Meatless Monday: Butter Lettuce Salad with Feta and Pomegranates

Butter Lettuce Salad with Feta and Pomegranates

One of the things I love about salads is that they have a thousand different iterations, each one just as fabulous as the last one. This jives with my focus on seasonal eating. Winter salads can rival summer salads.

This salad makes use of the beautiful pomegranates, which are in season right now. This ancient fruit, famous for mentions in Homeric Hymns and The Book of Exodus, typically grows in the Northern Hemisphere between September and February. Even better, pomegranates are chocked full of vitamins (especially C & B), fiber, and antioxidants. Oh, and they taste fabulous, too.

The Willy Wonka of Breakfast: Q&A with Jodi, Chef and Founder of The Griddle Cafe

Jodi, Chef and Founder of The Griddle Cafe

Jodi Hortze, isn't just a self-trained chef and the founder of The Griddle Cafe -- she's the Willy Wonka of breakfast.

Her eatery cooks up her imaginative recipes like Baked Potato Omelette, Scotch on the Rocks Pancakes, and her signature dish, Red Velvet Pancakes, for which she just launched a make-at-home mix (available online and at Kitson boutiques).

Meatless Monday: Kale & Navy Bean Pasta with Smoked Paprika

Kale & Navy Bean Pasta with Smoked Paprika

On the cheerful note that Sodexo, the giant food service provider, had adopted Meatless Monday (click here for article), here's my weekly Meatless Monday recipe for Kale & Navy Bean Pasta with Smoked Paprika.

For this healthy dish, I used fresh organic kale from my farmer's market -- not only is it a budget friendly veggie, but it's also pretty much one of the healthiest things on the Planet Earth. Canned navy beans from Eden Organics provide great fiber, protein, and nutrients. I love Eden Organics because their can liners are BPA free!

Giant Food Service Provider Sodexo Adopts Meatless Monday!

Big meatless news this Monday!

Sodexo, a food service provider that serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long-term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government, and remote sites, has officially unveiled plans to offer a Meatless Monday option in all its dining halls.

My Fave Bites: Starry Kitchen - Where Rice Balls Rival Meatballs

Japanese Meatball Curry Banh Mi Sandwich

Starry Kitchen, the downtown LA brainchild of husband and wife team Nguyen and Thi Tran, didn't take the ordinary path to becoming a restaurant. It began as an underground eatery run out of their apartment in North Hollywood, proving once and for all that good things can indeed come from the Valley. Uh, like, whatever!

I first heard about their down-low shop through The A-Girl, my frequent dining companion and a friend of the couple. She raved about their food. At the end of their underground run, Nguyen and his "Kitchen Ninja" spouse were serving 50 to 60 people a night before the health inspectors shut them down (ah, government regulations). You can read all about it in this great LA Weekly article.

But don't fear--this story has a happy ending.