Many cookbooks are primarily kitchen manuals filled with no-nonsense instructions.

Not “Ripe.”  Author Cheryl Sternman Rule and photographer Paulette Phlipot break the cookbook mold.  Their  gorgeous tribute to fresh produce in all its glory is more inspiration than instruction, although filled with creative recipes.

“Ripe” (Running Press, 2012) will send you straight into the kitchen – right after you get home from the farmer’s market.  You may find yourself keeping it out on the coffee table, though, to thumb through in idle moments.  The photographs are downright luscious and the text is whimsical, amusing and informative. (more…)

We’ve been battling off a persistent virus for weeks at our house.  Just as we start to feel better, it creeps back with scratchy throats and dull headaches.

What we need now is soup, hot and soothing with chicken broth, lots of vegetables and  a good dose of ginger.  When I spotted this take on won ton soup in Nina Simonds new cookbook, “Simple Asian Food” (Rodale, 2012), I knew I had to make it. (more…)

After the excesses of the holidays, all I want to eat right now is simple, nutritious food.  I loved all those cookies, extravagant meals and festive cocktails — far too much, I’m afraid.  My body needs a break.

If you feel the same way, I’ve got a soup for you.  This split pea soup takes just minutes to put together and only a little more time to cook, thanks to the pressure cooker.  You could cook it in a regular pot, too, although it will take a little longer to cook the peas until tender and require careful watching to avoid scorching. (more…)

We’ve had a harsh introduction to winter in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where I live.

Ferocious winds buffeted the redwoods surrounding my house for three days and nights last week, uprooting a huge tree just up the road, knocking down a utility pole and sending a long limb crashing through a skylight in the living room.  The power was out for four days and the DSL just returned.

We’ve lived here a long time and we’re used to the electricity going out in the middle of big storms.  We have a generator to keep the refrigerator, freezer and a couple of lamps running.  But cooking becomes a challenge when the oven doesn’t work and you have to wear a backpacker’s headlamp to see clearly what you’re chopping.

I was grateful to have a beautiful red kabocha squash sitting on the kitchen counter when the lights went out.  With a little curry paste, chicken stock and some coconut milk from the pantry, it made a spicy but soothing soup to improve our mood during a difficult week. (more…)

Tomato season got a slow start this year but my favorite vegetable finally has hit its stride.  Ripe and juicy heirloom tomatoes overflow the tables at local farmers markets and their bright, intense flavors are just the ticket for a terrific gazpacho.

This dish was inspired by the VitaMix blender I finally broke down and bought this summer.  (What can I say?  The demonstrators at Costco were incredibly persuasive.) (more…)