When the weather warms up, I start thinking about lighter foods. The soups and roasts that hit the spot on frigid New England winter days are forgotten in favor of lighter summer fare like fruit, everything grilled and salads. Dinner becomes an art of combining no-cook dishes (can’t heat up the kitchen!) combined with whatever is coming off the grill.

Honestly, I love our foods of summer — the creative salads, smoky grilled meats and tasty seafood. I think it might be my favorite eating season (you can have a favorite eating season, right?).

What I also love is the contrasts of foods in summertime — the sweet fruits served alongside savory dishes. The cool veggies with warm grilled whatever. You get it.

And this Warm Salad with Grilled New Potatoes is all about the contrasts. There’s the crisp veggies and lettuce with the creamy grilled potatoes. There’s the hot potatoes and cool dressing and salad. And of course, the sweet tomatoes and sharp blue cheese. It’s divine.

Making the potatoes is so simple. This is ideally made with new potatoes — little red potatoes that are about one-inch in diameter. But larger red potatoes can be used too (just cut them into a 1-inch dice). You simply combine the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a foil packet. And then you grill them until they are all soft and tender.

Once that’s done, you assemble your salad on plates. Because of the potatoes, this is a pretty filling salad. But if your family has a big appetite, you could also serve it with grilled chicken.

Drizzle it with your favorite vinaigrette … and it’s ready to be enjoyed.

 Have you had potatoes on a salad like this?

PS – Did you know that Betty Crocker (who sponsored this post) now sells fresh potatoes in the produce section? Betty Crocker Fresh Potatoes come in red, yellow, white and russet varieties. The red potatoes would be perfect in this dish.

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Betty Crocker for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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Things change. Opinions. Ideas. Directions. Plans. And you kind of just roll with it and see what happens. Still, I am always a little caught off guard by change — especially change that involves my kids taste buds. And boy, have they caught me off guard recently by enjoying some foods with a nip of spiciness.

Not that these Veggie Bean Enchiladas are spicy per se — but they have a little kick to them and the kids love them. Score one for the spicy-loving mama. And for the creamy, cool avocado that offsets the nip of spiciness really nicely.

These Veggie Bean Enchiladas take about 35 minutes to make — but let me warn you: it’s a bit of quick-fire, hands-on cooking, so be prepared for constant motion for the first 10-15 minutes. You start by whipping up a super easy sauce using salsa, vegetable stock and flour — it takes about 30 seconds and is made totally in the blender. Easy as can be.

Then you make part of the veggie filling for the enchiladas while also filling the tortillas with the other part of the filling — refried beans and baby spinach. (Note: I was hired by Old El Paso to create this recipe, so I used their beans in this one.) Once all that is done, you spread sauce in the pan, finish filling the enchiladas and roll them, pour over the rest of the sauce and the cheese. Finally you bake.

It all happens fast.

But, hey, it’s all worth it when you dish out these warm, creamy, cheesy enchiladas with a bite and serve them with cool sliced avocado. Seriously. Worth every single second of work.

Serve these with a big salad.

Disclosure: I am being compensated by Old El Paso for creating this recipe through my partnership with Platefull. All opinions are my own.

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Something happened this weekend. Perhaps it was the effect of our Saturday picnic on the beach (our first of the year!). Or maybe it was the marked uptick in temperatures that seems to be signalling that spring is really, truly, finally here. But this weekend, I suddenly felt so happy and at peace — more than I’ve been in a very long time. It’s a wonderful thing.

And the signals that spring is here? That’s pretty wonderful too. The winter turned out to be longer and darker than anyone expected (both literally and figuratively), and spring seems to carry with it an overall feeling of hope and joy. We need that. Doesn’t everyone?

I love spring — the sunshine, warmth and gardening weather. It’s when the gardens beckon to be tended to. Garden centers overflow with pretty plants just begging to be bought and planted. And every spring, I entertain visions of exquisite gardens and bountiful veggie patches.

Let’s hope this year that my visions take a firmer hold than the last two years. Seriously.

Spring also means that veggies and herbs will be in season here in New England again. And right now? It’s asparagus time. I love asparagus — how about you?

This nutrient-packed veggie is filled with antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C and so much more, according to Eating Well (love that magazine). It’s super good for you and may even help boost your brain power (seriously, folate and B12 can really help with that). It’s worth eating not just because it’s delicious, but because it can do amazing things for your body too. Score!

This weekend, this toss together asparagus dish became a new family favorite. Earthy roasted asparagus is smothered with sweet roasted tomatoes. It’s simple — but so, so good (it disappeared before I could get seconds!).

For this dish, you want the fattest spears of asparagus you can find. While I love the delicate thin ones as much as the next girl, it’s the fat ones that work best here — especially since even when they’re tender they remain firm. You also want sweet red and yellow grape-sized tomatoes. None of those tart imposters will do. Oh, and one more thing: season this really well with salt and pepper. Seriously, don’t hold back.

