben Mims in LA, during Ben’s first month as the new Food Editor at the Los Angeles Times. It was one of those late-night, multi-course meals that’s an extreme rarity for me these days--ever since we moved to the stix and had a second kiddo. We had a beautiful table facing a sea of youthful faces and the energy in the room was electric. It felt like magic, as did almost everything we ate that night.

Midway through the meal the waiter brought out a small plate layered with whipped feta, and piled high with crispy, blistered wild mushrooms. It blew our mind. Whipped Feta—we all said in unison. Why didn’t we think of that?

Read More
MELON, RICOTTA AND SNAP PEA SALAD WITH GREEN APPLE AND CHILES

It’s rained a lot the last few weeks, and the only upside of that is forced incubation (movies! baking!) and juicer melons. Cantaloupe, or muskmelon as my mom called it, and any such variety like French Cavaillon melon—are right up there for me with watermelon (and if you know me at all, you know watermelon always tops my charts).

András has been working long days all of July, and Greta has been invited on some outdoor play dates with friends in our Covid pod, leaving me and Mátyás to spend copious amounts of solo time together. After 6,972 hours at home alone, I have to keep reinventing things to keep it special—for me, and for him. Mátyás is not a good solo player, so it’s hard to find space to garden, create, cook, shoot and style on my own—things I crave—unless I give him a cartoon. So several days this week I did exactly that. It’s amazing what a half hour in the garden with a melon, a handful of green things and a single slab of cracked limestone that transports me to Italy, or Hungary—can do for the soul.

Read More
PEACHES WITH BURRATA, PROSCIUTTO AND FRESH HERBS

Few things say summer to me like fresh, juicy peaches. When it's this hot and cooking is off the table, this simple combination of peaches, burrata, and prosciutto is the perfect lunch or twilight dinner fix. You hardly need a recipe for something so simple and intuitive, but I thought I’d share how we make it, with a little visual inspiration for maximizing peak summer.

Read More
GRILLED CORN, TOMATO AND AVOCADO PASTA SALAD

We didn’t eat a lot of pasta growing up. We were a straight up meat and potatoes family, but come summer, my mom would make cold pasta salad—usually corkscrew pasta with halved cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, and basil— that accompanied us to the pool for evening swims, to neighborhood potlucks and to our best friend’s annual Fourth of July party, where it would mingle with grilled burgers, magic bars and root beer.

I loved this salad, and yet, I have never had it since. I have also never made it for my kids, even though my kids LOVE pasta. So this week I gave it a go, with a quick toss up with slightly elevated ingredients from the garden, plus creamy California Avocados, a cheekier noodle (ditalini) and some Parmesan on top.

Read More
BACON, EGG AND AVOCADO TOAST WITH TURMERIC DRIZZLE

Welp, my kids both told me this week that they’re becoming Pescatarian. It’s not surprising, really—fish is our family’s common ground. It’s the only animal protein my husband eats (after 20 + years as a strict vegetarian), and therefore what I make, mostly. Except bacon. My kids LOVE bacon and come summer, I like an occasional piece, too.

If it were going to be my last piece of bacon for a while, this toast is a good way to go out.

Read More
AVOCADO HUMMUS PLATTER

We have been big on dip meals the last few weeks, mostly because we need easy right now, and within the confines of the few people we can actually share food with, the sense of community and revelry feels extra good.

This is a new favorite—avocado hummus, creamier and more forgiving than standard hummus (which we try to love, but my kids are actually so-so on). It starts with a perfectly ripe California avocado (just in time for California avocado month!) and the secret ingredient—a tablespoon or two of sour cream. Put it on a platter and garnish with all the toppings —cherry tomatoes, feta, fancy radishes, herbs if you have them--plus homemade or store bought pita chips for scooping.

Read More
BLACKBERRY-BANANA-SMASH ICE CREAM

The world is a challenging place right now. There is a lot of sorrow, but also a lot of momentum and love and support for Black Life Matters. Hearts are opening. Minds are changing. Love is growing.

Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, perhaps, because there is a lot of turmoil too. A lot of sad stories being shared. A lot of violence. A lot that is hard to understand, for little people, certainly, but for big people, too. But still, love is growing.

So what does that have to do with ice cream? Well….

READ ON FOR THE RECIPE

Read More
GREEN CURRY WITH SPRING VEGETABLES AND AVOCADO

I love a top-it-your-way bowl, it could be rice or noodles, dal or curry--anything that invites you to bring it in the topping department. There’s been a lot of that going on here this spring, since it’s always up in the air what we can get our hands on, and a blooming bunch of broccolini or a handful of fresh radishes can be a visual game changer.

There’s one thing I almost always want on my bowl meal--any time of year: a ripe avocado. The rest is open for interpretation, but for me, it’s this satisfying creamy finish that makes me feel full.

Read More
AVOCADO CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY CHICKPEAS

My sister, Jenny, lives on an avocado grove outside of San Diego, and when we visit her, breakfasts look something like this: a just-picked ripe avocado with a dash of lime juice, a soft tortilla and a few slices of her oranges from the trees around back. I’m not going to lie, quarantine in Upstate New York isn’t terrible, but I’m pretty sure Californians have it best right now…

Read More
THE FAMILY WAFFLE // (LIGHT-AS-AIR, GLUTEN-FREE CHIA WAFFLES)

Growing up, waffles were a special-occasion treat, the kind of breakfast that made my mom sigh (waffle iron, batter spills, over-sugared kids) and my dad smile with glee (strawberries, whipped cream, truly living). In this way, my marriage is similar: I am for a simpler, saner, healthier morning. András is for waffles. Always for waffles.

Read More
A PORRIDGE PRIMER: PART II (MORE TOPPINGS)

Have you been porridge-ing since I last wrote you (here)? I hope so. As promised I wanted to keep your porridge bowls at their most nourishing best with more porridge topping ideas. These don’t have to be complicated, for fussy.

One way I keep porridge topping fun and easy for everyone involved is to set up a quickie, DIY-porridge topping bar for my family twice a week. It may include my all-purpose-porridge topper (basically, stewed frozen fruits in pure maple syrup. Ratios are here), or a small tray lined with jars of honey, granola, jam, preserves, peanut/almond/pumpkin seed butter, apple butter and the like.

Read More
WINTER MINESTRONE (+ A DYNAMITE, ALL-PURPOSE SOUP TOPPER)

am not someone who makes pasta—or even craves it— very often. But every time I go to our favorite local grocer, I’m lured in by the pretty packages of over-the-top pasta shapes: Long, leggy noodles, big, chunky Tufoli, and lace-edged riginette or tripoline. Usually, I buy a package of some dreamy, only in Italy feeling shape, and then store it in little bit of empty space above the fridge (there’s never room in my pantry) dreaming and scheming for weeks about what it will become before I ever crack into it.

Such is the case for these extra fat Rigatoni, which yes, would make an excellent homemade mac-and-cheese, but for me, were calling: SOUP! A minestrone was in order. Chunky, warming, nutritious.

Read More
A PORRIDGE PRIMER: HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH PORRIDGE

I’ve been wanting to talk to you about porridge for a long, long time. Like many years. It wasn’t cool to talk about porridge until fairly recently, which is fine, because I never found the time anyway, but here’s the thing: Porridge—be it millet or oats or hot cereal or polenta, rice porridge or the like, is one of the simplest, most satisfying meals on the planet. It’s also incredibly easy to top and completely blow your kid’s minds (or your own) with a new and beautiful bowl any winter morning.

Read More