Tuna-Mango-Rice Salad
A savory-sweet warm salad with rice and tuna for all seasons. Mango from far away in time and space. Summery cucumbers and cold-weather carrots. A refreshing and satisfying meal that comes together in 30 minutes.
Reverse Math and the Reward Principle
Let's reverse engineer the eating-exercising math. How you can, uh, "enhance" your diet when you begin to exercise more. Because if you want to lose weight or maintain your weight, it's hard to be successful if you're feeling food deprived.
Cast Iron Cornbread
The cast iron pan puts a thin, crunchy finish on a warm, soft, light, crumbly bread. 30 minutes start to finish. 10 minutes or less of actual preparation. 20 minutes in the oven turns your home into the best-smelling bakery in town. Great bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Chilly>Chile>Chili
Serious, real-deal chili. Deep, broad and complex flavors. There's much more going on here than just heat. With or without carne, you just need great chile powder to make a great chili when National Chili Day meets a Way-Too-Chilly day.
Chilaquiles
The great, traditional Mexican breakfast. A huge amount of flavor. A great balance between the sweet corn, the tart and spicy salsa verde and the rich, mellow scrambled eggs. A wonderfully satisfying breakfast for less than $1.50.
Hard, dry and fresh: Heirloom Beans
For dinner. During the winter, when the ground freezes and our CSA farm share goes dormant. These "new" beans are delicious. Some are meaty, some are kind of creamy. Some are dense, some are quite light. They all have a load of flavor.
Sushi. Hold the fish.
Quick and simple to make. About $4 per person; $2 if you skip the fish altogether. Every bite's a little party in your mouth. Light, fun, interesting, beautiful. Almost fat-free. Want to come back as this in your next life?
Orangettes: Chocolate-Dipped Orange
I love dark chocolate. I hate to waste food. So I was delighted to see what happens when you give an orange peel a quick dip in melted chocolate. A very adult candy. And each orangette weighs in at 5 calories and costs less than 5 cents. Happy Better Cheaper Valentine's Day.
Lemon Pudding Cake makes a comeback
Big, mouth-filling flavor. Not too tart or sweet. Amazingly light but luxurious and rich. Your first bite seems completely familiar and completely new. Part airy, moist cake. Part silky light pudding.
The Winter Spice Rack
If you're trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat, winter's a challenging time. Way less variety at the farmers market. So take what ya got and spice it up. $25'll get you three blends that last for months and breathe new life into your winter diet.