Tarragon and Chives

 It's been so windy and cold here lately so I decided that we needed bowls of comfort food for dinner;  arroz con pollo~healthy style chicken featuring my favorite long grain brown rice simmered in diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and chicken broth.  I love all the add-ins in this recipe, like green olives, roasted red pepper, capers, radishes and cilantro.  Definitely a favorite dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day, so good.  It's also attractive, with the strips of roasted red peppers radishes and bits of cilantro strewn over the top.  We'll be enjoying this recipe for arroz con pollo again very soon, with or without the wind.  The recipe is simple and with a small amount of early preparation it makes a fairly quick one-dish dinner.  I would also double this recipe for a crowd, ie:game night. Ingredients and Recipe for Arroz Con Pollo~Healthy Style~Comfort Food Serves 4 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon minced fresh Greek orega

 Happiness is a red bulgur salad 🥗  with all the fresh herbs 🌿 cucumbers 🥒 carrots 🥕 and crunchy toasted almonds.  I'm sharing a recipe for one of my absolute all time favorite lunches.  My salad dressing has Middle Eastern flavors with olive oil, lemon juice and fresh herbs coating the red bulgur-which is an heirloom grain that is a mainstay in Mediterranean cooking.  I'm looking forward to creating more salads with this delicious whole grain of the Middle East, coming to a theatre near you. Red Bulgur Salad with Fresh Herbs, Almonds, Cucumbers and Carrots Serves 4 1 cup red bulgur 1 cup boiling water Lemon, juiced 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds 1/8 teaspoon Aleppo pepper 4 carrots, peeled and shredded Small cucumber, peeled and diced 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds 1/3 cup minced fresh mint 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Combine the red bulgur with the boiling wate

This is not your mother's kale pesto recipe.  I don't know, maybe your mother doesn't have a kale pesto recipe but you should consider trying this recipe and sharing it with her.  I keep looking at my photo and thinking the chicken looks like artichoke hearts.  I'm thinking you could substitute artichoke hearts for the chicken and I think it would be a delicious vegetarian pasta dinner.  I bought two boxes of whole grain rotini during my pantry hoarding phase of COVID, just to be healthy and all that.  I wasn't sure I would love this pasta but guess what it's amazing with all it's nooks and crannies to hold kale pesto; a whole grain pasta with personality.  I will buy more for my pantry, it's a keeper for sure.  Ps. this kale pesto pasta is good leftover for lunch the next day. Ingredients and Recipe for Kale Pesto Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Tomatoes and Chicken  Serves 4-6 1 cup packed chopped kale 1/2 cup packed arugula 1/2 cup packed sweet basil 4 tabl

  I have the world's best and easiest recipe for lamb chops with lively herbs, lemon zest, Aleppo pepper, fingerling potatoes and arugula.  I like to sprinkle fresh chopped mint and parsley over my lamb chops with a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.  Don't you love a platter of food for dinner that includes your entire meal?  I do.  Maybe a nice loaf of bread and a bottle of red wine 🍷 I love making dessert, that's the fun part for me.  How about a slice of cake 🍰  and more wine for dessert?  Now you have the full picture and a recipe for a wonderful meal to share with friends. Ingredients and Recipe for Lamb Chops with Mint, Lemon Zest, Aleppo Pepper, Fingerling Potatoes and Arugula Serves 4 1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint, divided 1 lemon, zested and cut in half for serving 8 lamb rib chops, frenched  4 cups packed fresh bab

  Easy peasy chocolate dipped French style cookies for a crowd made in a 24 cup mini muffin tin and I can't think of a better use for that pan....don't you just love the perfect pan for baking?  I do.  These wonderful chewy but soft and cake like cookies are perfect baked up for a party 🎉  I'm always looking for individual desserts to serve for a festive event and the more French like, the better.  I used the toasted almond flour from King Arthurs Flour for this recipe but you may toast your own almond flour along with the sweetened shredded coconut used in the recipe.  I also used Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate 🍫 for my dipping, which is my go to chocolate for baking.  This recipe is best served on the day it's made. Ingredients and Recipe for Chocolate Dipped Toasted Almond-Coconut Financiers Makes 24 1 cup, 2 sticks- unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 1 cup toasted almond flour, or plain almond flour 2/3 sugar 4 tabl

Am I the only one with about a half cup of dry rosé wine in my fridge?  Just enough in the bottle to make rosé chicken with shallots, garlic, tomatoes and oregano?  Well if you're one of the lucky ones and also have a small amount of rosé then carry on.  Please make this highly edible chicken recipe for dinner.  Fortunately my recipe for baked chicken thighs also makes a generous amount of sauce in the pan, so it would be lovely served with a rice pilaf or French bread and a leafy green salad 🥗 just to round things out.  If you have a cast iron skillet then use it here as it is the perfect pan for a baked chicken dish with all it's tomatoes, shallots, rosé wine and herb sauce. Ingredients and Recipe for Rosé Chicken with Shallots, Garlic, Tomatoes and Oregano 🌿  Serves 4 4 bone-in skinless boneless chicken thighs 4 large size shallots, chopped 4 cloves minced garlic 2 good size sprigs fresh Greek oregano, about 30 leaves plus extra for garnish 1 generous cup cherry tomatoes 

  Just for taco night; long grain brown rice never looked so good as it does simmered with all the healthy ingredients in my new recipe for Mexican rice.  I've made a few major deviations from standard Mexican rice recipes.  I use long grain brown rice, no chopped green bell peppers and no canned tomatoes-you won't miss them at all.  This Mexican rice recipe is actually fun to make using your blender, yes you will need a blender to purée all the veggies that go into this scrumptious rice dish.  I noticed it disappearing on taco night and that's why I'm going to share the recipe with you. Ingredients and Recipe for Mexican Rice Serves 8 as a side dish 4 medium large tomatoes, cut in large pieces 1 roasted red bell pepper, skinned with seeds removed and roughly chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed 2 tablespoons ve

 I love a quick easy salad recipe that hits all the right notes; bright colors, multiple flavors and textures.  I found inspiration for this strawberry goat cheese arugula salad from a favorite pizza restaurant.  I tried to make a similar salad at home and it was a success.  I brought my salad to a brunch at my son and daughter in law's home and later she asked me for my recipe so I had to recreate this wonderful simple salad for a second time, lucky me.  I remembered to make the salad, take a picture and write down the recipe, so here it is, very simple and perfect for strawberry season. Ingredients and Recipe for Strawberry Goat Cheese Arugula Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Vinaigrette  Makes one generous individual salad 2 generous handfuls washed baby arugula  6 medium large strawberries, cleaned and cut in half 2-3 tablespoons raw pistachios  2 ounces Laura Chenel fresh goat cheese Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste for the lemon vinaigrette   1 teaspoon lemon