You guys, it’s almost laughable how long it takes me to come up with names for my recipes. And mind you, it involves ZERO research. Yeah, pathetic. I don’t look up SEO or anything. I just go with old-school brainstorming. Saying stuff out loud until I like it. Hilarious. And I think this name works for this salad. West Coast Cobb Salad. Rolls off the tongue, right? 🙂 But it truly was inspired by love of the good old Pacific Northwest. Read on for more details!
Time. If there’s one thing I hear from you is that you don’t have enough time to cook. I get it. I’m always wondering how the day slips by so quickly. But here’s what else I know, you actually DO have time to cook. Hear me out! It’s not the amount of time you have that’s the issue, it’s what you choose to do with it. Read on and grab my recipe for these time-conscious Weeknight Chicken Burgers!
Listen, things are busy around here, so I’m not going to write a long-winded post. For some reason I feel you’re not sad about that. And honestly, I’m cool with that. I simply want to bring you this awesome recipe so that you have it in time for the holidays. So here it is, my recipe Easy Roasted Root Vegetables!
So, yeah, I created a t-shirt. Nope, make that TWO t-shirts. Why? Well, simply because I thought it would be super fun. I thought there couldn’t be anything more awesome than celebrating my love of tacos and my little sous chef!
Does it seem like I only make dessert recipes these days? Why, oh why am I making these Candy Bar Cupcakes? I’ll fill you in a little secret…it’s because I’ve eaten too many tacos!
Hold onto your seats! I’ve busted out my slow cooker and delicious, easy-to-make food is in your future! I’m combining the goodness of BBQ and beer in this recipe and I think you’ll want to add this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken to your “favorites.” Read on to get the recipe!
There’s this fun part of my job where I write a special section in Eating Well Magazine, called “Nosh – Just Tell Me What To Eat.” And I love writing it. Each issue the fabulous Breana Lai, sends forth a specific challenge. This month’s challenge? To create a super tasty 1,500 calorie Vegan meal plan. Challenge accepted!
Strawberries are a delicious, nutritious treat, but now that they have moved up on the “Dirty Dozen” list, what should you do?
Strawberries recently moved up on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list. Just what does that mean for you? Read my article on Parents.com to learn just what prompted the changes and what you can do! Hint, don’t worry, you can still safely enjoy strawberries!
Click here for the full story on Parents.com. Don’t forget to check out the EWG website to see the complete and updated Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Lists.
What’s that you say? You need a Meatless Monday recipe for tonight? Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. Head on over to The Cutting Board Blog and check out my latest, completely vegetarian, Thai Salad Bowl recipe. It’s so satisfying you won’t even miss the meat!
I remember my first encounter with ramps (no, not the kind you drive or walk on, that wouldn’t be a very nutritious topic), it was during my culinary externship. Everyone in the kitchen was out-of-their minds excited about a shipment of ramps that were arriving shortly. I, of course, pretended to be “in” on the ramp excitement. Nodding my head and grinning, acting like I was a ramp expert. No way was I going to let these guys know I didn’t know what a ramp was! The buzzing in the kitchen was escalating and pens and notepads were taken out and millions of ramp recipes were created. The whole time I kept thinking, “all of this excitement for a vegetable!?” I couldn’t wait to see what this stuff was! It had to be amazing. When it arrived, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. All of that clamoring over this thing that looked like a lost cousin to a green onion? Seemed crazy to me. Well, then I got a lesson. Because one of those chefs figured me out and immediately gave me a solid education on ramps. Then, because he was a good guy, he showed me how to cook it and then, magically, I got it! Thank goodness!
With my new appreciation of ramps, I can now say that I look forward to their arrival at the local farmer’s market. That’s because they are the indication that Spring has officially arrived. These delicious little vegetables are members of the allium family (along with onions, garlic, scallions, etc) and are wild-harvested, meaning they aren’t cultivated like most crops. Magnifying their desirability is the fact that they are only available for a short window of time during April and early May. This is why you’ll see them scooped up as soon as they’re set on the table at the market. They look a little bit like green onions, but you’ll know they’re ramps because of their distinctive flat leaves and burgundy stems. As for taste, these little guys pack a strong flavor. It’s a bold, almost wild taste of onion and garlic. While they can be eaten raw, many people prefer it cooked, which eliminates some of that piquant taste. My favorite way to eat them is to toss them lightly with olive oil, salt and black pepper and then grill them. Easy and delicious! Serve them as a side dish to any meal or chop and add to salads or pasta.
Oh yes, you are wondering about the nutritional value, aren’t you? Of course! Well, let’s just say they are loaded with Vitamin A (eat the leaves to get this powerful antioxidant) as well as Vitamin K, folate, iron and manganese. And you can be sure there are other disease-fighting phytochemicals in there too.
You’ve got a few more weeks until ramps arrive, so get your recipes ready!
