Cooking Simple Foods & Drinks
Who says a lazy Sunday breakfast can’t be elegant? Add some fresh figs to your yogurt, top with granola and prepare a few Mimosas. Instead of Champagne or traditional sparkling wine I’m using Moscato d’Asti, the refreshingly sweet Italian wine. Keep any leftover wine for dessert with dinner. And for a fancy version use freshly squeezed oranges. Enjoy this Al Fresco before the weather gets colder!
Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite sides. I enjoy them so much that I wanted to make a more complex version that can be a standalone dish, or served as an appetizer or side dish. This recipe is an adaptation from foodnetwork.com. For my version I added garlic and fresh mozzarella which I feel elevate this dish to something really special, yet it still remains simple enough to put together in less than an hour.
I eat everything, so I like to mix it up and try to cook with ingredients I’ve never used. This time I experimented with organic mung bean fettuchini in place of my usual whole wheat pasta. I grew up eating mung beans so I thought why not give it a try. It’s made of only mung beans and water which give the pasta a pretty olive hue. They’re high in fiber and gluten-free for people who suffer from Celiac Disease or wheat allergies. The taste and texture may not appeal to some people as it has an obvious bean flavor and a bit of a chewy bite.
Growing up, my parents grew bitter melon in our garden in Pennsylvania, so they used it in a lot of dishes. It took me awhile to get used to the flavor as it is very bitter (hence, the name). I wondered what our neighbors thought of us because we were always outside cultivating something, and bitter melon was one of the more exotic vegetables we grew. I knew bitter melon as, Ampalaya, which is the Filipino name. It’s also popular in India where it’s referred to as Karela.
I haven’t made a cold pasta salad in a long time so I was excited to come up with a simple and healthy version. I also finally had a reason to try Vegenaise. VEGE-wha? Vegenaise is a dairy-free, eggless mayonnaise alternative. I heard about it through a few vegan friends and Gwyneth Paltrow (not my friend) saying how great it was.
During the summer you see corn everywhere, so the other day I picked up a few cobs at my local farmers market. Here’s a super easy cold corn salad recipe you can eat cold on those hot summer nights. It’s sweet, crunchy and a perfect side dish for a family picnic.