recipes

Ground Beef with Peas, Carrots, and Mung Bean Sprouts

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

This ground beef recipe is a filling for egg rolls. Let’s start with the wrappers.

There are different types of egg roll wrappers. There are thick ones made of wheat that tend to overpower the filling and there are paper thin ones like rice paper or lumpia (loom-pyah) wrappers, both of which are found in Asian grocery stores. You can also use phyllo dough if you wish, but you would bake rather than fry them. The one type typically found in regular grocery stores is made of wheat. Whichever you prefer, the ideal taste I find is one with thin wrapper so the filling is the dominant texture and flavor rather than the wrapper. Continue reading →

Ground Beef with Kale and Carrots

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

Summer meals tend to be grill heavy, but after burgers and steaks almost every day, one can get weary of the same preparation. How about a change of pace?

Using fresh or frozen kale, take a bunch and chop (if fresh) and set aside; you can also use pre-cut bagged kale too. Peel and chop 5 carrots, 1 onion, and if you happen to have 2 yellow squashes or zucchinis, chop those also, but they’re optional. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Chop 1 or 2 plum tomatoes. If you don’t like tomatoes, replace this part with a sprinkle of lemon juice or zest. If you go the lemon route, just add this ingredient after everything is cooked. Continue reading →

Kale and Garden Vegetables Stir Fry

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

Our bountiful garden once again allowed us to enjoy a stirringly delicious vegetable stir fry dish. Chop a bunch of fresh kale, three or four small summer squashes, two medium-sized Japanese eggplants (long and thin), two Italian peppers, and one onion.

Image contributed by Moi

Image contributed by Moi

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Chicken Taco Casserole

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

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This is a complete meal with protein, vegetables, and grains. The beans used here may be canned or dry. Dry beans would require an overnight soaking. You can use a 16-oz. bag of black beans or pinto beans. Before rinsing the beans, pick off any particles that don’t belong there, such as small pebbles. Cover the beans with cold water and let soak overnight.

The next day, the beans will need to be cooked first. The fastest way to do so is to use a pressure cooker, which is a specially sealed pot that cooks food quickly due to the physics of steam and pressure. Without getting technical or sidetracked here, I suggest you Google pressure cooker to learn more about it. It is an excellent way to make certain dishes quickly. For example, if you wish to make beef stew and use a cheap cut of meat, you can easily and quickly tenderize the meat by using a pressure cooker. Also, the pressure cooker makes excellent shredded pork or chicken. Continue reading →

Fruit Pizza on Cassava Bread

/ Karina Pinella / 1 Comment

As an alternative to a wheat base, try cassava bread. I found it in the Produce section of a grocery store (Market Basket). The bread has only one ingredient—cassava pulp, or yuca. A product of Dominican Republic, the brand name is Caridom. It’s flat and triangle shaped, like a big pizza slice, so it’s perfect for this recipe, which is great for snacking. The recipe also makes for a nice breakfast, lunch, or dinner now that summer is here and if you are so inclined to have a smorgasbord of fruits in one sitting.

Fruit Pizza

Image contributed by Hymn

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Red Lentils with Cilantro and Shredded Chicken, Or . . .

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

The “or” in the name of this recipe indicates the many dishes you can make with red lentils; two variations of the recipe are presented below. Red lentils are great because they’re split and cook quickly, usually in less than an hour. The base of each recipe described below is a 16-oz. bag of red lentils (2 bags if you want to make more), chopped onions, and crushed garlic–1 or 2 onions and four or more garlic cloves, depending on your preference. If you want to make more, you can use two 16-oz. bags of red lentils. Continue reading →

Falafel Sandwich w/Tzatziki, Hummus, and Tahini

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

Using Pain de Campagne to hold the falafel instead of pita bread may go against the grain, but you be the judge. How to make a falafel is another recipe. Here we will use pre-made falafel. I buy mine that is made from sprouted garbanzo beans because sprouts provide boosted nutrients. You can find this at Whole Foods. Pre-made falafel may be frozen or fresh, and they look like mini patties. Prepare them according to the package instructions. Continue reading →

Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms & Onion and Dip

/ Karina Pinella / 1 Comment

Ideal bread to use is Pain de Campagne for the crunchiness after you’ve grilled it. Mouthwatering cheeses to use are blocks of Swiss and Gruyere that you will slice to your desired thickness, but I prefer thin so they melt faster.

Slice however many button mushrooms you want and one regular yellow onion, and then saute them with whipped Cabot butter, or regular unsalted butter, in medium heat. Set aside. Continue reading →