![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z_dBKMebgiE/S5Wmu3PWvuI/AAAAAAAAAEI/BsQ72IoMlKc/s400/IMG_1262.JPG "Heartwarming Cornbread. Dedicated to Oscar Winner Mo"Nique")
Organic Dill Pickles
Spiced Carrot Cake
My mission this week was to share a carrot cake recipe from my collection of cookbooks. As your culinary consultant (we are so high end, non?), my aim was to edit out the good from the bad. With a smug attitude, I tried a few recipes, assuming the end results would be bombastic. In the end, I walked away from each thinking I should have put my foot in it. The recipes seriously needed the Karate Kid to come by and drop kick in some flavor. As a compassionate cook, I will fiercely guard the anonymity of the authors, because shoot, some of their recipes kick major bootie. Just so we are on the same page, I am one of you. I have not forgotten what it is like to slice into a hot buttermilk biscuit, slam on a pat of butter, then wait for that butta to melt. To lead you down the garden path of vegetarian bliss, then have you gnawing off your fingers after dessert would be a crime. Indeed, we are not trapped in a deep ravine near Mount Everest, so we should act accordingly. Over the years, I have noticed that “conscious” recipes ask your taste [...]
Golden Cauliflower Fritters with Herbed Yogurt Dip
These cauliflower fritters are quick and easy to make, and perfect for a picnic (I am sure I’ve said the picnic thing before, but shoot, it’s summer). They are similar to potato pancakes, but much lighter, and with savory Middle Eastern spices. Delish. I’m going to big up the dip too: It seriously takes the fritters to the next level. I whipped up a batch yesterday, and brought it to a play date with my girlfriend Ase (Ohsah) and her lovely kids. She and I sat and ate the cakes while watching the kids play. Translation: we chatted for a minute, tore off a hunk, dipped it in the herbed yogurt, then raced after our kids, then caught up for another 30 seconds, tore off a hunk, dipped, then raced off again. However erratic this may sound, these are the best of times for me. Sharing silly Mummy Moments, snacking and chillin’ out with our children. Golden years. We finished off the fritters for dinner with a big salad. Another idea: Wrap the them up in lavash bread, smear on some of the divine yogurt, add a few middle eastern spicy yellow peppers (long, thin, sweetish, and hot), lettuce leaves, some [...]
Sauteed Okra With Corn and Tomatoes
I woke up today with a craving for okra. Everyone in my neck of the woods must have felt the same way, because I went on an absurd goose chase this morning looking for the stuff. “Sorry we’re fresh out” was the first answer. How could it be? I was there at 9:00 am? I tried to idiot proof myself by checking and double checking with the manager at the next market: An uninterested, “Nope not here” comment almost sent me around the bend. It was on par with “yes, we have no bananas.” Fearing oblivion, I raced to the next market, only to be faced with a depressing, browned bunch in a basket, at the princely sum of $7.99 a pound. I must have bad okra karma. I know that I can’t be alone in my quirk for finding good quality veggies in the early hours of the morning. Isn’t this what we live for at Farmer’s Markets? Of course I could have rocked the frozen department at the local grocery store, but this was not an option for me. I took a deep breath and accepted the fact that I have a slight addiction to finding the “right” [...]
Marinated Tofu Salad
I have to make a confession. I didn’t want to cook today. No, really. It’s an absolutely beautiful summer day. So much so, that the sun and casual breeze is begging me like James Brown to come out and play. I want to do as little as humanly possible in the kitchen, then go out enjoy myself. This of course does not mean that we’re going to get slack and dine on a can of soup. That would be sacrilege. We have come too far, non? The only compromise we are making today is with time, not flavor. Tofu. The food of the devil, right? O.k. Take a deep breath, let’s have a civilized chat about this. Stay with me on this line of thinking: Have you ever dated a man that had no finesse with a woman? Or, as a woman, have you ever talked a man to death (the only exception being his favorite sport and players. I know. Neither did I.)? My own biased opinion: A woman is like a Ferrari. You just have to know how to drive her. Undeniably, tofu is not sexy, nor expensive, but if you treat it with the love and respect [...]
