What is the very first thing you should do when you don't know what to cook? The answer is simple: chop an onion and sauté it in olive oil. 95% of my recipes have this as a first step. Honestly, I can’t count the number of times I’ve called my husband while I am stuck in traffic and said, ...
Hoppin’ John
Hoppin’ John is a traditional Charleston dish that is now served all through the South. Although I'm a Northerner by birth, this is the dish I serve every year on New Year’s Day. I usually invite a lot of friends over and cook up a big mess of Hoppin’ John, collards, brown rice, and corn bread. ...
Pot Roast
Seitan is a good stand-in for beef, if you are craving those Sunday beef brisket dinners of your youth. I recommend West Soy Cubed Seitan, in the blue box. If you decide to use another brand of seitan, make sure that you choose one that is not designed for stir-fries, since they are usually ...
Classic Red Beans and Rice with Chorizo
This is a hearty dish that cries out for a great red wine. Consider opening a rich Malbec or a Cabernet Sauvignon. No wimpy red wines for this dish! The beans will cook all day in your slow cooker, and their aroma will permeate your home. I normally don’t add salt to my bean-soaking water, but ...
Lasagna
This is the lasagna recipe that is the star of my introduction—the one that gave me the confidence that I really could fool carnivores. When I was putting the finishing touches on this book, I realized that I had never written it down. I have made many versions of lasagna, and can almost make it ...
Baked Chicken, Okra & Tomatoes over Pepper Jack Grits
Pepper Jack Grits are a perfect companion to this delightful dish. For me, okra was a learned taste. However, after thirty years of living in the South, okra has become a vegetable that I associate with great food. I created this recipe as a way of using up a half pound of okra that didn't ...
Chicken Piccata
I've recently discovered the Gardein™ Lightly Seasoned Chick'n Scallopini in the freezer section of my local supermarket. They are low in calories (90 per 2.5 oz. cutlet) and each cutlet has 14 grams of protein. I use finely chopped Baby Vidalia onions(they look like scallions on steroids), ...
