I love new beginnings and thankfully we have so many opportunities to start fresh. For me, the first day of school, beginning of summer, first day of spring and of course, January 1st are all times of the year when I take a minute to regroup, reflect and think about what I'd like to do better or ...
Deer Valley-Style Turkey and Black Bean Chili Recipe
Are we having fun yet?! Good, good. I have been running around the house yesterday and today like a busy bee, very excited that the big day is almost here. I'm taking a quick breather from the Thanksgiving marathon just to touch base and check-in with you all. Hope everything is going according ...
How to cook beans from scratch
This is the time of year when I start to make more bean-based soups and chilis. And as soon as it stops being 80 degrees around here, I'll get right on that. Actually, regardless of the season, we are a bunch of bean eaters in this house. Besides chili, I use beans in Mexican dishes, salads, ...
Red lentil dal recipe
I think Indian food is very misunderstood in this country. Many people have the impression it's overly spicy, heavy and greasy. Perhaps it's because there aren't a plethora of great Indian restaurants here and very often the not-so-great ones do serve oily, creamy dishes. Who knows, but that's ...
Chickpea Burger Recipe
If I had to pick one cuisine to stick with for the rest of my life, it would be a tough a call. But I could easily live off of Mediterranean food every day. I love the emphasis on fresh vegetables, olive oil, legumes and whole grains, cheeses and fish. Whether it's Italian, Greek, or Israeli, ...
Spring Green Minestrone
I had the best day on Saturday. Where did I go? Nowhere! What did I do? Nothing! When was the last time you said you had the best time doing nothing? I know! Sometimes I feel like my life is like a runaway train. And although I enjoy its active pace, I wish I took more time to sloooooow down. ...
Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Enchiladas Verdes (and a casserole version!)
A few weeks ago, six other families and mine planned to get together for a pot luck at my friend Lana's house. One of the families keeps kosher, so we decided to go with a fish and dairy meal. I thought these vegetable enchiladas verdes would be a great vegetarian option. At least it seemed like ...
Potato and bean soup (patate e fagioli)
Who invented the idea of "Meatless Monday?" The U.S. Food Administration did during World War I and urged families to conserve key staples to aid the war effort, but the idea was revived in 2003 by an ad exec-turned health advocate for dietary and environmental reasons. Ironically, the Food ...
Creamy white bean dip with roasted garlic
Do your kids ask you for things at the last possible second even though they have known about whatever it is they need for weeks? My husband does this, too. "If you knew last Friday that you would need to bring a wrapped gift for your party, why are you telling me as we're getting into the car on ...
Spaghetti squash with kale and chickpeas
Did you participate in the low-carb craze of the 90's? If you did, you may have eaten a lot of spaghetti squash with tomato sauce trying to convince your carb-starved body that you were actually eating pasta. The body is no fool, though. At least mine isn't. I ate lots of "spaghetti" for a good ...
Smoky Braised Lentils with (or without) turkey sausages
Do you have a son younger than college age? Did you ever have one? Do you know that he probably doesn't eat lunch at school? I know you pack him something wonderful and maybe he even helped pick it all out. But here's the reality: if your school is like mine and permits recess as soon as the ...