Herb Crumbed Chicken Breasts

Quick and easy chicken recipe from Stuff It: The Great Little Book of Chicken Dishes.  For a fancier version of this herb crumbed coating, try Thomas Keller’s Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze. The original recipe is below, but I improvised a bit as I was missing a couple ingredients (sad I know… considering the … Continue reading

Sautéed Wild Mushrooms with Herbs

This simple side dish is often served in steak and Italian restaurants, and I order it without fail each time I find it on the menu. I decided to make these mushrooms to accompany some Sirloin Steaks, along with Crisped Roasted Mini Potatoes and Glazed Pearl Onions. In my effort to explore more local produce, … Continue reading

Baba Ghanoush

We first made baba ghanoush a few weeks ago for a Mediterranean-themed dinner my friend was hosting, and we were amazed how simple it was to make.  The next time I went grocery shopping, I stocked up on eggplants as I knew we’d be making this deliciously creamy dip again. We originally followed this recipe … Continue reading

Quinoa Salad Tabbouleh-Style

My quinoa addiction started during my holiday in South America, where I ordered this refreshing quinoa at almost every meal.  I find the taste of quinoa itself to be quite mild, maybe slightly nutty, but I absolutely love the crunchy texture and fluffy consistency.  Sometimes I feel like I am betraying my natural affinity for white … Continue reading

Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce

I found this recipe randomly on epicurious.com when I was searching for hearty appetizers for my Christmas Eve Eve dinner. What appealed to me is the combination of all the ingredients I really love: cauliflower, tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. I made a few changes to the original recipe, which I will note below. Cauliflower … Continue reading

Garlic Parsley Potatoes

This dish is also called our “scrap potatoes” because this was thrown together with a bunch of leftover ingredients from our Thanksgiving Eve dinner.  I used the excess herb butter juices from the Whole Roasted Chicken, extra potatoes from the Purée of Garlic Potatoes, and fresh parsley from the Marinated Mushrooms. Every time I make … Continue reading

Provençal Roast Tomatoes

This is another recipe from The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook. Jen was making her Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze and we wanted to have a lighter, but still delicious side dish to serve it with and roasted tomatoes provençal were one of the suggestions. This dish is super easy to make and I … Continue reading

Salad Shirazi

As I was preparing my Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with a Honey Mustard Glaze, I was trying to think of a lighter side dish to serve with it.  I recalled the first time I had made Baby Lamb Chops with a Cucumber-Mint Relish, I served it with a tomato, cucumber, red onion and mint … Continue reading

Pomegranate Relish

This is a colorful, zesty relish and a perfect accompaniment to Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs Pomegranate Relish (courtesy of epicurious) Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds 2/3 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Directions: Mix all ingredients … 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