summer corn chowder with jalapeno & pan-roasted tomatoes

Put this season's sweet, crisp delicious crop of corn to good use.  This chowder is fast, filling and full of the flavors of summer.  Makes for a light lunch or dinner, no cream included!


serves 4


1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, diced
3 ears of fresh corn, kernels shaved off (divided), save the ears for the broth
1 cup diced potato (divided)
1 cup diced zucchini or summer squash
1/2 toasted jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced)
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
chopped cilantro and extra minced jalapeno for garnish
*pan-roasted yellow and red cherry tomatoes for garnish


In a large, heavy pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add in 1 1/2 cups corn kernels,  1/2 cup potato and zucchini or squash and saute for about 5 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.  Meanwhile, puree the remaining 1 1/2 cups corn and 1/2 cup of potato with 2 tablespoons of broth in a blender.
Add in shaved ears of corn, jalapeno, broth, corn-potato puree and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and lower heat, simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove ears of corn from the pot and discard.  Simmer an additional 15 to 20 minutes.  Garnish with roasted tomatoes, cilantro and jalapeno and serve.


*pan-roasted tomatoes: heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large saucepan and add in tomatoes -- if they're slightly larger, halve them or if little babies, leave them whole.  Pan-roast on medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes until tomatoes burst/shrivel.

the colors of summer, a love affair with red

It's amazing how a single red dress inspired me to look at all the gorgeous summer produce sitting on my kitchen countertop a little differently.  Just taking a moment to appreciate the vibrant hues of the season - and this might sound silly - reminds you of the beauty of good food, and that it can be breathtaking sometimes (often times).  And when your fridge, your plate, your diet is vibrant, it's a fail-proof sign that you're eating healthfully, smartly and deliciously.  I present you with some of summer's best as an example.  Antioxidant-packed heirloom and cherry tomatoes (which immediately encouraged me to do up a simple, scrumptious snack of heirloom tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella dotted with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and a sprinkling of that red chili you see above).  The tomato crop is unbelievable this season, so make a run to your local greenmarket asap and stock up.  Major flavor and major nutrients, and mini-calories - which leaves you a little more room for a nice piece of ciabatta, baguette or whole wheat sourdough with that tomato, basil, mozzarella salad below.   Also tossed into the bowl above are 2 Turkish eggplants (those little red guys with stems on the left side).  I'd never seen them before I stumbled upon them at the farmers market last weekend - and fortunately so, they're wonderful grilled or quickly sauteed.

tomato, basil, mozzarella salad = the perfect snack or starter

a little more red love...summer tristar strawberries

my red dress that inspired it all...

you can't go wrong with summer fun and sparkles - and a plate of delicious fresh food!

images by: moi's camera, growshop.com, luckymag.com

a simple Sunday brunch

It's a quiet weekend in NYC.  Cooler weather with Saturday's gorgeous sun and today's calm grey skies.  It seems like everyone's slowing down a bit, taking a respite from their standard summer weekend getaway trips upstate, to the Hamptons or to Fire Island.  I'll leave you to your lounging with some visual inspiration - a simple brunch and a good long read of the paper - quite appropriate on this lazy, hazy Sunday.
and if you're wondering what's on my plate...
* 2 eggs, fried sunny-side up in a dab of olive oil and sprinkled with salt, freshly ground pepper and a bit of harissa sauce (Taim on Waverly and Perry sells their own peppery harissa, it's amazing)
* a quick saute of summer corn and cherry tomatoes sprinkled with fresh basil and a touch of sea salt.
* add on a few slices of avocado on the side and you've got a deliciously healthy and fast brunch that gives a nod to seasonal ingredients and comfort food all at once

a for few other pretty pics of brunching, here are a handful shot by Brooklyn photographer Jennifer Causey featured on her blog, SimplyBreakfast

fresh peach & basil frozen yogurt

homemade froyo on a hot summer evening that's bursting with fresh juicy peaches straight from the farmers market and flecks of basil straight from my patio herb "garden"...can't get much better than that.  here's a recipe I adapted from one of David Lebovitz's Parisian culinary musings.

