Miso soup: A warm, steamy bowl of liquid umami. I sometimes struggle with what to serve for “meatless Monday,” but this one is a surefire hit with my crew. It also checks the box on almost all special diets: It’s low-fat, low-carb, low-sugar and vegan if you buy a variety of miso paste without bonito (fish…
Gluten-free/Gluten-free adaptable
Tomatillo Salsa
This one’s for the weekend. It’s fast enough to whip up on a Tuesday, but screams for salty tortilla chips and a cold beer on Friday night. Tomatillo salsa is one of those staples we tend to have stocked in the fridge around here, and it gets spooned onto scrambled eggs, quesadillas or tacos just about every day. Roasting the tomatillos helps…
Weeknight Lasagna
For birthday celebrations and back-to-school dinners, this is our go-to family meal. It’s a creamy, rich lasagna without much effort or mess. That’s why we call it “weeknight lasagna.” You can make it even faster (and meatless) by eliminating the sausage. Then just pop open a jar of store-bought tomato sauce, open a box of…
Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot
The slow cooker is a revelation. There may be nay sayers (you know who you are) but there are some days that just scream for plug-it-in-and-forget-about-it in my house. It’s a no-brainer dinner when you’re running in a million different directions and know you’ll be energy depleted at the end of the day, or when you’re trying to feed several different…
Gluten-free almond cake
I like to drum up excuses to make this almond cake for Sunday night dessert so I can slice away at it for the rest of the week. Morning coffee and a slice of almond cake to go? Yes! Lunchbox treat? Yes! Afternoon hangries? You get the picture… I like it best with two cups of ripe blackberries folded into…
Chicken Lettuce Cups
Ground Chicken Lettuce Cups Chicken lettuce cups are a family favorite, and making them has become second nature to me. My kids ask for these about once a week. It’s one of those dinners that gets put together in 15 minutes once you have it down. You can work as you go, which I don’t…
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos My family could survive on Mexican food alone. And I’m talking any incarnation or Americanized version — street tacos, fajitas, queso, enchiladas, nachos, you name it. For a quick fix at home, these baked chicken taquitos are a new gold standard around here. They tend to disappear off the cooling rack, so…
Herbed Yogurt Sauce
This tangy yogurt sauce is perfect with lamb meatballs, grilled chicken or roasted salmon.
Lamb Meatballs
Ground meat magic: Pork and beef bolognese, lamb keema, chicken lettuce tacos… the list goes on. It cooks quickly and can make meat more palatable for picky eaters. Elevating it with seasonings, egg and bread crumbs and rolling into two-bite meatballs is a comfort food coup. The trick with these lamb meatballs is to chop the onions into small pieces…
Green Bean, Red Pepper and Carrot Slaw
Last week I taught a class to a few women in Los Angeles who are no novices in the kitchen. But I stuck with my usual fare. Simple, good food that tends to be healthy but doesn’t follow any particular diet. This is one of our favorites from the class, a colorful green bean slaw that fills the “eat the…