I've been on a kick lately--changing up classic dishes by adding more veggies to them.
You know, making them much more "Meat On the Side"-esque.
But when I started messing with one of the most classic lunch foods ever--peanut butter and jelly (PB + J), no one liked it...at ALL!
I posted a pic of my PB + J + P + C a little while back on social media and let's just say you guys had something (not too pretty) to say about it.
Gluten-free is definitely trending--and for good reason.
Of course there are some people who simply can’t have gluten, but there are also many who are realizing that eating less gluten and carbs helps them feel and look their best.
My husband used to be obsessed with the BBQ chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen.
That is, until he had my version.
A friend of mine wrote an article about having a ton of zucchini in her family's garden when she was growing up.
So much, in fact, that her family resorted to dressing their excess of squashes in "outfits" and leaving them on a "lucky" neighbor's doorstep (read more).
I suppose that is one (uh...ahem) effective way to deal with an excess of zucchini in your garden.
However, may I gently suggest another?
To bring another vegetable into the conversation, cucumbers are similar to zucchini.
For instance, both vegetables are delicious raw as well as cooked.
With this in mind, I'd like to point out that anything cucumbers can do, zucchinis can do also!
So instead of making the same old cucumber salad (don't get me wrong, those cucumber salads can be delicious!), I decided to bring our mutual friend, Mr. Zucchini, to the pickling party.
The best think about this Cucumber Zucchini Salad is that it takes only a few minutes to make and only a few more to marinate.
In the end, you have a light, refreshing salad with crunchy cucumbers and zucchini that are seriously a match made in heaven.
And as a bonus, it’s like -20 calories (okay, not really, but I'm sure it's close)!
servings: 4 cups
Currently, I have one measly cucumber in the garden.
Due to some bug problems and a bit of an overcrowding situation in my center planter box, Mr. Cucumber isn't quite thriving.
However, in the past--and definitely at the farmers market--there is usually a cucumber explosion this time of year.
NYC really does have it all: there are over 300 restaurants that will deliver food directly to my apartment, I can enjoy a glass of Sancerre al fresco 50 stories up, and most importantly, I can get bone broth in a coffee cup from a to-go window in the East Village.
It’s a place called Brodo and they make long cooked, rich and comforting broth with fun additions like roasted garlic and turmeric.
I’m obsessed with parties, and any party of mine is bound to have an endless array of appetizers. In order to get the variety I want and not lose my mind making my 10th labor-intensive app, I always like to include some appetizers of the “silly easy” variety.
And these cucumbers are just that, they get a bath of lime juice, a sprinkle of chili powder and sugar, and a hit of salt, resulting in a crisp, tangy, spicy, salty treat that takes minutes to make.
It’s a Wednesday night, I’ve invited my husband to the terrace for a summer meal and a chance to actually look each other in the eye and talk after an already busy week.
The weekend was filled with indulgences like Jalapeno Poppers, berry pies and clams doused in oil and bread crumbs.
