Bea’s radish salad with apple, egg, avocado, egg and shaved Manchego is the most delectable combination. With a light honey-mustard vinaigrette, it’s the perfect healthy summer treat.

I love everything about raw fennel in a salad, but you pair it with arugula and you’ve won me over tenfold. Thinly sliced zucchini, honey, pine nuts and feta and I’m swooning.

Celery, apple and fennel slaw might just be the perfect medium for celery … other than potato salad and soups of course. It’s fairly simple but would accompany many main dishes well.

I enjoyed the sugar snap peas from our CSA Farm so much that they didn’t even last long enough to make them into this sugar snap salad (and we had plenty!). It still tempts me, though, with its radishes, feta, mint and sumac (a lemony Middle Eastern spice).

As much as I love Heidi Swanson, I’m just not sure about this raw corn salad. Raw corn and shallots, tossed with a lemonade vinaigrette and fresh oregano and seeds. I just don’t have much more to say beyond I’m not so sure about that. However she more than makes up for the questionable-ness of that one with her to-die-for sounding macaroni salad. You had me at arugula, Heidi, but the apples and parmesan sealed the deal. Add this sesame yogurt pasta salad and Heidi’s back on track!

With just a few alterations, this salmon cakes recipe could become a stand-by for me, using what we have hanging around in the pantry and fridge. I’d just throw in a 16-oz. ounce can of wild-caught salmon with skin and bones — so healthy and sitting on the second-to-top shelf of my pantry closet at any given time. There are capers right in the cakes, which is pretty close to a perfect idea. You all probably know me well enough by now to know that the sauce will be made with plain goat’s milk yogurt and no mayonnaise. Throw these babies down on a bed of greens and you’ve just prepared a dinner I’d be happy to eat.

These low and slow oven-baked ribs I have made, and don’t let the simplicity fool you — this recipe has everything you could want in a non-smoked rib recipe. We served them with lots of BBQ sauce and this coleslaw and some oven-roasted fries.

The reason this recipe for sea salt-baked potatoes intrigues me is not just because it’s Heidi Swanson’s. It’s because the potatoes are stuffed with arugula and then slathered in a dressing-like sauce and I just think that’s a fine way to serve a baked potato. The only thing missing for me would be a ton of fresh chopped chives.

I can’t tell you how delicious this recipe for honeyed prawns and polenta sounds to me. It’s really a mystery to me why I haven’t cooked it yet. The polenta has corn, currants, honey, butter and thyme mixed in. The prawns are marinated in honey, lemon and hot sauce (along with this and that) and then crumbled over the top of everything is feta, capers and fresh parsley. Sometimes the creative combinations in recipes just blows me away, and this is definitely one of those recipes.

Now we move on to simpler, yet still there are capers … must be my mood. Heidi Swanson’s quesadillas use a technique that basically adheres and egg to the tortilla, which she stuffs with cheese and tops with lemoned yogurt. I’m certain I couldn’t make anything with absolutely no vegetables in it, but I’m dying to try that egg thing. It needs some baby spinach or something, though.

Let’s transition to another tortilla dish, this time steak picadillo soft tacos (I’m so impressed with my not-theme theme … just humor me). Someone please make these and tell me how good they are, because with Keith’s aversion to olives, a recipe with not only olives, but the brine from the jar, is asking a bit too much of my husband to bear. I won’t even let mayonnaise in the house, so I’ve got to show a little respect with my olive recipes. But I will say this — olives straight from the jar just aren’t as much fun as when incorporated into a recipe. Almost though. On second thought, forget I said anything.

Writing this column while hungry is not an easy task. Any potential themes get tossed out the window and whatever would satisfy my appetite gets written down. Instead of a lovely brunch menu, which definitely could have happened, I ended up with this mish-mash of recipes … and I’m still hungry.

Believe it or not, our green bean harvest was so good this year that we still have a couple of bags left in the freezer. That’s with about several thousand batches of my minestrone soup too! I’ve been looking for other things to do with the green beans, and I came across this recipe for sweet potato soup with green beans and cilantro. So simple, but a really interesting combination of flavors that I think will taste fabulous with something grilled … I’m thinking sausages or pork tenderloin.

Get a load of the cutest little gluten-free tartelettes in all the world! Zucchini, coriander, leeks and cheese stuff these egg-y babies.

I love frittatas … I love them because I can basically throw whatever I have in my fridge into them and they taste fabulous. This salmon and asparagus frittata sounds like a good one for this time of year, as the asparagus comes into season and is plentiful locally.

Is it weird that this rather unappealing crock pot recipe for a Cantonese dinner makes me want to cook it? There’s nothing special in it and I don’t like how a lot of meats even come out in the slow cooker, so why would I be attracted to this recipe? I’ll try it, though, because the kid loves Chinese food and it sounds easy. My, how my standards have regressed as this column progresses.

