potato & herb salad
I love potatoes and anything that is made with potatoes, from Russian potato salad to tortilla Española to Belgian pommes frites to campfire potatoes. Now that we have a fireplace – the second best thing you can have in the…
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Spread
When baking sweet potatoes, the high heat causes their moisture to evaporate, and leaves their skin caramelized like candy – which is delicious – but overly sweet for me, so I like to mix them with spicy, sour or nutty flavors to reduce the sweetness.
Root Hummus
I had started to write this post in the summer, while we where visiting Israel, but never finished it for the same reasons I haven’t been able to start or finish any posts since leaving Los Angeles back in June: lack of time, lack of motivation…
Rosti with Zucchini & Golden Beets
We’re moving! Again? Where to? I can’t tell you yet. You’ll have to wait for my next post. But I’ll give you a hint… It’s a small island in Spain. But before we settle down, we will do some traveling,…
Black bean kibbeh
Honestly, I don’t know what to call this dish. I think Kibbeh is the most appropriate name for it other then experimenting with black beans – I was trying to make veggie burger but I over-processed the beans and added a large egg, which made the mixture too mushy to…
avocado & beet sandwich
I came back from Larchmont Farmers’ Market starving. I dug out an avocado, watermelon radish and microgreens from my shopping bags and in less then five minutes made myself this beautiful, nutritious sandwich.
Vegan Thai Coconut Soup
Since we moved here five years ago and rediscovered Vietnamese, we have been neglecting Thai cuisine. Actually this isn’t the only reason. As much as I love Thai food, most it is cooked with a lot of sugar. Sugar is unhealthy for most people but especially for…
Radish & carrot salad
I came across this brilliant recipe while I was flipping through a beautiful cookbook in Barnes & Noble. Unfortunately I didn’t write down the title of the book so I can’t credit the author. I made this salad because I needed to do something with…
Hand-Crafted Chocolate Bars
I think my purpose in life is to make chocolate bars. I would love to make honest good dark chocolate bars for living. Just like those crafty bars Dick Taylor or Dandelion make. I’m salivating just thinking about pure, rich, bitter, mildly sweet chocolate. I prefer chocolate that is made with…
Mushroom & Lentil Soup
I adapted this recipe from Green Kitchen Stories blog. Their recipe call for Chanterelle mushrooms but (a) I didn’t have any and (b) the price here for one pound (half a kilo) chanterelles is $42. I’m sure it tastes divine but the the humble…
vegetable tagine with chermoula sauce
Chermoula is a marinade that North Africans use in their cooking. It is usually used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used with legume and vegetables. Very healthy. It’s strange, for someone who grew up in a Moroccan home, I…
Vegan & GF Chocolate Mousse
Really, Shelly? Avocado? Come on. Why not? Avocado is a fruit. In South America they eat avocado with sugar, so why can’t it work with chocolate? I knew it. I knew she wouldn’t approve this recipe. It doesn’t matter how…
Roasted sweet potato salad with tahini
The first time I had this salad was at a Thanksgiving dinner with our beautiful – literally beautiful – friends, Isabelle & Serge. The food that night was delicious but I was mostly attracted to this salad. I was charmed by the combination of sweet potatoes, their tenderness and the spicy,…
Chickpeas & Amaranth Tagine
There’s a traditional Moroccan fish recipe that my mother, and the rest of the Moroccan Jews around the world make every Friday for Shabbat dinner. I’ve never met anyone who grew up in a Moroccan home who doesn’t get nostalgic about…
Omelet with fresh herbs
“No iPad today.” “But why not?” “Because you don’t use your brain anymore.” “Yes I do.” “Not enough.” “Okay, so can I use the computer?” “No, Daddy said no electronics today.” “What if I clean my room or take the…
Rice bowl with swiss chard & barberries
Before I say anything about this rice bowl/salad, I want to get something out of my system. Hi, my name is Shelly and I am addicted to TED talks. It started after I turned forty a few months ago. I didn’t mind turning…
Dates & walnuts dipped in chocolate
I want to pack these stuffed dates in their lunch boxes for a snack, but I know they won’t eat them. I’ve tried sending dried fruits and nuts before but they came back. Alex accused me of ruining his life.…
Cabbage and scallion frittatas
Yes, I am alive, and today, after six hectic months, I can finally say, “alive and well.” I survived the move from our two-bedroom-one bathroom townhouse to a three-bedroom- three bathrooms townhouse!. Two-and-a-half bath, technically. Now we each have our…
Chocolate discs (palette) with hazelnuts and sea salt
The inspiration for these beautiful chocolate palettes (rounds) came from a very chi-chi restaurant cookbook called Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook. I’ve never eaten at the restaurant, but I heard from the friend who gave me this book as a…
DIY herbal teas
While ninety percent of the people on earth need coffee in the morning to wake up, I need herbal tea. Luckily, I am very energetic in the morning. The first thing I drink after I wake up is a glass of room-temperature water with freshly squeezed…