my life my menu

Thanksgiving is such an nostalgic time for me. Growing up I was always home with my family doing the traditional American meal. It was very family oriented and the food was delicious. I was always involved in the cooking (or at least that's how I like to remember it.) But now, I'm married with two children of my own and we have adopted my husband's tradition of traveling on Thanksgiving. I definitely enjoy getting away, I won't lie. But there have been a few sporadic years th

I was going through my older recipes and realized that when I updated my website some of my favorite recipes got lost in the shuffle. Some recipes never made it back on to my website. So over the next couple of days I'm going to be sharing some oldies but goodies! It also gave me an opportunity to see how far my photography has come! Enjoy the nostalgia... Arugula and Quinoa Salad with Peanuts and Apricot Click Here for print friendly version Ingredients for Salad: 1 cup quin

I have been hoarding my summer corn. For anyone who knows how sweet and fantastic it is right now is just like me, and needs lots of corn recipes on hand. This one fits the bill perfectly. I originally wrote this recipe for roasted corn, which is great for the rest of the year, but today I made this with my bounty of sweet and starchy raw farm corn. I cut it raw right off the cob and mixed it right into the cooked barley. Whether your corn is raw or roasted this recipe is fi

One of my favorite summer ingredients is fresh corn. Most people don't know you can eat it right off the cob! Here is a great salsa recipe that highlights the corn's sweetness and the best part is that you don't have to put on the oven or even boil water! My kind of recipe. Did I mention it has Parmesan? #FDNoCook #FDSummersBest #WhatsForDinner #FreshDirect Serve this as a simple salad or as an accompaniment to to a simply grilled piece of fish. Corn and Parmesan Salsa Ingred

So why do I write salsa/salad? I actually make this recipe two ways: A quinoa salad and a salsa salad. They both have the same ingredients except the quinoa salad just has the added cooked quinoa. The salsa version is so yummy that you can eat it straight up as a salad itself or put it on top of some simply grilled salmon or other fish. The quinoa version can be a main for lunch or a side dish to a mea. lNo matter which version of this recipe you make it's a winner. You know

Fresh Direct has really revolutionized my life. Living in Rockaway may be living the beach dream but it's definitely not living the organic food dream. They make me a more functional human being. My Life My Menu is really about creating recipes that are not just clean but that can be pulled off on my time schedule. Without their delivery service I would be at the grocery at 11pm. Without their organics I would have to shlep to a grocery 40 minutes from my home. Without their

This salad is from Robin Jemal’s cookbook “Dare to be Different, Volume 2.” It’s a great book filled with lots of practical, flavorful recipes that are perfect for a busy family. Wholesome ingredients and not too fussy. This one in particular has been in the rotation for almost a year! Follow Robin on Instagram at @daretobedifferentcook Fattoush Salad CLICK HERE FOR PRINT FRIENDLY RECIPE Ingredients: Pita Chips: 3 pita bread pockets Olive oil spray Zaatar spice Salt Zaatar D

This salad came to me via my customer, Yvette, during my catering days. She is a very elegant French woman who claimed this was the only way to have a salad. I may or may not have rolled my eyes, but in the end she was right. This recipe really allows for the lettuce to shine through. This clean, simple recipe is an absolute favorite. I like to use fresh lettuces to mix together- soft Boston Bibb is a favorite, Red Leaf Lettuce, Mache, Radicchio or even arugula (the fresh

While tomatoes are at their peak in summer, this winter I have been coming across the most beautiful and sweet heirloom (organic!) tomatoes for a very decent price. Sometimes the mini sized tomatoes come pre-packed and make buying a cinch. See these gorgeous options by Fresh Direct. Kid Friendly Idea: Also, my kids love the different colored tomatoes but if your kids have yet to come around to tomatoes and their texture, trying just slicing a few plain with a sprinkle of salt

Imagine chopped kale layered with grilled chicken cubes, hemp seeds, sesame seeds and avocado all covered in a delicious ginger carrot dressing. Now stop imagining and do it. This salad is legitimately a complete meal. I even give you the suggested option of adding brown rice right into the salad! Then it is really a complete meal. You know my husband who absolutely doesn't eat raw kale? He eats it here. Where to put it in your menu? I serve it as a complete meal for grownups