Now here’s another curious recipe for me, because I’m trying to stay away from excessive carbs and baked goods, yet scones come across my screen. Better yet, ginger pecan scones, with lots of crystalized ginger and butter … maybe it’s time for a brunch with the frittata and scones. …

No, I don’t have any time to be posting. None. But if I don’t I’ll lose track of all the wonderful recipes I’ve been collecting over the weeks … I’ve got to close those browser windows at some point. …

I love potatoes gratin. I love fennel. Every ounce of my being has been crying out, begging for this fennel gratin to make it to my plate. It’s got pecorino romano and lemon — c’mon! I’m thinking with rack of lamb …

… or maybe these braised lamb shanks with Swiss chard. Garlic, golden raisins and saffron make this recipe extra-special.

Speaking of braised (one of my favorite ways to cook in the cold weather), these braised short ribs with potatoes and apples, risotto style, may be just the dish for a cozy weekend staying in by the fire.

Am I ever going to make this recipe for Scottish salmon with Shallot-Truffle Honey Glaze, Lump Crab and Green Apple Risotto, and Quince Jam? Yeah, probably not, but it sounds so perfect that I need to stock it away for a day I’m feeling ambitious, just in case. So. Many. Steps.

Ditto for this crispy tilapia fillet with fennel-mint tzatziki. I’ve cooked tilapia many times, but I think I may have to defer to the sister who married the Greek to prepare any and all tzatziki sauces in the family. I don’t know, I just looked again and it’s a farily straightforward recipe. Maybe on a weekend night when I can rope Keith into helping. …

This Portuguese chicken I’ll definitely make. It’s rare these days that we’ll make anything that’s skinless boneless. I love the flavors the bones and skin impart to any chicken dish … and it’s much cheaper too. Stewing the chicken pieces in the tomato, with prosciutto, wine, garlic, roasted red peppers, port and mustard — how good does that sound?

I cannot tell a lie: I think I’ve had a Sloppy Joe maybe twice in my lifetime, vague childhood memories of my mother trying out something from a jar (which almost never happened, must have been a very busy day!). However, these Jamie Oliver Sloppy Joes, complete with their tortilla wraps, look absolutely scrumptious. With lettuce, beans, honey and mustard added to the standard ground beef and tomato (amongst other ingredients), he’s got something very special going on here.

Really? Black sesame Otsu is sure a fancy name for noodles with sesame paste, but with pine nuts, sunflower seeds and Heidi Swanson, they’re sure to be better than your average noodle.

I eat a little bit of dark, dark chocolate almost every day. I’m almost sure it keeps the blood flowing in my veins and the antioxidants keep me immortal healthy. No, I am not full of it — I’m like a chocolate vampire. Really. Except the only effect the sunlight has is to sometimes melt the chocolate. …

Each year for Valentine’s Day, Keith and I like to cook up something yummy together and top it off with a spectacular dessert, usually of the chocolate variety. Last year, I had a hard time choosing between these desserts, but it was the falling chocolate cake with raspberry sauce that ultimately won us over. Here are this year’s contenders:

I know, we’ve made Bea’s chocolate tahini gooey cakes about a thousand times (including just last week) but it remains one of our favorites. If we make these, we know that we’re guaranteed the perfect dessert.

Now, if it turns out that we’re in a comfort food kind of mood, I’m definitely making Heidi Swanson’s chocolate chip skillet cookies. Instead of whole wheat flour, I’d use spelt and I’d definitely cut down the amount of sugar. This would satisfy the lazy in me as well, since I wouldn’t have to make individual cookies. So, so lazy. …

Perhaps I’ll want to satisfy the one-bite dessert lover in me; in that case, I’ll be making these chocolate Chambord truffles, but I’ll be using coconut milk instead of heavy cream.

Yeah, I found yet another recipe for molten chocolate cake (I really should do a roundup of those someday), this one spiked with the liquor of your choice. They are nearly flourless, but I’m thinking that the bit that is in there will give these cakes just enough texture to be perfect. And spelt ought to work. …

The radical choice would be these chocolate-orange pots de creme with candied orange peel. Radical, because I’d have to suspend all laziness to attend to the details of this recipe and also because I’d have to take a huge leap of faith in assuming that my bizarre substitutions for dairy will work in this recipe. Can I pull off a food-snob pudding with goat yogurt and coconut milk? If I can make custards and flan with coconut milk and truffles with goat yogurt (which I can), I’m thinking yes.

Time will tell which one it will be … which one would you make?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

I don’t think I’ve ever had chicken paprikash, but it combines every delicious comforting ingredient I can think of: onion, garlic, tomato, mushrooms and thick and creamy broth. I’d definitely serve this over brown rice with a salad.

When I make meatloaf it’s often with ground turkey, but I’ve never tried anything like this turkey and apricot meatloaf. Lest you think it too sweet, it’s spiked with a goodly amount of ancho chili powder, soy sauce and garlic.

