Edamame Risotto with Cilantro/Lime Pesto: Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Our meal tonight starts with rice, an ancient food of the Arabs and Spaniards. It was later adapted in the kitchens of Italy to become Arborio rice.
With Arborio rice in hand, we’ll make risotto. We’ll fold additional cultures into the meal as well. Mediterranean and North-African countries contribute to the plate with the use of a cilantro/lime pesto. The protein in the dish comes from edamame beans with roots in East Asia.
Hang out your United Nations flags and enjoy!
Asian-style Chard with Mandarin Oranges, Tofu and Quinoa: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Tonight your dinner plate will feature chard. These dark leafy greens have been adopted and adapted as a food source by nearly every culture on earth.
You’ll serve it over quinoa, (pronounced “keen-wa”), an ancient grain from the Andes that is very high in protein.
This recipe also calls for Mandarin orange sections. Look for them under other aliases like Satsuma, tangerines or clementines making sure they’re the seedless variety. (You can also use canned Mandarin oranges.)
Smoked Salmon Pasta: Sunday, January 12, 2025
It’s time for one of my favorite pasta dishes. This easy-to-assemble smoked salmon pasta features snow (or snap) peas and mushrooms with a delicious creamy basil pesto sauce. It’s topped with chopped fresh tomatoes to bring out the fresh flavors.
Pasta with Scallops and Seared Fennel: Monday, December 11, 2023shell tacos
Pasta with Scallops (not to be confused with Scalloped Pasta which would basically be mac ‘n’ cheese) is on the menu tonight.
You’ll appreciate the lovely flavors of this seafood pasta. Small scallops (or bay scallops) are paired with seared fennel and green peas. The pasta dish gets a little motherly love, as it’s tossed with a lemony Aglio e Olio sauce.
Dark Greens with Pear , Toasted Pecans and Gorgonzola: Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Let’s highlight some seasonal fruit again. Pears are still in season so use ‘em while you can. Kale’s a great choice for this meal, but if you’d prefer, chard is always available.
We’ll add umami* with some toasted pecans and a sprinkle of Gorgonzola. The greens and pear are arranged over nutritious quinoa with Chickenless Tenders. Oh Mamma!
Stroganoff with Red Cabbage, Tuesday, February 20, 2024
History suggests that this main course dish was designed by a French Chef in the employ of a wealthy Russian family in the 1890’s. It is thought that the thin strips of meat were part of the meal design because the head of the household had bad teeth. The guy with bad teeth is long gone but this recipe is a classic.
We’re adding a German version of Red Cabbage or Rotkohl (pronounced “wrote coal”) to round out this meal. Delicious food is one example of how cultures can happily come together.