tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22993909855081928242025-11-13T11:42:07.223-08:00HEALTHY AND IRRESISTIBLE RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLDUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-17197281337262399932013-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:002013-10-13T09:10:19.039-07:00

Couscous is actually a background ingredient to this hearty and flavorful dish. Savory root vegetables, butternut squash, chickpeas and sweet caramelized shallots get dressed up with a plethora of savory, sweet and spicy ingredients that make this dish just that. Ingredients like cinnamon, star anise, paprika, turmeric, harissa and preserved lemon - all personal favorites on their own - come

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-35988124741985487162013-10-06T15:00:00.001-07:002013-10-06T15:14:16.201-07:00

It's 88 degrees here and I thought, there is no better day than today to make a big pot of piping hot vegetable soup. Actually not. This was to have been lunch last week and the poor vegetables sat in the refrigerator completely ignored while we were running around the city entertaining ourselves during Mr. SSS's chunk of free time {a career transition}.   So today I cranked up

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-49643258950153233962013-10-05T13:59:00.000-07:002013-11-25T08:58:42.675-08:00

In my humble opinion, there is nothing greater when you don't feel like cooking than heading out to your favorite restaurant. But sometimes during a hectic work week one simply can't rally the troops to get up and go and then one must take one for the team and slog it to the market. In my humble opinion, there is also nothing greater than hastily putting together a meal under the guise

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-26087046041021735742013-09-26T09:26:00.000-07:002013-09-26T09:32:23.994-07:00

Have you ever torn out a recipe from a publication half-heartedly, thinking this might be decent ... meh, maybe I'll try this someday? And then you prepare the recipe and it surpasses your expectations ten-fold? Yes, I am referring to this recipe. It was a week or so ago and I was leafing through the Saturday LA Times - yes we still receive a real, live copy of our local

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-69643352684599397232013-09-24T09:08:00.001-07:002013-09-24T09:19:08.369-07:00

Anybody who lives in Los Angeles and cares an iota about food considers the chef and restaurateur Nancy Silverton a household name. She who made her name baking {La Brea Bakery} and then proved her prowess as a savory chef {Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza-in partnership with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich}.  She has published a few cookbooks and one that I have talked about in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-34864546800484873952013-09-17T16:16:00.000-07:002013-09-17T16:18:02.653-07:00

In a bit of a hurry today but whipped this salad up for lunch as a result of creative foraging and ended up developing a dish that we enjoyed very much. I always associate sweet butternut squash and earthy sage with fall and the two together compliment each other wonderfully. It's the perfect lunch for a slightly chilly, overcast day. Originally conceived as a side dish, this salad has

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-66884972683682417522013-09-15T12:02:00.001-07:002013-09-15T12:05:05.174-07:00

Do not make these cookies if you plan on having just one while you graciously allow the rest to disappear as family and friends indulge. It just doesn't work out that way, at least not with these cookies. You'll want to have one when they are warm, minutes out of the oven. And then another one to judge whether they are good or great, and then another one because you are still not

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-75132862068100663852013-09-13T09:30:00.002-07:002013-09-13T09:52:41.553-07:00

I  love when other's share their list of favorite cookbooks and earlier this year when Louisa Shafia was promoting her new cookbook, The New Persian Kitchen, she did just that {on 101cookbooks}. First on her list was The Frog Commissary Cookbook. Curious, I did a little research and learned that the cookbook was published in 1985, authored by a team of chefs who run a popular

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-60555958965379575492013-09-09T13:24:00.000-07:002013-09-09T13:35:56.053-07:00

This rustic, Provencal casserole is a variation of confit byaldi, which is a variation of ratatouille. Be prepared to spend a bit of extra time in the kitchen with this recipe with the assurance that your efforts will be rewarded with a nutritious, robustly flavored dish. The dish is really 5 mini recipes which come together magically. Grape tomatoes are roasted with olive oil, oregano

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-37376136492412811122013-09-02T11:47:00.000-07:002013-09-03T11:49:25.082-07:00

There are countless gazpacho recipes floating around. This one is loosely based on taratar, a cold yogurt and cucumber soup from the Balkans. With an ingredient list that includes garlic, celery, green peppers, jalapeno pepper, cucumber, basil, parsley and spinach, this may be the healthiest recipe featured on Savory, Sweet and Spicy. With the addition of bread, yogurt and walnuts, it may

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-48042687288125420462013-08-30T15:55:00.000-07:002013-08-31T10:49:25.776-07:00

I recently followed a recipe for a lemon kale Caesar salad that was good but not great. And this exercise awakened that little beast in me - the one who has been attempting, off and on for 2 decades,  to create a great Caesar salad.   Bread crumbs are easy - I just dress up torn pieces of crusty French bread with olive oil and aggressive amounts for freshly ground black pepper

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-66442410826959632552013-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:002013-08-26T13:26:38.937-07:00

We need to talk about mushrooms. I have to admit that until recently they were an afterthought - thrown into an impromptu stir fry or vegetable frittata. Never taking center stage, always serving as a dedicated soldier in a robust medley of mixed vegetables.  Over the past 6 months, however, I have been in the midst of a discovery phase - uncovering recipes that allow mushrooms to serve

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-18119306686779818322013-08-22T10:22:00.000-07:002013-08-22T12:42:15.510-07:00

