Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Peanut-Lime Chicken and Herbs

This year's dry hot weather propelled an explosion of fresh herbs in our garden. From fresh mint, basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon to the exotic lemon verbena, every herb has been kissed by this summer's blaring heat. It has become a daily routine to trim back these plants, sharing with friends and neighbors the bounty that at times has come to feel like an unrelenting weedy monstrosity. Too much of a good thing? Yes, it is possible even for this garden lover. So I make teas, bring herby aroma therapy to the house, make herbal flower arrangements and I even compost it as a final resort.  

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Lentil Vegetable Soup

It has been an unusually mild winter. I can probably count on one hand the number of days we had snow this season. Trust me I'm not complaining. The moderate temperatures have made for lighter moods, lighter jackets, and a long season of lighter soups, which in turn has kept me lighter on my feet. In addition to the clear broth soups, one of my favorites this season has been a vegetarian lentil soup that has been satisfying on all fronts, packed full of savory and herby flavors. It is so delicious that one could potentially overlook how healthy this soup is for you, and so good that I think I will be making it well past the winter season.

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Minestrone Soup

Rustic, comforting and wholesome, minestrone is an Italian vegetable stew traditionally composed of any vegetable in season. Since there is no set recipe for this soup it lends well to personal adaptation. Still you can count on seeing a couple of ingredients to show up in most versions of minestrones: cabbage, carrots, onions, zucchini, tomatoes and beans. In the recipe I chose, a medley of vegetables are flavored by bits of pancetta and thickened by pureed creamy white beans. Although, you can skip the pork entirely and use vegetable stock to make it a vegetarian recipe. If you have parmesan rinds (I save them in the freezer) throw them in with the vegetables to create depth and infuse flavor, just don't forget to remove them when the soup is done.

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Split Pea and Smoked Ham Soup

I'm having a hard time believing that we are in a new year. The demarcation of 2011's end and 2012 beginning feels unsettlingly hazy to me. For one, the weather seems to have done one gigantic leap from autumn straight into spring here in the northeast, confusing the rhythm of the seasons. The days also seem to blur too but I blame that on chasing down an obstinately overactive infant from dawn to dusk. And for some reason I'm having a hard time committing to a New Year's resolution.  Have you made a New Year's resolution? And what was it?

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Daniel Boulud's Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Tender, succulent fall-off-the-bones short ribs braised in red wine, beef broth and a rustic melange of chunky vegetables and herbs. This dish is a hearty and warm welcome from the driving snow and frigid temperatures outside.

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Curry Quinoa with Cabbage, Carrots and Green Beans

The recipe for this curry quinoa salad came about from a conversation struck with a stranger on the bus. Intrigued by the two bunches of kale popping out of my grocery bag, a woman asked me how I prepared kale. We ran through the gamut of how to prepare this nutrient dense vegetable before she turned the conversation to quinoa. "Did you know that quinoa is the perfect food?"

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Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls Recipe

Versatile, refreshing and satisfying, Vietnamese Spring rolls are one of my favorite summer recipes.  The combination of fresh crisp vegetables, comforting rice noodles, and fresh brightly flavored herbs all bundled into a cold roll makes this an ideal healthy recipe to keep in the refrigerator for an appetizer.  This recipe is meant to be a guide as to the amount of a certain ingredient you add in the roll, your taste should dictate the ratio.  Also, the ingredients substitute well in this recipe, the key is simply to bundle together a good combination.

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Easy Duck Confit with Lentil Salad Recipe

Inspiration abounds at the farmer's market, where I inhale just about every petal, root, leaf and fruit it has to offer. 

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Pomelo Salad with Shrimp and Chicken Goi Buoi Tom Thit Recipe

When I think of Vietnamese food, I think of fresh herbs, crisp shredded vegetables and small tender chunks of meat woven together with bright savory umami flavors. So when it came time for me to think of a dish to submit for June's Delicious Vietnam round-up, I naturally chose a salad that combined many of those wonderful exciting flavors.

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RED BEETS & CARROTS