Pesto Baked Cod: Make an Easy, Delicious DinnerBy foodjoyaPesto baked cod is our favorite way to cook this white fish. Bite after bite, the taste and texture are utterly perfect, with tender, succulent morsels melting in your mouth. Traditionally, to ensure juiciness and tenderness, cooks have coated cod in wheat flour and egg and then fried in oil. Because this method turns the healthy fish into an unhealthy dish, we never liked this traditional method. We found the perfect solution in pesto coated cod, adding just the right amount of healthy fat to the otherwise lean white fish. Even though we do not use flour and egg or fry, the fish is succulent, flavorful and tender, morsel after morsel.Cabbage and Leeks: Unexpectedly Decadent, Sweet, TenderBy foodjoyaEver wondered what to do with the seemingly boring white cabbage? Ever thought you could turn it into a decadent dish? This recipe accomplishes just that: In 50 minutes of rather passive cooking time, you will have unexpectedly tender and decadent sautéed, semi-caramelized Cabbage and Leeks. With plenty of parsley and thyme, you will be biting into a mouthful of delicate spring flavors. Best yet? This dish is easy (and inexpensive). Did you know that leeks-cabbage-thyme are a well-established triad? Jamie Oliver roasts Leeks with Thyme. The New York Times Cooking column offers a splendid recipe for a Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup. Lastly and before you get to cooking, note that the recipe calls for fresh herbs; no substitutes please! Flourless Eggplant Parmesan: Here is the Perfect RecipeBy foodjoyaLayered like a cake, with caramelized tomatoes and gooey, stretchy mozzarella for the cake’s icing, our Flourless Eggplant Parmesan is perfect. Dare we say, you’ve never tried anything like this Flourless Eggplant Parmesan. And that is true even if you hail from Italy. Bite after bite, eggplant and cheese melt in your mouth. Without even a dash of sugar, tomatoes are deeply sweet. Roasted only with oil, eggplant slices are luscious. Not only is the Flourless Eggplant Parmesan irresistibly delicious; it is also nourishing. No flour, sugar or eggs. Want to know how we attained the perfect taste and texture, without sacrificing the nutrition? Of course, we hid the secret in the recipe. Fine … we’ll whisper the secret into your ear: We double-caramelize the tomatoes, slice the eggplants and mozzarella paper-thin, and add fresh herbs. Red Lentil Zucchini Balls: How to Savor SpringBy foodjoyaThese Red Lentil Zucchini Balls taste delicate and fresh, reminiscent of spring. They make a wonderful spring-light meal with salad or avocado. They also make a satisfying side for fish and vegetarian entrees. Here’s how we developed this recipe: My Mom grew fascinated with herbs, just as both of us rediscovered legumes and root vegetables. The Red Lentil Zucchini Balls were a way to put together all of our favorite ingredients. To choose the right combination of herbs for this recipe, we’ve tried many variations. This one won every time. Please try and enjoy! This recipe makes 18 to 20 pieces.Roasted Brussel Sprouts: How to Make Them PerfectBy foodjoyaHow do you like your Brussel sprouts? Or not at all ....? That's how I felt until, after years of trying, I perfected the roasting method for Brussel sprouts. Most roasted Brussel sprouts I had tasted before put me off with their pesky burned leaves and undercooked core. Or they were swimming in liquified butter. Or they were bitter. Yet, this is not how roasted Brussel Sprouts should taste. When properly cooked, roasted Brussel Sprouts are intensely flavorful, with sweet nuttiness reminiscent of cabbage, a butter-tender interior and crispy outer leaves. The cooking method in this recipe will inevitably take you to that perfection. Every time.Mung Bean Salad with Sun-Dried TomatoesBy foodjoyaWe especially enjoy Silvena Rowe’s cookbook Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume (Harper Collins 2011). The inspiration for this recipe is Ms. Rowe's delightful Mung Bean salad with Caramelized Onions and Nigella Seeds. See id. at 197. We’ve modified the original recipe to uncover the new flavors. We added more mung beans, reduced the onion, and probably quadrupled the sun-dried tomatoes. We also brought in mint and cilantro, thyme, lemon juice and a fresh chili pepper and omitted nigella seeds. This versatile, protein-rich salad makes a delicious and nutritious entree. But if you prefer serving it as a side, the Mung Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes complements fish, chicken, flourless tortillas, roasted sweet potato wedges, or a baked sweet potato. Our Mung Bean Salad recipe makes generous 6 servings as a main dish. And if you are lucky to have any leftovers, they will keep surprisingly well for 3 days in the fridge.
