Vegetarian | DanaSlatkin.com

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

Escarole, Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad

02/28/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

It was dinner time, my family was seated at the table, and I was tossing salad. A typical weeknight…or so I thought. The salad did look quite appealing, I must say. But leafy generally does not fly in my house. It sits in the bowl until I eat it myself. Not to complain…the family dinner is my favorite time of day. Once the meal is on the table, I finally get to exhale. Cooking for others is an act of letting go. Chances are, all of your hard work will be enjoyed some of the time, but rarely all of the time. Appetites are just too personal — no two people ever eat exactly alike. So rather than feeling dejected by uneaten efforts, it’s best not to become too attached to anything you cook. The other night, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Salad Recipes

Chaya’s Vegan Japanese Minestrone

02/21/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

Los Angeles has always had a thriving restaurant scene, fueled by innovative chefs, abundant inspiration, and ever-curious diners. But when it comes to classic fine dining, there are only a handful of grandes dames left. It’s not that Angelenos don’t appreciate first-rate food, but they want it served with a fun, lighthearted vibe. In this town, stuffy and pompous just don’t fly any more. One L.A. landmark has managed to keep its hip Euro-Japanese brand of haute cuisine relevant for 27 years. Chaya Brasserie, owned by the Tsunoda family, which has been operating restaurants and tea houses in Japan for almost four centuries, is constantly reinventing the sophisticated neighborhood haunt. Chaya is where my husband took me … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Soup Recipes

Lychee Grapefruit Limeade

02/14/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

What’s your idea of romance? These days, there are a a million ways to buy it — chocolates, greeting cards, iTunes compilations, roses. But I prefer mine simple, handmade, and enduring. Growing up, Valentine’s Day was always my favorite holiday. I would stay up late the night before, glueing red and pink hearts onto doilies for my classmates and wrapping cookies for my teachers. Even our terrier, McDuff, got a special red bone to chew on. It was a day to exchange little tokens from the heart, when nothing else seemed to matter. Fast forward to a grown-up life with three busy kids, a husband, work and travel. There’s not much time for grand gestures. But what’s romantic to me now is still pint-sized. Sure, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beverages

How to Make a Vinaigrette

02/07/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

One of the questions I am most often asked in my classes is, “How do I make a salad taste good?” The simplest answer is to make a vinaigrette from scratch. So why has the salad dressing section of supermarkets taken over nearly half the aisle? Because most people don’t realize that homemade salad dressing tastes far better and costs much less money and effort than buying one off the shelf. I’ve probably made a thousand salads in my life, and each one of them began with this formula. It’s the recipe I learned in my first week of cooking school, one that I’ve kept in my head like a mantra: 1 part acid, 2 parts oil, a smidgen of garlic and mustard, plenty of seasoning. Whether you like your vinaigrette … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Salad Recipes

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Broccoli Pesto

02/02/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

I wish you were here in Los Angeles last weekend. Warm breezes blew gently across a cloudless electric blue sky, and there was a palpable exuberance in the air. It was the perfect time to welcome a certain well-seasoned New Yorker, one with a mega presence and a delicious agenda. Mario Batali, proprietor of 19 restaurants, Iron Chef, author of eight cookbooks and television superstar, came to town. On tour to promote his latest book, Molto Batali, Mario breezed into our boardwalk café, Coast, for a sold-out lunch that included samples of several recipes, accompanied by wines from his Bastianich label. It was a meal to remember, not as much for the food, which was tasty indeed, but for the outsized personality that jumped out … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pasta Recipes

Chocolate Sesame Panna Cotta

01/26/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

Once in a very rare while, there’s a pause in my day, when nobody needs me, there is nowhere I need to be, and all is quiet. A shot of bliss. It’s when you’ll usually find me doing one of two things: hiking or playing the piano. Last week, there was one such moment and, while playing a Bach fugue, this dessert came to me. I had been trying to come up with the grand finale for my Modern Mediterranean class, featuring the owner of Momed Beverly Hills. I was looking for the impossibly perfect dessert with a Mediterranean twist. It had to be decadent but light, simple to make but complex in flavor, minutes to prep but memorable. And in the middle of a particularly melodious contrapuntal passage, I thought of halvah, the Middle … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes