red bell pepper

Mediterranean Quinoa and Grilled Vegetable Salad

Whether in a large or small household, you often want to cook once and subsequently enjoy an extra meal or two for the effort. When that’s the case in a small household, this Mediterranean-inspired salad won’t get tiring. Healthful high-protein quinoa, grilled summer vegetables, fresh herbs, a lively lemon and olive oil dressing and feta cheese are combined to make a light and refreshing salad for lunch or as a side dish to accompany grilled meats, poultry or seafood.

Crab-Stuffed Flounder

Whenever I return from a trip, I come back inspired to cook something from that area’s cuisine. October was a hectic month for me that included business travel to Baltimore and personal travel to Austin, Texas, and the spectacular wine country of Northern California. Here’s the Baltimore-inspired dish — crab-stuffed flounder.

Late Summer Vegetable Phyllo Pie

Although area markets are filling up with apples, squash and other fall produce, we’re making the most of the last few summer vegetables and fresh herbs our garden is still producing. This recipe, inspired by one from Vegetables Please (a cookbook I just added to my collection), does just that.

Shrimp and Corn Risotto with Bacon

Risotto, a traditional Italian rice dish, has a reputation for being difficult and time-consuming. While it’s true risotto waits for no one, the technique is simple. Once you do it, I hope you’ll find it as fun and relaxing as I do.