Bring Turkish cuisine into your home with this recipe for homemade Iskender kabob that is so easy, even for those chefs whose kitchen expertise is largely confined to opening take-out! In my last post, I shared my first experience with the Turkish Iskender kabob. Roasted meat, toasted flatbread, tangy tomato sauce, and tart yogurt combine…
Category: Recipes
Belgian-inspired Speculoos cookie ice cream
Winter and ice cream certainly aren’t synonymous, but this ice cream, inspired by a house-made ice cream at one of Brussels’ trendiest restaurants, is perfect for a cozy winter dinner party or indulgent treat. When I created this recipe, I was surprised at how well the flavors and textures melded together; I would count this…
Healthy Diplomat: Chocolate superfood cookies – paleo, vegan, and packed with chocolate
Clearly, I wouldn’t have started a food blog if I did not enjoy food. I love to experience good food. As you have seen from my posts thus far, and in particular, during Chocolate Month, I enjoy chocolate, and I don’t shy far away from good, rich, indulgent chocolate recipes. But that’s not how and…
The CD’s oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies with vodka-spiked mandarins
I got my start in adapting recipes and baking at the age of eight, when I realized I loved cookie dough, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the alternating result of either spongy, cake-like biscuits or flat and crispy baked cookies my mother turned out. So I took it upon myself to read, learn,…
Healthy Diplomat: Vegan, no sugar added hot cocoa that actually tastes good!
If you were either intrigued or not scared off by the title of this post, thank you for taking a peek! In my last post, I offered a simple recipe for indulgent spiked hot chocolate. While one could easily make it vegan by substituting a non-dairy milk – such as almond, soy, or coconut –…
The Healthy Diplomat brings tzatziki to a party – do you dare to Feta?
As the Super Bowl fast approaches with its slew of entertaining commercials, a dazzling halftime show, and, most importantly, the year’s biggest excuse to eat junk food. Fried chips, a variety of salsas or dips, and the obligatory chicken wings are certain to pop in to so many gatherings. The airwaves buzz as morning television…
CD Ambassador/Guest blog: The mEAT Baron’s Tandoori Chicken, Curried Veggies, and Balsamic Grilled Romaine Hearts
A word from The CD: Today we welcome our first guest post by a Culinary Diplomat ambassador! I have harassed Doug (AKA the mEAT Baron), the author of this post, for several months to persuade him to serve as a (regular?) ambassador posting on this site. Doug is quite the authority on cooking global cuisine…
Rustic mushroom soup: Bring home the flavors of Estonia
Soup is the quintessential winter food. Nothing can get rid of bone-chilling cold better than a hearty bowl of steaming soup. In the Baltics, where winter and darkness try to dampen the soul, I imagine soup is all but a necessity. At least in my experience there, I found no shortage of amazing soups –…
Redefining the salade chèvre chaud
I crave salads. I adore cheese. So for me, few salads – or entrees for that matter – can top the contrasting, yet complementary mix of flavors in a salade chevre chaud (hot goat cheese salad), ubiquitous in France and, actually, much of Europe. The traditional French salad typically consists of large-leaf lettuce (like…
New Year’s Resolution: Eat Latvian honey cake!
New Year’s resolutions are so yesterday. I mean, I really would appreciate it if everyone staggered the start of their resolutions so I could get mat space at yoga and a parking spot at the gym. Thanks! Just kidding…sort of (really, has anyone ever tried to get into a gym the second week of January?…
The Culinary Diplomat 