Chef’s Favorites
Asian-style Chard with Mandarin Oranges, Tofu and Quinoa: Thursday, January 25, 2024
Tonight your dinner plate will feature chard. These dark leafy greens have been adopted and adapted as a food source by nearly every culture on earth.
You’ll serve it over quinoa, (pronounced “keen-wa”), an ancient grain from the Andes that is very high in protein.
This recipe also calls for Mandarin orange sections. Look for them under other aliases like Satsuma, tangerines or clementines making sure they’re the seedless variety. (You can also use canned Mandarin oranges.)
Smoked Salmon Pasta: Sunday, January 14, 2024
This kale dish is based on a favorite Hot n’ Sour Soup from a Seattle restaurant. Tonight we skip the soup part and add more vegetables, specifically kale. This cozy comfort-food version of stir-fry combines hot, savory, sweet and sour flavors with lots of texture.
As this is referred to as a Hot’n’ Sour dish, it uses cayenne pepper. The recipe calls for 1/8 tsp. to 1/4 tsp. cayenne. If you have a low tolerance for hot foods use 1/8 tsp!
Pasta with Scallops and Seared Fennel: Monday, December 11, 2023shell tacos
Pasta with Scallops (not to be confused with Scalloped Pasta which would basically be mac ‘n’ cheese) is on the menu tonight.
You’ll appreciate the lovely flavors of this seafood pasta. Small scallops (or bay scallops) are paired with seared fennel and green peas. The pasta dish gets a little motherly love, as it’s tossed with a lemony Aglio e Olio sauce.
Stroganoff with Red Cabbage, Tuesday, February 20, 2024
History suggests that this main course dish was designed by a French Chef in the employ of a wealthy Russian family in the 1890’s. It is thought that the thin strips of meat were part of the meal design because the head of the household had bad teeth. The guy with bad teeth is long gone but this recipe is a classic.
We’re adding a German version of Red Cabbage or Rotkohl (pronounced “wrote coal”) to round out this meal. Delicious food is one example of how cultures can happily come together.
Greens ‘n” Beans with Seared Corn Salsa: Monday, November 22, 2024
Terrific flavors abound tonight as you treat your body well before the upcoming Thanksgiving Feast. A plate of greens is served with pinto beans, seared corn and tomato salsa. It is served over a bed of nutritious bulgur and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving! However, eating nutritiously before the holiday just helps me love it even more.
Greens, Beans and Polenta with Mango Salsa: Wednesday, January 4, 2022
It’s said that the Roman Legions lived on polenta. Use this ancient, cooked dish tonight as a base for your dinner of greens. The finish of homemade low-sodium mango salsa really tops this plate off with a flourish.
Making polenta takes no more time than cooking rice and It’s worth every second. And, you’ll have leftover polenta to use later in the week.