Dinner Planner – Week of April 11, 2022

It has been busy in the Salzman household.  Mr. Picky just made it official and committed to a college for the fall!  Hubs and I will be empty nesters for the first time and it is bittersweet.  I want my children to be doing what they are supposed to be doing and thriving, but I will miss that kid. Next up is a trip to Long Island to see my mom, my aunt, my sisters and their families and my daughter Anna will come down from Boston!

If you take my monthly online cooking classes (if you don’t, you’re missing out – I can teach you to be a better cook in no time!), the April class has been uploaded!  I have always taught a Mexican-inspired menu in April so that you can have healthful and delicious recipes to make for Cinco de Mayo.  But whom am I kidding? I make Mexican food all year because everybody LOVES it! Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Celery Root Puree Recipe

This is not the first time I have published a recipe featuring celery root. I have a lovely soup in Kitchen Matters with spinach, broccoli and celery root.  Celery root is a non-starchy vegetable with a light celery flavor.  It looks super ugly and intimidating, but once you peel away the outside, the inside is white and easy to cut, much like a potato. Watch my reel on Instagram for a video on how to peel it.  It’s easier than it looks.  I’m posting this Celery Root Puree this week in anticipation of Easter and Passover since it is light, spring-like and would complement any traditional holiday entree.Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of April 4, 2022

This week I am off for spring break, so no IG live on Monday.  I am filming the April class this weekend.  My April class has always had a Cinco de Mayo theme with Mexican-inspired recipes.  My goal is to create recipes with familiar flavors that are delicious, healthy and can complement any Mexican-inspired meal.  I also infuse nutrition information, cooking tips, and product recommendations into every class. All recipes come with suggestions to adapt to the most common dietary styles including plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free. April’s class with feature Jackfruit Tacos, Chicken and Vegetable Enchiladas with a Roasted Red Pepper Enchilada Sauce, Quinoa and Jicama Salad with Avocado Dressing, Corn and Avocado Salad, and Dessert Tacos!  I would love to have you in my monthly cooking class community. You watch the class on your own time and join me for a live zoom every month if you have any cooking questions at all!

Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Broccoli Pesto Recipe

Pesto is in my plasma.  I’ve been eating copious amounts of pesto since I was a baby and it is by far my favorite condiment.  It wasn’t until I started teaching cooking classes that I experimented with pesto that didn’t have basil, or nuts, or cheese.  Pesto, after all, derives from the Italian verb pestare, which translates to “to pound” or “to crush.”  Sure, traditional Genovese pesto has basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic, but there are infinite ways to make a pesto.  Ironically, I always use my food processor and never crush or pound the ingredients with a mortar and pestle. Such a slacker.  But today I share a REALLY different pesto – one made with BROCCOLI and it’s SO GOOD!!Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of March 28, 2022

Spring has sprung and I am here for it! I have so many great spring recipes coming to the site soon.  If you take my monthly cooking class, I am going live on Zoom Tuesday, March 29th at 5:00 pm Pacific Time to answer any and all your questions. We have had such a great time in this new format and I have loved seeing you guys in person.  If you are a monthly cooking class subscriber and haven’t joined the live zoom, just come! No pressure to show yourself on video if you want to just observe and hang out. Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Spring Salad with Dill Dressing Recipe

Truth be told, I don’t really come up with new salads as much as new salad dressings.  I am always mixing and matching salad dressings with different combinations of components.  I just try to keep seasonal ingredients together, keep salads simple, and use only the freshest produce.  I make more vinaigrettes than creamy dressings because they’re easier to shake in a jar than blend in a blender, but I love a tasty creamy dressing!Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of March 21, 2022

Happy Spring!  Spring represents a new beginning, a rebirth, a fresh start.  Better weather is around the corner. And spring produce is cleansing and detoxifying (think wild greens, herbs, strawberries and asparagus.) Spring makes me feel like, We did it!  We survived the holiday season and the winter.  Things can only get better from here. Let’s hope, yes?

I have decided not to resume in-person classes for the remainder of 2022. There are a few reasons for that, but the main reason is that I teach in other people’s kitchens and we used to pack people in.  I just don’t think that’s a viable model for the times we live in right now.  So, if you like learning from me, my monthly cooking class is fabulous!!  Do check it out. I will also be offering all my bootcamps soon for you to take on your own time, self-paced.  Look out for that!

Here’s your dinner planner for the week: 

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Whole Grain Marbled Banana Bread Recipe

I had two years during a global pandemic to cook more at home than I ever thought possible.  Hubs perfected sourdough bread, which is crazy since he can’t cook anything other than toast and oatmeal.  Even though I am fairly confident in the kitchen, I was starting to gravitate towards my book Quicker Than Quick and other simple, but flavorful recipes.  Continue reading