Gone Bananas With Fried Green Plantains & Garlicky Twist

I grew up eating plantains. Every week my mom would bring home bundles of these muscular green bananas, allow them to ripen under the kitchen counter until the skin was mottled with black streaks against a yellow canvas. She'd then pop one into the microwave for 4-5 minutes, carefully slit open the steamed black peel, which would reveal a concentrated, sweet and dense cooked banana. It was almost like a warm doughy banana pudding, very comforting.

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Zested Lime Cilantro Quinoa Salad

My 2010 New Year's resolution was to eat more grains. Now that it's close to the mid-year mark, my assessment of personal success is somewhat mixed. Have I been trying out new grains? Yes, from red quinoa, millet, wheat berries, buckwheat to amaranth, check, check and check. But eating a variety of grains consistently, well I'm afraid that's one criteria that I haven't fulfilled. I do have another half year ahead of me, don't I?

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Smoky Shrimp and Wine Basted Sausage with Red Bell Pepper Rice

I have a very loving and supportive husband. Someone who makes my journey through life so much more fulfilling, tolerates my idiosyncrasies, and most importantly, believes in me. Recently we were sitting on the sofa staring into each others' eyes when I declared, "I love you."

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Mas des Barres Olive Oil Mill South of France Provence

A trip to the South of France doesn't seem complete without a visit to an olive mill, after all some of the best olive oils in the world are produced here.  While driving through the Vallée des Baux of Provence, our  Culinary Getaways group visited Mas des Barres, a family owned and operated olive mill.

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Grilled Shrimp, Tofu, and Pineapple Salad

It has been abnormally chilly in New York for this time of year, it actually feels much more like San Francisco with highs in the mid-60s.  To get myself in the mindset of warmer weather, I made an Asian fusion salad with a tropical flair from ingredients such as caramelized pineapples, crisp jicama and fresh mint. This salad always transports me to the lazy afternoons in California on our garden terrace when I'd have my feet up, sipping on a glass of ripe chardonnay, basking in the sun's warmth, and watching the boats sail quietly through the bay. It was during one of those amazing clear afternoons when I first made this salad, so I have very warm memories affiliated with it.

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Fresh from New York Farmers' Market Spring Season's Spotlight on Ramps

Over the weekend, my husband and I strolled a few blocks down to the Union Square Greenmarket, following a fabulous lunch at the Gramercy Tavern.  It's still early in the season, it will be a few more weeks before we see berries, tomatoes and stone fruits hit the market. I'm looking forward to it. During my recent visit I found a great seafood stand, Seatuck Fish Company, that was selling razor clams for $6.50/lb harvested off the shores of Long Island.

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Sauteed Artichoke Hearts in Lemon Parsley Sauce

When Sherry Page and I headed down to the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival a month ago, we drove past fields of bushy green artichoke plants.  It was a breathtaking sight, miles and miles of maturing buds ready to be harvested. It was just the inspiration I needed to jumpstart my work on this thistle vegetable.

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SoyJoy Whole Soy Nutritious Blueberry Goodness

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received two complimentary bars of blueberry SoyJoy.

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Bistrot Découverte Charming Restaurant in Saint Remy South of France

During Truffle Week in February, following a lovely tour of the farm fresh foods at Saint Remy outdoor market, our hungry group headed to Bistrot Découverte. I was quite excited about visiting this cute bistro after reading My Carolina Kitchen's review of this restaurant. Sam, who writes a food column for her local newspaper in North Carolina, considers the experiences at Bistrot Découverte among her favorite memories of her two month long trip.

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Otarian Restaurant West Village NYC

For Earth Day, I visited Otarian, a vegetarian restaurant that focuses on serving an environmentally conscious mission by offering meals made with fresh ingredients are sourced primarily from local farms. Moreover, a majority of the restaurant's design is built from recycled materials from the floor, table and chairs to the ceiling decoration which is made from recycled aluminum.

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