Posts in lunch
Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine

A few months ago I made quiche lorraine for my aunt and uncle. I also attempted to make the quiche crust from scratch which, I have to admit, was worth it. While it was more work to make the quiche crust, instead of seeking the help of my friend Marie Calendar, the crust was so very light, delicate and a perfect pairing to the richness (hello bacon and gruyere) of the quiche lorraine. I love quiche because it can be 1) made ahead 2) frozen after it’s been cooked 3) reheated, eaten and used at a later date. I like having quiche in the house for quick lunches, easy dinners and weekend brunch — pair it with a salad or a simple homemade soup and you have yourself a full meal.

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brunch, breakfast, lunch, leftoverstina corradoquiche, eggs, cheese, bacon, dough
Grandma's Baked (and better than fried) Chicken
Grandma's Baked (and better than fried) Chicken

My grandmother had a few hallmark recipes, ones that were so memorable I can still taste them by simply closing my eyes and picturing myself in her Brooklyn basement apartment. My food memories are so real that they don’t even hold a specific space in time, they’re just always there, for better or for worse, but I’ll save the sad stories for another time — the binging, hiding food and eating in secret. The way grandma prepared chicken thighs and legs was unparalleled to anyone else.

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dinner, mediterranean, protein, vegan, lunchtina corradochicken, chicken thighs, chicken legs, herbs, breadcrumbs, baked chicken
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.

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brunch, dinner, lunch, vegetariantina corradocorn, cheese, Mexican, salad
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.”

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dinner, mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, lunchtina corradosalad, fruit, vegetarianrecipes, healthy
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.

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dinner, vegan, vegetarian, snack, lunchtina corradosummer 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.

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dinner, protein, lunchtina corradocoleslaw, cabbage, Asian, pineapple, pork, salad
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.

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dinner, lunch, mediterranean, sidestina corradorice, 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.

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mediterranean, lunch, dinnertina corradoitalian tuna, tuna, tomatoes, olives, capers
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.

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dinner, mediterranean, lunchtina corradosalmon, fish, baked fish, baked salmon, herbs, honey, lemon
Caramelized Onions
Caramelized Onions

I’m dedicating a specific post to caramelized onions because, well, I consider them to be essential to so many delicious dishes prepared in the kitchen. From eggs to quiches, burgers and grilled cheeses, chicken dishes and even a salad — caramelized onions can take the flavor profile of any dish and raise it to the next level. I promise. The secret to jammy, thick and rich caramelized onions? Patience and high quality balsamic vinegar, a secret weapon that is used for deglazing the pan and can even speed up cooking time because the acid helps to break down the onions.

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breakfast, dinner, lunch, sidestina corradoonions, caramelized onions
Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli

Few things remind me of childhood, my grandmother’s cooking and when my father used to cook, then a big, piping hot pot of fagioli. Growing up, beans were a staple in our home and they still are. Beans are a hearty, inexpensive, healthy and warming food — a food we ate 1 to 2 times a week no matter the season. I was that kid who looked forward to opening a lunch thermos full of beans and pasta, a bit odd, sure, maybe, but my love of cooking and eating, was born from watching the people I love cook their hearts out in the kitchen.

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dinner, vegetarian, lunch, mediterraneantina corradobeans, pasta, soup, vegetables, vegetarian, vegetarian recipes
Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Crispy Kale & Cheddar Quiche
Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Crispy Kale & Cheddar Quiche

I know, I know. This is the L O N G E S T quiche name ever! BUT it’s worth saying 10 times fast and it’s certainly worth making too. My auntie recently had a hip replacement and, well with my shoulder coming along with healing, I thought it would be a smart idea to have a quiche or two in the house to heat up for easy weeknight meals. So, if you’re looking for a make-ahead meal idea, look no further than the fully loaded, elegant and tasty quiche.

