This is the fastest, easiest, yummiest potluck dish that I whip together when I’m short on time and ideas (or not!)

Veggies on Hummus

I saw this idea last summer and have used it a number of times now.  I’m here to spread the word, so you can spread the hummus.

And that’s exactly it — a layer of store bought hummus spread across a shallow dish, topped with whatever vegetables you feel like chopping – or not chopping, as the case here.  The vegetables I used for a dinner party recently were procured from the olive bar at Wegmans… the tomato salad that’s used for bruschetta, marinated green olives and artichokes (that I chopped myself) spooned across the top of the hummus.

If you eat kale, do you remember a time when you didn’t eat kale?

I sure do.  Kale was totally a “No, thank you” food as a former only-iceburg-lettuce-eating lady.  But then I tried kale chips sometime in 2008 or 2009, and my love for kale began.  I’m fairly sure that kale chips are the gateway drug to dark leafy greens.  If kale seems dark and scary to you – try it in chip form.  It’s hard to say “No Thanks” when it’s warm and crispy and delicious after being baked in a little oil and salt.

A Chopped Greek Salad for Lunch

November 7th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (6 Comments)

Since reading Cholesterol Clarity, I’ve been rocking out with the Low Carb/High Fat way of eating.  (I’ve been trying to do this for a nearly year now and have finally figured it out… more details to come in an upcoming post.)  I found my way to this salad when I was looking to swap my usual yogurt and fruit combo with something a little lower in sugar and carbs.

Let me cut right to the chase: I’m still a little shocked at how much I love this salad.  This is officially My New Favorite Lunch, I’ve eaten more days in a row than I can count.

Zak is going strong with his 40 Day Paleo Challenge (although exceptions were made this weekend for his birthday!) and I’ve been keeping busy stocking the fridge with Paleo friendly meals and snacks.

I’m calling this a “Fall Favorite” because 1.) well, it’s fall – and  2.) I’ve made this for dinner once a week for the past three weeks in a row.  It’s on the dinner agenda this week again too.  It think it’s safe to call this turkey marinara and spaghetti squash a new favorite.

Ground Turkey Tomato Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

Since new baby = fewer trips to the grocery store, we’ve been visiting our weekly, neighborhood farmer’s market a bit more regularly this summer than we have in the past.

Farmers Market

For the last couple of years the CSA has served most of our local, seasonal produce needs. I didn’t sign us up this year because I didn’t know how much I would be cooking, I also didn’t want to have to worry about waking any babies from afternoon naps in order to make it in time for pick up. WHO CARES ABOUT VEGETABLES!  WE’VE GOT A SLEEPING BABY HERE!

The Power of Suggestion

January 18th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (7 Comments)

I get these “Your Pregnancy This Week” emails that list a myriad of facts and tidbits about the wee babe growing inside my uterus, along with any other timely pregnancy notes. You know, like “you’re probably busting out of your bra by now” or “your baby is the size of a tarantula”. Stuff like that.

The Week 18 email mentioned that I’m probably feeling an increase in appetite now.

Well, I hadn’t noticed, but now that you’ve planted the hunger seed, I think I AM feeling hungrier than usual. Thanks for the idea!

In fact, now I’m positively starving.

Souper Simple Tomato Soup Sunday

January 8th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (8 Comments)

It’s possible that we’ve been eating out a bit more than usual these days.

It’s also possible that anybody else’s cooking is a lot more appealing to me right now than my own.

This is how the girls and I ended up in a bagel shop for lunch one day last week. (and the week before that. and the week before that.) I had a bagel sandwich stuffed to the brim with every vegetable they had, plus a small bowl of their tomato soup that was pretty good.

World Travel

December 4th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (10 Comments)

It was a dark and stormy night.

Actually, it was just a cold and gloomy Friday morning. And I was in the mood to cook.

Ingredients for Apricot Lentil Stew

I was also in the mood to shake things up! I went googling my way around the world wide web in search of something outlandish to do with a bag of red lentils.

Like… string them together to use as garland on our Christmas tree? Get started on a lentil mosaic of A Starry Night? Toss lentils at wine glasses filled with varying levels of water and teach myself to play I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In?

For dinner tonight, there was one goal:

Make something completely the opposite of Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t want to spoil my appetite for Thursday after all.

(right. like that could happen.)

So what’s the opposite of Thanksgiving, exactly?

I guess I don’t know, really. I do know that when I was shopping for T Day goodies today, I was on the lookout for anything that none of the other 1,257 Thanksgiving shoppers were loading into their carts. I was looking for anything that might scream “DINNER!!!” at me.

And the item that screamed was eggplant.

Ratatouille: Revisited

August 25th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (10 Comments)

I’ve been waiting and waiting for eggplant to show up in the CSA share this summer so I could make Ratatouille.

Finally, the good word arrived in my inbox yesterday.

CSA Items

(more peaches. did ya catch that?)

Well what do you know – this week I’ll be picking up just about everything I need to make Ratatouille!

From inbox to counter top:

CSA Share

I think Peach and Corn Ratatouille is on the menu tomorrow.

I followed my own Ratatouille directions from last year’s premiere stewed veggie attempt – and good news! I didn’t steer me wrong.