How very weird that these apricot glazed chicken drummies are also swathed in apricot … what does that say about my cravings? We adore cooking chicken drumsticks and this overnight marinade sounds so easy — I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a try.

Try this one on for size: Turkish-spiced chicken kebabs with pomegranate relish and tahini yogurt. Yeah, I know, right? The only problem with this recipe is that I’m really going to have to be in the mood for cooking if I attempt it, as I just have a feeling it takes more time than the hour-and-a-half it estimates.

Let’s just get this out of the way right now — you know you’re going to make chili for the Superbowl, so why fight it? Buffalo wings and nachos, however appealing, will be gone before halftime and you’re going to need something hearty to make it through.

Jamie Oliver’s green chili, made with pork and green peppers and sage has fast become one of our favorites. A couple of unique twists, like fresh mint and chopped lettuce, make this a healthy, crunchy chili with a delicate yet hearty flavor.

Apparently this is the best chili you will ever taste. I’ve got to admit I fell for it, what with the coffee, beer, cocoa and sirloin.

Jeff will tell you that vegetarian chili is really just vegetable soup. The ingredients in this vegetarian chili are pure and wholesome and flavorful — it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s worth eating.

Spicy pork and black bean chili is definitely spicy (what with the chipotle chili powder and all), but served over rice with some sour cream and it’s perfect.

It took me a long time to perfect this crock pot chili recipe, but I’m so glad that I did. I’ve really got quite a love affair going with my slow cooker and most chili recipes before this one were mushy and wet and fairly flavorless. In fact, I’m making this one tonight … no need to wait for the big game!

We’ve made this recipe for chicken and corn chili several times now and it always come out great. It’s another slow cooker recipe, with lots of cumin, white beans and cheesy goodness. Sometimes we sprinkle on fresh cilantro too.

Katie’s almost from scratch chili uses salsa as a base, with diced green chiles and brown sugar … imagine the flavor infused into that chili!

If it’s meat and meat alone that you crave, chili con carne is your answer to the perfect bowl of chili. This recipe has cubed meat (not ground), beer, allspice, cinnamon, cumin and cloves to lend it its unique flair.

Alright, ‘fess up — which chili recipe will you be making?

Cooking a special dinner and eating at home is one of our favorite ways to celebrate. One of our New Year’s resolutions is to stop being so selfish about it — it’s time to entertain more and share the wonderful spreads we enjoy creating. Now that Owen’s getting older and most of our friends have kids his age, there’s no excuse.

Last year on New Year’s Eve (which we’re still celebrating just the three of us), Keith and I made rack of lamb with a berry pomegranate balsamic sauce, edamame and fresh basil risotto and roasted Brussels sprouts. This year, we’ve decided to stick with the theme: rack of lamb with lamb sausage crust and fresh grape pan sauce, our favorite drunken risotto, and probably just some mesclun salad or roasted green beans. We’re weird about the rack of lamb. I promise we’ll branch out soon.

The point of this post is actually to give you some ideas of interesting side dishes to serve for your celebrations … I really beat around that bush, didn’t I? Oh, and to give myself a place to remember all of these side dishes I’ve been wanting to try and haven’t yet.

Try the heirloom squash farrotto — yeah, they made risotto with farro … brilliant! With yogurt, chick peas and fresh cilantro, there’s a Middle Eastern vibe combining with the Italian farro and the wholesome squash that is so unique and tempting. This would be the perfect accompaniment to grilled marinated chicken breasts.

It’s easy to class up green beans, and I often do them with shallots, some pancetta or prosciutto and fresh herbs and lemon juice. This recipe for scrumptious green beans has got to be bursting with flavor — ginger, mustard seeds, cumin, fresh cilantro and lemon juice all see to that. I’d love to have these alongside beef tenderloin.

So simple, with only five ingredients, yet so elegant, this roasted beet and feta gratin with fresh mint is spiked with garlic and suggested to be served with lamb. Maybe this recipe should be calling to us lamb-a-philes….

This stuffed pumpkin could really be a vegetarian main dish, as the wild rice, mushrooms, tofu and cubed bread make it hearty. As a side dish, I’m feeling roasted chicken would be the perfect pairing. A bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and you’ve just served a speactacular meal.

These vegetable galettes with millet and tarragon could also be a lovely vegetarian lunch with a mesclun salad, but they’d be wonderful with wild salmon.

I’m really not obsessed with carrot soup. I really love it and it’s easy to make, so win-win. But it’s kind of weird (or maybe it’s the stars aligning….) that more than one recipe for a unique carrot soup — really, not your run-of-the-mill carrot soups — crossed my path recently. We’re currently snowed in — maybe a carrot soup for lunch tomorrow?

