Lamb Stir-Fry with Pomegranate and Yogurt

Lamb Stir-Fry with Pomegranate and Yogurt

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Coffee with Cardamom and Cinnamon


Flavored coffee reminds me of late night stops at 7 Eleven in college to buy Gatorade and Wows. The sickly sweet smell of hazelnut flavor still makes my stomach turn. Gross.

Do it yourself flavored coffee is a different story. Mix in some fresh spices with the coffee grinds and your standard morning cup of Joe takes on a little kick.  I prefer the cardamom and cinnamon combination – mostly because I love cardamom but can’t figure out enough ways to eat it. If you take your coffee with milk, a small splash of vanilla in the heated milk is delicious too.

Ideally you’ll enjoy this cup of coffee after 7 a.m. Hear that Xavier?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Beluga Lentil Salad with Dandelion Greens and Walnuts


In case you haven’t heard me complain lately, I can’t eat anything anymore! In an effort to kick this autoimmune disease kicking around my gut, my nutritionist has cut out everything from my diet. No more rice with my curries or corn tortillas with my tacos. No more cheese, almonds or strawberries. And no more steak. Agghhh! The list goes on.

Anyways, luckily I still have that ‘love affair with lentils’ I mentioned a few years ago.  Lentils, unlike other legumes, satisfy that meaty craving I get and fill me up in a way most vegetarian meals can’t. Beluga black lentils are also just gorgeous to look at – although admire them before you cook them as they lose their caviar-like sparkle when they hit the pot.

  1.  Cook one cup of rinsed black lentils in big pot of water for 15 minutes and drain.
  2.  Sautee a big helping of cremini mushrooms in olive oil, garlic and shallots until almost cooked. Then toss in a healthy helping of greens such as dandelion or spinach. You can also just throw the greens in raw at the end for a more salad like meal.
  3. Make a mustardy vinaigrette with 2 teaspoons Dijon, 2 tablespoons vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
  4.  Toss the lentils and mushroom and greens mixture with the vinaigrette. Top with toasted walnuts (and cheese if you are lucky!) Serve with a wedge of lemon. 


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Roasted Radishes



My friend Theo went to the farmers market the other day and left me with an enormous bushel of radishes. Growing up my mom served them with ice cubes and sea salt as a refreshing snack after the beach. They were always a bit spicy as radishes are but nothing over the top. Theo's radishes, on the other hand, tasted like they were infused with habaneros. In an attempt to not waste food, I tried to eat them anyways but within seconds my mouth was on fire.  

Google to the rescue. It turns out you can roast radishes and it mellows their bite dramatically. Toss the radishes in salt, olive oil and herbs (if you have some) and roast them at 450 for 10-15 minutes. Give them a stir every five minutes or so. Roasted they maintain their radishy crunch but taste sweeter. I’m still not sure why we don’t see them like this more often!