Tuna melts are proof that even a modest meal can be on par with a gift from above. There are countless "recipes" for this ultimate {and quintessentially American} comfort food and mine comes from a burning desire to satisfy my craving for juicy heirloom tomatoes. And my craving for Gruyere cheese. And my obsession with enhancing tuna with a  trio of fresh herbs - parsley, tarragon

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-10704160723524695582013-08-15T12:01:00.000-07:002013-08-15T12:15:49.178-07:00

Since I discovered this recipe 7 years ago, preparing mahi mahi with corn-jalapeno relish {or halibut or whatever firm-ish white fish happens to be your freshest market selection} tops my annual summer to-do list.  Let me preface my next statement with the plea that we all resist saying, where did the summer go?!  because at this juncture, let's face it, summer is 3 months

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-27726084026775828382013-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:002013-08-09T10:44:54.245-07:00

One of the reasons I love summer squash so much is that they are the perfect vegetable to stuff. When cut in half and hollowed they stand as a perfect vessel to hold whatever you care to pile in. And their delicate flesh marries well with any savory ingredient you can imagine. As a matter of fact, summer squash is a subtle vegetable, always happy to take a back seat in any recipe, present

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-65420131293182122772013-08-06T16:33:00.002-07:002013-08-09T09:38:14.482-07:00

I have been on quite a rampage lately with preserved lemons. I cannot get enough of these citrusy-salty wonders that add an edge to any dish they adorn. I've poured through my recipe collection and prepared the lion's share of recipes that call for preserved lemons - mostly those recipes found in my Ottolenghi and Moroccan cookbooks. And now I find myself in a position of needing new recipes

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-75605327953916073582013-08-03T08:54:00.000-07:002013-08-03T09:02:03.884-07:00

Until recently I had never laid a hand on polenta...although I grew up with cornmeal, which I am assuming is a cousin to polenta. Cornmeal {and a punishing but delicious quantity of cheese} is the basis of a Hungarian casserole my grandmother always prepared. It was her signature dish and I think I have talked about it before. Her sisters were unable to get the hang of it so for quite some

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-79143148625511838672013-08-02T08:45:00.000-07:002013-08-02T08:45:47.125-07:00

  Brussels sprouts. Do they make you smile or frown? For those who give them a bad rap, I think those poor souls just haven't had Brussels sprouts prepared properly. Roasting them, or pan charring them in this instance, and then mixing them with a sweet sauce is what  really makes this vegetable shine. And this dish, described as addictive by Mr SSS last night - he who

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-61907489606630795652013-07-30T10:18:00.001-07:002013-07-30T10:18:34.083-07:00

The classic Spanish dish eggs in purgatory, eggs cooked in a fragrant tomato sauce, gets a Moroccan twist here with the addition of Moroccan black olives, harissa paste and preserved lemon. It's a wonderful, slightly pungent blend of sweet, salt, citrus,and spice. You will not want to leave a stitch of egg yolk or sauce behind so be sure to have a slice of crusty white bread on hand to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-79336344653609054662013-07-29T08:23:00.000-07:002013-07-29T08:23:07.209-07:00

Don't let this bowl of couscous fool you. Yes it has onions and onions and onions and red bell pepper and even a nice dressing of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. But while it may look suspiciously like any given couscous dish you have had in the past, I promise you it does not taste like it.  This fragrant dish is amped up with four herbs - tarragon, mint,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-36353884400853261402013-07-25T08:52:00.000-07:002013-07-25T09:03:21.880-07:00

I've baked more fruit-based desserts this summer than I have my entire life. Which reveals the dirty little secret that I rarely bake and when I do it is not with fruit. But something overcame me this summer - like a giant tidal wave. Perhaps I was especially burned out on the apples and bananas {not to mention those containers of 10 whole berries that cost a mere $10} that I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-5928666262459591662013-07-24T09:41:00.000-07:002013-07-25T09:22:01.957-07:00

I made this Provencal-inspired relish last week and couldn't stop thinking about it so here I go again. I whipped up another batch last night and my memory did serve me correctly - no I will take it a step further and say this aromatic, chunky relish may serve as one of the best partners for seafood. It doesn't matter what kind of fish - last week it was salmon, this week it was halibut. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-50411890051867940572013-07-23T16:16:00.001-07:002013-07-23T16:57:16.722-07:00

If you make the green tahini sauce from this week's grilled vegetables recipe {and I hope you do because it is one of the most fabulous sauces ever invented - and I can say that without a stitch of arrogance because it is not my invention} you are going to have some left over. And I think you'll realize it is too good to toss and then you'll scratch your head thinking: what am I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-61279775519960620682013-07-22T08:27:00.002-07:002013-07-22T08:37:56.692-07:00

I wasn't looking for a chilled soup recipe. I already have a favorite gazpacho recipe {Ina Garten's} and who needs more than one chilled soup recipe in one's arsenal? Plus Mr SSS is incapable of joining the cold soup fan club. Plus there are no inhumane, oppressively hot temperatures egging me on {a high of 70 degrees yesterday, really}. But then I saw this recipe and as a red bell

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299390985508192824.post-75868420686272807642013-07-19T10:01:00.000-07:002013-07-22T08:37:31.996-07:00

Grilled vegetables are a favorite summertime staple but this recipe is all about the sauce. Tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and an alarming amount of parsley - like nothing you have ever tasted before and utterly addictive. This would also be good drizzled over a salad of quinoa, vegetables and tofu or used as a dip for crudite. But for now I am sticking with grilled vegetables.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0