Food | DanaSlatkin.com

Israeli Tomato Feta Salad

04/11/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like faraway travel to breathe new life into your cooking. A voyage can inspire new cravings, introduce exotic spices, or even change your whole way of thinking about food. Recently, an epic Spring Break trip to Israel and Paris has really stirred things up here in the Farmgirl kitchen. Take breakfast, for example. I pride myself on making something new and exciting for the family every morning — sprouted grain French toast, frittatas oozing with cheese and vegetables, matzah brei, and homemade granola are some of my go-to’s. But who knew salad was good for breakfast? The Israelis do. In fact, during our week in Jerusalem, this salad showed up on the table at practically every meal. It’s delightfully … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Salad Recipes

Cooking Classes: Healthy Macrobiotic Food and Easy Italian Recipes

04/07/2012 By dana 1 Comment

Get ready for summer…go lean and clean! Macro Makeovers with M Café Thursday, April 26 10:00 am - 12 noon What exactly is macrobiotic anyway? Dana teams up with M Café Executive Chef Lee Gross to makeover your favorite comfort foods with macro flair. You’ll learn some of M Café’s secrets and cook the top-selling menu items! Light and Easy Italian with Peter Garland, owner of Porta Via and Sirena (coming soon!) Thursday, May 24 10:00 am - 12 noon Farm-to-table favorites from one of Beverly Hills’ most popular (and adorable) restaurateurs! One Class: $125; Two Classes: $225 Gift certificates, birthday parties, corporate and private classes available! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Events

April Giveaway Contest

04/05/2012 By dana 2 Comments

April showers bring melamine flowers! These cheery cake stand sets turn cake into cool for a fun-loving holiday brunch, outdoor feast, even an offbeat wedding. The knife doubles as a cake server and is kid-friendly (i.e. not too sharp and indestructible). We are giving one set away this month to a lucky subscriber. Send in a comment and make sure you are a 90210 Farmgirl subscriber! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking Contest

Wild Mushroom-Leek Soup

03/30/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

By now, even if you don’t have a teenager in the house, you’ve heard of the stratospherically successful movie “The Hunger Games.” I read the book over a weekend last summer, after my son’s school recommended it to both of us (we were supposed to read it together and discuss, but he decided to skip this bonding opportunity in favor of “South Park” reruns). You might be wondering what the story of one girl’s fight for her integrity in a blood-thirsty dystopian society has to do with cooking. Well, let’s just say when every theater nearby was sold out last weekend, I got inspired to cook up my own hunger games. My four hungry participants declared their various appetites at 5 pm, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Soup Recipes

Greek Frittata with Spinach, Leeks, Potato and Feta

03/21/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Marathon took over our town last Sunday. Fortunately, it was a brisk, sunny morning. The kids and I watched some of the more than 20,000 runners pass by mile 17, looking surprisingly sweatless and energized. As they soldiered on, we slipped into our favorite deli for breakfast. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of outsider envy. After all, our most athletic feat of the morning had been sprinting across the race route while dodging the runners. And even though I could practically taste the hash browns from a block away, I wanted to truly earn them. I thought about what I’d order if I had just run 26.2 miles in under two and a half hours, as the winning female from Ethiopia did. Something delicious and decadent. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Spring Carrot Sunflower Pate

03/13/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

No one rejoices more than I do when we sacrifice that extra hour of the day to make way for Spring. Because it means tulips and warm weather are just around the corner. And even though the vernal equinox is still a week away, I’ve got matzah balls and Easter bunnies on my mind. Two of the year’s cheeriest, most hope-filled holidays are coming up, and what better way to celebrate than with a colorful feast? This sunny vegan carrot spread helps set the mood. Even the name makes me smile! This recipe sprung from the mushroom paté I posted last March. This time, I substituted fresh dill for thyme and sunflower seeds for walnuts to play up the sweet, fresh notes of the carrots. But feel free to try your favorite herbs and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes

Parsnip Hummus with Moroccan Roasted Mushrooms

03/08/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

Veggies have always had a voice in our national diet, but they were often relegated to the back of the choir. Now they are finally getting to sing the solos. After decades of meat worshipping and protein seeking, we have become obsessed with the incredible, edible vegetable. My vegetable romance began when I was 12, the year I decided I was done eating anything with a face or a mother. And even though my own mom was quite perturbed that I wouldn’t touch her brisket or Bolognese, I never looked back. I wanted to learn about, grow, cook and devour every kind of vegetable there was. In fact, once I realized it was impossible to find the limits of the vegetal universe, it began expanding even faster (kind of like our own universe). … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Side Dish Recipes

March Giveaway, Free Berndes Ceramic Pen

03/02/2012 By dana 10 Comments

Ceramic is the new green! This beautiful new ceramic pan from Berndes pan has it all: it’s free of chemicals and Teflon, heats evenly, and is naturally non-stick. The handle is heat-protected, so it can go right under the broiler. Omelets slide right out and onions caramelize beautifully. This eco-friendly work horse retails for $121.99, but we are giving one away this month to a lucky subscriber. Send in a comment and make sure you are a Beverly Hills Farmgirl subscriber! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking Contest