A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce

Green Salad with Feta Cheese and Herbal Dressing

A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce
A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce

The temperature has finally started to climb down from extreme humidity. During those days, the oven has been left cold. I miss it, dearly. Most of all, I want an air conditioner. Not to have an Arctic cold house, but it would be use to get rid of the damp heat. However, I will adapt to my current circumstances. Meals will be vegetarian, for cooking meat causes more unbearable heat in this top floor apartment. Surprisingly, a classic green salad was recently made; for it was so hearty that the meat wasn’t missed. Good fats, such as avocado, feta cheese and a yogurt-based dressing made a typical boring salad into an exciting feast. It was served with a rosé and whole-wheat pita bread. Read more

Cold Mulberry Soup with Ginger Yogurt

Cold Mulberry Soup with Ginger Yogurt

Cold Mulberry Soup with Ginger Yogurt
Cold Mulberry Soup with Ginger Yogurt

Melissa Danielle of Honeybee Holistic sent a twitter request asking to swap my lemon balm for mulberries. Of course, I agreed to the swap, and we met outside of a subway station. Mulberry is a berry originally from Asia. White and red versions are found in North America, too. Prior to the swap, I can’t recall ever tasting the fruit. Maybe, somebody’s homemade liqueur has given me a taste. They’re not quite as tart, nor do they have the same sweetness as blackberries. I was curious about what type of dish to make with the mulberries. Sweets are easy to make, but a friend suggested a savory dish. A cold soup was the answer, and it’s perfect for a robust summer day. The soup is bursting of fresh flavors from the mulberries, vanilla, mint and the elderberry liqueur. The ginger yogurt is a sassy dollop of tang. The bonus: There’s little sugar in this soup, and it’s a healthier dessert or appetizer to a main course. Read more

Salted Peanut Cookie and Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

Salted Peanut Cookie and Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich
Salted Peanut Cookie and Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

When Portia Walker, the Editor-in-Chief of She’s So New York, asked for a guest post about aphrodisiac foods, I knew peanuts would be the impromptu ingredient on an already planned menu that includes making strawberry ice cream.
» Visit her website to read the story!
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Frittata with Baby Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Young Fontina Cheese, Red Onions and Fresh Rosemary

Frittata with Baby Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Young Fontina Cheese, Red Onions and Fresh Rosemary
Frittata with Baby Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Young Fontina Cheese, Red Onions and Fresh Rosemary

Does this recipe look crazy or tastefully coordinated? It was a well thought out experiment, because green compliments orange. The difficult decision was determining which big cheese to add to the frittata. Ricotta was too salty for the dish. Comte would have competed with the other flavors. Fresh mozzarella is a mild cheese with an overvalue taste (For example, a macaroni and cheese recipe with more than four cheeses, including mozzarella, is showing off gooey numbers. The strategy is the masterful coordination of three to four chesses to create a creamy, sharp taste). A short trip to a store’s cheese department helped finalized the decision. The sales clerk offered a few suggestions of cheeses that would’ve naturally dominated the dish. Concerned about choosing too strong of a cheese, mozzarella was about to be the winning choice, again. That’s when it was suggested to try a young fontina cheese, instead. It’s another mild cheese, with a little more flavor. A winning cooking strategy demonstrating a brilliant coordination skill, young fontina paired well with the spinach and the sweet potatoes.

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Fennel, Granny Smith Apple and Sharp Cheddar Cheese. 20 minutes. Go!

Apple Fennel Salad with Grilled Cheddar Cheese and Apple on Raisin Cinnamon Bread Sandwich
Apple Fennel Salad with Grilled Cheddar Cheese and Apple on Raisin Cinnamon Bread Sandwich

The chefs on the FoodNetwork’s show, Chopped, do wonders at the strange ingredients presented to them. One show used canned jackfruit. Another show had the chefs make an appetizer with live eel, peas and ugly peaches. On the show, they’re three rounds: an appetizer, a main course and the dessert. After each round, a judgment is made. The contestant’s dish that’s on the “chopping block” after the silver dome is lifted, is eliminated from the competition. The winner takes home a $10,000 prize. These chefs are brave to display their knowledge and skills in front of the camera. There are no factors that would give one chef a competitive edge. It’s creativity that wins the game. Read more