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!
At the end of the week I had a few spoonfuls of kale stem hummus and guacamole left, so you must know what I did?! Yup, I mixed the two together to make the creamiest topping to my lunchtime salad. Learn how to make a veggie filled hummus and a classic guac that will last in your fridge for days. Get your snack on!
Read MoreBefore the quarantine and an NYC food frenzy went down my pantry was lined with beans, while the bottom shelf of my storage closet had a large bowl filled with sweet potatoes for roasting. These are and always will be two of my main cooking staples. Beans were always a staple in our home,
Read MoreI didn’t quarantine shop being as my pantry is always stocked for isolation and my refrigerator is a treasure trove of wrapped veggies, greens and more. Cooking in quarantine doesn’t have to be about frozen pre-made meals or bagged snacks, it can still be about smart cooking, using ingredients a few ways and making meals last.
Read MoreTo my knowledge tourlou tourlou translates in Greek to all mixed up. I love saying tourlou tourlou. Roll your r’s and repeat tourlou tourlou as though conjuring up a most intoxicating spell. And, I suppose this rustic all vegetable stew could be likened to an intoxicating spell all its own. Vegan friendly and the perfect hearty crowd pleaser […]
Read MoreI’ve been eating a lot of beans. Shocking. I must begin these blog posts with that line at least 3x a week. And, being as my life goal is to make a bean cookbook before I die or head to some sort of after life where I pray (as much as I love beans) that I can eat more cannoli’s than beans without feeling the wrath of sugar ills and where I can drink more Negroni’s
Read MoreAs a woman who loves a bargain, I’ve translated the process I have with clothes - often times bragging to my friends that my whole outfit was purchased for $27.76 on a high fashion Old Navy day - into grocery shopping. The thrill of turning the pages of a circular and glancing at signs that read FRESH LONG ISLAND CAULIFLOWER $2.49
Read MoreGrowing up my grandmother, Aunt Jo and my own mother made a very special sauce. This sauce I write of was not just any sauce, you know, it was a cascade of vegetables perfectly cooked - never mushy - made with expert sauteing and an abundance of care. The classic family recipe has asparagus, mushrooms, tomato and zucchini and it is required that each vegetable is
Read MoreTired of hummus? Same old, same old dip? Don’t just spice it up, triple spice it up!
Fresh out of chickpeas after last weeks bean filled bonanaza, I had a can of cannellini to spare. Instead of using them in their standard Italian preparation, I took them on a new flavor journey.
Summer is coming to a close and after a trip to the market, where I spied an abundance of corn, I knew I had to make a flavor packed grain salad before the time was up. For me, NJ and LI corn are a weakness, unlike their men. I kid, I kid - and that's a whole different newsletter! Pairing corn with farro, fresh veggies, cilantro, scallions, zesty lime and smoked paprika makes for a Mediterranean meets southwestern flavor profile.
Read MorePeeling fava beans was a favorite childhood summertime cooking chore. Way better than mom asking me to get a new roll of paper towels or sending me to the corner store for bread. Splitting open a fava pod and peeling off the beans thick skin is a labor of mealtime love - it takes time, patience and must be done gingerly so as not to break apart your beans.
Read MoreMaking salsa is simple. It requires little prep, minimal tools and ingredients that are easy to come by in your grocery store. A certified crowd pleaser, great for vegetarians, vegans and even your meaty buddies (scoop this fruit salsa on a burger, shrimp or salmon) and delight everyone around your table.
Read MoreWhile everyone else is eating warm potato and macaroni salad (gulp) this July 4th, perhaps you can choose to make a side that can double as a salad or a salsa. With interchangeable ways to use these two salsa/sides, you’re guaranteed to please guests and yourself with nutrition, hydration and leftovers.
Read MoreI closed in on a quick granola for the yogurt, muffin, oatmeal and fruit topping win! And I baked some apples that were looking sad in my fridge! Most days in my kitchen, cooking is about using what I’ve got in order to survive hunger, mealtime and loneliness. Lemme not go down the emotion path and keep this on the quick cooking tip!
Read MoreThere are few things I find as warming as a bowl of soup and as comforting as pasta. I love foods that make me feel satisfied, a lot of texture, hearty and that stick to my insides. I need to stay padded for winter, you see. Grains are up on my list of foods I try to fit in a few days a week into at least one meal. From buckwheat to quinoa, cous
Read MoreI’ve just now realized it’s Halloween weekend and I’m home on a Saturday night in a solo soup slurping contest with myself. I like to keep it really real.
3 reasons to stay in, stay safe and Saturday night soup when you’re 38:
Read MoreLittle Frankie’s in NYC makes a fantastic whole roasted eggplant, served with a giant douse of oil and warm bread - the charred skinned and soft flesh of the eggplant separate; allowing the oily eggplant goodness to be spread all over a thick slice…
Read MoreWith summer officially gone, so with it goes seasonal eggplants and many of my other farm fresh favorite vegetables. The eggplant will likely be prepared in my kitchen in the coming months, clearly not locally sourced (don’t produce shame me), so I scooped up three purple beauties at a farmers market last week.
Read MoreGrilling a tray of vegetables and a few chicken cutlets on the weekend is a great way to get through lunches and weeknights, but it can also be done on the fly - taking about 10 minutes on a barbecue or on a grill pan, in your kitchen. Summer is grilling season, we all know, but when you’re not blessed with a backyard, you need to find
Read MoreMy freezer is stocked with frozen vegetables for many reasons, but the two main ones would be convenience and budget. Frozen vegetables are an economical way to stay stocked on healthy goods and they only take moments to prepare with some garlic, olive oil and - of course - love. Lately, between school, being tight on time and an income that is in constant flux, I find myself relying on the power of the freezer.
Read MoreTomorrow I head back to New York after two weeks of being in the south. I love being with and around my family, close to the beach, the smell of salt water, rainy concrete, morning bike rides with swan sightings and cranes in the distance - I think you get it. My mom still isn’t feeling herself, which worries me because life is fragile and
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