It’s embarrassing to admit that this recipe for creamy carrot soup has been sitting open in a browser window on my laptop for months. I love that it has miso and tahini in it, as well as fresh herbs and garlic.

Spiced carrot apple soup with fresh mint couldn’t appeal to me more right now. The ginger, allspice and nutmeg will balance out perfectly with the fresh mint … what a well-written recipe.

This recipe for curried carrot soup has coconut milk and fresh ginger … oh yeah.

Now who’s going to help me decide which recipe turns into tomorrow’s lunch?

If I do get lazy, I’ll just bring a cheese platter or an easy dip (or 22) and be done with it, but you’ve got to be tempted by some of these one-bite appetizers. Some are deceivingly easy to make and are guaranteed to impress … so stop emulating me and put in a little bit of effort.

Bob’s prosciutto-wrapped dates are yummy and a cinch to make. I like to make these with figs instead of dates for a change of pace. You could also wrap melon or asparagus.

On to bacon … wrap it around scallops, apricots, water chestnuts, shrimp, dates stuffed with cream cheese and chorizo, or mushrooms brushed with BBQ sauce.

I made these cherry tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta a while back … so delicious and simple. At our family’s Christmas Eve celebration, someone made cherry tomatoes stuffed with fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf, all wrapped in prosciutto and sealed with a toothpick. Pretty, simple and delicious.

You could possibly love the prosciutto filled with happiness as much as I did — so make them! — which is as much as I adore the name of the recipe. How could anything with a name that cute not be tasty?

Portobella mushrooms stuffed with crab and mozzarella … OK, I’m in.

These salmon canapes sound so good to me … and they are carb-less, since the “cracker” part of a traditional canape is replace with a slice of daikon radish. I always think of the one-bites as being a bit more labor intensive to prepare, but these couldn’t be easier.

In the spirit of the daikon radish above, this recipe uses cucumber cups, stuffed with cheese and topped with smoked salmon or a number of other choices. They are so, so pretty!

Check it out — apple slices with goat cheese and pistachios. Easy!

These mini brie and arugula sandwiches sound delicious, but they don’t look very impressive. The same ingredients on top of a pretty cracker or a slice of baguette would be attractive and delicious.

(This post contains 2 pages. Please visit the website to continue reading. Thank you.)

If you’re not bringing a dessert tray everywhere you go this season, then maybe you’re the designated appetizer bringer. Sometimes, it’s really fun to make one-bite appetizers that impress — and a post on those will follow. This time of year, I admit that I get lazy and opt for a dip.

I love a traditional hummus (I’ve even got my perfect recipe for hummus, though I suspect I add more lemon now than I did when I wrote that recipe) but this recipe for Moroccan bean dip caught my eye. It’s chick peas and yogurt, with spices and seasonings (like cumin) that sound scrumptious to me.

Back to hummus for a moment — if it’s too passe for you, try dressing it up with these ideas for hummus to impress, or make my favorite recipe for black bean hummus.

It doesn’t get a lot easier than this herbed goat cheese dip — fresh herbs and sun-dried tomatoes stirred into goat chevre … that’s it.

Sometimes, I don’t want a brown rice cracker or vegetables as my dipper … I crave a corn chip. That’s how I discovered Nigella Lawson’s red kidney bean dip, which I love and make often. I’ve yet to make this chipotle black bean dip, but they even give a recipe for your own (healthier!) corn chips as an accompaniment. It’s on my list for sure.

Or if you want to scoop up some dip with potato chips, try this caramelized onion dip (thank you, Heidi Swanson) that my brother made this weekend. The amount of dairy in it nearly sent me to the hospital, but it was so delicious. Why would anyone use a packet of onion soup mix when this four-ingredient recipe tastes so much better?

The layered Mexican dip has been done to death (um … ’cause it’s delicious), so in the interest of a new twist on a classic, this eight-layer Mediterranean dip will shake things up. Hummus, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, yogurt, spinach, feta, roasted red peppers and green onions … yes, I’m drooling just a little.

Sweet pea guacamole is not a healthy substitute for the gift from the gods that is an avocado guacamole, as some may try to convince you. It is a different dip altogether, but it is addictingly delicious and you’ll not want to cease scooping this into your mouth.

White beans can become anything — a white bean roasted red pepper dip, a white bean dip with garlic and fresh herbs, even six easier than sin white bean dips, including pesto white bean dip and Caesar white bean dip. Please tell me a can of white beans (or two … or seven) is a staple in your pantry.

Black-eyed peas aren’t a common dip ingredient, which is why this black-eyed pea pate with pickled onions caught my eye. It’s suggested that you serve it on flatbreads, but I’d present it as a dip with crackers and veggie rounds and let my guests have at it.

I love this mayo-free recipe for shrimp dip — Neufchatel cheese, plain yogurt, scallions and a few other easy ingredients make the dip appealing to mayophobes like me.

