I'm VERY into sports if being 'into sports' can mean being very into making the food that comes with watching sports or tailgating. Getting the food right for a sporting event can be a sport unto itself, and one I take as seriously as everyone seems to be taking the game.

As much as I love a many-layered dip and wings, I also always like to have a light, bright option to offset some of the heavier food people might expect. But you want something hearty enough that it won't wilt during a long afternoon - and it's especially great if it's quick to make. And it's an extra bonus if vegetarians feel like they have a main course option that doesn't alienate meat eaters who are just looking for flavor.

Sometimes a lot of ingredients are right in front of our eyes, and that's what I love about this pickled beet and lentil salad with tahini lemon dressing. You can easily buy the sesame goodness of tahini at any grocery store; find canned lentils to save yourself a cooking step; and I use Aunt Nellies pickled beets to add acidity and depth without the long process of roasting and pickling the beets yourself. So what you end up with is a surprising and filling vegetable dish that requires no cooking. The sesame and lemon of the dressing match perfectly with the earthy beets and you have a dish that will make you the tailgate hero with little to no work. Find a sport that can give you that kind of outcome!

Ali's Recipes, Blog, Cooking, Food, RecipeAli RosenOctober 21, 2019beets, Salad Hero, salad, lemon, sports, 30 Minutes or Less, Served Cold, make aheadComment

Blondies Can Get Even Better

I’m not sure much is better than a blondie. It’s basically just a giant sugar carb chewy delight. But Nicole Rucker changed the game with her recipe that adds fruit into the mix. A little bit of extra sweetness from a different source makes them even brighter.

We got Nicole’s recipe via her new book Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you love dessert and you love adding fruit into your desserts, then you are in luck. I almost audibly gasped when I saw it, since I am a major fruit dessert kind of gal (I think Bring It! had almost as many fruit desserts as not, and I’m not sorry about it).

Cookbook, Cooking, Recipe, Dessert, BlogAli RosenSeptember 18, 2019dessert, brown sugar, butter, berries, huckleberry, blueberry, sugar, make ahead, cookbookComment

Should You Be Vacuum Sealing Your Food?

As busy people we are always looking for new ways to make our lives (and meal prep) easier. There is the constant battle between a home cooked meal and convenience.

But I was intrigued by RealEats, a meal prep company that sends healthy prepared meals via vacuum sealed packaging that keeps their food fresh for 7 days. I wondered whether this methodology could also work for people at home who want to prep food ahead.

RealEats’ Head of Culinary, Chef Aliya LeeKong, very kindly let us into her kitchen to share some of her tactics as well as a recipe for a delicious and easy miso salmon. Aliya goes into the types of food that work best for vacuum sealing and she even showcases how to hack your regular ziploc bags with another method for storage.

Of course if all this makes you just want Aliya’s food for yourself you can always head over to RealEats. But watch the video below to get a look at how you could make your meal prep even easier at home.

Blog, Food, Recipe, VideoAli RosenMay 15, 2019fish, seafood, recipe, miso, salmon, make aheadComment

The Most Gorgeous Appetizer Is Also The Simplest

I’m a little bit cookbook obsessed, to the point where I like to read them in bed like a good novel. And like a great narrative book, a cookbook can sometimes suck you in and make you want to revisit it over and over. Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian is one of those undeniable books. It recounts her Persian childhood and years of cooking her native cuisine in North America. And the recipes reflect that duality - traditional but all with swap-outs that make it accessible for finding ingredients here. If you have never tried Persian cuisine then you haven’t tried one of the best on the planet, but Naz’s book makes it feel like it is second nature. It is by far one of my favorite books of the year

Now that I’m done gushing, let’s talk about this recipe. Naz came over and we made one of her most vibrant dishes. Her yogurt beet dip, known as Borani-yeh Laboo, is worth it just for the color alone. But the simplicity of the recipe defies the depth of flavor that the beets and tarragon give to this appetizer. Make it yourself and then pick up the book. I promise it will become a favorite.

Blog, Cookbook, Cooking, Food, Interview, Recipe, VideoAli RosenOctober 24, 2018yogurt, beet, dip, appetizer, Persian, cookbook, tarragon, make ahead, Served Cold Comment

The Healthiest Sandwich Trick

I love a good hack, and apple sandwiches are kind of my new current favorite. If you use tart apples instead of bread you create a whole new category with texture and a fun factor that is hard to beat.

Recently Siri Daly stopped by to talk about her new book, Siriously Delicious. The wife of famed tv host Carson Daly uses her book and blog to showcase her easy recipes that help her keep her busy family on the go. Siri is one of those people who tries to make life easier and I loved the fun outlook in the book. But these apple sandwiches with nut butter and granola have made me a convert.

Cookbook, Food, Recipe, Interview, Video, BlogAli RosenJuly 9, 2018recipe, cookbook, apples, granola, healthy, kids, easy, nut butter, almond butter, 30 Minutes or Less, make ahead, Served ColdComment

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.

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

The Secrets to Pork Loin

I am definitely guilty of buying the pre-cut versions of my meat because I'm too afraid to break down an entire cut. But I know that every time I do I'm wasting money on something so simple. So we went to Pig Bleecker to get chef Matt Abdoo to show us the ways of the pork loin. From a bone-in tenderloin to a pork chop, he shows us how to easily take charge of our meat destiny.

VideoAli RosenNovember 14, 2017pork, pork loin, pork chop, make ahead, dinner, recipe, dinner partyComment

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