Delicious Summer Salads

I love salads that are packed with colorful fresh fruit or vegetables, but easy to make ahead and keep in the fridge. They’re handy for events or just when you want to make them to eat for several days. These salads, Tropical Fruit with Honey-Mint Dressing and Black Bean Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing,…

Orange-Vanilla French Toast

I’m fine with basic french toast, but this is a step above – fragrant with orange juice & vanilla, with a creamy batter that balances great with sourdough bread.

Gamjajeon – Korean Kimchi Potato Pancakes – 김치 감자전

Living in Chicago, I’ve enjoyed learning more about different cuisines and beginning to see unexpected connections between them. This recipe, for instance, is about as Polish as Korean food is likely to get. To friends who’ve never eaten Korean food but are more familiar with Eastern European cuisine, I’ve said kimchi is like sauerkraut but…

Kimchijjigae – Kimchi Stew – 김치찌개

Traditionally made with pork or tuna, I’ve included a vegetarian option for this popular Korean recipe. This is one recipe you don’t want to make unless you have leftover kimchi – if you try to make it with fresh kimchi, it simply won’t have enough flavor to make the broth taste right.

Corn Salsa Flapjacks

I’ve been making these flapjacks for years. They’re a family favorite recipe, easy to make with pantry ingredients and cooking up quickly. My only problem is not eating half the stack hot off the griddle before I serve them for dinner.

Tomato Rosemary Muffins

These muffins are a nice contrast to heavier, earthy soups. The tomato sauce in the batter keeps them tender with a slight tang and also gives them a lovely golden color.

Pita with Za’atar Spices

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend of thyme, sesame, sumac, and other spices that can be eaten with flatbread for a quick snack or side dish. I like to spread it on pitas and toast them quickly in the oven to make them easier to serve and eat.

Moroccan Orange and Date Salad

This is one of the most attractive and unusual salad recipes I’ve found. It goes well with a number of Mediterranean dishes and only takes a few minutes to have ready. I’ve tweaked the recipe to take out the only part I found labor intensive.

Moroccan Chickpea and Carrot Tagine

This recipe has everything going for it: it’s cheap, quick, colorful, healthy, and delicious. It’s from an interesting cuisine I want to learn more about, yet I can keep all the ingredients in our pantry. Plus it’s vegetarian/vegan friendly so I can serve it to anyone on short notice without worrying about dietary restrictions.

Sri Lankan Favorites: Pineapple Curry

This unusual, colorful dish is one you can mix up in 10-15 minutes (depending on how fast you chop an onion). If you keep canned coconut milk and pineapple on hand, this is also an easy pantry dish, though it does taste extra special with fresh pineapple.

Sri Lankan Favorites – Fish Cutlets

This recipe works nicely as an appetizer or as a quick main dish. It can be made ahead (mostly) or put together at the last minute. It’s cheap, versatile, and delicious. Of course it’s becoming a regular at our house.