If you didn’t find a recipe here, well, you’ve got a problem … but you could always check these nineteen easy and festive appetizer ideas to secure your position in the dip-obsessed fan club. I’m a charter member.

The weather is getting colder, so to me, that means baking. Last year, I got turned on to spicy desserts, including spicy hot chocolate and these spicy molasses cookies. This fall, I’m planning on expanding my spicy dessert repertoire, so I found some fun-looking recipes to try. I’ve never attempted lava cakes– to me, that’s a chain restaurant-type dessert and not anything that I thought you could make. I plan to test this theory with these spicy chocolate lava cakes.

I’m generally not a pudding person, but this Aztec hot chocolate pudding recipe involves not only chili powder, but rum, which sounds delightful.

Speaking of booze, this recipe for chocolate chile cake involves bourbon, which is awesome. Because in addition to baked goods, cold weather means heavy drinking. That’s a thing, right? Moving on.

I think I’d try something other than the maple syrup icing on this pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake, but I do love anything that involves pumpkin. However, pumpkin pie is by far my favorite pumpkin dessert, so this spicy pumpkin pie is probably going to be first on my list.

The cooler weather reinvigorates my love for cooking. I always love preparing meals: tossing together fresh salads, watching Keith grill (still scared of that big metal beast) and slicing and dicing fresh fruits and cheeses. But now, with the temperatures dropping, I’m thrilled to heat my oven again and stand in front of it, stirring and sauteing and peeking at whatever’s roasting or baking inside. I think I should throw a luncheon sometime soon. This one could be like a buffet, or a pick-at-all-afternoon type of luncheon.

Pasta salad is always good, but when it’s pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and olives, complete with anchovies, capers and fresh mozzarella, the good become amazing. Pick them out, Keith — I’m making this one.

A luncheon is beginning to form … add this root vegetable soup with truffle oil to the above pasta salad, and while you’re at it, make Bea’s kuri squash and pistachio muffins too. They’re gluten-free and perfectly healthy, with the squash, yogurt and eggs … OK, I’d use less sugar, but still.

Why offer only one type of fall muffin when you can offer two — these pumpkin and feta muffins are savory and would compliment any fall soup like the one above.

With all that muffinage, you’d really only need something simple for dessert — how about some Mexican hot chocolate?

With the cooler weather, my love for comfort food is starting to kick in. I made my first crock pot meal since last winter this week, and all of the baked goods recipes crossing my path are sending my cravings into full gear.

I love pumpkin bread, and this recipe uses spelt flour, yogurt, and maple syrup. It also calls for pumpkin pie spice, which I assume is nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice mixed together — can anyone enlighten me? The only thing offensive is the nuts … they just don’t belong in breads, cookies or brownies. My sister is the only one in our family who disagrees (which she inherited from my grandmother….).

When I find a great flourless recipe, I save it for safe keeping, and this one has been an open window in my browser for months. How good does orange almond cake sound? Pretty good, you think? Well, try topping it with dark chocolate shavings. Yep, you’re clicking on the link right now, I can feel it.

Is it even possible that Better Homes and Gardens is sending out their holiday recipes already? It’s kind of stressing me out, but I still set aside a few to try since they are really different from any I’ve ever made before:

• Date-walnut honey bars, made with apple jelly
• White chocolate and nutmeg bars, made with dried and fresh cranberries
• Cranberry blondies, ditto
• Cranberry pear bars, with oatmeal and pear nectar
• Chocolate mint bars, so I can try replacing the condensed milk with coconut milk

When a chill in the air rears its ugly head, I crave soup. I’m not a big fan of winter, but I adore the fall and I’ll tell you that by the end of summer, I’m getting a little sick of grilled meals … I long for the comfort foods that sustain me through the cold months here in New England.

You knew Heidi Swanson was going to show up on this list sooner or later, so we might as well get it out of the way with her dried fava bean soup with mint and guajillo chiles. Wow, does this sound unique and hearty and interesting and complex. I’m anxious to try this one.

The opposite of that gorgeous, complex soup above has got to be this gluten-free black bean soup with chorizo. I’m not one to criticize a soup with only five ingredients (anyone smell a lie?), but I just can’t imagine this time-saver is worth my time … though there is that argument that almost anything with chorizo in it is worth eating. What do you think?

Now that I’ve got chorizo on the brain, this sweet potato chorizo soup recipe may be just thing to make me forget about that bizarre recipe above.

Lately, when I think of soup, I admit that my egomaniacal self thinks of my very own minestrone my way. We all love this soup so much in my house that it’s one I make often, and thanks to the glut of veggies from our farm this summer, we’ve got some frozen for those lazy winter days too.

Molly makes her rustic cabbage and white bean soup in a pressure cooker, a tool I lately reserve for cooking corn on the cob. Really, when I used to make complex stews in it, I’m not sure how it got relegated to corn status … maybe it’s time I give this soup a try because I love just about anything with cabbage in it.

