Welcome back to another offering in our Quarantine Cuisine series, created to share ideas to liven up cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many of us around the world are asked to stay at home, and our access to food may be limited. These meal ideas are shared with accessibility and customization in mind,…
Category: Side Dishes
Healthy Diplomat: Vegan avocado basil pesto brightens any savory dish
Even if you’re not vegan, this pesto is bursting with summer freshness. Rich, yet light, this savory condiment is perfect for everything from pasta to meat and vegetables. When one of my friends conjured up a version of this pesto to get rid of some ripe avocado, I was curious how it was going to…
Healthy Diplomat: Vegetarian Quinoto-stuffed peppers
Tired of boring old quinoa? Need new ideas for healthy entrees – vegetarian or not, or just an impressive side dish for guests? Try this Peruvian inspired delicious bell pepper stuffed with a goat cheese quinoa risotto, also known as quinoto. It is rich, yet light – typically under 300 calories per serving and a…
Having fun with harissa, Part II: Spicy harissa hummus
Give that tired, mass-produced hummus a run for the money with a hearty homemade hummus with the smoky red pepper and chili kick of North African Harissa. Hummus will never be the same! After a few weeks in Tunisia, I was inspired to find several ways to use harissa. In my last post, I discussed…
The best grits you’ll ever eat – and make yourself
Often in life, the best ideas are the simplest. The best dishes are not necessarily the most complex – like molecular gastronomy, for example. Nice to look at, but really? These grits, quite the opposite, are insanely good. I promise you that you will never taste grits as good as this recipe. I also bet…
Mutabel: The Arabic twin of Baba Ghanouj
A creamy eggplant dip with the bite of garlic and an almost airy fluffiness, accented with nutty olive oil – sound familiar? Think of Mutabel as the fraternal twin of Baba Ghanouj: nearly identical ingredients, expressed just a bit differently. If you didn’t have them side-by-side, one could easily mistake them for one another. This…
The Culinary Diplomat 