Flavors of my childhood were the inspiration of today’s breakfast. Fruits and tahini (sesame butter) were a treat that I always had at my grandma’s house. Since my detox period began three weeks ago, I’ve been restricted from eating any kind of grain (among a very long list of foods) except brown rice. So, I’ve been experimenting a lot. This …
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Greens, Artichokes and Pomegranate
Hey friends. Didn’t mean to stay away for so long. Life has been a bit hectic, in a good way. Things are changing, morphing, and I like change. It keeps me focused and makes my brain a bit more creative. In other news, I am two weeks into a 3-months (as I was assured by Dr. S) detox period …
Braised Lamb Shanks with Root Veggies and a Concussion in my Sleep!
Lately I have been admiring the spontaneity and unpredictability of Life. Whether on a worldly level or my own microcosm, I’m fascinated how quickly something can turn. And this feeling accentuates a million times with children. It’s not a bad feeling, it just is. A sense of the unknown around the corner, it keeps me entertained to say the least. …
A refreshing start – Peppery Carrot Apple Beet Juice
Welcome 2011! I’m excited that you’re here, new projects to start, new goals to set and new friends to make. I’m not the “making resolutions” kind of person, but I do like to begin the year with a new guiding thought, an on-going theme for the year that will help me stay on track. For this new year, Fearless is …
Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Chanterelle Confit
December. Absolutely my favorite month of the year (well that and June, my birthday month). Love everything about it and the cold weather too. Just more reasons to bake and cook, as if I needed anymore. And that brings me to: confit n. a piece of meat cooked in its own fat. The Levantine version of confit is made with …
Apple Jam with Walnuts and Mastic
I woke up one day recently and realized that I had turned into my mother. Staring at a 50lb box of apples, scratching my head as to what to do with them. I clearly remember our kitchen as a child being covered with boxes of fruits at the end of the season, and seeing my mother chop, peel and preserve …
A Childhood Snack – Pomegranate Salad
I have never met a pomegranate I didn’t love, then eat. It’s the fruit that I wait for from year to year. I even wonder why it’s not available other times during the year like all the other fruits. For me, it feels like home. There was a pomegranate tree just outside my bedroom window in my parents’ house …
A warming Lentil Squash Soup
Phew! I’m back. It’s been a busy two weeks with lots of birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies and much more. We just celebrated my husband and two kids’ birthdays all within seven days. Now I really need a warm bowl of soup to relax with. The weather is colder, the air is crisper and I can’t get enough of squash/pumpkin flavors. …
Roasted Cauliflower and Tomato Salad
Cauliflower has to be the most under-appreciated of vegetables. Its bland flavor doesn’t appeal to many people, although it has a very high nutritional density = a very healthy food. Aside from cooking the florets in a stew or boiling them (which I am not a fan of), frying them turns them golden brown and delicious. I’m not afraid of …
Pumpkin Apple Smoothie
I have realized one thing over the years. The closer I get to the source of the food, the closer I want to be. We are blessed in Raleigh, NC to have a year-round-seven-day state farmer’s market. It’s gigantic and dynamic. The bounty changes with the season, farmers rotate based on specialties and we love all of it. It’s been …