Take these Chocolate Persimmon Muffins for example. The recipe calls for Hachiya persimmons, the more oval variety. When very ripe, their flesh is like a puree. Fresh fruit puree, buckwheat flour, yogurt, and dark chocolate put these muffins at the top of my list until my persimmon stash runs out!

I ripen my persimmons on the kitchen counter displayed in a pretty bowl. You’ll know when they are ripe – they will feel very soft and squishy – in a good way. For more about persimmons and ideas about how to use them, check out this post from one of my favorite food bloggers, David Lebovitz. The source for this recipe is Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. It’s an excellent cookbook and homage to baking with whole grains, which add unique flavor and texture to baked goods. Check it out!

Tomato tarts are tomato tarts and there are many recipes from which to choose. This one, however, includes a healthy schmear of Dijon mustard. Oh my. In combination with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, fresh herbs, goat cheese and a drizzle of honey – it’s, um, heavenly!

Don’t let the idea of a tart crust scare you. Just follow his direction and see what happens. I thought it was simple and very tasty, but I also realize that I make tarts all the time, while many cooks have a “fear of crusts.” Don’t let that happen to you. Give it a shot, especially in this recipe, where a “rustic” crust makes a perfect fit! Simply delicious, this dish may belong under “small indulgences” given its ingredients – but it’s worth it. Enjoy!

photo courtesy of realsimple.com

This super yummy Chickpea-Spinach Curry with Yogurt Sauce is deceptively simple and quick to pull together. Designed as a main course served with some naan and fresh mixed greens, I served it as a side dish paired with chicken. It came together in minutes, making it suitable for week nights and dinner guests!

If you like chickpeas as much as I do, you might also try this delicious Chickpea Noodle Soup, Moroccan-Style Chickpea and Vegetable Stew, or this Tangy Lentil and Chickpea Soup.

I found this particular recipe in a Real Simple article with recipes for one-month’s worth of easy dinners. It’s a great resource for menu ideas and inspiration – shopping lists are included – check it out!

For starters, try Crushed Peas with Feta and Scallions. It’s delicious as a dip with crackers or vegetables, or can serve as a more substantial starter for a dinner party with grilled pita. Thick, rich and creamy, you’d never know the base is plain, fat-free yogurt and reduced-fat feta cheese. If you’re feeling dedicated, you can use fresh peas from the farmer’s market, but frozen peas work as well.

For tonight’s barbecue, I made a Curried Potato Salad and a Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad to share as healthy side dishes. I am also taking along some of my Quick Pickled Sugar Snap Peas (affectionately called “quickles” by a reader). It’s also fun to shake things up on the burger front by featuring lower-fat (full of flavor!) options such as tuna, turkey and black bean burgers. See my recipes for 5 homemade burgers with toppings here. Of course, Memorial Day means much more than the unofficial start to summer, so hopefully we all took a moment to remember those who have served us so courageously…

I found a recipe for kale and apple salad and had to make it mine. You see, I’ve not yet tired of winter greens. They are so tasty and so nutritious. I use them all the time in soups, stews, salads, and more.

In this recipe, the kale remains uncooked. Soaked in dressing for about an hour before serving, it takes on the flavors of apples, Parmesan cheese, molasses, vinegar, and mustard – delicious! Topped with spiced pecans, it’s even better the next day. I suggest you double the recipe for the nuts. Based on my experience, not all of them will make it into the salad, so it will be nice to have extra on hand. Enjoy!

If not kale, then perhaps it’s curly kale, collards, Swiss chard, dandelion leaves, escarole, or sorrel. No matter what, these greens are full of vitamins and minerals and are wonderfully versatile. 

Most of these greens reduce significantly when cooked, so don’t be alarmed at the prospect of purchasing an entire bunch, even if you’re cooking for one. Once you get your greens home, store them in the salad drawer of your refrigerator. Rinse them well just before using them. Not sure what to do with them? Chop and add them to salads, soups, and stews.  I like this recipe for Pork Cutlets, Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard, and Walnuts. It’s a tasty “one-skillet” meal that is easily turned out on a weeknight. Also, here’s a link to some recipes for winter greens from one of my favorite sources for healthy recipes, Eating Well. Go green!

Ever wonder how best to store nuts, rice, or flour? Should you refrigerate apples? How long will that bag of dried beans last in the cupboard? Search no more. Or rather, search all you like, at stilltasty.com. This site is the “ultimate guide to shelf life” and has answers to your most frequently asked shelf life questions including guidelines for storing and freezing all sorts of pantry and perishable items.

Some of us learn by seeing, others learn by doing. No matter – we’ve all got a lot to learn. Rouxbe (a fun play on the French cooking term “roux” and pronounced like “ruby”) is an online video cooking school with a vast library of how-to videos covering both basic and advanced cooking techniques. Whether you want a quick tutorial on how to cook pasta, how to use parchment paper for baking, or how to do whatever new-to-you technique a recipe calls for – this is the site for you. 

I learned recently that America’s Test Kitchen, home of the good people who bring us Cook’s Illustrated, is launching a public radio program called America’s Test Kitchen Radio. Now I can listen to discussions about recipes, cooking  equipment, and time-saving techniques while driving, cooking, or cleaning the house. I like it!

On a final note, Michael Pollan is coming to Santa Barbara  and I have tickets to go see him. My guess is you have either read something by him or about him. Not familiar with his work? Check out this article from the NY Times Magazine: Out of the Kitchen; Onto the Couch.  According to Pollan, “…a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for. What is wrong with this picture?” Think about it – and get cooking!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads WOW!

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2010. That’s about 26 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 60 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 112 posts. There were 85 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 51mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was March 5th with 140 views. The most popular post that day was Small Plates With Big Taste.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were mail.yahoo.com, facebook.com, managemylife.com, mail.live.com, and WordPress Dashboard.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for get your yummy back, broccoli, watermelon, swiss style oatmeal, and apples and pears.

Main Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Small Plates With Big Taste March 2010

Recipe Index July 2009
3 comments

About Me June 2009
31 comments

Polenta and Black Bean Casserole January 2010
1 comment

Articles May 2010

Thank you all for another delicious, healthy, and wonderful year!

Of course, sweet potatoes are not just for Thanksgiving. As if I required convincing, the NY Times recently ran an article espousing their virtues and celebrating their liberation “out from under marshmallows.” I also enjoy sweet potatoes roasted or added to soups such as this Moroccan-Style Chickpea and Vegetable Stew.

I love, love, love sweet potatoes. Let’s be clear – sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing. Sweet potatoes are native to the US and the flesh is typically orange, yellow, reddish, or even purple in color. One of the most nutritious vegetables around, sweet potatoes are packed with carotenoids, have anti-inflammatory properties, and actually help regulate blood sugar. Yams, on the other hand, are native to Africa, their flesh is off-white in color, and they are a little sweeter than sweet potatoes. 

In other yummy news, a customer came into the market on Wednesday with chanterelles - a wild, wonderful mushroom, golden in color. I could not resist. I bought some and prepared them very simply by sauteing them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Delicious!

In other kitchen shenanigans, I whipped together a Cran-Apple Couscous last night that was pretty tasty. I started by cooking 1 cup of whole wheat couscous. To the cooked couscous, I added chopped apple, dried cranberries, chopped green onions, and sliced toasted almonds. I then dressed it with apple cider vinegar, grape seed oil, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Yummy! For inspiration on making simple dressings at home, click here.

Last year, around this time, I was feeling especially crafty and posted this piece on how to make a pumpkin bouquet.  I’ve got the pumpkins – perhaps I’ll get to it this weekend!