While this dish is undeniably simple, there’s something special about how the flavors mingle. You’ll find yourself going back for more again and again. Swear.

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When I saw these portabella mushrooms at a local grocery store, I swooned and my head filled with images of meaty roasted portabellas on a salad. Everything else I had imagined cooking vanished (I had really planned to stuff mushrooms with St. Patrick’s Day leftovers). I just wanted my warm portabellas and cool salad.

We’re mushroom fans here. Through and through.

On a recent evening, I browned cremini mushrooms in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and then swirled in a little red wine to finish them off. They were meaty, rich and tender. Then I spooned them over medium-rare sirloin steak served alongside some cheesy tortellini. Guess what the kids dug into first?

We eat mushrooms fairly often since the kids and I really love them. They are perfect for roasting alongside bell peppers, Brussels sprouts and other vegetable favorites to be spooned over rice or mixed into pasta with cheese and a little olive oil. They are sliced on salads and stuffed for appetizers. Sometimes, I will saute them and just eat them like that. And no matter how I cook them, they are always greeted with “Oooh! Mushrooms!” by my kids.

Selfishly, I wish they didn’t love them this much — there would be more for me!

I was recently asked to partake in the National Nutrition Month blog tour sponsored by The Mushroom Channel (aka the Mushroom Council, an organization of fresh-market mushroom producers and importers whose mission is to encourage the eating of mushrooms in a variety of meals), sharing how my family add mushrooms to our menu in a way that suits our family’s tastes and health goals. March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.” For us — well, the kids and I, at least — mushrooms aren’t just a great meat alternative, but they are also a versatile addition to a variety of dinners … and lunches too. And from a health standpoint, mushrooms also have a lot to offer — they are rich in antioxidants and have a healthy dose of vitamins B and D.

Now, let’s talk about this bodacious meal.

I don’t think I have ever used the word ‘bodacious’ before, but I think it’s fitting here. Because it totally is. Bodacious, I mean. Anyway …

This salad is perfect for a light lunch. Meaty portabella mushrooms are roasted until tender and then topped with breadcrumbs and cheese and roasted a little more. Then, they are served on a cool, creamy Caesar salad. It takes a good 40 minutes to make — but most of it is hands off as the portabellas roast. It’s a little longer than I like to spend making lunch on a weekday, but it’s so worth it.

Just don’t tell the kids that I’ve been indulging in this without them.

One More Thing …

If you love talking mushrooms, be sure to tweet away with the Mushroom Council at their Twitter Party on Wednesday, March 20^th 8-9 PM EST.  The hashtag for the party will be #MushroomDish. The party will serve as a discussion for everything mushrooms, from their versatile nature to their flavorful umami qualities.

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the Mushroom Channel/Mushroom Council. Connect with them on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. All opinions and recipes within this post are my own.

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Dear March, enough with the cold weather. I am so over it. Bring on the warmer temperatures, skin-kissing sun rays and afternoons in the backyard. Seriously, it’s time to let go of the near-freezing temperatures and tuck the bulky coats away once and for all. Please?

Whether or not March complies with my request (and looking at the weather forecast, it’s definitely learning toward not), we’re at that part in the season when the bulky comfort foods of winter give way to lighter (but still warm and cozy) foods of spring. This is when the sun gets a little brighter (or it seems to), reminding us that we’ll soon be digging our toes into warm sand and frolicking in the salty surf.

I can’t wait for those days to come.

In our house, that means stepping away from the homemade macaroni and cheese, and focusing in on veggie-packed dishes like this one. This glorious bowl of flavors and textures.

Veggie and Bean Rice Bowls with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette is a tangy, sweet, crisp, creamy delight. The Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette is a tart dressing infused with cilantro — with this,  you don’t need cheese or anything else to make it truly sing. And sing it does — like a bowl of fabulous, Southwest-inspired goodness.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go make this!

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Old El Paso/General Mills for the creation of this recipe. All opinions are, as always, my own.

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Once upon a time, I was a brooding teenage vegetarian who wrote way too much dark poetry. I wrote short stories too, but it was poetry that I would escape to when I needed to process whatever high school drama had me all twisty-turvy. And whilst being a brooding teenage vegetarian, my parents were sweet enough to cook vegetarian meals a few times each week, which meant basically I ate well at dinnertime. Breakfast (what? a pot of coffee isn’t breakfast?) and lunch were a totally different story, but one out of three isn’t so bad, is it?

