Hearts of Palm Salad

Hearts of Palm Salad with lime and lemon juice, olive oil, tomatoes and cucumber. This is a delicious brunch salad with the addition of chopped boiled eggs

Here’s a simple marinated hearts of palm salad to satisfy all of your tangy salad desires. Hearts of palm are sold in cans, jars, and even these bag things at Trader Joe’s. They are literally the boiled insides of a type of palm tree and they taste a little like bamboo shoots. So if you…

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Roasted Fennel and Peppers

5-ingredient roasted fennel and peppers makes a healthy, simple side dish or rustic pasta sauce

Here’s a recipe my husband would really hate! But I love it and I just ate an entire pan of it for lunch by myself with my bare hands like a vegetarian werewolf. Roasted fennel and peppers, to me, brings out the best of both vegetables. Assuming you like both vegetables to begin with. My husband…

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Sesame Cole Slaw

A simple, sweet and sour sesame coleslaw. This no-mayo slaw is similar to the Salt Lick recipe but a little easier to make at home

I would love to call this Salt Lick coleslaw, since it is quite similar and Salt Lick coleslaw is one of my favorites (it’s actually so good, it’s worth the 45 minute drive from Austin any ol’ day) but the original Salt Lick coleslaw recipe is already online and I could never get it to…

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Broccoli with Mint Pesto

Seared broccoli with mint and peanut pesto

There’s a restaurant we go to often: it’s four blocks away, has a good menu and great bartenders. I get a lot of inspiration from their specials menu, actually. (These portobello mushroom tacos, for example.) And a few weeks ago tried something described as “broccoli with mint pesto and pine nut gremolata” which sounds pretty…

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Bean and Quinoa Salad

vegan bean and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette, brussels sprouts, carrots and herbs - great side or main-dish salad. Keeps several days in the fridge!

‘Round here, this is called bean-oa salad, but you can call it bean and quinoa salad if you’re not a major dork like me. My friend Fifi came over for lunch this week and I hadn’t seen her in a while so I wanted to make something special and pretty. She’s vegetarian (check out her…

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Caponata Salad

Caponata salad is a marinated roasted vegetables salad with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and a little sweetness from dried currants

Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant recipe, served warm, with a sweet and sour thing going on between some balsamic vinegar and raisins. This caponata salad got its name because when I was mixing it up, it smelled just like the singular time I made caponata (the Joy of Cooking recipe I think) for a party…

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Instant Pot Chorizo Beans

instant pot chorizo beans

You can make these beans in an Instant Pot or in a regular pot. I’ve had my Instant Pot for over a year but only in the last couple months have I been using it regularly. I have a hard time learning new technology — yes I realize that it’s super lame to describe an…

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Pickled Red Onions

Quick pickled red onions with lime juice, salt, oregano and jalapeños makes a simple taco condiment

These quick pickled red onions — cebollas curtidos — are a simple little Mexican condiment often seen on picadillo or other meaty tacos (chunky beef tacos anyone?). They’re also very complimentary to fried foods like fish and chips or as an accent on a cheese plate. Hell, even stick some in a microwaveable burrito. Really…

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Garlic Green Beans

garlic green beans

My favorite way to cook summer green beans: with buttloads of garlic, cooked two ways! This garlic green beans uses the “professional chef” method of cooking green beans, meaning we blanch them first then sear in a skillet. I like this method for a couple of reasons: The texture of the green beans is a little…

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