I get a lot of my recipe ideas from the NY Times’ dining section.  This week they were focusing on White House chefs, which I found particularly interesting because of Michelle Obama’s commitment to children’s nutrition and gardening.  There was a recipe from the Obama’s favorite chef in Chicago, Rick Bayless, that caught my eye [...]

Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado & Arugula Soup With Prawns

 
I love reading the food & drink section in the paper.  Last week there were two recipes for chilled tomato-based gaspacho-style soups in the SF Chronicle.  One was a blended soup with tomatoes, avocado, arugula and cucumber.  The other had diced tomatoes and peppers with roasted garlic shrimp.  [...]

 
This turned out to be an accidental success while making use of a humongous bunch of basil I got from the farmers’ market this week.  I don’t claim to be an expert in preparing Indian food or lentil dishes, though I aspire to be.  I’ve made many attempts that did not come out tasting like [...]

 
One of the hardest things about being on a gluten-free and sugar-free diet is trying to find things to snack on during the day.  Usually my snacks consist of fruit and nuts or the occasional slice of gluten-free toast with almond butter.  But when I have long days it really helps me to have a [...]

 
Catfish is one of my favorite fish, and it has a good rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, meaning it is an environmentally responsible choice to reduce overfishing in the seafood industry.  Yet good quality catfish is somewhat difficult to find because most catfish sold in the U.S. are farmed, which means the fish are fed [...]

 
Walking through the farmers’ market in late July and August, one cannot miss the signs that it is tomato season in California.  Everywhere you turn there are piles of ripe, organic tomatoes - bright red, yellow, orange ones, multi-colored heirlooms, cherry and grape tomatoes, you name it.  This is one of my favorite times of [...]