Then I went to college and became a hungry, busy young adult vegetarian with few cooking skills. The poetry and I soon parted ways as I focused on my studies and having fun and all that college in a major city brings. And I tried to stay fed, which was a challenge with those few cooking skills. I had a slow cooker that I would make soups in, but they always seemed to taste the same — no matter what I put into them. But really, the honest truth is that I ate a lot of take out, occasionally would declare chicken okay and didn’t eat a ton of vegetables — unless you count the freeze dried ones in the Thai ramen noodles I fell back on when my wallet was empty. Eventually, my lackluster eating habits caught up with me and my doctor gave me a choice: take iron pills or eat meat. I chose the latter. It seemed easier.

Now, if I’d known a little bit more about cooking back then, things might have been different. I had no idea how simple a good vegetarian stew could be to make. Nor did I realize how breaking out of my seasoning comfort zone could totally change dishes into something new, exciting and craveworthy.

These days, I still eat meat but often have meat-free days. And when I do, I love to whip up a really flavorful dish like this Curried Chickpea and Vegetable Stew. It’s a little spicy (okay, maybe more than a little spicy, but the rice offsets the spiciness), which means my kids aren’t big fans but that’s okay — more for me. Whipping up a pot of this on Sunday means lunch for the week for me (score!).

This vegetable stew has some of my favorite flavors — creamy potatoes, sweet carrots, meaty chickpeas and that twist of curry that transforms the tomato base into a warm, fragrant Indian-inspired dish that’s perfect served over rice.

I think my inner brooding teenage vegetarian would approve.

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This Thai Red Curry Roasted Vegetables over Quinoa is one of my favorite dishes. Like ever. Actually, anything with Thai Red Curry Sauce falls into that designation.

But making this? Well, it’s not for Shawn and I sort of had to hold my breath seeing if the kids would like it too.

See, onions are a huge point of contention in my house. While I love them, Shawn despises them (unless they are chopped so finely that the texture disappears, then he enjoys the flavor — but shhh! don’t tell him that). Paige is lukewarm about them raw but loves them cooked. And Will? He’s lost his taste for raw ones recently calling them “spicy,” which I can kind of see.

Still when he saw me whipping up this dish yesterday, the first thing he said was “Oh, but it has those onions I hate,” I cringed a little. The kids are generally open minded about food but sometimes … geesh.

So, I might have rolled my eyes a bit. If there’s one thing I know about my son, it’s that he likes pretty much everything — including sweet cooked onions. “No pickiness in this house,” I reminded him. “The flavor of onions completely changes when they are cooked — and you do like it. And besides, think how much you’d be missing if you were picky about food.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I would be missing a lot,” he said very seriously.

As the vegetables turned a rich golden hue, the aroma filled the house and the kids checked on the meal’s progress a few times. But even though they’d been watching the whole thing unfold, their reaction when I placed their plates on the table was priceless. Will took a long look, and then said, “Wow, this looks so good.” And Paige dug right in, raising a thumb to share her approval. They both loved it.

That excited me beyond belief since I’d tossed those sweet roasted vegetables with one of my very favorite sauces — Thai Red Curry Sauce. It’s a delicate mixture of coconut milk, red curry paste and other flavors that’s sweet and ever-so-spicy. You can make your own (it’s pretty easy), but Trader Joe’s also sells a really tasty premade one (they have no idea who I am, and didn’t pay me to say that. I seriously buy this stuff often). It was a fragrant, creamy dish served over a simple bed of quinoa (rainbow in this case, but more on that another day).

They  loved it. I love it. Such goodness.

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Last summer, I discovered farro and fell in love. It’s an ancient grain that’s a form of wheat that can be enjoyed hot or cold. But what I don’t love about it is that it takes a bit of planning to make. See, farro typically has to cook for an hour before it’s tender and ready to use.

The torture.

So we don’t have it as much as I would like to. Or, rather, we didn’t until I discovered that quick-cooking farro is gaining in popularity (hallelujah!). Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are both carrying varieties that can be whipped up in a fraction of the time, which makes me so excited. I take it as a sign that the realm of grains eaten in American households is expanding — a definite good thing. There’s also Tuscan Fields, a company that makes organic Italian farro, that recently sent me some to try out. The Farro Perlato is an organic semi-pearled farro that cooks in about 20 minutes. It’s perfect for dishes like this. And the shorter cooking time makes farro a more reasonable dinnertime side dish. Good news all around, right?

This recipe for Farro Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers with Ricotta Salata combines some personal favorites — a light, easy farro salad. Sweet fresh tomatoes. Crisp, cool mini sweet peppers … and of course, a bit of ricotta salata. Ricotta salata has a texture similar to feta, but a flavor that’s a saltier version of ricotta. It’s heavenly with it’s teensy-bit sweet notes wrapped in a well-salted package — and a nice finish on the earthy farro and chopped tomatoes.

Aren’t these the cutest hand-held appetizers? These little appetizer bites are good enough to eat for lunch or to serve as an appetizer for Easter, Sunday dinner or whenever.

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Disclosure: I was provided samples by Tuscan Fields to try, but was not required to write anything about them. I wasn’t compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own.

