Avocado with soy-garlic dressing

Cut one ripe avocado into bite-sized chunks, then gently toss with about 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 clove minced garlic, and about ½ tsp microplaned ginger. Drizzle with about ½ tsp toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with a tsp of toasted sesame seeds. We served this with cooked rice and roasted seaweed. This recipe is… Continue reading Avocado with soy-garlic dressing

Balsamic roasted mixed berries

Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1 lb (16 oz) strawberries, halved or quartered with 6 oz each blueberries and raspberries in a 9x13 baking dish. Toss with 2 Tbsp white sugar and 2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (a 2:1 ratio of regular balsamic and fruit-infused white balsamic), then oven-roast for 30 mins, stirring once midway. Serve… Continue reading Balsamic roasted mixed berries

Greek braised green beans (fasolakia ladera)

Heat a large Dutch oven, add about 2 Tbsp olive oil, then add 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped and seeded mild pepper (here, an Anaheim pepper). When wilted, add 2 lbs green beans (trimmed and cut into thin strips), sprinkle with ½ tsp salt, cover, and cook on medium heat until the beans turn… Continue reading Greek braised green beans (fasolakia ladera)

Italian bucatini with chicken sausage and bell peppers

We tried this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bucatini-with-sausage-and-peppers-56389445 We used spicy chicken sausage instead of sweet turkey. At first, we found the sauce a bit too thin, but we later realized that this is intentional so that the bucatini can soak up the sauce. We also recommend preparing the sauce in a Dutch oven, since the cooked pasta… Continue reading Italian bucatini with chicken sausage and bell peppers

Concord grape cornmeal cake

We used ½ lb (about 1 cup, halved and seeded) Korean grapes, a hybrid of Concord grapes, for this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/concord-grape-cornmeal-cake-51122620 We also used 1% milk and white vinegar in lieu of buttermilk, following these guidelines: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757 (Sept. 2016)