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brunch, dinner, lunchtina corradoquiche, eggs, vegetables, kale, onions, caramelized onions, butternut squash, vegetarian
Imam Bayildi, Turkish Stuffed Eggplant
Imam Bayildi, Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

At a local Greek restaurant in Astoria, Queens, sitting in their hot steam table, prepared and ready to order, they had an eggplant dish called “Imam.” I would often order the stuffed eggplant when I went to the restaurant and on days where I was too tired to cook and, so, I’d pick it up as take-out fare. Imam is bathed in onions, tomatoes and herbs and, best of all, slick with oil. I’d often approach the steam table at the restaurant intent on ordering something different

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dinner, lunch, vegetarian, vegan, mediterraneantina corradoeggplant, tomatoes, meatless, roasted vegetables
Split Pea Soup Memories
Split Pea Soup Memories

And just when I would hit my hunger wall, Dad must have hit his too. He would pull into the parking lot at Petrina’s Diner and it was then that I knew, soon enough, that I would be sated. Why? Saturday was split pea soup day at Petrina’s, and I could taste a cup, or a bowl of pea soup the moment we pulled into that parking lot. As my dad effortlessly rolled the Voyager into a diagonal lined parking space, that was it, I began salivating. My mom, dad and myself, would sit - us 3 - at small table in the center of the diner. I wouldn’t have to withstand mean comments about my weight from my grandfather; we simply ate our prized bowls of Petrina’s pea soup in a silence that was peaceful and holy.

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dinner, lunchtina corradosoup, peasoup, veggies, vegetables, easymeals, easyrecipes, family, astoria, recipe, dinner
Pistachio + Pecan Crusted Salmon
Pistachio + Pecan Crusted Salmon

I eat salmon at least once a week. Personally, I enjoy it baked in the oven with lemon, salt, pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil. Done. But the men in my life are my muses when it comes to thinking a little bit more creatively about salmon preparation. Thank you Uncle Al and Dad, your picky palates and love for sauces, marinades and crusts inspired this weeknight meal. The combined use of a marinade and crumble on the salmon created a sweet, salty and buttery finish to every bite of fish.

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dinner, lunchtina corradosalmon, fish, baked fish
Turkey Soup For The Soul
Turkey Soup For The Soul

A few days after Thanksgiving, there was a turkey carcass sitting in a plastic bag, on the bottom shelf of the 2nd refrigerator in my aunt and uncle’s basement. I opened the door and heard it whisper “Use me. I will make you the most tasty and delicious bowl of soup.” And, so it was. And, so it was true. I removed the turkey carcass from the plastic bag, cleaned out her cavity so there were no more stuffing remains, trimming some fat and gelatinous bits.

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dinner, lunch, leftoverstina corradoturkey, soup, vegetables, poultry
Dad's Potato Pie
Dad's Potato Pie

When I was growing up there were a few things that my father cooked that were completely unforgettable. Although my mother did the majority of the cooking, when my father participated his signatures were pizza, calzones, stromboli, Sunday sauce, fried eggplant, pasta with beans, incredible ham and cheese omelettes, mind blowing sandwiches and potato pie. Potato pie was often made on a Sunday and served when mom made roast beef or a piece of meat, on the rare occasions that we didn’t have pasta.

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dinner, leftovers, lunchtina corradopotatoes, pie
Pan Seared Zucchini with Whipped Lemon Ricotta & Feta
Pan Seared Zucchini with Whipped Lemon Ricotta & Feta

Somehow, at the end of every summer, I end up with an ABUNDANCE of zucchinis in the house. In the month of August, zucchinis are plentiful and inexpensive, hence the attractiveness of overbuying. Sure, I might not be buying much clothing or home goods any more, but somehow overbuying something is still in the addiction cards. I guess it could be worse than zucchini. The seniors in the house love zucchini, but I wanted to do more than pan fry, roast or grill it to serve it as a side or over pasta.

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sides, lunch, dinnertina corradozucchini, ricotta, lemon, fresh, light meals, vegetables, feta