Bring Back Cheddar

Cheddar and Smoked Chicken Salad with Creamy Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

It wasn’t until Cabot Creamery delivered a box of cheddar, that I decided to toss cheddar back into my salads. The only reason why I stopped, was because feta, parmesan or goat cheese also became a few of my favorite salad additions. As a kid, Dad used to effortlessly toss large garden salads of tomato wedges, crisp iceberg lettuce, chunky carrot slices and thick, sliced cucumbers with cheddar chunks thrown into the bowl. Other people made similar salads with cubes of meat. Dad also introduced to us to salads made with greens grown from our backyard garden. When most people were eating sweet iceberg, we were munching on delicate, bitter greens: the type of pre-washed greens most people currently buy. Today’s salads are nuanced plates with artfully arranged vegetables.

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Parade’s Community Table: Kick Winter’s Brutal Weather with a Robust Italian-Inspired Salad

Italian-Inspired Salad Plate
As I write this, there’s snow falling outside the window. The wind chill is colder than the air’s temperature (it cuts through the warmest coat). I run from one heated indoor destination to another. The subway commute between home and work changed from a quick route of waiting outside to a longer time inside a warm station. It’s basically a brutal winter. Read more

The Banality of Broccoli

Broccoli and Freekeh Salad

Broccoli is (le sigh) a common green vegetable. For people who are unfamiliar with food, it’s a safe vegetable to cook. As a premier healthy vegetable, it’s more likely to be dropped in everyone’s shopping cart. A carnivore restaurant includes it in their vegetarian menu. As a home cook, I walk pass it in the grocery store, because there are exotic vegetables to discover.

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Appetizing Event: “Blues Crawl” Evening Inspires a Blueberry Hominy Salad with Dandelion Greens

Blueberry and Hominy Salad with Dandelion Greens

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a “Blues Crawl, a blueberry-theme dinner. The evening started with a Blueberry-Jalapeño Margarita from The Arlington Club. Then we proceeded to tasting Blueberry Tamales from Fonda Chelsea Restaurant. The main course was Blueberry-Coffee Rubbed Skirt Steak served with Tomato Confit and Mascarpone Polenta from The Delicatessen. The evening ended with LAVO NYC’s Blueberry Semifreddo with Essential Blueberry Sauce. All the savory dishes brought out blueberries’ tart and juicy flavor without tasting similar to a dessert.

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Parade.com: A Worldly Cookbook on the Humble Bean

Baby Kale Salad with Green Bean Fries and Roast Lemon Shrimp

In our American culture, vegan bean recipes tend to be predictable. Kelsey Kinser’s new cookbook, Vegan Beans from Around the World, offers 75 adventurous recipes we should dare to try. There’s a reason why beans are essential ingredients in many global recipes: They’re cheap and versatile.  Read more