Fear not – these are very friendly, not too spicy peppers! You can handle them even if you’re a bit wimpy about hot stuff like I am. They make a great healthy and guilt-free appetizer. Look for shisito peppers at your local Asian market (and many mainstream markets have them now too). They are bright green and longer and skinnier than a jalapeno, with a tendency to curl a bit. Sometimes they are labeled “sweet peppers” or “curly peppers”. Continue reading
Here is a mind-blowing fact: all popcorn is microwave popcorn. They haven’t done anything magical to the popcorn to make it pop in the microwave. IT’S THE BAG. I know, right?!??? So you don’t need all that other stuff that’s in the pre-made kind. You can just get good old fashioned plain unpopped popcorn and microwave it yourself with whatever flavors you like. And then ask yourself, “Why was I buying microwave popcorn like a fool?” That’s right. A fool. Don’t feel bad, it happened to me too. Continue reading
It’s becoming apparent that I like mushrooms, isn’t it? I mean, we have already done mushrooms in Spanish sherry and we are just getting to know each other. But every now and then you discover the mushrooms you meant to use earlier in the week in the back of your fridge, and you say to yourself in a tragic tone, “Oh no, what shall I do with these now?!” Options are a wonderful thing. Continue reading
What’s fancy tuna? Fancy tuna, at least in my head, is the kind from Spain packed in olive oil:
I always would see these pretty cans in gourmet shops like Grand Central Market or Eataly and think, “But it’s packed in olive oil. HOW DECADENT. What on earth do you do with that?”
I am happy to report that it is indeed decadent, but guess what. It makes perfect sense in pasta sauce. You would probably be adding some olive oil to your pasta sauce anyway, so why not start with the fancy tuna in olive oil and only need to add a little more? Continue reading
Quinoa is fun to say (KEEN-wah… I like to sing it) and it’s definitely having a moment, due to being delicious *and* high in amino acids and protein. I make this salad at least once a week for a quick and scrumptious dinner for two. If you make the quinoa and vinaigrette ahead (or buy pre-made), you can throw this together in a few minutes – no big deal. It’s still pretty fast even if you make everything from scratch (quinoa takes about 20 minutes). If your quinoa is still warm, you can still put it right into the salad and you’ll have a nice wilted spinach effect, if you like that sort of thing (if you don’t, just wait for it to cool). Continue reading
This is a simple recipe you can totally pull off on a weeknight! Serve it with baby bok choy sauteed with garlic and ginger. (If you want a recipe for that, just leave me a comment.) Continue reading