cauliflower cheese with smoky crumb topping

February 7, 2016 radish*rose 0 comment

Low carb comfort food? Sign me up! Upon finding myself in possession of a generous amount of cauliflower, I looked through a few cookbooks and blogs for inspiration, and one of my all-time favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, came through with a great idea for cauliflower cheese. It’s kind of like mac and cheese, only with cauliflower instead of macaroni. Doesn’t it sound delicious? I thought so! So here’s my version. I’ve adapted Smitten Kitchen’s recipe by using Gruyére instead of Cheddar, adding some extra Dijon mustard, and topping it with some smoked paprika and crunchy panko (breadcrumbs). (But you can leave those off if you are avoiding all carbs, or substitute sliced almonds.) Continue reading

easy spinach garlic frittata

January 10, 2016 radish*rose 0 comment

A confession: The art of frittata-making eluded me for a very long time. This spinach garlic frittata is a hard-won victory for me. Every recipe I tried went like this: In an oven-proof skillet, sauté the fillings on the stovetop, pour in beaten eggs, continue to cook on the stovetop until almost done, then broil until puffed and brown. Sounds easy, right? Except… mine never worked. Ever! It would always burn either top or bottom, possibly both, and it would stick to the pan, requiring a long soak to clean up. Sigh. I had almost given it up for lost, until I came across this easy frittata recipe for kids, using a simple baking method. I thought to myself: Surely I can make this if kids can make this. Right?! Right! Guess what – this method totally works. No burning, no sticking to the pan. Hurrah! The great thing about frittatas is that you can use any veggies you have on hand, so feel to modify to your needs. Go ahead, use that asparagus, kale, or whatever you have. And if you have leftover frittata, it is delicious in a sandwich the next day. Continue reading

savory bread pudding with broccoli rabe and mushrooms

November 1, 2015 radish*rose 0 comment

Just back from London, mates! Did you miss me? Here’s some healthy comfort food to make it up to you! Savory bread pudding features cubes of hearty whole-grain bread, broccoli rabe, mushrooms, and Gruyére cheese, bound with eggs & low-fat milk, then baked until puffed and golden. Having just been in London, I’m reminded that the Brits call dessert “pudding”. But this is not that kind of pudding. This is a main dish if you’re vegetarian, or a hearty savory side if not. It would also be a most excellent brunch dish! Or should I say egg-cellent? Teehee.

kale salad with apples, walnuts and gruyere

June 21, 2015 radish*rose 2 Comments

My office recently moved to from midtown to downtown Manhattan, and I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring the neighborhood. One day my foodie friend and I were wandering around TriBeCa looking for a place to have lunch. We passed by a spot called Tiny’s, located in a 3-story pink townhouse built in 1810 – and she said “Hey! I hear their kale salad is famous.” Sold! We happily ordered it, while enjoying Tiny’s decor, which includes exposed brick walls, original tin-tile ceilings and a Masonic-themed copper-and-marble bar. The salad was crunchy, delicious, and refreshing on a super-hot day, with slightly mustardy, slightly gingery dressing, and an umami accent from the aged gouda grated over the top. Since we both love to cook, we kept puzzling over what might be in the dressing and whether there was a way to recreate the goodness at home. Luckily, she found a take on it by The Bari Studio (they must be as obsessed with this salad as we are!), so I used their recipe as my starting point. But don’t worry, Tiny’s, we’ll definitely be back for your original version! Continue reading