Once upon a time, I spent a weekend in Hyannis Port. I sat at a sidewalk cafe, basking in the July sun and trying to not look ridiculous as I cracked open the lobster I had ordered for dinner. I had no idea what I was doing and it was very hard to not make a mess (I had stubbornly refused the bib that the waiter had politely offered.) Then, out of nowhere, I saw Ted Kennedy walking down the street. Eating Ben and Jerry's. And suddenly I felt very silly. What was I doing struggling with a stupid lobster that had next to no meat in it when there was a Ben and Jerry's less than a block away? For the rest of the dinner, I could only concentrate on two things: "OMG Ted Kennedy is in town" and "I'm so getting ice cream when we're done here."

And that marks the last time I was ever able to think about lobster without also immediately thinking about Ted Kennedy. OK, OK, it also marks the last time I ever ate a whole lobster. I mean, why bother? They're good, but only because they're drowning in butter. They're a pain in the butt to eat, not elegant at all, and you'll finish dinner still starving since you only actually ate about 3 Tablespoons of food. Other full-sized menu items with lobster in them though? Like Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls or Lobster Risotto? Sign me up. Pairing that lobster with pasta, in Lobster Mac and Cheese or Ravioli? Even better — much more lady-like to eat and much less chance of leaving the dinner table still starving.

Which is why I was so excited to see that Buitoni's new line of frozen dinners includes a shrimp & lobster ravioli. I had been searching high and low for this product for weeks, when I received an email from Foodbuzz asking for people to host a dinner party that pairs one of the new entrees with a vegetable side dish. Score! I immediately knew what I wanted to propose: I'm not really one for dinner parties and something about lobster ravioli seems so sexy to me that it seemed obvious to use the product as the basis for a quick and easy romantic weeknight in. Paired with a special yet simple-to-make salad dressed with homemade champagne vinaigrette and served with a glass of crisp champaign, this is the kind of meal that demands you turn the TV off and actually talk to each other. The whole meal can be prepared in 20 minutes (and with just one pot) and the price can't be beat. They make it so easy that there really isn't an excuse not to have a nice dinner at home. Why not celebrate a special occasion (oh,say, a tuesday) with a great meal like this?

Click to continue reading my thoughts on Buitoni's Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli and for my vinaigrette recipe -->

After I posted about BBQ Baked Lentils, a few people noted that they had never used lentils except for in salads and soups. To be honest those — and Indian dishes — are where my mind immediately goes when I think about lentils too. But you probably won't see much in that respect as I continue explore the world of lentils over the next two weeks. First, because two weeks worth of soup, salad, and Indian food would be boring — both to read and to eat. Second, because I wanted to look at this as an opportunity to challenge myself. To think outside the box and come up with some really fun and creative recipes. Rest assured, if the recipes aren t delicious you won't see them here.

Since lentils are so often used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, I decided to mix things up and try using them in a southwest style dish. I also wanted to play with texture a little, so these southwest lentil cakes were born! I really loved the way these turned out — they actually reminded me a little of falafel. I was nervous that they might be dense and dry, but I shouldn't have worried. The slightly crispy outside gave way to a light and fluffy center that was full of moisture. The creamy lime dressing played up the Southwest flavor of these patties ad balanced out some of the heat from the jalapenos that I added to them.

The patties and dressing were great on their own - I also think they would make a fantastic wrap-style sandwich — but to make them into a healthy dinner I built a salad around them. Some chopped romaine hearts tossed with fresh corn, diced tomatoes, creamy avocado, and a little extra cilantro topped with the lentil cakes and dressing made a wonderfully light yet filling dinner.

Click to continue reading Southwest Lentil Patties with Creamy Lime Dressing -->

There's a first time for everything: eating rhubarb, making steamed buns, eating cool, creamy potato salad.

Yeah, you read that right. I only recently had my first bite of creamy potato salad. My aversion to mayonnaise (sorry, I know some of you think it's good, but I find it repulsive!) had always prevented me from enjoying this delicious salad. Until now.

I was flipping through a recent issue of Food+Wine when I saw it. It looked like a normal potato salad. But it used hummus. And yogurt. And, most notably, no mayo. It immediately got added to me "to try" list.

So one night we decided to grill up some burgers, and I knew that it was the perfect time to try this salad (and try out my new eco-friednly plates!). I mixed it up. Easy enough. But I have to confess, it looked so much like the potato salads that I've been avoiding all these years that I was a little hesitant to take a bite. Which was ridiculous, since I made the stuff and I knew that there was absolutely no mayonnaise in it.

So I took a small nibble. And it. was. awesome. I mean, we were lucky that there was any left by the time the burgers were done - I couldn't keep out of it! For those of you who hate mayo, this is a great substitute. Those of you that do eat mayo will enjoy it too - Shawn said that it actually tastes very similar. It's cool, creamy, slightly tangy. The hummus flavor isn't nearly as pronounced as you might imagine it would be, And it has a whole lot less fat (about 5 grams of fat in mine, compared to over 20 grams in traditional versions!)

