Tag archives: recipes
Is there a more exquisite vegetable than the Romanesco? Its geometric patterns are whimsical and, dare I say, too pretty to eat? Milliken Family Farms has this cauliflower-broccoli hybrid, and it is not only beautiful, but it is tasty and full of vitamins and nutrients. This Roman cauliflower hails from Northern Italy and has a […]
The Brussels sprout, such a unique vegetable that many have a love/hate relationship with, even appearing on the ‘most hated vegetable list’ year after year. Brussels sprouts are a bitter vegetable in the cruciferous family. Named after Brussels, Belgium, where they were first thought to be cultivated in the 16th century. The very thing that […]
The sweet potato is one of my favorite fall finds. I adore all varieties, but right now in the farmers market, there is a particularly sweet one called ‘Bonita Sweet’ and Chavez Family Farms has them! This varietal of the Japanese sweet potato is so sweet – like its name suggests – and oh so […]
This nutty little tuber may be small, but she makes up for it in personality and flavor! I found some gorgeous sunchokes this week at Mt. Olive Farm. The sunchoke or Jerusalem artichoke is nothing like the globe artichoke and is in fact a member of the sunflower family. The root is the edible part […]
The holidays are upon us and I for one am all for the sides, give me all the sides! I tend to make plant-based sides that everyone can enjoy and just not tell people that they are in fact eating vegan. It helps to serve incredibly delicious sides that surpass all your guests’ wildest dreams. […]
The mushroom is getting its due time in the spotlight right now and with just cause. This miraculous fungi, which is more of a fruit than a vegetable, is one of the coolest things we consume from nature. Not only is the mushroom incredibly nutritious, but it also plays a vital role in plant health […]
Meet the honeynut squash – the newer, cuter, more nutrient and vitamin packed cousin of the butternut squash. This squash was a creation of Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Michael Mazourek, a plant breeder at Cornell University. This honey-colored squash is easier to manage than the larger butternut, has more […]
A recent trip to the Boston area to drop off my son for his first year of college had me guessing what his future diet would be. Would he have access to the same quality, wholesome meals we prepared at home, served with warmth and love? Would he at least enjoy wholesome and nutritious meals […]
The beet, such a unique vegetable in both flavor and its vibrant colors. I’ve noticed over the many years that I have been a chef, that you either love or hate beets, and there is not much in between. For the lovers, this week is for you. I originally created this recipe for Rosh Hashanah […]
“Wow!” is all I could say when walking through the farmers market this weekend. Summer is definitely my favorite season of produce and with all of the rain we had last season, the bounty at the market is just breathtaking. Eggplant is on my mind this week… although it was a hard decision to make! […]
Zucchini, Crookneck, Pattypan, Chayote, Costata Romanesco, melons, and cucumbers… there are so many varietals of the summer squash and when they arrive, they arrive with gusto! I often find I must be so creative to use them all up. The squash family, often mistaken for a vegetable, is classified as a fruit because they have […]
I will wait all year for the perfect tomato, the not-flawless, stunning, smells-like-summer-and-tastes-like-heaven tomato. Sure you can find them year round in the grocery store, but the ones that look perfectly red and round and taste like water – why waste your time? Tomatoes, in all their summer glory, are in the farmers market as […]
Santa Barbara, it’s sunny and finally summer and all I want are cooling foods. The Farmers Market is bursting with produce, but what jumped out this week is the cucumber. Its many varietals with English, Kirby, and Persian being the ones easiest to find. They each have their specific usage but can easily be substituted […]
The Farmers Market colors are saving me during this rainy, overcast, gray June. Walking through and looking at all the bountiful produce, envisioning what I will make once I take them back to my kitchen, is saving me from a major case of June Gloom. This week my daughter and I were drawn to the […]
Broccolini – a gorgeous green hybrid blend of traditional Asian vegetable gai lan and broccoli – was created in Japan in 1993. What once was hard to come by is now a staple in the United States, and loved for its tender and sweet flavor. The long succulent stems of broccolini, along with its sweet […]
The English pea is popping up at the farmers market and I made the most divine soup out of them… I even tricked some clients by making it vegan and they were amazed! The English or garden pea is a shell pea, meaning the pod is too fibrous to eat. These gorgeous pods are not […]
Warm weather is trickling in slowly, Santa Barbara – and I am here for it! Spring in the farmers’ market is such a glorious time, crowded as it is with all the vegetables that begin popping up after our rainy months… artichokes, snap peas, fava beans, arugula, and asparagus… just to name a few. This […]
The Central Coast has some of the most amazing strawberries I have ever tasted. They are beginning to make an appearance again and I for one am so thrilled. At one of my favorite Farmers Market vendors, I asked about the crop this year and was told that many of the fields were flooded with […]
Well, it’s raining again, and all I keep thinking about is spring and all the veggies that this amazing rain will bring. I am quite ready for spring salads and color and fresh, vibrant kitchen creations. So, that’s what I am going to do this week! The soggy Farmers Market and I are on the […]
What a couple of weeks it has been in our beautiful town – rain, snow, and high winds! With the weather, I am still in the winter mode of craving warming and comforting foods and was drawn to the inconspicuous beauty of the celery root, bulbous on the bottom with bright greens on top. The […]
