I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge and decided to turn it into a cheesy, crisp, easy vegetarian dinner. I cooked the cauliflower in the microwave oven, mashed it and added the other ingredients. Then I finished the dish under the broiler and dinner was ready in 10 minutes.

A Tomato Onion Salad completes the meal.

HELPFUL HINTS:

The ...Read more

Here’s an easy weeknight meal. Just assemble the ingredients and let the oven do the rest. I cut the pork tenderloin into small streaks and placed them on a sheet pan with baby kale and butternut squash. It all bakes for 10 minutes.

A big help is that you can buy butternut squash cubes ready made in the produce section of the market. I added...Read more

Chicken Korma is an exotic, South Asian dish with a creamy sauce with aromatic spices. It’s a comforting meal that can take several hours to make. I love the flavors but wanted to make it for a weeknight meal. Here’s a simple version that captures the flavors without the hours of marinating and slow cooking. Once the ingredients are ...Read more

Here’s a Mexican version of chimichurri sauce. It’s a mixture of parsley and cilantro or sometimes the Mexican version uses parsley and oregano. It differs from the Latin favorite made with parsley, garlic, red pepper, oil and vinegar which is used throughout South America on steaks and chicken or other grilled meat. This Mexican sauce is ...Read more

One of my favorite dishes at a local Chinese restaurant is Singapore Noodles. It’s made with shrimp and rice noodles that have a light curry flavor and a yellow hue. I was surprised to learn that the dish is not from Singapore, but an American version found in many Chinese American restaurants.

The addition of crisp vegetables adds great ...Read more

Here’s a tasty, vegetarian, comfort-food recipe that will please your family. This is a variation from Eggplant Parmesan using meaty portobello mushrooms. I used provolone cheese instead of mozzarella for added flavor. It melts beautifully.

The recipe is made in a skillet and then the cheese is melted for a couple of minutes under the ...Read more

A rich, creamy sauce coats vegetables and pork chops for this one-pan dinner. I used bone-in thin-cut pork chops for this dinner. The bone adds extra flavor to the sauce and thin-cut chops take only a few minutes to cook.

Sliced red cabbage, mushrooms and shallots “smother” the chops adding flavor and texture to the dish. I like ...Read more

I noticed Japanese Butter Shoyu Chicken on a restaurant menu recently and decided to learn more about it. Shoyu means soy in Japanese. Adding butter to the soy sauce adds a rich and creamy flavor and texture.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe. I flattened boneless, skinless chicken thighs to about 1/2 inch thick, so the dish takes less than 10 ...Read more

For a simple, refreshing summer dinner, I decided to serve a Greek salad with salmon sauteed in an olive oil, lemon and garlic sauce. Fresh oregano gave a burst of flavor to the sauce.

A secret to keeping the salmon juicy and flaky is to under cook it a little leaving the inside a little translucent. The salmon will continue to cook in its own...Read more

I used pork, fresh peach slices, red bell pepper and almonds for a variety of tastes and textures in this summer supper. It’s a treat when ripe, juicy peaches are in season. In fact, August is national peach month. The sweet peach slices provide a contrasting sweet flavor to the tangy dressing.

Some peach tips:

How to pick a ripe one: ...Read more

Here’s a simple and flavorful sandwich supper idea. I decided to add za’atar seasoning to my chicken salad to give it a Mediterranean twist and used the salad in a sandwich.

Za'atar, a spice mixture popular in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, typically includes dried oregano, thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. You can also find it in jars...Read more

I had a light and refreshing salad bowl dinner at a friend’s home and decided to make one at home during these warm days. I used quinoa as the base for a vegetarian meal.

Quinoa is an ancient grain originating in the mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It’s also considered a complete protein, which means that it contains all nine of the ...Read more

Sometimes on a busy evening it’s great to have a quick hand-held meal that you can just pick up and eat. Here’s a burrito that can be made in minutes or in the morning for the evening.

Salsas adds a kick. Use a mild or strong one. The heat is up to you.

The tortillas should be warmed before they are filled. Place tortillas on paper towels ...Read more

I was thinking about making a light summer salad and saw a caprese salad made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. I decided to combine tomatoes and cheese with spaghetti to make a vegetarian pasta salad.

The juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and fragrant basil made a great accompaniment for the spaghetti in this quick and easy dinner. You can...Read more