Click to continue reading <a href="http://healthy-delicious.com/2010/05/creamy-potato-salad-hold-the-mayo/">Creamy Potato Salad, Hold the Mayo --></a>

Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to side dishes. In the colder weather, a lot of my dinners tend to be soups or stews that don't require any extras. But now that it's getting warmer out, it's hard to resist the simplicity of just throwing something on the grill - which usually means making some sort of side dish to go with it. Baked potatoes and pasta salads are good, but I get tired of them pretty quickly. So I've been thinking about other easy-to-make options that will help round out a grilled meal. The white bean salad is exactly the kind of dish that I've been looking for. It's light yet full of flavor, and it only takes a few seconds to throw together. The leftovers are great on a green salad, or they can be pureed and served with toasted baguette pieces for a satisfying hummus-like snack.

I recently came across a good deal on lamb leg slices, so I stocked up and now have a freezer full of them. Which is great, sine they go perfectly with the Mediterranean flavors of the bean salad. I especially like to prepare them in this updated take on my herb-crusted lamb - rubbed with a mixture of olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary, then grilled and slathered with this delicious pesto that Mezzetta sent me (I've since bought another jar). I love how intense the flavor of this pesto is! It doesn't taste like something out of a jar at all. The only weird thing about it is that it needs to be refrigerated after opening, and the olive oil congeals a little in the cold. But as long as you remember to pull it out a few minutes before you plan to eat it so that it comes up to temperature, you're good to go!

Click here to continue reading White Bean Salad -->

When we go to one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants I always order the same thing - tacos de carne asada. Sure I order them because the grilled steak wrapped in a warm tortilla is delicious and the absense of cheese makes them one of the healthiest items on the menu...but really I get them mostly for the onion and cilantro salsa that comes on the side. The salsa is the perfect compliment to the taco, with crunchy little bits of onion balanced out by tons fresh cilantro to keep it from being too strong. I'm not generally a raw onion fan. I pick them out of salads and take them off of my burgers. In this salsa though, they work.

The other night we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for dinner and I thought about going out for tacos, but it was so nice out and the restaurant doesn't have any outdoor seating (and I absolutely love to eat outside when it's nice out). Plus we had just bought gas for the grill... the next thing I knew, I was juicing limes to make a marinade for the steak. I found two poblanos that I had forgotten I had bought, so I decided to grill those up with some onions and make fajitas instead of tacos. I also added some minced jalapeno to the salsa to kick it up a notch.

For the amount of flavor that these fajitas pack you would expect that they would be labor intensive or use expensive ingredients, but it's very much the opposite. This is a super cheap and easy meal that will be one the table in well under a half hour. If you have any leftovers or don't like tortillas the salsa, marinated steak, and grilled vegetables also go great on a salad topped with a splash of lime vinaigrette.

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Lemons, lemons, lemons. This is the third post in a row that involves lemon in some way - it must be Spring! I've been playing around with the idea of a lemon-poppy vinaigrette for a while now, but I could never figure out the right application for it. Finally I decided to pair it with this delicate salad that is super simple yet bursting with flavor. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that this may be my favorite salad of all time! The tartness of the lemon-poppy vinaigrette, the warm, creamy goat cheese with a slight crunch from the breading, the fresh herbs that set the salad over the top in the flavor department - it all comes together in one big plate full of yum. We had this for dinner last night, and Shawn already asked if we could have it again tonight. So if you're looking for a springtime treat that won't weight you down, I highly suggest making this.

A few weeks ago, Olivia's Organics contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying out some of their salad mixes. I told them that I actually buy their salads all the time and I love them, but they happily sent along a few coupons for free samples anyway. They also send me some information about the company, that I was happy to receive. I buy their products because they taste great, are always fresh, and are super convenient but I had no idea that they also give a portion of their proceeds to charities that help children (such as the Make a Wish Foundation and The Food Project) or that their packaging is recyclable! They even have a section on their website devoted to fun ways to reuse their salad containers. What more could you ask for? I love when I'm able to feel good about giving my money to a company like that.

Their salad blends are great. I usually just buy the baby lettuce mix or the spinach, but when I planned this salad I knew I wanted to put a different spin on it by using lots of fresh herbs mixed with the greens. I had planned to buy the herbs individually, so can you imagine how surprised I was to find the Herb Salad Mix, which contained a blend of lettuces as well as other goodies like chard, frisse, beet greens, mustard, dill, and parsley? It was exactly what I wanted, and it save me the money and trouble of having to purchase all of those herbs individually. The proportions were great too. It wasn't just a bunch of lettuce taking up space — the herbs were plentiful. [....]