Tina To Table

Here you’ll find everything I’m preparing in my kitchen - from veggies, to leftovers and pasta. I eat simply, and I cook for one, but love cooking for others. And no matter what, I always pause to plate pretty.

Most of my meals are often times the result of freestyle recipe free ingredient riffing and a trip to the vegetable market. Produce is my passion, and I hope that you won’t simply come here for a recipe - but that you’ll read, cook and create a new story of your own.

I believe there’s power in a stocked pantry and freezer. From traditional Italian dishes to alternative sweets, vegan and vegetarian swaps - there’s something for everyone.

Let this serve as inspiration and let’s eat!

Posts in dinner

Mexican Corn Salad

Mexican Corn Salad

This summer was my first in 3 years where I wasn’t in Oaxaca Mexico experiencing color, music, the celebration of sharing, yoga, teaching English and evening park walks in search of the perfect esquites. Esquites are, essentially, corn kernels in cup, served in a borth, showered with toppings like mayonaise, queso, spice, lime and chapulines (baby grasshoppers). They are the companion to elote, which is roasted corn on the cob that is topped with the same ingredients listed above. I have a strong preference for esquites over elote because I find corn on the cob to be a bit too messy to eat.

brunch, dinner, lunch, vegetariantina corradoSeptember 29, 2025corn, cheese, Mexican, salad

Cabbage & Rice

Cabbage & Rice

I grew up with an odd lunch box. No bologna sandwiches for me, instead, a thermos filled with lentil soup or cabbage and rice. Bottomless bowls of cabbage and rice were served in our house, weekly, and my mother snagged that meal from my grandma. The showstopper in her cabbage and rice were the delicious bits of bacon. Beans and rice are peasant food, I’m glad that I grew up eating like a peasant because eating poor never tasted so rich. American kids rarely grow up with a fondness for lentils and cabbage, but I did. Sure, I was chubby and was made fun of, relentlessly, because of my stinky lunch box – but the truth remains that I wouldn’t change a thing.

dinner, leftoverstina corradoSeptember 27, 2025rice, cabbage, bacon

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini

The zucchini harvest was plentiful in the summer and it has been this fall too. Throughout the two seasons I’ve eaten zucchinis fried and pan seared two ways — one with feta and one with ricotta. They have been enjoyed as rollatini, with pasta in an elevated mac and cheese style, and I have even made them into noodles! Suffice to say stuffing the zucchini seemed like the next brilliant dinner idea to share. Stuffed zucchini are hearty and filling but, somehow, still light. They’re a relatively simple weeknight dinner and perfect for early fall when you can start turning on your oven again without so much hesitation.

dinner, mediterranean, proteintina corradoSeptember 25, 2025zucchini, vegetables, turkey meat

An Ode To Salads: A Visual Feast + Guide to Flavor

An Ode To Salads: A Visual Feast + Guide to Flavor

Making a salad can be a creative way to start playing in the kitchen because you can easily combine flavors, test your seasoning abilities and get to know the ingredients you enjoy — or better yet — the ones you don’t enjoy. There is nothing to burn, your likelihood of cutting yourself is pretty slim unless you’re not used to wielding a knife at all and you can fish in your pantry — or stock it up — to have a creative cooking playdate with yourself. My love affair with salads runs deep. I know, I know it’s strange, but it’s true. I’ve often heard people and, yes, even my friends, say “I hate salads.”

dinner, mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, lunchtina corradoSeptember 25, 2025salad, fruit, vegetarianrecipes, healthy

Sunday Dinner: Pasta e Patate

Sunday Dinner: Pasta e Patate

We have encountered yet another Sunday at the senior center which means it’s macaroni time. Today’s meal of choice was the good old Neapolitan and childhood staple of pasta e patate, aka, pasta and potatoes. Yes, I spent the majority of my childhood eating double carbs because my grandmother made this weekly and, if I had it my way, I would have eaten it daily. Making this dish always brings up fond memories for my father, mother and brother — reminded of my grandmother’s overuse of red pepper and the way she would save the tiniest dish of leftovers and send it upstairs to our apartment for one of us kids to have as a leftover snack the following day.

