To me, a chili dog has always been a junk food extravaganza, usually made with sub-par ingredients and presented as a greasy, overcooked mess. But it is an American classic, and deserves better treatment than it usually gets. What happens when you take a 100% all-beef hot dog, add a fresh, toasted bun and homemade vegetarian pinto bean chili, and top it with sour cream, cilantro and scallions? This is a chili dog worthy of the name! It becomes a […]
It’s Tex-Mex Thursday – the best Thursday of the month! I’m thrilled to have this scrumptious recipe from Matthew Wendel, who cooked for many years for President and Mrs. George W. Bush. Matt’s a Texan, born and raised, and he knows his way around these classic southwestern ingredients. If you love lasagna, and you love Mexican food, this is a natural addition to your cooking repertoire; it’s a one-dish dinner filled with lots of veggies, and prepared in less […]
This is not the papaya you’re thinking of – the ripe golden breakfast fruit that people drizzle with lime juice and eat while vacationing in tropical climes. This papaya is unripe: green on the outside and white on the inside. It’s shredded and mixed with green beans, fresh tomatoes, lime juice, and spices. The beef is then marinated in lime, garlic, and fish sauce, and grilled. Add a rice base, and you’ve got an unusual and delicious salad. I love […]
You can’t buy sushi just anywhere, as one of my friends learned after picking up a salmon roll at a gas station. I still can’t figure out what possessed her, but she was sick for days. For the record, other places NOT to buy sushi: vending machines, convenience stores, and dive bars. If you live in most big cities in the US, great sushi is probably a phone call away – but that’s not the case everywhere. I thought it […]
In my ongoing quest to keep my husband losing weight (20 down, 20 pounds to go – and let’s not talk about my weight loss plan, if you don’t mind), I’ve been sending him to work with lunches from home to help keep him on the diet train. Taking your lunch to work is not a wildly exciting premise, unless the food is unique, or at least packaged in a way that is novel. Here are three lunch entrees that […]
