Cook Smarts » tomatoes

Spinach Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette Dressing

Jess — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:03 +0000

Spinach Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette Dressing One of our many cooking missions is to help folks to ditch their bottled salad dressings. You can just as easily make delicious vinaigrettes and dressings with a few pantry essentials. It’s healthier, cheaper, and most importantly, a lot more fun to get out your whisk and exercise some wrist strength. Today’s recipe post [...]

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Taco Soup

Jess — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:00:51 +0000

Taco Soup This recipe is also featured in our new meal planning service. To get it as part of a weekly meal plan or to see the vegetarian version of it, sign up for our service here. Use code “COOKMORE” for $5 off at checkout. This taco soup recipe is the kind that you’ll copy down onto an index card and [...]

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Steak Fajitas with Peppers, Onions, and Tomatoes

Jess — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:28:31 +0000

Unless you’re vegetarian, you probably enjoy a good steak fajita. I know I sure do. It’s such a fun dish to order at a restaurant. Its sizzling sounds, the strong smell of Latin-spices, the crunch of peppers and onions, and of course the flavor of all these ingredients when eaten together make this dish a complete sensory experience. Luckily we [...]

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Discover the Secret Ingredients to the Perfect Tomato Soup

Jess — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:06:55 +0000

After more than 10 years in Northern California, I no longer handle the cold very well. While I understand a Bay Area winter is nothing compared to the noreasters I endured as a kid, it still gets plenty cold. Cold enough for me to spend most days in my home office bundled up in a fleece and a hat, dreaming [...]

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Farro Vegetable Risotto | Week 3 of January’s Super Food Challenge with Hey Fran Hey

Jess — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:00:20 +0000

For week 3 of January’s Super-Food Challenge with Hey Fran Hey, we’re going to introduce you to farro, also known as the new “it” grain (if the Huffington Post declares it, it must be true). Farro is a whole grain (though unfortunately not gluten-free but gluten-low) that has a hearty but chewy texture that makes it hold up incredibly well in [...]

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Using Pasta Water in Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes | Cooking Basics

Jess — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:20:59 +0000

Pasta is probably the first dish that everyone learns to cook. Turning an orange powdered packet into mac ‘n cheese or combining boxed pasta with a jar of tomato sauce is how most lose their cooking v-card. While some graduate from the boxes and jars to making homemade sauce or pasta from scratch, many prefer to stick to the basics. Regardless of [...]

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Slow Roasted Tomatoes | Dear Cook Smarts, How do I find more time to cook?

Jess — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 05:58:46 +0000

When you ask people why they don’t cook more, one of the most common responses is, “I just don’t have the time.” Even though I agree that everyone is busy, I also think that sometimes we’re looking for the wrong kind of time to cook. It’s not necessary to devote hours solely to your kitchen to produce delicious meals. Passive [...]

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Dirty Pesto Shrimp | “A Week’s Worth of Pesto Uses” Meal Plan

Jess — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:00:33 +0000

You’ll be seeing a lot more meal plans on Cook Smarts in the near future including a newsletter launch in the fall. All subscribers to the newsletter will get a meal plan every week in their inbox that’ll be peppered with cooking know-how, tips, and suggestions. There won’t be anything fancy in the menu – just simple, healthy, doable meals [...]

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Peach and Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad | Uses for Stale Bread

Jess — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:13:14 +0000

While most folks spend their summer months daydreaming about vacation and the beach, I spend mine daydreaming about this: Biting into the perfect peach, juices oozing down my chin Picking the perfect tomato that needs little more than a dash of salt and a splash of balsamic Tossing olive oil on stale bread and giving it new life Luckily, since [...]

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Thai Red Curry Shrimp | Another KinCommunity Video

Jess — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:00:51 +0000

You all might remember me sharing one of my favorite cooking formulas not too long ago on how to Thai curry. If you haven’t tried it out yet, I think I’ve got just the thing to convince you. Last month, I flew down to sunny SoCal to shoot some food videos with the fabulous folks at KinCommunity a YouTube channel [...]

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