So who's planning to start the year with some healthy eating? You too? Well I guess we're all in the same boat here. Good news, I've got the most delicious salad I've ever made to share with you today. Y'know how some people say that diet food doesn't taste good? Well. That isn't true. And I'm going to prove it to you as soon as you taste this salad. Let's first step back so I can tell you what it's like to live in my head. It was about 2 in the morning and I was finally drifting off to sleep. Sadly for me, this is the time of day when I often have my best ideas. (Does this happen to anyone else?!) So there I am in bed, and I have this super cool idea. What would happen, I wonder, if I … [Read more...]
Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing
Here's something you should know about me. I don't really like carrots. Not raw ones anyway. Here's something else I should tell you. I despise ginger. Especially fresh ginger. One more thing. I love carrot-ginger dressing. Seriously love it. Always have. I first tasted this dressing, like many people did, at a local Japanese restaurant. I'm pretty sure the house salad came with the entree. Oddly enough, I remember nothing about the meal but the "free" salad. Maybe that's because my mother is an amazing cook, and has an even better palate. She has this magical way of tasting something at a restaurant, closing her eyes and tasting all of the components, then going home and recreating it. … [Read more...]
Pomegranate and Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Giveaway Closed! A couple of weeks ago my friend Leah was super nice and stopped by my office with a salad she had picked up for me at a nearby restaurant . (Friends bring you ice cream. Real friends bring you salad. Everyone knows that.) The restaurant had called it a tropical salad. It has lettuce, apple and mango, and a delicious dressing. I immediately began thinking of how I would recreate it. Then the folks over at Pom Wonderful were kind enough to send me a couple of bottles of pomegranate juice, and I immediately knew I would be making the pomegranate version of this salad. Seriously, the pomegranate juice is kinda like magic when making a salad … [Read more...]
Creamy Basil Dip
Tonight's post is going to be a short one, mostly because I spent the night writing up my next magazine column, and I am all written out. Also, I was sick in bed today with a cold, so I don't have much energy for writing, but I wanted to share this amazing recipe with you while there's still fresh basil in the grocery stores. My family loves dill dip, but I can't stand dill (shocking, right?) so I decided to make a dip out of my favorite herb instead. Enter creamy basil dip. Remember how I love basil? Well this is like pesto on steroids. Delicious. Dip your veggies in this, spread it on a cracker, or use it as a salad dressing. Either way, you can't go wrong. Creamy Basil … [Read more...]
Dairy Free Basil Pesto
I love basil. If you've been reading this blog for a while, this shouldn't be news to you. I have posted quite a few recipes that use basil in them. My friend even guest posted a recipe with lots of basil in it. And there are so many more times that I reach for the basil, whether dried, frozen of fresh, and somehow these recipes don't all make it to the blog. Obviously, homemade basil pesto is pretty much the epitome of a basil lover's favorite foods. I know that people get all adventurous with pesto, they use arugula, kale and other greens. And they experiment with walnuts, pistachio nuts and various other nuts. But I am a purist. A basil pesto lover. And while I knowthat the … [Read more...]
Barbecue Beef Ribs with Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to share this recipe with y'all. Partly because it's every bit as mouthwatering, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth, and delightfully messy as a good rib should be. And partly because I made these for my Purim Seudah (party) and they were an absolutely smashing success. There were heaps of good food at this party, courtesy of various family friends and neighbors, but somehow nobody could stop talking about -or eating- these ribs. It's a good thing, too. I stressed over these ribs for ages. Starting with the sauce. Of course, I couldn't be content buying a bottle of sauce and pouring it over these ribs. No, I had to make my own. And naturally, after reading … [Read more...]