fresh peach & basil frozen yogurt

4 peaches, peeled, halved and pitted
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup basil syrup*
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons basil leaves

12 ounces low-fat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

*for basil syrup, simmer 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water until sugar dissolves completely, about 7 to 8 minutes.  remove from heat, add about 1/2 cup basil leaves and allow to cool. strain and press excess liquid from basil through a sieve.

simmer peaches and water for about 10 minutes until softened.
place peaches in a bowl in fridge until cool.
combine cooled peaches, basil syrup, sugar, basil leaves, yogurt and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
pour into a container or covered bowl and freeze.  stir after 30 minutes or so, and again after 60 minutes to evenly distribute ice crystals.

In the Kitchen :: Plated Part Deux

A quick follow up to Friday's post on hip, pretty plates.  Here's the result of that afternoon's lunch - a summery fresh salad with whatever was left in my fridge, finished off with herbs straight my balcony's herb "garden!"

summer salad | a mix of boston lettuce and purslane (a summer lettuce that's surprisingly rich in antioxidants & omega-3 fats, pick some up at the Union Sq greenmarket).  toss in strawberries, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices and a bit of goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.  sprinkle fresh tarragon and chopped basil over top and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and fresh pepper to finish.  super simple and satisfying lunch!

the small but GROWING "garden" on my patio - basil, lemon verbena, tarragon, tomatoes, strawberries & more!

The scoop on ice cream

I admit my vices when it comes to food (we're all human) and I have a slight love affair with ice cream, always have, and most likely always will. The affair heats up when summer hits, nothing goes better with a hot Sunday evening than a scoop of delectable ice cream. My love affair got even more steamy last weekend when I ventured down to Soho to check out the new butter-yellow truck that dishes out Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (pictured above). I love that co-owning brothers Pete and Ben's motto is "Fresh. Local. Pure. Simple." And their ice cream really is just that (in addition to utterly amazing). They take pride in working with local dairy farmers, using organic cream and hormone-free milk, and sourcing some of the best ingredients around -- like fair trade Columbian coffee, Sicilian pistachios, organic peppermint and real, fresh strawberries. Not to mention the napkins, cups and spoons are made from environmentally-friendly renewable resources. Pretty nice guys, huh.

I can tell what you're thinking...how can a nutritionist encourage eating high-calorie, full-fledged ice cream? Isn't that a little contradictory to the idea of 'healthy eating'? Actually, it's not at all. Part of being healthy and eating well is enjoying small indulgences -- when they're REALLY worth it. I was completely satisfied with my small, single-scoop peppermint-chip cone this weekend. When we allow ourselves to eat real food made with fresh ingredients our bodies register the good stuff and we don't end up craving more...and more. We're satisfied and that's that. If fat-free, taste-free frozen yogurt doesn't really do the trick for you and you end up eating a huge portion loaded with too many toppings to count, what's really the point? You've probably wasted more calories than you would have with one small scoop of the real stuff and it wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience. Food should be enjoyable people--when it is, the less we end up eating overall. It's like magic! So here's why, when and how to get your kicks, have a good lick of your fave ice cream AND still strut your stuff at the beach this summer:

1. make it worth it -- don't just eat any old ice cream, only the best of the best will do

2. timing is everything -- if ice cream's your thang, pick just one time a week to have your little treat

3. flava flav -- order a single scoop of whatever you've got a hankering for, save on calories without compromising flavor

4. love every lick and don't dare feel guilty afterwards

My personal favorite ice cream flavor? That's tough one, I'd have to go with Mint Chocolate Chip, Pistachio (I know, random) or an incredibly intense Vanilla. What's your favorite?

(refreshing peppermint-chip...I'm in love)