Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad) is typically made with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and olive oil. However, there are many variations. You might want to add chopped fresh garlic, Balsamic vinegar, or other herbs. During summer, there's nothing better than fresh ripe tomatoes picked directly from the vine. If you have room to grow them yourself, … [Read more...]
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I’ve been trying to get more into eating beans and legumes because they’re so good for you and are a great substitution for meat. One of my favorites is garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. They’re part of the legume family and are popular in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking. I created the Garbanzo Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes featured below because it’s not only … [Read more...]
Peruvian Cuisine – A 5000 Year Fusion of Flavors
What makes Peruvian cuisine so enticing to the palate is that it's a 5,000-year fusion of Native Indian, Spanish, African, Italian, French, Moroccan, Chinese, Japanese and Polynesian cultures and flavors. The empires of the Moche that flourished in the Northern coasts and valleys of Peru during the 2nd- 8th centuries and the Inca who dwelled in northern and central South … [Read more...]
Mexican Style Fish Tacos
Almost every Saturday morning I truck down to my local Farmer’s market to buy organic vegetables and fruit. I always visit a vendor there who sells fresh seafood, She picks it up from the docks the same morning. You can choose from a wide variety of wild salmon, sole, shrimp, mussels, swordfish, local fish and there are always wonderful surprises. I bought a pound of Mahi Mahi … [Read more...]
Pastéis de Nata Portuguese Custard Tarts in Lisbon – Portugal
One of the ports we stopped off in on our Mediterranean cruise was Lisbon, Portugal. It was a short day excursion but while we were there, we tasted one of Portugal's specialty desserts - Pastéis de Nata - custard tarts. My life was forever changed. I'm not a huge dessert eater but I could have eaten them all day long. It inspired me to create the recipe at the bottom of this … [Read more...]
