Roasted Fingerlings With Aleppo

Fingerling potatoes are at the farmers' market now. I love to prepare these creamy spuds with sea salt, Aleppo and lemon. This recipe is simple and rustic, with a twist from the Aleppo pepper. Aleppo peppers are crushed chilis with a pleasantly tart flavor. The tangy heat from the Aleppo pepper is perfect with potatoes. Instead of regular lemons, meyer lemons are nice too.  
       

Roasted Fingerlings With Aleppo Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of fingerling potatoes 
• 2 lemons, zest one lemon and reserve the zest 
• Olive Oil 
• Aleppo pepper to taste
• Sea salt to taste   

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375

On a large baking pan, toss the fingerling potatoes with some olive oil and sea salt. Roast the potatoes for 30 minutes. Take the potatoes out of the oven and toss them with the reserved lemon zest. Put the potatoes back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Before serving sprinkle the potatoes with Aleppo pepper, sea salt and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. 

Bon Appetit & Blessings!

xx ~ Jilly  

Rustic Tabbouleh Salad

I grew up eating my Lebanese grandmother's delicate and lemony tabbouleh. She would finely chop the tomatoes, parsley and cucumbers then douse the salad with lots of fresh lemon juice. Tabbouleh was a staple on her dinner table, along with delicious Middle Eastern roasted chicken and rice pilaf.  I loved her home cooking. Middle Eastern food is my soul food. We enjoy this healthy cuisine at least three times a week. My husband is Polish but he loves Eastern Mediterranean food.

Easy Zucchini And Corn Pasta

End of summer cooking means visiting local farms selling sweet corn and backyard gardens bursting with zucchini. It's such a joy to be in the kitchen with the abundance of seasonal produce. Fresh, fast and flavorful food is made in minutes. Healthy meals come together without much fuss. I'm sharing another one of my favorite summery dinners with you again. Chewy-pasta with tender-crisp zucchini, pops of sweet corn and a good amount of herbs.

Korean Cauliflower

I'm not into fad diets. However, I return to macrobiotics when I feel off-balance, sluggish and in need of a healing food plan. I don't go hungry. I don't live on boring salads. When I'm in my macro-mode, I slurp my immune-boosting 5-minute Miso Mushroom Soup  or my Hearty Miso Soup With Mushrooms & Wild Rice. I make lots of simple vegetable dishes. I walk on the beach with my beagle, even in winter. I love the off-season here in New England. It's so peaceful with the sun low in the sky.

Roasted Broccoli With Lemon-Tahini Drizzle

Roasting broccoli is an easy way to bring out its flavor. This recipe has a delicious Eastern Mediterranean vibe. The lemony tahini sauce is bright and sunny. It plays against the warmth and sweetness of the golden-brown broccoli in a very good way.

You can riff on this recipe by tossing some chickpeas on the tray with the broccoli before roasting it. Serve the roasted broccoli/chickpeas and the sauce over rice or stuffed into a pita for a protein-packed vegan meal. It's also great with fried or scrambled eggs for a light vegetarian dinner.

Macro-Zen Bowl

New Year's morning our elderly/bored/early bird neighbor woke us up by banging on our door at the crack of dawn. By this I mean, constant knocking while the beagle was howling (screeching) like a mad woman. An unknown creature interrupting Eleanor's dog-dreams and beagle-beauty-sleep is never a good thing. Tom (aka morning-monster) loudly asked/wondered if I had maybe lost my mind because I accidentally parked in the neighbor's perpetually empty parking spot. I came home late from working a busy New Year's Eve shift at the psychiatric hospital. The neighbor has no car. He never goes anywhere. There are plenty of parking spaces. I hollered about how unromantic my life was at that very moment. How Tom should realize that romance is important and that maybe he should remember a time when we first met. These were strange suggestions from a sleep-deprived woman. Needless to say, Tom was annoyed by them. He stormed out of house to move our car. He came in and said he was sorry he wasn't romantic but he was pissed off (insert curse words here). Crazytown! We both simmered in our anger for a while. Then we had coffee-talk. We apologized. We decided to take a walk on the beach. We laughed and ate long-life noodles for lunch. That's the real-life way we celebrated the New Year. 

