Try your hand at arepas -- easy-to-make savory Venezuelan corn cakes -- and you will want to serve them with everything! A few years ago, when I was in New York on the book tour for Food Swap, I met a lovely young woman named Mercedes, who was orginally from Venezuela. As we chatted, I asked Mercedes about arepas, a savory corn cake that I ...
Raspberry Rose Semolina Cake
Shavuot is known as the Festival of Roses: celebrate this joyous occasion and the coming of summer with this stunning Raspberry Rose Semolina Cake. Coming fifty days after Passover, Shavuot, which means “weeks” in Hebrew, commemorates the day God gave the Torah, including the Ten Commandments, to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. This ...
Spring Risotto with Asparagus, Peas & Mint
Spring veggies like asparagus and peas shine in this delicate risotto flavored with lemon and mint. Recipes abound for asparagus risotto and with good reason. The delicate flavor of fresh, seasonal asparagus pops against the muted canvas of mild, creamy Arborio rice. A squeeze of lemon, a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a handful of ...
Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde
A piquant and savory chicken chili verde with poblano peppers and tomatillos. So quick and easy to put together in your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. I think tomatillos are among the most underappreciated vegetables. Well, technically they are fruits, but that is not why they are underappreciated. People mistakenly think they are ...
Mango Margaritas for Cinco de Mayo
Easy, homemade margaritas with fresh lime juice and a delicious mango puree are all you need to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home! Although I am not much of a mixologist, I think there is a very strong case for making margaritas at home. Unlike some cocktails, which require multiple bottles of pricey spirits, a margarita only really requires ...
Instant Pot Malva Pudding Cakes
Use your Instant Pot to make this to-die-for malva pudding, a dense, spongy, caramelized cake of South African origin served with a brown sugar cream sauce. The name is weird. There is no denying it. Malva pudding. Is it named after a person, like pavlova? Or does it refer to the dessert's unique spongy texture? A South African dessert of ...
Key Lime Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
A smooth-as-silk Key lime cheesecake with a crust made of crushed gingersnaps for a hint of spice! A perfect addition to your Shavuot celebration. The next Jewish holiday after Passover is Shavuot, which commerates when Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai. This year Shavuot begins at sundown on May 19. It is a very happy occasion, as you ...
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Mexican restaurant-style rice is a perfect side dish for all your Mexican-inspired meals and it comes together so quickly using the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. You know how when you go to your favorite Mexican restaurant and, no matter what you actually order, the meal always seems to include a side of flavorful, red-hued ...
Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cake
Whether it is Passover or you avoid gluten all year long, this flourless chocolate cake with Mexican spices is the perfect special occasion gluten-free dessert. Is it still Passover? Don't we deserve a treat for making it this far into an eight-day-long holiday? How about a kosher-for-Passover flourless chocolate cake? That will make up for ...
Red Pepper and Egg Matzo Galettes
A tasty and quick vegetarian Passover lunch or dinner: red pepper and egg matzo galettes are ready in under an hour! One of the most overlooked aspects of Passover is how long it lasts. Days after the seder has been eaten, the dishes done, and the dining room put back together, you still have to come up with three meals a day that are kosher ...
Pavlova with Mango Curd
A dreamy kosher-for-Passover dessert: a light, airy pavlova filled with tart mango curd and fresh berries! Easy to make dairy-free. Put away that matzo meal! Once again, I am bringing you a kosher-for-Passover dessert that doesn't suffer from a lack of wheat because it never had wheat to begin with. Today, we are learning how to make a ...
Preserved Lemon Chicken with Almonds and Figs
A Sephardic-inspired main course that is elegant enough for a Passover seder, but easy enough to make any night of the week. For full recipe, see Valley Fig Growers blog. One of the first fruits to be cultivated by people, figs are as meaningful and symbolic as they are sweet and delicious. Jews consider figs to be particularly holy because ...
Teff Crepe Cake for Passover
A gluten-free crepe cake made with teff flour is a show-stopping dessert for your Passover seder or any occasion! You can do this, I promise! Once I figured out how to make kosher-for-Passover crêpes using teff flour, it was only a matter of time before I created a recipe for a kosher-for-Passover crêpe cake, right? If you are not ...
