Concord grapes are in a league of their own. I don’t put them in the same category as the red and green seedless table grapes that are common, regardless of the season.
Their flavor and texture sets them apart. The tart skin busts open in your mouth leading the way to a sweet, gummy bear-like pulp inside. I enjoy these qualities so much that I can easily overlook the pesky seeds.
I’ll admit it. I’m easily bored by fish. I really like fish, but I can only have so much baked white fish and pecan crusted salmon before I long for something more creative.
The solution this time? Grind it up and make burgers.
I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.
I hope to see you there.
I can’t get enough of foods in bowls.
There is something about having several tasty ingredients in one container that is drizzled with a sauce or dressing and topped with condiments that creates my idea of a perfect meal.
The combinations are endless, but I find that I’m most often drawn to those that don’t make complete sense. The more random the ingredients, the more I want to eat them.
Take this creation, for example. A chickpea seems like an odd thing to combine with Korean chili powder and cucumbers, but somehow it works.
In this recipe, slow cooker lentils are topped with turkey meatballs and then brightened with a sprinkle of fresh spinach for an easy one-bowl meal!
I tend to eat in earth tones. It’s something I didn’t realize until I began photographing my food.
Think about it. The occasional leafy green aside, many healthy foods are pretty much a big bunch of off white, beige and brown.
Lentils, beans, chickpeas, cauliflower, oats, onions, garlic, meats, mushrooms — all pretty much the same boring color. It’s unfair, too, because they can be pretty darn delicious.
This corn recipe uses creamy pureed cashews to recreate a favorite summer side dish. With fresh basil blended in, it is full of seasonal flavor. It fits into a vegan or dairy-free diet making it a great option for a variety of eating styles. 
Almost three years and I’m still trying to get used to living in a place where the weather varies little throughout the year. Fall is evident as most of the trees change colors and lose their leaves, and although there is no snow, winter brings cooler temperatures.
But spring and summer are a different story.
In mid-February and early March, I watch people in my social media feeds share about their love or hate of the cold temperatures and snow while we are enjoying full-on spring. It’s that point when I start to lose track of time. Before I know it, the stone fruits show up at our farmers markets and people across the country are sharing pictures of tomatoes from the garden.
Oh, right. It’s almost July.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time staring at fresh fava beans at the farmers market. They always get my attention, but I’m never quite sure what to do with them.
Then, when we attended the shims and shrubs workshop that I mentioned last week, it all clicked for me. One of the bites served there was grilled baby fava beans. A little lightbulb went off in my head — oooh, you can grill them!
These tender, steamed Japanese yams are flavored with curry powder and a twist of lime. They make a great side dish or snack!
I’ve been intrigued by the world of potatoes and yams for some time. I think it probably started when we traveled to Ireland. Visiting the food markets there opened me up to the reality that there were more varieties than the red skinned and russet I was familiar with.
Then my potato passion moved to my own garden when I was growing red and white skinned potatoes. The excitement reached epic proportions the year I grew Adirondack Blue potatoes (what many people refer to as purple potatoes) and harvested 15 pounds from the garden!
I’m not growing my own potatoes right now, but the adventures have not ceased. They continue with cuisines and cultures that I have to admit took me completely by surprise. I’m not sure I ever expected to find so many Asian varieties of potatoes. They are of the sweet potato and yam family, and they are all over my favorite farmers market in Oakland. Purple, white, orange, yellow — it is seriously a rainbow of taters out there.
These Potato Breakfast Bowls are loaded with hearty red potatoes, scrambled eggs and sausage. The best part is that you can have them on the table in 30 minutes. This is my entry for the Potato Lovers Club Speedy Spud Challenge blogger recipe contest. This post was sponsored by the U.S. Potato Board.
I’m not what you would call a quick cook. I’m the first to admit that I lack swiftness in the kitchen.
It’s not that I have loads of time to kill or that I dislike quick recipes, I just have a very short attention span. When I’m cooking for myself, I only get about 5 minutes in before I catch something out of the corner of my eye and my head jerks quickly to the right.
Squirrel!
It often goes something like this. I’m chopping the onion. Oh, is that an episode of Gilmore Girls on T.V.? I need to turn the volume up. Then I open the sliding glass door to let out a whining pug so she can go fake potty and come back in to beg for her free treat.
Then I get back to the onion. I open the fridge for something. Oh, I really need to throw that out. Oh man, I forgot to empty the dishwasher.
You get the idea. A recipe might say it takes 20 minutes to make, but it’s not going to take me 20 minutes.
This spicy noodle bowl is topped with turkey sausage, mustard greens and garlic. It’s vibrant flavors pair well with the 2014 Cultivar Rose that I received as part of the Cultivar Wine Bloggers!
Growing up, like most people who come from the middle portion of the U.S., comfort food was defined by things like mashed potatoes, pot pies and biscuits and gravy. Heavy, nap-inducing and delicious.
Fortunately, travel has introduced me to a few more things that define comfort food for others around the world. Feijoada in Brazil, fish and chips and pastries in Europe, but nothing can compare to noodle dishes in Southeast Asia. They have redefined comfort food for me.
This salad dressing combines tangy lemon and creamy walnuts for a flavor that will bring out the best in mixed greens, pasta or grains!
Salad season will soon be here. That probably sounds a little strange coming from someone who now lives in a place that most people would consider spring and summer year round.
I always thought that my salad cravings were controlled by the seasons, but I’ve learned that this is not the case. Apparently they are controlled by the months on the calendar. Despite sunshine and vegetables being plentiful all the time, I still really only want salads April through August.
