Country Kitchen (in the city) healthy delicious meal inspiration for everyone
gluten free
birdloaf with mashed sweet potatoes
Meal planning, for me, is about balance. I eat everything… but in moderation. My mother had high blood pressure, so I learned early on how to forgo salt for other alternative spices. Heart healthy grains and low in fat are two other lessons that were reinforced throughout youth. If you haven’t noticed by now, I […]
bowl of spaghetti squash
This meal is straight out of my childhood. My mother was very find of a healthy-eating lifestyle and after I got out of my SpaghettiO’s and mac&cheese phase, I quickly picked up on her style of low-fat, low-sodium, heavy on the fruits and veggies eating habits. But there was NO WAY I was going to […]
pino mustard chicken with brussels sprout hash
This light and tasty dish looks timely and complicated, but a simple hand-held mandolin slicer helps you speed right through the the prep-work for a delicious dinner for two. Aside from a mandolin slicer and 2 large frying pans, you will need: – 10-12 brussels sprouts – 8-10 small red potatoes – 5-6 baby bella […]
work lunch: community salad!
My love of food is no secret here at work… with salad-envy spiking the charts. Every time I prepare a salad for lunch, I make sure to bring in enough to feed (at least) three hungry mouths. Lately, lunchtime salads have become a team effort. Yesterday, my boss whipped out a package of spinach, some […]
sweet tooth
Every once in a while I crave something sweet: strawberries, plain yogurt and almond pulp in a blender… bzzzzzzz… freeze… then scoop into a dish. Fresh bananas on the side. Easy!!
brunch: polenta porridge breakfast bowl
Having company is the best… feeding them, while working all day, going out at night and juggling home life, sometimes calls for a bit more creativity, especially if you can’t just hop in your car and run to the supermarket. Shopping, for me, usually involves walking to the train, going into the city (about 20+ […]
country mustard chicken with buttered cumin carrots
The ingredients: – boneless skinless chicken thighs – Greek yogurt – grained Dijon mustard – lemon – ghee (or olive oil) – good quality salted butter (or butter and salt) – small organic carrots – cumin seed Marinating meats in Greek yogurt is a lickity-split way of tenderizing. This marinade consists of a few spoonfuls […]
new addiction: homemade pickles
The name of this site implies different things to each person, but you should know.. NO, I was not raised in the country, and YES, I live in the city. When I’m trying to grow strawberries on my fire escape (and they get infested with spiders) or planting herbs in tin cans, do I imaging […]
veggie taco platter
This healthy and colorful Make It Yourself Veggie Taco Platter takes as long to cook as it does to cut (which is not really all that long). I served it with a side of antioxidant-packed Black Bean Soup. You will need: -one sliced green pepper -one medium onion (half julienned for the tacos, half chopped […]
black bean soup
This Black Bean soup, although hearty enough to be a meal in itself, was actually a side dish to my forthcoming veggie taco platter post! Ingredients (pictured above): – 1 1/2 cups of black beans – 1/2 chopped green pepper – 1 small yellow onion, chopped – 2 cloves chopped garlic – 1 teaspoon chili […]
breakfast: eating well is quick and easy
I am not a breakfast person. Brunch, yes, but breakfast, no. This could have something to do with the fact that when I was a child I was shipped off each morning to a private school that was two bus rides away. And each day, by the time I got to school, breakfast would make […]
kimchi collards & polenta grits
Pictured above are the ingredients for the collard greens: a turnip, carrots, collard greens, vegetable base, garlic and kimchi. Oh… and if you have some red wine in the house, that helps too!! As a side note, Astor Wines has definitely dropped their prices since Trader Joe’s planted themselves up the street. This medium bodied […]
roasted beet, carrot, and tomato soup
I whipped up this jazzberry colored soup with ingredients I had in the house: -3 large beets -2 vine tomatoes -one carrot -one medium yellow onion -cumin (seeds and ground) -celery seeds -lemon thyme –vegetable base I started by roasting the beets. I cut off the tops of the beets, washed them, and them wrapped […]
brunch: the farmers market deception
One of my favorite warm weather weekend activities is going to the farmers market with someone special and then coming home and concocting brunch with our farm-fresh finds. So, okay, it’s still winter, the only one special is myself, I’m hungry.. and I deserve lovely food!! So here’s my scrape-together-whatever-looks-good-in-the-refrigerator into a delicious not-quite-farmers-market brunch. […]
chinese snake bean stir fry
What’s for dinner? Chinese long bean stir fry with Enokitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and brown short grain rice. Pictured above is a photographic gathering of ingredients: Chinese snake beans cut into 3 inch pieces (substitute with string beans if you can’t procure this ingredient locally), Enokitake mushrooms, water chestnuts (not pictured), chopped garlic, chopped ginger, […]
another homemade dog food recipe
Today I’m going to give you another variation for gluten-free homemade dog food. For this recipe I used three simple ingredients: – hormone free boneless skinless chicken thighs – frozen mixed vegetables (no onions) – white rice (yes, he got Bismati rice because, while I do shop specifically for dog food ingredients, he sometimes has […]
breakfast tacos: huevos chipotle with greek yogurt
The first thing I noticed when I moved in to my new neighborhood last year was the complete lack of natural foods and organic produce at my local supermarkets. What I did find, however, was an assortment of Spanish and Polish goods. So while I now have to import healthy organic veggies, I have also […]
dinner becomes breakfast (or lunch)
Growing up with Hawaiian/Japanese neighbors you learn a bit about rice. For one, buy a rice cooker.. it’ll become your favorite kitchen aid!! Also, if you’re planning on consuming it the next day, it’s not necessary to refrigerate leftover rice until morning, simply leave it covered on the counter top. But what to do with […]
homemade dog food
Those who know me personally are often entertained by stories of my troublesome little dog. He wears diapers, jumps on counter tops, dumps the trash, opens doors, barks at everything and everyone… and is the biggest love in the world. They also know that I cook for my dog. Since I am often asked about […]
