Dinner Planner – Week of March 18, 2024

I just came back from a few days in the desert for the BNP Paribas tennis tournament.  It’s my favorite desert event, and it once again did not disappoint.  One of the most common questions I receive is “where can I find your desert recommendations?”  One of the reasons I moved my newsletter to Substack is for the ability to search through the archive of past newsletters.  Go to my Substack.  Tap the word “archive” and type in the search icon whatever you are looking for.  Question for you – I am considering NOT sending out two separate emails for my dinner planner which is published on my site on Friday nights and for the new recipe of the week, typically published on Wednesdays.  Another option is to publish the dinner planner in the free section of my newsletter.  If you have thoughts about this, let me know!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Collard Greens Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing

I had a collard greens salad for the first time last year at a restaurant and I had low expectations, but the server assured me I would love it.  He was 100% right and I was blown away.  Collard greens are softer than kale but heartier than lettuce and super, super nutritious.  They have a mild flavor (unlike kale), but a soft, silky texture.  I cannot stop making collard greens salads!  You can try thinly sliced collard greens with any of your favorite dressings. My only caveat is that the greens do not have as long a shelf life as kale, so buy them and eat them!  Once you fall in love with them, you can add them to soups and stir-fries too.  By the way, this dressing is amazing and would be equally good on a chopped salad with romaine or iceberg.  One of the other takeaways from this recipe is using finely crushed crackers or nut meal instead of toasted breadcrumbs for texture. I much prefer smaller crunchy things over big pieces.

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Dinner Planner – Week of March 11, 2024

Happy weekend!  Do not forget to set your clocks ahead Saturday night (tonight!)  I do love the extra light at the end of the day but it takes me a day or two to adjust.  Looking ahead, next Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, a HUGE opportunity to feed your family naturally green food and not get eye rolls! 

In case you didn’t know, I have a separate newsletter on Substack that I publish every Monday.  It is not connected to my email list for my site, so if you do not want to miss out on all my fabulous finds and a new recipe every now and then, subscribe here!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Cabbage Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Cacio e Pepe is one of my favorite pasta dishes but it contains no vegetables and is super easy to overeat! It is an ultra simple dish consisting of pasta, black pepper, Pecorino cheese, and oil/butter. Guess what? These ingredients also work smashingly well with cabbage ribbons!  You will not trick anyone into thinking this is pasta, but it’s a delicious alternative if you’re looking for a lighter or a low-carb meal.  If you’re not a fan of the cacio e pepe flavor profile, cook the cabbage in this method and add your favorite pasta toppings!  Cabbage is one of the most underrated vegetables – it is incredibly nutritious, grown all year long, and very inexpensive for how much it yields.

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Dinner Planner – Week of March 4, 2024

March has always represented the light at the end of the tunnel.  I hated winters on the East coast and I knew March was the beginning of the end, even though we could have some chilly temps or even snow.  I knew I could make it!  My new online cooking class is uploaded and ready for viewing and cooking!  I would love to have more of you join that community.  I am asked almost daily to do in-person classes and friends, that ship has sailed.  I will only do 1-2 a month going forward so the online class is the way to go, plus it’s much more economical!  Here’s the fabulous menu this month:

Brussels Sprout Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette, Melting Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, Spring Vegetables with Whipped Feta, Roasted Salmon with Sumac and Citrus, Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Red Lentil Tortilla Soup Recipe

Every time I made this red lentil tortilla soup at home and posted it on Instagram stories, I realized I still had not posted it on my site.  I taught this soup in 2019 and have been making it on the regular ever since.  Red lentils don’t hold their shape like brown, green or black lentils.  They become kind of mushy but they taste just like regular lentils.  I used them in this soup with Tex-Mex flavors and ingredients to create a soup that tastes like a tortilla soup.  It’s filling but light, and just like tacos you can serve the soup with a great topping bar!  Delish!

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Dinner Planner – Week of February 26, 2024

Happy Weekend!  I am very excited that my mom and her friend are coming to visit this week.  We had a fabulous time when they came out here two years ago.  I am going to take them to the desert for a quickie and then the rest of the time in Manhattan Beach.  Should be fun!  For my monthly online cooking class subscribers, I am uploading the March class on Friday so check your inboxes for that.  Spring holidays are right around the corner :).  Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Crustless Spinach Feta Pie Recipe

I made this recipe after seeing it on TikTok, and I devoured it for breakfast every day until it was gone.  I love spanakopita and this crustless version was exactly the flavor and consistency I was familiar with but without all the phyllo + butter.  I did not miss the crunchy phyllo dough, because the feta and dill is where all the flavor is!  You might be questioning all the dairy since I don’t eat a lot of it.  I do favor goat and sheep dairy because it’s easier to digest than cow, so I recommend you seek out goat or sheep feta. Cow feta is bland and dry anyway. You can also sub in goat gouda for the mozzarella and omit the Parmesan or swap in Pecorino (a sheeps milk cheese) for the Parmesan. My point is that it’s easy to make this vegan, egg-free, or cow’s milk-free. I am also going to use this formula and swap in other vegetables or leftovers!

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