dinner, mediterranean, vegan, vegetariantina corradoAugust 25, 2025pasta, potatoes

Zucchini Rollatini

Zucchini Rollatini

At every catered event in the scope of my childhood — First Holy Communions, Confirmation parties, baby showers, bridal showers and, yes, even cocktail hours at weddings — there were trays, stacked on trays, of eggplant rollatini. Why? I don’t really know, but we’re Italian and I can only surmise that our love for cheesy dishes slathered in sauce runs deep, deep like a bottomless aluminum tray filled to the brim with hot food. I can recall my brother Louis and I having in depth conversations, as kids, about whether or not there would be eggplant rollatini at a family party or on a menu — and doing the same as adults. We don’t talk much, but we do talk about food and, I guess, that’s something.

dinner, mediterranean, vegetariantina corradoAugust 19, 2025zucchini, ricotta, red sauce, marinara sauce, cheese, vegetables

Party Platter: Pickle Infused Egg Salad

Party Platter: Pickle Infused Egg Salad

Let’s face it, thinking of what to make for dinner, every night for a family, is the pits. I now understand this so truly, madly and deeply as I’ve been a full time caregiver to my parents. I’m finding it’s best to theme nights and days of the the week because, well, I think it helps me get by and it helps them too. Food has given us all something to look forward to — browsing recipes, planning the grocery list and cooking. No frill Friday’s no and no cook nights might be my favorite and, honestly, sometimes they also happen on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s — but who’s keeping track?

holiday, dinner, snacktina corradoAugust 10, 2025egg, egg salad, party platter

Pan Seared Zucchini with Feta and Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Pan Seared Zucchini with Feta and Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Zucchini are plentiful and in season late May through August. We’ve been getting our fill of them in our home — AKA “The Senior Center” — because they’re readily available at the market and they make a quick and easy side to prepare at meal time. Last summer I loved pan searing zucchini whole and serving them with whipped lemon ricotta and feta, but this season I’m finding myself drawn to combinations of sweet and savory flavors, the use of a lot more herbs and a lot of garlic — of course.

dinner, mediterranean, sides, vegetariantina corradoAugust 9, 2025zucchini, feta, herbs, lemon, honey

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

When I was working at Lifetime Television, my first real job in the big city, the office building was across the street from a Food Emporium. As a kid from Brooklyn the Food Emporium was FANCYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. I only knew Waldbaums, Key Food and Shop Rite — and every fruit and vegetable stand in Bay Ridge and on Avenue U. But I loved to go into Food Emporium on my lunch break (it was 2003, mind you) and scope out the sushi section, among many other delights that were beautifully stacked and color coded in the refrigerated “to go” section. Everything was priced way above my pay grade, every thing but one item.

dinner, vegan, vegetarian, snack, lunchtina corradoAugust 7, 2025summer rolls, vegetables, peanut sauce, Asian

Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Slaw

Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Slaw

Admittedly, I’ve been preparing pork tenderloins every other week for dinner. And, yes, I have been using the pre-marinated ones to save a step since I’m cooking every single night, but this past week we made a bodacious Costco order and scored a fair price on two beautiful, un-marinated, pork tenderloins. The part about getting a plain old piece of meat or fish is that you can play with flavors and seasoning, the scary part about that is now the cook has a responsibility to come up with a marinade.

dinner, protein, lunchtina corradoAugust 1, 2025coleslaw, cabbage, Asian, pineapple, pork, salad

Pasta with Garlic & Oil

Pasta with Garlic & Oil

Almost every Sunday, for as long as I can truly remember, we’ve eaten pasta. Heaping bowls filled with macaroni and, usually, red sauce with meatballs, ribs and sausages on the side. It’s tradition, right? Well, I mean, I think there’s room to change things up. In the summer months I find pasta with red sauce to be heavy so we’ve been opting for pesto, but we were over it.

