Off-the-charts-good calamari prawn stew

I love calamari in all its forms, crispy and deep fried, sautéed, lightly grilled or tossed into a big old paella. Here, it meets garlicky tomatoes, feta, saffron and fresh herbs to form what I think will be my signature summery stew of 2019. It’s off-the-charts good. And if you close your eyes, the flavors […]

Kale, Catalan style

When I was in my twenties, I had the opportunity to visit Barcelona a few times for work. Ask me what I did while there, not entirely sure, but I do recollect counting the minutes until their 2 pm lunch time so I could run to the local restaurant and have me a big plate […]

Pan-fried sea bream & fresh pineapple chutney

Long ago, when my husband and I travelled to Thailand, we spent a few days on a beautiful island called Kho Phi Phi, where we stayed in a modest resort run by a lovely Thai couple. The little bungalows were terribly uncomfortable and the lack of AC kept us awake most nights under our mosquito-net-covered […]

Sunchoke purée with sautéed mushrooms

This sunchoke purée and mushroom ragu might be a good one to impress friends, but it also makes for great comfort food when it’s cold outside. Sunchokes – also called Jerusalem artichokes or “topinambours” for my French friends – are highly underrated in the vegetable world. Although the plant itself resembles a type of sunflower, […]

Superb aubergine “pkhali”

While touring Georgia last week, we ate about 5 different versions of eggplant “pkhali”, which is what they call their savory dips. You’ll find it in most restaurants, almost always served with delicious warm traditional Georgian bread. This version was probably my favorite because it has walnuts, a star ingredient of the country’s cuisine, which […]

The Kids’ Chocolate Granola

My last chocolate granola recipe dates back to over a year ago – and though it was a hit with the adults, my kiddos weren’t sold because it “didn’t taste like chocolate”. Eye roll…fair enough. So recently, I went back to the drawing board to create one that would be more appealing to a child’s […]

Guilt-free breakfast blueberry bars

If I made a roundup of my favorite on-the-go breakfasts, these babies would top the list. They’re a snap to make and tick all the boxes when it comes to my idea of the perfect morning food: high in taste, rich in fiber (y’all know how important that is to me), gluten free, packed with […]

Stunning Persian-style Beef Stroganoff

You may already be familiar with beef Stroganoff, the classic Russian beef and mushroom stew often served with noodles. But this one is different: it’s the Persian version. It’s also my mom’s. And it’s amazing and quite stunning when served up on a dinner table. What makes it unique – apart from the fact it […]

I’ll-have-two crispy buckwheat waffles

These waffles have a nutty intense taste and crispy texture that always makes me want to chow down more than one. They are great for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner and can be topped with sweet or savory fillings. We are big fans of salty toppings like melted hard cheese, fresh guac and sundried tomatoes […]

My kind of samosas

These gluten free take on samosas is genius. Instead of a wheat dough, I use rice paper. Don’t let this conjure bad pictures in your head of the last time you made spring rolls and tore the soggy rice paper: folding these little samosas requires very little dexterity. In the filling, I replace the traditional […]