SPRING HAS SPRUNG AND FIDDLEHEADS ABOUND- HURRY

FIDDELHEADS OR FIDDLE HEAD FERNS are one of those vegetable unicorns.  They can be hard to find in many areas, depending on the availability of Farmer's Markets or Farm Stands in your community.  They are the unfurled Frond of a fern and found most prominently in the Spring (naturally).   Sauté them lightly in Olive Oil and mix in with your favorite pasta.  The pasta shown here is chick-pea based BANZA.   Add seasoning to taste.  #DELICIOUS!! 

FALL DINNER IN THE KITCHEN WITH FRIENDS

My friends and I have a tradition of making delicious, simple meals whenever we can on Saturday nights up in Connecticut.   There's a small group of us that have weekend houses very close to each other in a beautiful little town.  We all work hard to afford our lives in NYC and Connecticut, so that means we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like.  So when we are all in town at same time, and we can get together to catch up and download our updates with other it really means so much.  Having dinner in the kitchen just makes it that much more casual and intimate.  We have enough occasions to set the dining room tables, but with good friends you don't need to show off the place settings.

Last weekend we had pork tenderloin with apples, green beans, sweet potatoes, and wild rice.  Delicious.  Happy Fall.

Perfect Fall Dinner - Pork Tenderloin with apples, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Wild Rice - and of course a glass (or two) of wine

BROCCOLI & CARROTS AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!

BROCCOLI WITH SHALLOTS, CHICKEN STOCK, AND SPICES - LIGHTLY SAUTE / STEAM PH: Jason JobsonIn an ongoing effort to eat more vegetables I have started making some of these super healthy items the main dish.  With your favorite spices and proper cooking time, the veggies packed with the most antioxidants can also be the most delicious.

Broccoli - this member of the cabbage family has been found to be one of the healthiest vegetable we can add to our diet. THE BEST SELLING - HOW NOT TO DIE - DR. MICHAEL GREGOR Packed full of nutrients and vitamins, broccoli releases glucoraphanin and myrosinase when chewed.  These enzymes work together to produce sulforaphane - which seems to be a magic element of health benefits.   In his book "HOW NOT TO DIE" - Dr. Michael Gregor sings the praises of eating broccoli.  He even contends that eating broccoli can counteract the health risks of smoking ..  Pretty amazing! A simple sauté of broccoli with a little olive oil, chicken stock (vegetable stock for you vegans) and spices is one of the best things you can make at home.

CARROTS - These root vegetables are one of my other favorites.  They are packed with Beta-Carotene which the human body converts into Vitamin A.SIMPLE SAUTEED CARROTS WITH PEPPER - SERVED OVER ARUGULA PH: Jason Jobson  Vitamin A promotes healthy skin, immune system, and vision, among a host of other benefits that researchers are confirming year after year.   Eat more carrots!  You can prepare them the same way as broccoli - the less cooking the better.  Nature made them perfect as is!