Vegetarian

Name: Fried Green Tomatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 - 5 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4" rounds; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3 eggs; 1/4 cup buttermilk; 1 1/2 - 2 cups breadcrumbs, any kind you have on hand; pinch cayenne pepper; pinch paprika; kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; oil for frying; optional: dried herbs

How to Make Veggie Cakes

May 18, 2019

Learn step by step instructions for how to make veggie cakes of all kinds. From the original veggie cake recipe to a superfood veggie cake recipe, you will find detailed instructions and helpful tips for making your own veggie cakes from scratch.

stack of veggie cakes with black background

How to Make Veggie Cakes

Veggie cakes are a tasty way to get more vegetables into your diet, especially if you have picky eaters. They are small enough for little hands and they make a great addition to your work lunches during the week.

Post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the link, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.
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Vegetarian Recipes for Dinner

April 27, 2019

After last weekend’s ham-stravaganza, I’m ready for some lighter meals. Vegetarian recipes have been a popular topic around here lately and it seems that there are quite a few folks searching this site for vegetarian recipes for dinner. So, whether you’re looking for Meatless Monday dinners, you’re trying to eat less meat or you just want to try something new, I’ve rounded up the 25 best meatless recipes for you.

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Caprese Eggplant Stacks

May 23, 2017

Caprese Eggplant

Caprese eggplant stacks are irresistible. Roasted eggplant brushed with flavorful pesto, gooey, melted fresh mozzarella and perfectly ripe summer tomatoes. It’s a hit with vegetarians and meat eaters alike!

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Cold Remedy Tea -Kitchen Rx

January 10, 2016

The Kitchen Prescription. This tea has been my “go-to” for years when I’m under the weather. Lemon, mint, ginger and honey tea soothes your throat and warms you up to get you get through even the worst colds. Winter in most of the northern states is serious. Temperatures hovering in the single digits for weeks on end, plummeting to -20 at night, leaving you so cold that you simply can not shake the chill no matter how many layers you pile on. ~~I hate winter~~, let me rephrase: I loathe winter. I loathe the snow and ice, the freezing temperatures, the slipping and sliding down sidewalks that haven’t been cleaned, chipping an inch of ice from the windshield, car doors that are frozen shut… You get the picture.

And then you get sick. Watery eyes, stuffy nose, scratchy throat and a cough that rattles your insides like gunfire. You have been taken down by the common cold. Once it gets you, it takes weeks until you start to feel human again.

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Soba Noodles and Stir-Fried Vegetables

December 30, 2015

Soba noodles with stir-fried vegetables is a quick, easy and delicious healthy option for meatless Monday, or any day of the week. Soba noodles cook in a only a few minutes, the veggies get a quick sauté and dinner is done. From fridge to fork in less than 20 minutes – faster if you prep vegetable the night before.

It’s another New Year and once again, after the gluttony that was Thanksgiving and Christmas overindulgence, it’s time to rein it back in. One way that we have decided to do that around here is sticking to a “meatless Monday”.

While we were whooping it up in Vancouver a few months ago, we had a warm soba noodle appetizer at our favorite sushi restaurant. It was loaded with seafood and unbelievably delicious. I wanted to have something reminiscent of that salad, but suitable for a vegetarian dinner. The only restriction I gave myself (aside from the seafood) was that I had to use what I had in the kitchen. It wasn’t like there was a “rule” in play… I just didn’t feel like going to store. Out of sheer laziness, deliciousness was born!

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Freekeh Salad with Fruit, Nuts and Veggies

November 14, 2015

Freekeh is an ancient grain that is nutty, chewy and delicious. If you haven’t heard of it before, let me introduce you!

Let’s Get our Freekeh on!

No, this is not a new Missy Elliott song, but it is all about that grain.

Freekeh is one of those grains that gets overshadowed by the “in” crowd… You know the cool kid of the grain world at the moment: quinoa. I love quinoa, I’m not bashing it AT ALL, but there is a whole world of grains that people have never heard of, including myself until about 15 years ago. Freekeh has a wonderfully nutty flavor and a chewy texture, similar to barley or other hearty grains.

I absolutely adore grain salads. During the heat of summertime, they are chock full of bright red tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, but as we move into fall they transition to root vegetables, dried fruits and nuts.

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Grilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon

April 18, 2014

This grilled zucchini salad is the perfect side for a summer BBQ. It is as pretty as it is delicious!

It’s summertime and everyone is in their backyard. Grills are lit and the smell of lightly charred meat and veggies fill the street. You are out walking the dog and you can smell a steak on the grill somewhere… You had dinner planned already, but that just went right out the window. Now, you’re on your way to buy a nice, fat steak or a basket full of veggies to throw on the grill. It’s the smell… it gets you every. single. time.

First, let me say that I love grilling. I stand in front of my grill, tongs in hand, listening to the sizzle as meat or veggies hit the grates. It’s one of the best sounds in the world! I feel like puffing out my chest and grunting “fire”, but the urge passes and I’m back to reality. Then… the smell wafts up and smacks me right across the face with the intensity of an angry mistress in a soap opera. I just breathe deep and inhale until my lungs are full.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of “Grill to Perfection” courtesy of Page Street Publishing. Any links to book are affiliate links.

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To Market…

October 23, 2013

One of the first things I do when I go on vacation is find the local Farmer’s Market. I love seeing what the locals buy and spotting new items from area farms, bits of the earth still clinging to the roots.

