Ratatouille – a Provençal Taste of Summer

By Sandy Hu

In the summer, I dream of Provence – the dry-hot heat, cicadas thrumming, fields of sunflowers and lavender, and farmers’ markets filled to bursting with fresh produce of the region. One day, I want to rent a little house in the country and spend a few weeks reading, puttering about, shopping with my straw basket on market days and cooking leisurely meals while I sip delicious Provençal rosés.

I was in a Provençal state of mind, when I invited my Twitter friend from Hawaii to dinner last Wednesday night. So I made a simple meal starting with tapenade and crostini. Steve grilled a butterflied leg of lamb marinated in olive oil and garlic. And to complete the menu, I roasted some new potatoes, made ratatouille and baked lemon tart for dessert.

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Crazy for Quinoa

By Colleen Boyd

Like most people with a tight schedule and long work days, the last thing I want to do when I come home is spend a lot of time in the kitchen making dinner. Recently I’ve rediscovered the versatility of quinoa; a delicious, quick cooking, and easy to prepare grain-like edible seed.

Quinoa is packed with protein, and is a good source of iron and other minerals, making it a great addition to salads, soups, veggie burgers, breads, and all sorts of baked goods. My favorite way to use leftover quinoa is to add it to a whole wheat waffle batter, a special breakfast to enjoy on my days off.

This ancient grain isn’t only a side dish anymore! Here I’ve mixed quinoa with a few simple ingredients and spices to make a quick and satisfying weeknight meal. You can customize this recipe by adding or omitting as many vegetables as you like, or even throw in leftovers from yesterday’s dinner.

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Surprise! These ‘Crab’ Cakes are Made with Zucchini

By Sandy Hu

Cherie Pollock of Orland, California, is one of those competent, talented home cooks who can whip up a beautiful gazpacho for 20 and still bake three pies from scratch for lunch. So when she told me about a recipe for ‘crab’ cakes made without crab, of course I was intrigued. Cherie didn’t know the origins of the recipe; she had received it from a friend.

I was skeptical of the outcome, at first. And had the recipe come from anyone but Cherie, I don’t know if I would have tried it. But I did yesterday, and when served hot and crisp, the patties were really quite good. And yes, they did taste surprisingly like crab cakes.

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Squashapalooza

By Katie Barreira

It’s late summer and the squash just keeps on coming. Well, bring it on!

Of the thin-skinned beauties, speckled green zucchini are my favorite. Raw or cooked, savory or sweet, the versatile zucchini makes it easy and delicious to get your veg on. Try all three of these recipes and get a taste of the range that zucchini has to offer.

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One or Two Bites

By Lori Powell

There is a cut of beef that is so delicious and is becoming more available in national grocery stores that I need to share with you. Hanger steak is a boneless cut of beef that hangs between the rib and the short loin that is connected and supports the diaphragm.

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