Coconut, Lime & White Chocolate Pudding
A tropical island-inspired, gluten-free dessert for Passover or any occasion! White chocolate pudding made with coconut milk and flavored with lime and ginger. In December, I posted a Mexican Chocolate Pudding made with coconut milk - inspired by a recipe from Chicago chef Bill Kim - that was both gluten-free and vegan. I speculated that ...
Baked Artichokes with Matzo Farfel
When Passover falls in early spring, highlight one of the season's best vegetables: artichokes. These matzo farfel-stuffed baked artichokes would be a worthy addition to any seder menu. With the first seder on March 30, Passover comes early this year. If a rabbi were here right now, he or she would say: "Actually, Passover is the same date ...
Gluten-Free Chocolate Teff Crepes for Passover
A very special Passover breakfast or elegant Seder dessert: chocolate crepes made with teff flour! When it comes to Passover desserts, my favorite flour is not the dreaded matzo cake meal, which makes everything dense and leaden. It's teff flour. What’s teff? An ancient grain native to eastern Africa, teff is most familiar to Americans as ...
Farro Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
A fresh and colorful grain salad with a balance of sweet, tart, salty and herbaceous notes. Works as a side dish, an easy lunch or a winning potluck offering. I'm teaching a class at the Chicago Botanic Gardens this weekend on how to make and use preserved lemons. Each student will make a jar of preserved lemons to take home and then I will ...
Blueberry Rhubarb Pie for Pi Day
I'm pretending it's summer with a blueberry rhubarb pie made with all frozen fruit! Just in time for March 14 or Pi Day! I'm so happy it's finally March and the end of winter is in sight. I'm fast-forwarding to summer in my kitchen, however, with this blueberry rhubarb (or bluebarb) pie. I made it using local fruit from last summer that I ...
Belize with Kids
Looking for a convenient, tropical, family-friendly destination where English is the native language and you can find adventure around every corner? That's Belize. Grab your piece of the jewel! Over the winter holiday, my family ventured to Belize, a tiny Central American nation east of Guatemala and south of Mexico, for a week of sun and ...
Savory Hamantaschen with Lamb Filling
This Purim, serve hamantaschen for dinner. These savory hamantaschen have a Moroccan-inspired lamb filling and are served with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Next week brings the Jewish festival of Purim, a carnival holiday where people are encouraged to dress in costume and make merry. Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from ...
Butternut Squash Soup Shooters
A fun way to entertain or serve a crowd this winter: butternut squash soup shooters! The school where JR takes his music lessons -- a place that is like a second home to him -- recently hosted its annual fundraiser to raise money for its scholarship fund and for the regional housing center. The event featured live music, beer pours from ...
Noodles with Cabbage and Poppy Seeds
Classic eastern European comfort food: homemade egg noodles tossed with braised cabbage and poppy seeds. A perfect vegetarian dinner to honor Queen Esther this Purim. The Jewish festival of Purim begins at sundown on Wednesday February 28. Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from a murderous plot and therefore is a ...
Spiced Parsnip Cake with Maple Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
Move over, carrot cake. This parsnip cake is moist and spicy and topped with an irresistible maple ginger cream cheese frosting. Oh yes, parsnip cake is most definitely a thing! I love the idea of using fruit in savory dishes and vegetables in sweet dishes. You know, just to confound expectations. It's way more interesting to put cherries ...
Strawberry Papaya Smoothie
A healthy tropical fruit smoothie with sweet, nutritious papaya. Perfect for breakfast, a post-workout energy booster or an anytime healthy snack! January is typically a time to focus on healthy eating. Whether it is one of your new year's resolutions or you are simply trying to reset after a holiday season filled with indulgence, the start ...
Three Cheese IPA Soup Shooters from Food on Tap
Don't just serve beer at your Super Bowl party; put beer in the food! Like these cheddar-and-beer soup shooters from the new book Food on Tap: Cooking with Craft Beer by Lori Rice. Cheese and beer are two necessary components of a good Super Bowl party. That much goes without saying. You could just make a really nice cheese plate and serve ...