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas With Za'atar-Tahini Drizzle & Toasted Sesame Seeds

Little girl kneeling by The Blessed Virgin Mary 

Christmas isn't a day, it's a sacred season. We spend it in pure peace. Instead of hustling around everywhere, our focus is on a few essential activities. While festive Christmas parties are in full swing and malls are crowded with frazzled shoppers, we walk on clear beaches. We enjoy heartwarming concerts where Polish children sing lullabies to the baby Jesus. There are many cozy dinners in our PJs with sea salt chocolate for dessert. There's tea and ginger cookies. We pray more and count our blessings more. We watch old movies, Christmas flicks and read good books. We put presents under the annual parish Giving Tree. We exchange thoughtful gifts and eat peppermint sticks. We sit in candlelit churches. It's a time of calm celebration, cherished spirituality and tranquil motion. 

Roasted Carrots And Potatoes With Sea Salt And Sage

Nothing says fall like roasted root vegetables. I love this light and simple recipe. Hints of fresh sage make it very flavorful. The potatoes are golden brown on the outside with creamy centers. The sweetness of the carrots is a nice compliment to the sage.

Three Indian Inspired Chutneys

I've got three Indian-inspired chutneys for you. Bright and summery...the bomb diggity spooned over salmon. Serve them with chicken or your favorite protein. Think of them as chopped salads or salsas to enjoy with warm chapati, tortilla chips or pita bread. Toss some beans into them for a light vegan meal. The mango chutney is spiked with creamy coconut milk.

A welcome addition to Indian meals as well as backyard bbq's, each one has its own character. They all share the warmth of sesame and the heat of chili in common. Cool and crunchy, the chutneys are a nice choice during the warm weather months.

Summer Squash With Thai Coconut-Chil Sauce

Fresh, light, easy and tasty....this is summer eating at its best. Quickly roasted to bring out the sweet flavors, a generous platter of patty pan squash and zucchini is served with a cool and creamy coconut sauce. The Thai-inspired sauce is spiked with chili, lime, ginger and basil. Enjoy this lovely dish over rice for a light lunch or dinner. Serve it alongside fish or chicken. The sauce alone is great on almost anything.

Lemon Roasted Asparagus

This is a healthy, light, easy and fresh asparagus recipe. Roasted spears are quickly tossed with perky ginger and tangy lemon juice. A red chili pepper finishes things off with heat and more flavor. If you're in the mood, a sprinkle of sesame seeds adds warmth and crunch. This dish is wonderful in warm weather and springtime. It's good hot, cold or at room temperature.

Citrus Roasted Asparagus With Parmesan & Pine Nuts

This asparagus recipe is good hot, warm or room temperature. Alongside some fluffy scrambled eggs, it's a nice brunch entree. The citrus adds sparkle. The toasted pine nuts give some crunch and warmth. A flurry of Parmesan is the perfect, salty finish. 

Rice Pilaf With Toasted Orzo

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share my rice pilaf recipe with you because rice is so essential to many Eastern Mediterranean meals. Toasted orzo makes this pilaf special, lending a nutty aroma and taste to the fluffy rice. This recipe makes a huge batch. It reheats well for workweek meals. 

Chili-Lime Tzatziki Chickpeas

Fresh salads are making their way into my kitchen. I'm half Lebanese, so I'm genetically programed to love chickpeas. I like using them as the base for satisfying salads. Here, these protein-rich beans are tossed with a creamy yogurt-cucumber dressing. The dressing is spiked with a little garlic and fresh lime juice. The recipe comes together quickly. Everything is combined in one bowl. A red chili pepper finishes things off with colorful flavor and heat. I highly recommend it. Stuff this refreshing salad into soft pita with crisp lettuce and tomato. It's great over a fluffy baked potato for a light vegetarian dinner too.   