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There is so much good all around us, if we only take the time to see it. Goodness is bright and beautiful. It fills us up and reminds us that we aren’t alone. That’s such an important thing.

Good was in the Christmas cards that arrived, sharing the kindest of well wishes in the aftermath of December 14, and still wishing us a happy holiday season. The sentiments were so perfect — because while we were digging deeply through very difficult emotions, the holidays still deserved to be celebrated. And we did.

There is so much good in the dear friend who picked up many copies of a newspaper that ran a column I wrote about the returning to school for the families of Sandy Hook. I hadn’t even thought about it, but thanks to her I have that paper so that when the kids are older and want to read what I wrote, they can see for themselves. And there was good and kindness in the care package from another dear friend who subtly encouraged me to get out of my own head and back into the kitchen. She’s right about that. And there was so much goodness in other moms who collected coats and gave out gift cards to make our days and healing a little easier.

Seeing the goodness and kindness has been uplifting. I can’t say thank  you enough times or express my gratitude enough. But thank you all.

We live in a world where the customs of polite society aren’t as heeded as they once were. Some people feel like they can say (or type on social media) whatever comes into their head — no matter how it impacts others. It’s easy to lose sight of the goodness when you are blindsided by those who question your experiences and try to shed doubt on fact. The voices of bullies can begin to sound louder than the ones of friends, loved ones and supporters. But we don’t have to let this be. We can choose love and light and goodness. We can ignore the voices of hate and focus in on those of compassion and love. I know I do, especially now.

It’s thanks to all the goodness sounding us here that I feel like we’re turning a corner. Through beautiful new experiences, we are breathing in life and finding our way. Every day, it gets a little easier to hug and kiss the kids goodbye and send them off to school. Every day, passing Dickinson Drive — the road that used to lead to our school — feels less significant. Every day, moving forward gathers more momentum. We really are okay, even though we must carry with us the heavy knowledge of what happened forever. Life can go on, without forgetting — and it is.

Part of this corner turning has led me (finally!) back to the kitchen. For awhile there, I lost all interest in cooking. I went through the motions, making meals because I had to — when I had to. The joy of creation was missing. Food became just a means to an end — a necessity. But then, I wanted that special joy that comes with making and creating good food back. Of course, it’s not that simple. No amount of willing could restore the creativity. Fortunately, work beckoned. Assignments that were pitched long ago became due and I had to give in to the powerful pull of the kitchen. That intersection of need and want was right where I needed to be to get back to what I love. And now, I feel like I am reclaiming that bit of myself — and this bright and vibrant dish is part of that.

Making Cucumber, Carrot and Edamame Salad

Cucumber, Carrot and Edamame Salad is based on one of my very favorite salads, which I usually have over rice noodles. This one is a little heartier with the addition of edamame and a little more cucumber, and doesn’t necessarily need rice noodles to be loved. It marries so many wonderful things — cool cucumbers, sweet carrots, meaty edamame and a simple dressing of rice vinegar and oil.

And making it? It’s so easy. Yet Cucumber, Carrot and Edamame Salad feels special — it’s happiness, captured in a bowl.

Try this as a side dish with a flavorful chicken. Or use it in a pita sandwich with tender, warm, thinly sliced steak.

Or just eat Cucumber, Carrot and Edamame Salad straight from the bowl and enjoy every second. It’s perfect just like that too.

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I wish I could gaze into a crystal ball and see the future, perhaps six months from now. I wish I could see that the progress we’ve made means something and our efforts — the talking, the patience, the healing books and the one-footstep-in-front-of-another philosophy — is working and will land our family and community somewhere better.

Of course, I can’t. Instead, I must take comfort in the fact that today is better than last week, which was better than the week before that. Things are improving, slowly. We’re healing, slowly.

Meanwhile, I really want to just get back to good food here on Sarah’s Cucina Bella. I mean, that’s what this site is all about, right?

Broccoli Cheddar Soup is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I fell in love with it years ago at a country fair, where it was served in a big bread bowl. But I seldom had it again until last year when I spent one day a week in an office not far from Panera Bread. Let’s just say that I ate it a lot working there. A lot, a lot.

Now that I am back to working exclusively at home, I’ve been left to my own devices to make my own Broccoli Cheddar Soup — and let me tell you, this is as warm and comforting as the one I remember. It’s like a hug from a loved one or a beautiful memory — it just wraps you in happy joy.

Good thing my family likes it too because now I make it a little more often than I probably should. For the past few months, I have been making this soup on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes I leave it a little more chunky. Sometimes I puree it totally. But either way, it’s always good.

I love this with a hunk of crusty bread, torn straight from the loaf. No butter … just the soup and the bread complimenting each other. Sometimes, that’s all you need — just a simple combination to make everything just right.

Note: recipe adapted from Juanita’s Cocina.

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