Cate says she makes the best vegetable soup you’ll ever have — could she possibly be right? Her recipe is very similar to me minestrone recipe, but I like the way she leaves it open to trying different vegetables in the recipe, and I love the way she includes cabbage — brilliant.

Before my minestrone my way, there was easy lentil and vegetable soup, my go-to recipe. Now I have to go back and forth between the two and it’s always such a hard decision to choose which one to make. This one’s got corn, a big it with the kid….

Cate makes some serious soups and her pasta e fagioli, though she says it’s very nontraditional, is no exception. Pasta, beans and veggies? Yes, please!

This easy vindaloo squash soup has very few ingredients. It’s basically an acorn squash soup highlighted with some vindaloo spices to make it different. Love it!

Bob has made Tyler Florence’s clam chowder several times, and I’ve been the recipient of a bowl or two. He mixes it up a bit my using sweet potatoes and white potatoes, but this is a really great recipe.

How interesting does apple mulligatawny soup with chicken sound? Apples, winter squash, curry, coconut, fresh ginger … I’m all over this, and the fact that I have every ingredient for this soup in my house right now if both exciting and scary at the same time. You totally want to be here when a natural or man-made disaster strikes. We could eat for years.

Something about this very simple broccoli soup appeals to me. I’d definitely use plain yogurt instead of heavy cream, and I’d probably leave out the flour. But I’ve been craving broccoli (not a vegetable we got a lot of from our CSA farm this summer) and this just sounded so perfectly lovely to me.

Somehow everything that makes a perfect dinner just jumped into this post and before I knew it, a very special dinner menu was born. It’s definitely not something I’d cook for a weeknight, but if I had a quiet weekend this might be just the menu. It’s a definite for a special occasion, though — I’m thinking a romantic dinner for two … but then again, aren’t most busy moms?

This blueberry sauce for beef just sounds so perfect … but I’ve become a lazy cook lately and it might not get made until a special occasion. Since the anniversary already passed, along with the birthdays, I might just have to wait until New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day to enjoy this one … though it really isn’t hard to make.

Here’s the side dish to my beef with blueberry sauce, since I’m feeling too lazy to make this spiced tomato gratin, but oh, does it get my salivary glands into a tizzy….

And for dessert — chocolate nut cake. I love that Bea over at La Tartine Gourmande mostly cooks gluten-free. Her desserts are divine and I can always find something that fits our way of eating … with perhaps some sugar substitutes.

What do you think? Serve it up with a gourmet mesclun salad and it’s the perfect dinner.

Nothing makes me happier than a huge bowl of cherry tomatoes sitting on my kitchen island. Believe me, between our CSA farm harvest and the plants we have in our own yard, it’s a lot of cherry tomatoes. With the tomato blight last season, I’m not really used to the abundance of tomatoes, though. I’m not complaining, but I am looking for more things to do with the cherry tomatoes beyond munching a few every time I pass the bowl.

My brainstorming and an exhaustive internet search (with a big thanks to ChowHound’s cherry tomato topic page) has found a use for every cherry tomato in my bowl, and then some.

1. We cooked this wonderful recipe for slow baked cherry tomatoes with garlic and mint which made amazing sound like an understatement.
2. I’ve also made a great appetizer in the past, cherry tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta.
3. Halve cherry tomatoes and toss them into some quinoa tabouleh.
4. Make this tomato caramelized onion tart. Only three ingredients plus a tart shell, but I’d add some garlic too.
5. Epicurious has a super-easy (five ingredients and a little olive oil) recipe for chicken breasts with yellow grape tomatoes, but you could use any cherry tomato. I’ve made this, and the earth moved.
6. Or this recipe for spicy roast chicken with tomatoes and marjoram might do the trick.
7. I can’t click away from Epicurious … and why should I when they offer up recipes like this pasta with Kalamata olives and roasted cherry tomato sauce? Made this one too … so good that Keith even ate olives!

What have you been making with your cherry tomatoes?

After I finished laughing at the fact that zucchini pie exists, I really looked at the recipe and it sounds absolutely delicious. Oh, are you wondering why zucchini pie is hilarious? That’s what we tell Owen is for dinner when he’s pestering us, because one of the few things he doesn’t like is zucchini. Although lately he’s been eating it….

These banana flax cookies intrigue me, since they call for teff flour (something I’ve yet to experiment with) and flax seeds stirred in whole. When I usually bake with flax seeds, I grind them into a meal first. One thing I can tell you about this recipe, after making billions of banana cookie recipes, is that you really don’t need 3/4 cup of sugar added. I’d use 1/4 cup of palm sugar, max. Oh, the other cookies, you ask? I’ll share my originals with you:

• Almond butter oatmeal banana cookies
• Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Chef Dad had us for dinner a bit ago and he made us some salmon with a blueberry sauce. His didn’t have balsamic vinegar like this grilled salmon with quick blueberry sauce, but the recipe reminded me of his blended with the berry sauce that we do for lamb. I’ll be trying this one very soon!

