Described as a new-age diner, Toast Kitchen + Bakery specializes in comfort food with a twist. It’s mostly a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, but currently the eatery is offering “happy hour,” open until 7 PM for early evening meals. Green Tea Soba Noodles were the focus of the video that executive chef-co-owner John Park recently taped with me. Colorful…
Hatch White Chili – A One-Bowl Meal With Pizzazz
Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, UncategorizedFresh Hatch chilies are available a few short weeks each year, in August and September. These delicious chilies are from the Mesilla Valley in New Mexico, they have thick walls with flavorful flesh – use them fresh or roasted – then peeled, seeded, and if you like, frozen. One of my favorite ways to use them, is to spike a…
Stir-Fried Noodles – Team with Shredded Cabbage and Kinda’ Whatever
Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, RecipesA straightforward home-cooked Asian-themed noodle dish is so darn enjoyable. Recipe is only a blueprint. Feel free to sub different cooked meat (cooked turkey or pork is delicious), or opt to include a veg such as finely diced carrots or small pieces of fresh asparagus. Stir-fried noodles, with their semi-firm bite and springy personality, team deliciously with shredded cabbage. I…
Green Bean Salad That Boasts Taste and Good-For-You Nutrients
Cookbooks, Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, Uncategorized, VideosIt’s been a few years since my third book was published, but the topic seems even more relevant today. The “50 Best Plants on the Planet” focuses on the world’s most nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite recipes from the book is the green bean and tomato salad mounded atop watercress or mixed baby greens. Watercress serves…
Fresh Corn Pilaf – a Luscious, Easy-to-Make Taste of Summer
Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, Uncategorized, VideosThe versatility of pilaf makes it a welcome dish in a cook’s repertoire. Because it can be supplemented with a wide variety of vegetables, it’s a delicious way to use up produce that you have on hand. Diced carrots and celery; slivers of fresh fennel and diced zucchini; diced bell peppers and green onions; thinly sliced green beans and green…
Mixed organic cherry tomatoes are the focal point of this delicious pasta, showcasing an assortment of flavorful bite-sized wonders in an herbaceous, colorful pasta sauce. The mix provides a welcome balance of flavors. Red tomatoes have more sugar than acid. Orange and yellow tomatoes are less acidic and milder. Black and purples have umami and earthiness. Warning: Don’t substitute grape…
Here’s an easy dish that will get you back into easy entertaining at home! Fish en Papillote! Dramatic? Yes. Delicious? You bet. Cooking en papillote creates dishes that dazzle. And they are easy to prepare, perfect for post-pandemic dinners at home with friends. It’s the classic French technique that bakes ingredients sealed in a parchment-paper pouch. Each parcel contains one…
My kumquat trees are full of fruit. Well, let me clarify. Two trees have fruit; one lazy producer has one lonely kumquat. I devote most of my tree-growing dirt in my tiny yard to this vibrant fruit because I love the alluring attitude that they lend to dishes. Eating them raw out of hand doesn’t have the appeal that they…