dinnertina corradoJuly 29, 2025pasta, garlic, oil

Mediterranean Rice Salad

Mediterranean Rice Salad

With so many nights of dinner to prepare a week, I’m always trying to think of new sides and pairings to balance our plates. Most of the meals I’ve been making have been very veggie forward, with protein and some sort of starch. To be honest, I got a wee bit reliant on the good old potato in its golden and sweet form — which really isn’t a problem — but we were all growing tired of them even if we’d eaten them roasted, boiled and as an air fried french fry.

dinner, lunch, mediterranean, sidestina corradoJuly 29, 2025rice, salad

Uncle Gino's Italian Tuna Salad

Uncle Gino's Italian Tuna Salad

Uncle Gino would often prepare Italian tuna (yellowfin, canned in oil to the taste of the tuna is rich and moist — unlike a solid white albacore in water — Italian tuna is smooth, almost silky, and easy to flake) salad, nothing fancy, but my mother’s memory of it was so strong that I could hear the taste of it in her voice when she described it. I remember his cooking, watching him cook, his hugs — but my mother would not let up on this tuna salad.

mediterranean, lunch, dinnertina corradoJuly 29, 2025italian tuna, tuna, tomatoes, olives, capers

Caramelized Red Cabbage

Caramelized Red Cabbage

Cabbage gets a bad wrap for being gassy and it’s often relegated to use only for coleslaw and St. Patrick’s Day. But the red cabbage is a powerhouse of a vegetable, loaded with so many health benefits and nutrients. It packs loads of Vitamin C (great for immunity and collagen production) and Vitamin K (oh, hey, strong bones), aids in decreasing inflammation, is heart healthy and it’s also high in fiber — which is not only a benefit for our hearts but for digestion. While at my aunt and uncle’s house we’ve been preparing and eating red cabbage at least once a week alongside braised kale and collard greens.

dinner, sides, vegetariantina corradoApril 28, 2025cabbage, red cabbage, caramelized cabbage, caramelized red cabbage

Pecorino + Lemon Oven Roasted Asparagus

Pecorino + Lemon Oven Roasted Asparagus

If you’re looking for a way to add a little more green to your dinner table, look no further than the asparagus! And I’m not talking about steamed asparagus (although, I personally LOVE steamed asparagus with lots of salt, lemon and oil), but oven roasted asparagus takes about 10 minutes to prepare and really enhances the flavor profile of this lean green veggie — especially once you add a pop of lemon, garlic and pecorino romano to them.

dinner, sides, mediterranean, vegetariantina corradoApril 22, 2025vegetables, roasted vegetables, asparagus, oven roasted

Roasted Eggplant Farro Salad

Roasted Eggplant Farro Salad

When I was preparing salmon for dinner last week, I wanted to make a side that would have veggies and fiber but wasn’t a typical salad with a lettuce base. I love making creative salads, but I hadn’t made a grain salad in quite some time. I think grain salads are the perfect hearty but light offering to spring eating and, so, my aunt and I agreed on farro. Farro is a wheat based grain that has a nutty texture. It can be substituted with barley in many recipes,

dinner, mediterranean, sides, vegan, vegetariantina corradoApril 21, 2025farro, grain salad, beans, chickpeas, herbs, eggplant

Super Simple Honey, Lemon + Herbed Baked Salmon

Super Simple Honey, Lemon + Herbed Baked Salmon

Salmon is an easy weeknight meal that provides protein and heart and brain healthy OMEGA-3 fatty acids. It’s a powerful food that bakes in the oven in minutes. It’s one of those “no excuses” meals when it comes to cooking. This super simple salmon is made with a marinade that doubles as a vinaigrette for salads or steamed vegetables.

dinner, mediterranean, lunchtina corradoApril 21, 2025salmon, fish, baked fish, baked salmon, herbs, honey, lemon

Pizza Rustica: A Savory Easter Meat Pie

Pizza Rustica: A Savory Easter Meat Pie

Pizza Rustica translates to rustic pie. It’s a southern Italian savory Easter pie comprised of mixed cured meats and cheeses that are lovingly encased in buttery pie shell. If there’s anything that takes me back to the Easter Sunday’s of my past, it’s Pizza Rustica.

dinner, holiday, sidestina corradoApril 19, 2025pizza rustica, rustic pie, meat pie, meat, Easter