Spicy Spanish Chickpeas

Chickpeas simmered in a rich and tangy tomato sauce, spiked with chili, paprika and a splash of sherry is what's for lunch today. The sherry really takes this humble bean dish to new levels. A squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil are the perfect finishes. These beans are delicious with a dollop of sour cream and some toasted slivered almonds sprinkled on top. They're also really good, served over rice, with my cooling cucumber tzatziki sauce (recipe below). Stuff them into warm pita, a baked potato or eat with crusty bread. This meal is high in vegetarian protein, especially when served with rice. It's healthy and filling too. It reheats well for workweek meals. Get your Spanish tapas fix in about 30 minutes.

Korean Style Quinoa Salad

I'm stitching away this rainy day. My next pattern will be a little redwork monogram that I think you'll like. The gray sky made me crave a perky lunch. I was in the mood for something spicy, fresh and filling. I settled on this Korean inspired salad. The flavors of garlic, sesame and scallion work well with quinoa. Chili wakes up the taste buds, without setting them on fire. Bright green broccoli is also plentiful here. Thai basil is more than welcome in this recipe. Some diced chicken or avocado would be great too. It's a light but satisfying meal that'll keep you going for hours. If you're on the fence about quinoa, give this salad a try. I think you'll be happy you did.

Thai Garden Vegetable Soup

Today we care so much about what we eat. Yet we have less time to prepare nutritious food. My favorite midday meal is soup. I make a lot of quick ones. This rainbow-colored recipe is ready in about 30 minutes. A bit of chopping and dropping into a pot is all that's required. It's a fun, healthy, Thai-take on garden vegetable soup. I like it much better than the old standard. Spiked with chili, lime and creamy coconut milk, it makes a light and lively lunch paired with crusty rolls or crackers. With an abundance of vegetables, pops of  sweet peas and fresh scallions, this non-traditional veggie soup is a good choice for springtime. It's wonderful sprinkled with Thai basil or regular basil.  If you're craving a satisfying Southeast Asian bowl of deliciousness, give it a try!

Korean Style Soba Noodles

I took a break from working on my next pattern to make this Korean-inspired lunch. Cross stitching and designing can make a girl hungry. Since I stopped working every evening in a psychiatric ER, I've been into mindful eating. Having proper meals is the new goal. Lunch is a must.

I adore Asian noodle bowls, don't you?  Soba noodles are low in fat, high in fiber, amino acids, B vitamins and minerals. They're also delicious! Here, tangles of soba noodles are tossed with a spicy sauce similar to the kind served with bibimbap.  The dish has delicious sesame, spinach and umami flavors. Ginger and diced scallions brighten things up with freshness. Chili and garlic bring in bold flavors.

This recipe is a great base for crispy, pan-fried tofu or thinly sliced chicken. A side of kimchi is also welcome with this meal. The recipe comes together quickly for those (like me) in need of a midday-Korean-noodle-fix.

Mexican Corn Cakes with Jalapeno & Lime

I've taken a break from designing and stitching a new pattern to make corn cakes for lunch. They're an easier riff on my usual recipe. A Mexican cheese blend is delicious in these cakes. Golden-brown, light and fluffy, they're ready in about 20 minutes. Self rising flour helps them puff-up, which is a good thing. Pops of sweet corn, wrapped up in a pillow-soft center, along with some spicy jalapeno is a winning combo. They're crave-worthy and enticing. A squeeze of lime is a fresh finish. The deep-fried-calories and mess are missing... hassle-free cooking at its best. You can also change up the some of the recipe ingredients to suit your personal taste. Sometimes I omit the jalapeno and serve them with a generous amount of Texas Pete Hot Sauce. The cakes are a nice breakfast or brunch option too. Have fun and personalize this recipe!

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Cream & Sriracha

Nothing says comfort to me more than soup. I come close to slurping it 365 days a year. This luscious sweet potato soup is a gift to yourself or people you love. It's rich and velvety like a bisque. It's satisfying, but not heavy. Cinnamon and coconut lend their warm notes. Perky lime and sriracha sauce counter the sweetness of the potatoes and wake up the taste buds. It hits all the right flavors and textures: creamy, spicy, tangy, sweet.