Polenta with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Italian Pork Sausage

After a few weeks off, I'm back to bring you more delicious treats.  This dish was actually so good that I had to force myself to stop eating it or I'd get sick. Delicious way of putting it, I know.  So, this is a relatively simple, one plate meal that involves prepping all of your ingredients ahead of time so the components will be ready at around the same time.  It's a bit of a balancing act but well-worth the effort.  The creaminess of the polenta balances perfectly with the tangy-spicy-sweetness of the tomato sauce, and the juicy, fatty Italian pork sausage.  This is my kind of comfort food.

Sweet Corn Popsicles

Corn is one of those summer foods that you find at every BBQ tossed to the side, grilled and covered in butter and salt.  While this is a delicious way to prepare it, corn has so much more to offer.  It has a sweeter side.  I decided to make these sweet corn popsicles as a nice end-of-summer treat that shows another way to enjoy this traditional summer food. The only special equipment required is popsicle molds, but you can also just use popsicle sticks and little paper cups if you don't have them.  This dessert is refreshing, sweet, different, and actually not terribly unhealthy for you.  Try them and I guarantee you'll be hooked.

Shakshuka is my new favorite meal...

...and I'll tell you why. This Israeli dish is flavorful, bold, slightly spicy, hearty, and actually very healthy for you. It's one of those vegetarian dishes that doesn't leave you feeling like you're still hungry and is also a perfect meal for a cold winter day/night. Did I mention it can also be eaten for breakfast/lunch/or dinner?! In short, it's perfect.

"Cheesy" Purple Kale Chips

Some things are better to buy.  There, I said it.  If I had a food dehydrator (hint: Christmas/Hanukkah gift idea) these kale chips would be a breeze to make.  They still are super easy but just take forever in the oven.  The result is delicious and disappears almost immediately following the 4 hours you wait for them to be ready.  I'm a believer in trying to make everything at least once, so here's the recipe:

Pistachio-crusted Salmon Dinner for Two

So, last week I made these, which may have left you with some extra crushed pistachios.  I came up with this recipe to use them up in a delicious salmon dinner.  It's super easy and can be served with any number of things.  I served mine with a side dish consisting of orzo (a grain-shaped pasta), red and yellow peppers, crumbled feta, dill, capers, lemon zest and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Perfect Pesto

I have a basil plant that has recently gotten a little out of control, and so there was only one thing for me to do...make pesto!  Pesto is an Italian sauce that traditionally uses basil, garlic and parmesan cheese although now there are hundreds of varieties of pesto.  This is because pesto comes from the Italian word meaning to grind--> think mortar and pestle. So, now there are sun-dried tomato, black olive, eggplant, pistachio and mushroom pestos (just to name a few).  What we are talking about here is the original, Genovese, basil pesto. This recipe is simple, fast and delicious.  What's even better is that you can freeze it for use at a later date. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and pop it out as needed.   Pesto is also very versatile: think veggie tarts, pizzas, sautéed vegetables, sun-dried tomato mozzarella and pesto sandwiches....etc.

Date and Nut Balls

It has been a super long time since my last post..oops.  Since starting a new job October, I dropped the ball on writing down recipes to share, but I'm back and promise to at least attempt to write more regularly.

The following recipe is just something simple I threw together as a snack when my pantry was reaching near-bare conditions.  The only required equipment is a small skillet and a food processor or blender, and the result is a chewy, sweet and salty treat.  They are also raw, gluten free, and vegan (aside from honey if you're a super strict vegan but then you can just use agave syrup instead).  I like recipes like this because it's like having a cookie without having to turn on your oven in the hot summer.