Walking past the colors and shapes, I can’t help myself… I have to pick up piece after piece. Holding it in my hand, feeling it’s heft. Bringing it to my face, I smell everything from berries to beets; peppers to herbs. I am enthralled. The beauty of food hasn’t been lost on me, I have yet to become jaded and for this I am grateful.

Every market is a different experience, each offering something unique and sometimes things I have never seen or tasted before. That is when I really get excited, when I stumble upon something completely unfamiliar. I begin to imagine all of the possibilities… That’s the fun in experimenting with something unfamiliar; there is nothing to compare it to, so you can’t possibly go wrong!

Here’s where I think some people tend to take a “wrong turn” so to speak… Fear of failure. Or, less than perfect.   The people that know me are probably about to roll their eyes at me right now, because I have a teensy bit of an issue with being a perfectionist. Hey, I’m working on it.
Don’t be afraid to buy something that you are unfamiliar with; stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow and learn. Yes, sometimes it’s a bit uncomfortable and perhaps a little painful at times but in the end, it’s usually worth it.   Experiment a little and see where it takes you…
You may end up creating something magnificent.

This is my best advice when going to a Green Market: go in with a rough idea of what you’d like.
If you are shopping for dinner that night or the next night, peruse the different stands and see what looks good, then plan your dinner. If you go in with a menu that is “set in stone”, you may miss out on something really amazing. That’s usually the way life seems to work out…

Union Square Green Market, Manhattan

La Boqueria, Barcelona

Prospect Park Green Market, Brooklyn

Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, San Francisco

Support your local Farmers and Green Markets! Fall produce is amazing right now, be fearless in the kitchen! Buy something you’ve never worked with before and get cooking! I look forward to hearing about your culinary adventures…

You say tomato, I say tomahto…

June 25, 2013

I was home visiting my family and was freshly out of culinary school. I mean
green. I hadn’t really worked in kitchens yet other than as a stagiaire or
“stage”, which is an intern (read: free labor).

I’m not really sure where the brilliant idea came from, but I had it in my head to make fried green tomatoes. Keep in mind, I’d never eaten them nor made them but off I went to
gather green tomatoes and make them. I had no reference point, so I didn’t know
how thick or thin to cut the slices.

So, I took to the kitchen with my tomatoes in hand and proceeded to make what one could only technically classify as fried green tomatoes.
They were tomatoes. They were green. And they had been fried.

Looking back at the first attempt to reach beyond my comfort zone, so full of enthusiasm, as all
new culinary grads are, I wince at what I made. Thankfully, I’ve gotten a handle on it now.

I still struggle with failure as I’m sure we all do. I don’t want to look stupid or fail at something.
But, isn’t that how we learn and grow? Our failures tend to teach us more than our successes in my experience. I’m learning to let go of that a little, although I’ll be the first to admit that my competitive spirit will never disappear and the fear of embarrassing myself in front of people is still quite real.
With that, I give you the following recipe… southerners need not correct me. I’m sure you
make it better.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 - 5 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4" rounds
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 - 2 cups breadcrumbs, any kind you have on hand
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch paprika
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
oil for frying
optional: dried herbs

Instructions

Combine flour, garlic powder, cayenne and paprika in a shallow dish and whisk together. Set aside.
In a separate dish, whisk eggs and buttermilk together.
In a third dish (it will be worth the dirty dishes, I promise) combine breadcrumbs with a little salt and pepper and any dried herbs if you are using. I throw in about a tablespoon of dried oregano or thyme if I don't have seasoned breadcrumbs.
Lightly season tomatoes on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge through flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dip into egg mixture and coat with seasoned breadcrumbs.
This next step most people find annoying, but I have found it essential. Place on a cooling rack and let it rest for about 15 - 20 minutes. This allows your coating to adhere to the tomatoes. I do this when coating anything I am going to fry. You know how disappointing it is when your breading falls off in the pan or as soon as you cut into it? Let it rest beforehand and that will be a thing of the past.
After the tomatoes have hung out and gotten acquainted with each other, it's time to fry.
Heat a large skillet with enough oil to go about 1/4 inch up the side. Heat oil on medium high heat (350 degrees with a thermometer) and carefully slide tomatoes slices into the oil, dropping them in away from you, not toward you. If the oil splashes, it will not splatter you, but the back of the stove.
Fry until GBD (Golden Brown Delicious), remove and place on a bed of paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Serve immediately.

Blueberry Eton Mess

May 13, 2013

Let me say that I think we should appreciate our Mom’s on more than just one day a year… It is an incredibly important job that is sometimes thankless. Through terrible two’s and rebellious teenage years, through laughter and tears, joy and fear… you are there for it all.

So, to every Mom out there: Happy Mother’s Day today and everyday for all that you do!

Now that I’ve earned my birthday and Christmas presents for next year, let’s get to it.

This weekend is Mother’s Day and the Internet, food magazines, morning shows, cooking shows, even the evening news is filling the space between our ears with recipes to make for Mom…

Most of them even look really good! But here’s the problem: MOM isn’t the one making them! (I hope)!

More than a few of the recipes featured have ingredient lists long enough to make even the average home cook sweat under the collar, much less someone who rarely ventures into that mystical space from where food magically appears.

Some of you out there are lucky enough to live with people who actually know: A. where the kitchen is located in your home and 2) how to find things in this mysterious room. Then, there are those of you who live with people that open the fridge door, stand there staring at it’s insides and then ask you “what is there to eat?”.

Well, even THOSE people can handle this recipe.

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Let’s Get our Freekeh on!

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