In A Nutshell

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 ears of sweet corn, grilled (or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed) 1 small red pepper, diced 1 small red onion, small diced 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (or you can combine them half and half) 4 T fresh lime juice 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 T cumin 1 T chili powder (I used McCormick's ordinary chili powder) salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Whisk the lime juice, EVOO, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix.

I wanted to re-create the comfort of Campbell's Tomato Soup but for my grown up self that no longer eats soup out of a can. This was so creamy tasting but without any actual cream; garden tomatoes are best for this recipe. I prefer to leave out herbs such as basil or parsley so that it won't taste like marinara sauce but that's a matter of personal taste. 4 lbs garden tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 cup EVOO (plus additional for roasting the tomatoes) pinch of crushed red pepper 1 yellow onion, diced 6 cloves of garlic 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 t sugar 2 cubes of Knorr caldo de tomate (or salt to taste if you don't have or want to use the Knorr) freshly ground pepper sliced Italian bread cheese of your choice Preheat oven to 400º; put tomato halves along with the garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil; sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup...

That handsome young man is my son Raymond; he is an excellent pizza maker as well as a good cake maker/decorator. This particular pizza was an absolute masterpiece! The toppings are endless but sometimes there's nothing like a good, old-fashioned pepperoni pizza! Crust for two pizzas : 1 1/4 cup warm water 1 1/2 t instant yeast 2 c unbleached flour 3/4 white whole wheat flour 2-3 T vital wheat gluten (available from King Arthur or Whole Foods) 1 1/2 t salt 2 T olive oil In the bowl of a kitchen-aid mixer, mix all the dry ingredients together; using the dough hook, add the water and oil. You may need to add more water- this is the tricky part. It should be moist and tacky but not too sticky; you don't want it to be too dry or the crust will be tough. Knead for 10 minutes with the kitchen-aid. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise on the counter until puffy puffy puffy. Don't rush this part; depending upon the ambient temperature, this could take...

This is a variation on the BLT- it's a bacon, rapini and tomato sandwich. My love of rapini is vast and enduring; it's definitely not for everyone (my husband asked if he could have his sandwich without rapini-- request denied...) but I love its bitterness-- especially when served with fatty stuff like bacon and cheese or a rich pasta dish. You could always substitute sauteed spinach if you don't like rapini (or can't find it) and of course, it makes a nice vegetarian sandwich without the bacon. For the rapini (also called broccoli rabe): 1 bunch rapini 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, sliced pinch of crushed red pepper Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; boil the rapini for 4 minutes (dunking it under with a wooden spoon occasionally). Drain in a colander for a good long time to get all the excess water out of it. When it's cool, squeeze the rapini to drain out the water. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil, garlic and crushed red p...

2 large avocados (I like to use the big ones that come from Mexico, not the Haas) 1/4 red onion, very finely diced 1 red Fresno pepper, small diced (or red serrano) 1/4 cup (roughly- I never actually measure this) chopped cilantro 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 large juicy lime (plus more if needed) 1/2 large mango, diced into 1/4" cubes kosher salt to taste Mash the avocados in a bowl with a fork, add everything else except the mango and mix gently with your fork. Taste it at this point to see if it needs more lime or salt. I like to add half the mango and very gently mix it into the guacamole and then put the rest over the top so that it looks fresh and bright. Serve with tortilla chips and margaritas or Mexican beer.

 I love the idea of ratatouille but then often don't care for how mushy it is; this is my take on it- it's grilled and a bit more fresh tasting for summer. The tomatoes are prepared separately (adapted from Bon Appetit) and ladled over the vegetables right before eating. The tomatoes would be great in a pasta too (actually the whole concoction would probably be good served over pasta); I served this over rice. For the cherry tomatoes : 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 3 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 shallot, finely diced pinch of crushed red pepper 1/2 T red wine vinegar 2 T chopped chives kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Heat the oil, garlic, shallot and crushed red pepper; cook over medium heat until very fragrant and the shallot is softened.  Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have released their juices and softened. Add the chives, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. For the veg : ...

I can't begin to describe how delicious these are; they require copious amounts of olive oil and you can't be stingy with the salt- I love them with chipotle ketchup. The recipe comes from one of those Fine Cooking special publications (Appetizers) and is super easy to make; the small glitch is that you can only fit about 12 potatoes on each sheet so you may have to get multiple sheets going, depending on how many people you are cooking for, and rotate them. You can get these ready up to a point earlier in the day. 12-15 baby red or yellow new potatoes (about 2" in diameter) kosher salt 1/2 cup best quality extra-virgin olive oil Put the potatoes in a pot filled with plenty of salted water;  bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes total (start to finish). The potatoes should be tender and easily pierced with a knife but not mushy. Drain the potatoes in a large colander for a few minutes. One by one, on a rimmed baking sheet, flat...

Another adaptation from Rachel Ray; the pesto is absolutely delicious and would make a vibrant topping for grilled chicken or fish or you could tweak it a bit to turn it into a marinade or dressing. The original recipe called for one pound of pasta but I think the flavors of the pesto and zucchini would shine more with a little less pasta. You can leave the chicken out if you want a vegetarian dish. For the Pesto : 1 small bunch cilantro 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 lemon, zested and juiced 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 5 T extra-virgin olive oil In a food processor, pulse everything but the olive oil until chopped fine. Add the EVOO and pulse until combined. For the Pasta : 12 oz. egg tagliatelle or pappardelle 2 zucchini, julienned (you can do this with a mandoline or by hand- or just sliced thin) 4 green onions, chopped (white and green parts) 3 cloves of garlic, chopped ...

This cornbread makes you feel like you're getting away with dessert during dinner; it's very cakey, moist and slightly sweet-- I wonder if it would be good spiked with crushed red pepper or cayenne??. The recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit. 1 stick butter (I used salted) 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 large zucchini (10 oz.), shredded 1 cup flour 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour 3/4 cup coarse grind cornmeal (I had a container of Bob's Red Mill yellow grits mixed with Trader Joe's white grits) 1/2 cup sugar 1 t baking powder 3/4 t fine sea salt (1 t if you use unsalted butter) 1/2 t baking soda Preheat oven to 350º; grease a 9X9 baking pan. Melt the butter and let it cool just a bit. Scrape into a bowl and add the eggs, buttermilk and zucchini. Sift together the whole wheat and white flour along with the baking powder, soda, salt and sugar (there is zero chance that I would ever do all that sifting- I just dumped it all in the bowl, but I w...

I like to serve this with tortilla chips but you can also serve it with warm tortillas or pita chips. It goes quite well with margaritas. 1 15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 2 garlic cloves, pressed 2 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 to 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (depending on how spicy you like it- I use 1/2 and a little of the adobo sauce) 2 T tahini 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 T water 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cumin pepper For garnish: roasted and salted pumpkin seeds for garnish chili powder chopped cilantro extra-virgin olive oil, drizzled over finished product Puree all ingredients in the food processor until smooth; drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with the toppings.