Curried Chicken & Pasta Salad
This recipe was printed in The Los Angeles Times in 2000. It's from the Mustard Seed Café in LA. The original recipe calls for shells, but I used fusilli. The combination of curry powder, turmeric, mango chutney, mixed into mayonnaise makes the perfect dressing and the celery and almonds give it crunch. It’s great for a hot summer day.
By - Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Israeli Couscous Salmon Salad
Last night we were invited to the Hollywood Bowl to see Peter and the Wolf with Viola Davis and Dudamel (it was fabulous!). I made Israeli Couscous Salmon Salad for dinner, which is a great make-ahead meal for any outdoor occasion. It has a tangy lemon dill dressing and I threw in some blanched asparagus. I also made Simple Summer Peach Cake, which I made last week, but this time I made individual tarts. I love going to the Hollywood Bowl. It's my favorite summer concert venue.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Zucchini Butter Spaghetti
This Zucchini Butter Spaghetti is incredibly delicious. If you are wondering how to use all of your homegrown zucchini, this is it! Grated zucchini is cooked down with butter and garlic and tossed with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. It's so simple, yet bursting with flavor.
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 2 Servings
Simple Summer Peach Cake
I made this Simple Summer Peach Cake for my friend's birthday. There's nothing quite like fresh summer peaches. This cake only takes 15 minutes to prepare. You could serve it with some whipped cream or ice cream, but it's delicious on its own.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 5 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Braised Chicken & Peaches
I happened to have had all the ingredients (except for prosciutto, so I used bacon) to make this Braised Chicken & Peaches. I love braising chicken thighs and the fresh summer peaches really work well together. There are also leeks, garlic, capers and fresh tarragon. It's the taste of summer.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 1 hr
- Yields: 4 Servings
Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata
This Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata is from Ina Garten's latest cookbook Modern Comfort Food. It's easy to make and very versatile. Truth be told, I didn't have goat cheese or leeks, so I used Gruyère and a shallot. You can use what you like, however, the pastry must be made exactly as written. It's the flakiest crust ever, which is due to the amount of ice-cold butter!
- Prep: 35 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Creamy Lemon Chicken Linguini with Broccoli
My daughter Grace looked through our refrigerator, gathered ingredients and made this Creamy Lemon Chicken Linguini with Broccoli. There is nothing I like more than watching her cook. She used several techniques that I consider advanced and made this dish up on the fly. The results were absolutely superb.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Lentil Salad with Lemon Dressing
This Lentil Salad with Lemon Dressing great for a picnic. The combination of cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and fresh mint goes perfectly with the lemony dressing. Lentils are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. They are high in protein, fiber and a great choice for the heart and for managing blood pressure and cholesterol. I could go on with even more health benefits of lentils!
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Soy-Ginger Sauce
Shishito peppers have become a popular appetizer. They are mostly mild, but about one out of ten are spicy, which adds an element of surprise. The person that gets the spicy one will have good luck! The other interesting aspect of this dish is when you add the bonito flakes (dried fish flakes) on top before serving they move and dance from the heat of the peppers.
Lamb Chili
My father has been going through some major health issues and needs to eat more. We were out at a restaurant and he ordered Lamb Chili, which he absolutely loved. I decided to make him a big pot of it and have included two methods - stovetop and Instant Pot. This was definitely a labor of love given that I really hate lamb!
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 40 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
