Tahini Yogurt

I have had tahini in hummus before and in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, but I’ve never wondered what tahini actually is. Well, it is a paste of ground sesame seeds. You can make it at home by roasting the seeds, grinding them up in a blender with oil and salt. But I was … Continue reading

Baked Eggplant and Zucchini Sticks

I was feeling too lazy to go to the grocery store and my fridge was empty except for one eggplant and two zucchinis.  So I headed to my favorite allrecipes.com site to see what I could whip up with this bare minimum of ingredients.  The easiest recipe I found was Eggplant Snack Sticks, which not … Continue reading

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

After a friend brought Brussels sprouts with bacon to our Thanksgiving Eve dinner, I couldn’t help but want to make my own as soon as possible!  Roasting Brussels sprouts, or any vegetable for that matter (such as asparagus), is quite simple — all you need is a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  There … Continue reading

Fish Cooked in Paper

This recipe is also inspired by The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook. I was craving fish because I wanted something light after a Sunday night meat marathon at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The recipe seemed simple and healthy, so I decided to try it. I tried two different fish — the Wild Pacific Dover and Turbot. The former was … Continue reading

Lemon-Dill Halibut

It was a Sunday evening and Natalya and I were embarking on another complex series of recipes from Kei (Harissa Salsa with Housemade Ricotta bruschetta and preparing the brine for Roasted Chicken).  We knew it was probably going to take hours for those recipes and we would still need a main dish for dinner.  I … Continue reading

Poached Salmon

Jen and I have been on a greasy, MSG-ridden (yet delicious) Asian food binge for a few weeks, so we decided to cook something a little more healthy for lunch this week. Enter… poached salmon. You boil it, so how can it possibly be anything but healthy?! Jen perused poached salmon recipes on Allrecipes.com and … Continue reading

Chinese-Style Steamed Fish

Chinese-style steamed fish is an incredibly simple and healthy dish that is a great alternative to greasier, fried dishes that tend to predominate Chinese restaurant menus.  When my mom came to visit me in NYC, I asked her to show me how to properly steam a fish, including the process of selecting a fish in … Continue reading