
Onion rings are a timeless comfort food classic, yet do not exactly fit in well with "healthy eating". However, I am here to inform the world that non-fried, tasty onion rings do indeed exist! Here is a recipe that can be made two ways: All buttermilk or half buttermilk, half egg whites.
The all buttermilk version is easier, and tastes great. The use of egg whites does add an extra element of crunch, but also is trickier to pull off without a helper, as the egg whites loose volume quickly. Keep this in mind. Also, make sure to coat the onion rings with panko well, even if it means manually pressing panko into the onion ring. You'll thank me later!!
Continue reading "Baked Onion Rings" »

Shallots are an easily forgotten, yet delectable cousin to onions and garlic. This recipe showcases their brilliance while providing an alternative to boring, predictable onion dip, and can even make you the hero with the best snack at the Super Bowl Party. Well, lets not get crazy.
Continue reading "Roasted Shallot with Spinach Dip" »

This recipe is always a winner, who doesn't love fresh salsa?
Continue reading "Fire Roasted Salsa" »
I'm quite fond of fennel. Mostly, I eat it raw - on its own or in a salad. I've put it in soups from time to time, but I also like to roast it. Fennel, like other vegetables when they're roasted, will caramelize and develop a subtle sweetness. The fennel here is roasted simply and the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese compliments it nicely.
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With summer getting closer it's time to brush up on some quick sides and salads that are versatile enough to serve with just about anything. This one came from my wife asking me to pick up a bean salad from the deli counter, but the line was just too long and, well, why not make it yourself?
Continue reading "Black Bean Salad" »
From my experience, you mostly can't go wrong by adding cheese to a savory dish. I mean, if it can be used to trick unsuspecting children into eating their broccoli, surely this is some kind of super food. Which is just one reason why I've always been fascinated by Potatoes Au Gratin. I've never made them in the past because I'm generally not to fond of cream sauces, but I finally gave in to the potato-cheese-siren.
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While considering the Super Bowl party I'm not having, I started thinking about all the great appetizer-type dishes that make these parties fun for those of us who aren't such big football fans. There are the classics, of course, and the misadventures (usually in the form of a seven-layer-bean-dip) - but good food always makes a good party.
Continue reading "Top 10 Super Bowl Recipes" »
So I'm standing on line at the grocery store, and I'm next. There are several people behind me with loaded carts and I notice I have a voice mail. It's from my wife. She's asking me to bring home some hummus. There's none in my cart but there's no way I'm abandoning my spot in line.
I'd be committing another 30 minutes for those mashed garbonzos and it's not that my wife isn't worth it, but I figured I could come up with a substitute when I got home. Here's what I improvised.
Continue reading "Roasted Garlic Bean Dip" »
My kids aren't the best eaters.
Well, let me clarify. The Big One is happy to try most things and has a broader palette (which mostly doesn't include vegetables), but the Little One has a diet whose entries you could count on one hand.
Wedged between the hot dogs and the chicken fingers are little meatballs that my wife get's from a local deli. He wants nothing to do with my Real Italian Meatballs, which is a point of contention and the reason I'll be taking him out of my will unless he changes his ways, but I figured I could at least try to replicate the golf-ball-sized spheres of beef he drools over whenever my wife returns from town. I tried once without much success, then a co-worker gave me a recipe, which I've based these on.
I'm pretty sure those deli meatballs use some kinds of canned beef gravy and I'm absolutely sure these are much better. As it turns out, the Little One thinks so, too.
Continue reading "Meatballs with Soy-Mirin Glaze" »