I don’t know about you, but our CSA farm has us up to our eyeballs in green beans (and yellow beans … Owen thinks the yellow are better but they’re all the same to me). I’ve been trying not to blanch and freeze them, and I’m scared to pickle or lacto-ferment them (botulism waiting to happen….), so we’ve been looking for ways to eat them fresh and not feel like we’re eating the same beans every night.

1. Toss your green beans into a potato salad. Yeah, we’re swimming in potatoes too.
2. Saute green beans with summer squash or zucchini, tomato, onion and garlic. Toss in some fresh herbs after you remove the veggies from the heat.
3. Lemon green bean and celery salad sounds so summery and fresh, and shallots and fresh parsley round out the flavors.
4. I’d eat almost anything if it had blue cheese on it, and these green beans with blue cheese and walnuts are no exception.
5. This Asian green bean stir fry is so easy — just dump in a bunch of stir-fry veggies and some black bean sauce and you’re done.
6. You know it’s a Paula Deen recipe because there’s butter and bacon, but these fancy green beans with teriyaki sauce, honey and cashews sounds good enough to eat.
7. Steam green beans and toss with some lemon juice and stone ground mustard.
8. Steam some green beans again, and toss with some butter and salt-free seasoning blend.
9. Green beans with tomatoes and feta uses frozen green beans, but use your fresh ones (you could use your fresh tomatoes too) and enjoy your harvest.
10. Vibrant tasty green beans is basically just green beans with leeks and dill, but that can’t be bad, right?
11. Add some green beans to a rice salad or quinoa salad.
12. Make a salad nicoise.
13. Serve steamed green beans with pesto.
14. Saute green beans with garlic, then toss with lemon juice and capers.
15. Yummy, spicy Szechuan green beans with ginger, garlic, scallions, chili paste and soy sauce uses a special cooking technique to keep the beans tender but not mushy.
16. Toasted almond green bean salad is so simple, but with the sesame oil and sesame seeds accenting the almonds, it’s got to be wonderful.
17. Green beans a la Bob — just shake some crushed red pepper over them.
18. Toss cooked green beans with the fresh herbs of your choice, something crunchy (think nuts or seeds) and something tangy (balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt).
19. The answer to my fear of pickling (really a fear of canning) might just be this cheat recipe for quick pickled green beans.
20. Green beans with roasted nuts and cranberries has the bean, the crunch and the sweet-tart … oh yeah.
21. How can some of my favorite things all be combined in one green bean dish? Because someone has the brilliance to invent green beans with walnuts, fennel, and goat cheese — and they threw in mustard.

It would be fairly easy to think of 21 more things since green beans are so versatile … and delicious. What’s your favorite thing to do with green beans?

We don’t eat like a normal family, so sugary lemonade is never an option in our house. We don’t buy popsicles because of the sugar and dye, so we make our own. Ditto for ice cream. I was thrilled to find these recipes that will add some new variations to our homemade healthy versions of these summer stand-bys.

I’ve been meaning to experiment with stevia, and I even bought some stevia powder this week. So it stands to reason that this recipe for sugar-free lemonade calls for liquid stevia … yeah. I usually use agave syrup when I make lemonade but I definitely want to try this.

These raspberry and peach popsicles sound absolutely delicious … but I’ll admit they are much more complicated to make than my usual lemon juice, water and agave pops. I hope I’ll forgo laziness and give them a try because I think I’d enjoy these as much as the five-year-old.

I’m completely sold on strawberry coconut milk ice cream and I’ve been reading about frozen banana soft serve. This recipe for better than ice cream seems to combine the best of both for a healthy and fruity frozen dessert.

What are some healthy summer treat recipes you make?

A little bit of this and that today … you can’t know the relief of writing up these recipes that I don’t want to forget about. Now I know where to find them and I can close the tabs on my browser. I know, it’s a sickness and I won’t even tell you how many tabs I have open to remind me to do things. I get that there’s a nifty feature called “bookmarks,” but out of sight is out of mind and I really love these recipes!

I’m kind of intrigued by this portobella mushroom bake. I don’t do vegetarian meals very often because of my complainers who insist that it isn’t a meal without a hunk of meat, but this one sounds hearty enough to please the men in my house. I think I could make it more appealing if I sprinkled a bunch of cheese over the top, but the onions, soy sauce, garlic and herbs do a pretty fine job on their own.

You already know that I’m insane about mayonnaise-free potato salads. Add bacon and they become even better. Add pancetta and you’re looking at a taste sensation, for crying out loud. That’s why this potato salad with pancetta, rosemary and lemon caught my eye and held it in its greedy little grasp for a good long while. Fresh rosemary and parsley, a lemon dressing and lots of garlic make this irresistible.

