A Sweet Twist on a Corn and Black Bean Salad

I'm such a sucker for this time of year. I was walking around the farmers market on Saturday as though it was the perfect day. Local strawberries are finally out, the weather is beautiful, and my son didn't knock anything over.

So I think one of the best kinds of items is highlighting that freshness without overdoing it. This salad just tastes like the sweet early start of summer. I love a corn and black bean salad but I feel like it's one of those items stuck in a rut - why do they always have to have cilantro and red pepper? I wanted something to change it up.

I like using rice vinegar because it adds a bit of sweetness that marries well with the corn. The rest of it is like a deconstructed pesto - you have the basil and the pine nuts but all the textures are coming through. And it uses one of my favorite strategies for corn, which is grilling it on the stove. Nothing makes summer feel more present than a little bit of char on a piece of corn.

It is simple but still special. It's hearty enough to eat as a meal and will hold up as a side if needed. Get ready for a whole lot of summer content coming your way.

Tonight's Dinner is Orzo with Chicken and Olive Sprinkle

Some ingredients are just back-pocket game changers that you should always have around. Dehydrated olives may not sound like a necessity, but they can add a punch of flavor to almost anything. Don't be concerned with people who claim they don't like olives, it's not the same flavor. In the way that miso paste or soy sauce can add a depth of umami to a dish, so too can a bit of dehydrated olives just sprinkled on top. On pasta, on meat, even on a salad this little dust can do wonders.

And it's not a difficult task - it's really just about sticking them in an oven and remembering to take them out. You can make a giant batch and then seal them in a jar, always at the ready for an infusion of oomph.

This recipe takes something lovable but basic - chicken and pasta - and makes it feel like a sophisticated dish. It takes the ordinary and makes it addictive. But with the combination of the olives and the flavor of the chicken skin, you're basically unstoppable.

Ali's Recipes, Blog, Cooking, Food, RecipeAli RosenMay 19, 2018Day Ahead, Served Cold, chicken, orzo, pasta, olives, zucchini, chicken thighs, dinnerComment

Get Your Hands on Some Palm Pesto

I'm a little giddy around this spring weather. It makes me want to have light, bright and healthy every single day. But salads and rice bowls can get exceptionally boring.

I recently went to a restaurant that had a chopped hearts of palm salsa on top of a fish. It was tart and refreshing - and everything I want in my springtime meals. So I took the idea and made it into a lunchtime-friendly all purpose pesto kind of sauce. It's basically just throwing a bunch of deliciousness in a blender and then making sure you keep some on hand for anything you want to brighten up.

I made it for a rice bowl and then literally ate it for lunch every single day for a week. I started pouring it on eggs in the morning and salads at night. It's the very definition of cheap and cheerful.

Blog, Ali's Recipes, Cooking, Food, RecipeAli RosenMay 7, 2018pesto, sauce, rice bowl, hearts of palm, walnuts, nuts, basil, 30 Minutes or Less, lunch, weekday, Served Cold, Day AheadComment

The Shoulder Season Stunner is Zucchini Parm

It is sunny here in New York today but this will-it-or-won't-it spring still has me hankering for something comforting. So what do you do think this shoulder weather?

Enter the zucchini parm. It's the lightened up version, a lot of vegetables, a lot of freshness with basil and lemon an still a bit of cheese to bring it together. It can be prepped ahead, which for me is usually half the battle.

So if you need an easy, warming meal, I can't think of anything better

Kale and Farro Salad

Grain salads are often tilted in one direction or the other - you either have a ton of grains with a few vegetables thrown in or something that just has primarily lettuce and a grain as a small item to add texture. I've never understood why they can't have equal billing. This farro salad tries to remedy that quandary.

Recipe, Blog, Cooking, Ali's RecipesAli RosenAugust 2, 2017farro, vegetarian, lunch, Served Cold, Day AheadComment

Tomato and Peach Gazpacho

Can we just shout from the rooftops about stone fruit season? It's my favorite time of year and I'll find any excuse to throw a peach in something. And luckily it makes a pretty incredible addition to your average gazpacho

Recipe, Blog, Ali's RecipesAli RosenJuly 24, 2017stone fruit, soup, tomato, recipe, lunch, Served Cold, peach, prosciutto, summer, Day Ahead, dinner, 30 Minutes or Less, easyComment

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