Tag: Easy recipes

Back to School, Back to Reality…

IMG_3042Saying that the last few weeks were anything but a whirlwind would be understating the current state of affairs. There has been no time to sit down and think about much, let alone form a plan for my weekly posts. The good thing of all this business is that many of my projects include cooking. In fact, lots of cooking and also lots of cookbook reviewing along with many cooks that are much better than I am. And best of all, it’s for a good cause and gives me the chance to learn, and in turn share delicious recipes, great cookbook ideas and much more with all of you. Here is to a great fall together. Come and cook with us!

A group of excellent chefs – and mothers at my kids’ school – have been tasked to select cookbooks for sale at a school book fair. Honestly, I haven’t seen that many great cookbooks in a while. From grilling, vegan, vegetarian, Southern, chicken, citrus, genius, GF, baking, GF baking, Peruvian, Mexican and Lebanese. It’s enlightening to see how hard it is to differentiate yourself in such a busy market coming up with great dishes across the board. What is in it for my readers? After picking the books we like, we’ll select dishes, test them and I’ll pass them along if they are quick, easy, colorful and, most importantly, delicious! And they will all be from the latest crop of fabulous cookbooks! What’s there not to like.

In the meantime, get back on track. It’s time to think about falling back into a routine that works for you and your family. If you had great ideas over the summer, now is the time to try to implement a few new habits. Because no matter how busy I am, I and we all strive for balance. Whether planning and cooking ahead for a week of meals or rather throwing together a dish based on what’s in our pantry, it’s all about finding what is right for me, you and our families. New dishes, recipes, cooking approaches only work if they are aligned with what we want and need, so let’s think about what is important to us and then give it a try. For instance, for me fall means a new CSA subscription (Bloomfield Organics is my new favorite in the Bay Area). It fills me with anticipation and forces me to be creative and try something I haven’t done in a while. Yesterday’s box was packed with chards, kale, baby lettuces, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and crunchy apples. In fact, I can see a chard gratin in my near future…

And above all, keep it fun and simple. Roasted new potatoes, colorful tomatoes with some burrata, a fresh pesto, roasted cauliflower or a greek salad. These are all easy choices that will add a punch of freshness and color to your table. It’s so well versed that it seems almost too obvious to state: shop what’s in season and it will help us find the balance on and off our dinner table. Or at least it will help us appreciate what mother nature is bringing us, every month, every season, every year. Come and cook with us!

Chia Seed Muffins Worth Baking

IMG_1350Let’s just say that there are days when I crave these muffins.  They are not just plain old muffins. They are special. When we lived back in New York city, a particularly hard stretch would be rewarded with one of these Chia Seed Muffins from Le Pain Quotidien. They have that dense, flavorful chocolatey and not too sweet taste that is just right for me. After some research – and testing – I finally found what I think are the most divine muffins that there are. Come and cook with us!

I have to preface this week’s recipe with the fact that these delicious muffins are not gluten free. They use whole wheat pastry flour that has less gluten than bread or regular flour, but are still not gluten free. For a GF variety, a ready-to-use GF flour mix such as King Arthur GF Flour or Cup 4 Cup GF flour are all great alternatives that still make this muffins a total success.

Let me know what you think of these Chia Seed Muffins. Finally, I don’t have to bribe my husband to bring me a few whenever he is visiting a city that has a Le Pain Quotidien. Instead, I can bake my own. And now you can, too! Come and cook with us!

Chia Seed Muffins

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Simple Beef Pot Roast à la Omi

IMG_1344Whenever I am fortunate enough to visit with my grandmother Omi, she is usually either in her store selling screws, nails and door-knobs or at the stove. Either way, the conversation will always steer towards her lunch plans and more often than not, she has a pot-roast braising in the kitchen. This isn’t necessarily a warm-weather-type of meal, unless you live in the Dolomites where it is generally always on the cooler side, but it is great, fast and delicious and I wanted to share it as my Omi’s quintessential meal. Come and cook with us!

We love any recipe that doesn’t take too much active involvement, so this simple pot roast is ideal when you want a real meal and have the time to prepare it a few hours in advance. You don’t have to stay there and nurse it the whole time, although checking on the liquid level is a good idea. Alternatively, you can transfer the whole affair into a slow-cooker and you’re golden. As with many meat dishes, browning the seasoned roast on all side is key to get that delicious umami flavor: it’s called the Maillard reaction. This doesn’t really “seal in the juices”, although that sounds like a great strategy. Instead, it creates those complex flavor compounds that make browned meat taste so delicious.

The type of cut that is used for this dish is not high end, so think chuck, round or brisket with lots of connective tissue that will tenderize the meat and make it succulent. If at all possible, buy the organic grass-fed variety, thereby opting for quality vs. quantity, which is always a good strategy when it comes to food.

A pot-roast is a beautiful thing and I hope you will find the opportunity to give this dish a try. Come and cook with us!

Beef Post Roast

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Cheering for Cherries

_DSC0546I can hardly believe that we’re already in June. That means the school year is coming to an end, June gloom is dictating the temperatures in SF and, of course, it’s cherry season! The farmer’s market stands are crowded with all kinds of stone fruits including peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots and cherries. Get your filling while it lasts. As far as I’m concerned, I can’t have enough cherries. The best way to eat these little juicy gems is probably right off the tree or at least by popping them into your mouth and letting the sweetness run down your chin. However, if you want to eat cherries in a more mannered way, and without messing up your clothes, we suggest you try this estival quinoa salad. Who says you can’t dress a fruit salad. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Cheering for Cherries”

Wellness: From the Inside Out

IMG_0335When it comes to the blog, we most often focus on the How to cook. Sometimes, we also want to talk about the Why. Last week, I attended a wellness workshop held at The Hivery in Sausalito and conceived by Mill Valley’s very own Juice Girl, Melora Johnson. The panel included Dr. Josefa Rangel, an Integrative doctor with a practice in Marin, Jason Way, a Naturopathic Doctor in Mill Valley, and Clean Eat Nutrition, run by Eris Cushner and Sandrine Ghosh, two nutritionists. The interactive panel discussion offered ideas, recipes and information on promoting wellness from the inside out. Here are my key take-aways. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Wellness: From the Inside Out”