One of our favorite sauces for pork (or other meats) is this rhubarb chipotle sauce. So when I saw this recipe for chipotle cherry barbeque sauce, you can imagine how I started to salivate embarrassingly. The recipe’s similar but much, much easier and I’m anxious to try it with some ribs we’ve got frozen, just waiting for the grill and this sauce.

Out of all of these recipes, that brioche is the one that makes me salivate the most. The combination of goat cheese and sweet peas … pardon me while I wipe my chin….

I love the way Heidi Swanson describes this chocolate loaf cake as “unattractive.” But she’s a girl after my own heart … she changed up a Nigella Lawson recipe with spelt flour and Muscovado sugar. It’s very few recipes for baked goods that I don’t have to change up a bit, but this one I’d make as-is.

Now, this recipe for raw energy bars in another story. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make them less sugary? I get that there’s no added sugar, but that’s a lot of dried fruit which is basically concentrated sugar, no mater how natural. I like that it’s not honey or agave or brown rice syrup, though, so I may give these a go with less fruit and see if they stick.

This simple brioche with crushed peas … I just can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe it’s because the peas from our CSA farm are one of the greatest things to happen to vegetables ever, or perhaps it’s the goat cheese, radish, watercress, shaved Parmesan….

Really? Could a dessert really be this simple? Raw foodists, celebrate, because all you have to do for a soft-serve ice cream is whip frozen bananas in your food processor. I’m not in love with anything too banana-y, but I’m definitely willing to give this one a try.

Although I enjoy my sprouted spelt flour baking, I’m really trying to cut down on my carbs, grains and flours in general. Gluten-free is supposed to be easy to digest but mostly, it’s just a bunch of weird flours that tend not to have much fiber or nutrition.

So I’ve been on a hunt for some gluten-free treat recipes that use real food, not seven different obscure white flours and three different vegetable gums. Luckily, my hunt is proving fruitful and I’ve got some great recipes to share with you. The best news is that you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already, but if you don’t, a trip to the closest market will get you all you need.

Elana’s Pantry created this gorgeous cranberry almond loaf that she enjoys slathered with goat cheese (yes please) but that she suggests you could also toast and use for a turkey sandwich. Almond butter, almonds, seeds, eggs and other easy ingredients combine for a flourless bread. OK, so there’s a little bit of arrowroot in it that might be hard to find, but I got my Bob’s Red Mill Arrowroot Starch Flour, 20-Ounce (Pack of 4) for pennies on Amazon.

Yummy — oatmeal carrot cookies are gluten-free if you make sure you get oats that aren’t contaminated, but if you don’t have celiac you probably don’t care. They call for stevia liquid (I know, I really have to explore this stuff) as a sweetener, but I’d just throw in agave syrup, palm sugar, brown rice syrup or a little honey.

Melting Wok’s arrowroot cookies sound divine … it’s the coconut milk that gets me. I’m definitely trying these.

Is it painfully obvious that I have a ton of arrowroot flour and I’m looking for recipes to try? Here are two arrowroot cake recipes — a yellow cake and a double chocolate cake — made with all normal ingredients. Too normal … I’d use palm sugar and organic butter, and replace the cream with plain yogurt. Other than that, I’m anxious to try these recipes because we don’t often make cake.

I just have to give a shout-out to La Tartine Gourmande — she’s got a gluten-free (and fabulous) section on her website, my favorite recipe being the chocolate tahini gooey cake.

The rosemary growing in our yard is lush and green right now, loving every minute of the above-average temps we’ve been having here in New England … well, until last week, when the 70s crept back in but the sunshine still made me cheery. I thought it was about time to find some recipes to take advantage of my tasty little plant.

Rosemary roasted red pepper hummus — Cumin, soy sauce, cayenne and all the other traditional hummus ingredients combine to make this a hummus I’m dying to try.

Rosemary olive oil cake — This recipe intrigues me like no other. To me, rosemary is a savory herb, occasionally paired with lemon in a semi-sweet muffin. But this cake’s got chocolate chunks!

Cheese and rosemary biscotti — See, now this is what I think about when “baking with rosemary” comes to mind. A savory, side dish biscotti — brilliant!

Brie stuffed figs with fresh rosemary — I feel like I’m playing Jeopardy, and the question is, “What’s the easiest appetizer recipe dressed to impress?” I do think I’d go for blue cheese here, though.

Herbed chicken crepes with fresh rosemary cream sauce — Keith and I went out for dinner last week and had a wonderful crepe appetizer, stuffed with smoked salmon and asparagus and topped with caviar and the thickest creme fraiche I’ve ever seen. So I’ve got crepes on the brain, and this recipe sounds scrumptious. You know I’d make gluten free crepes and substitute Greek yogurt for the cream, but still.