So, now that I gave you something with chopped onion, I wanted to give you one of my favorite kitchen hacks. I am pretty sure that my friend Kelly taught me this first and it blew my mind. I still chop EVERY onion this way, and I have never cried again as a result. Even with red onions. It is magical, and I think you need it in your life.

OK, so here we go. 1) Obviously peel your onion until it’s shiny-looking. Cut it in half but LEAVE THE ROOT INTACT. This is a crucial step, folks. See above.

OK, so 2) you’re going to make cuts in your onion TOWARDS the root vertically, continuing to leave the root intact. As you can see above, I got like 6-7 slices in – do what you can. The first couple of times, you might only get 3-4; remember your fingers are more valuable than the onion, so be careful.

Next up, 3) chop 2-3 (MAYBE 4 if you get lucky) TOWARDS the root horizontally, as you see above. This is the most dangerous probably – use a SHARP knife, and make sure to put your hand on TOP of the onion. Go slow. Take your time. You got this, and this will still be so much faster than any other way to chop an onion.

4) Your last step is simply to chop the onion, starting at the outside and working toward the root, as you would normally chop. Since you’ve already made two other cuts, as you chop you’re really just completing the dice!

That’s it. It takes like two minutes (with some practice) and there is less chopping which means less onion in the air, which means less crying! Now, go forth and use your onion chopping knowledge to make the roasted corn, onion, and peppers from yesterday, or some pico de gallo.

During the summer, so many veggies are in season and I want to eat it all. I also don’t really want to cook, because it’s so hot and I’ve got better things to do (like sit in the backyard drinking lemonade and reading a book, am I right?)

This recipe is born from wanting to put all the veggies on everything. It’s easy and it goes on everything, so start adding it to everything you make. It’s also three vegetables and that’s it, so it’s hard to even call it a recipe, but the recipe’s below anyways. You can put these on top of pretty much any dinner and it’ll instantly level it up. You can cook this but I like leaving the onion and pepper raw.

Put this on your Steak Fajitas.

Or your Fish Tacos.

Or on your Taco Salad. You get the idea. And, if you’re still having trouble, I’ll have some Shrimp Tacos later this week for you to try these on that are the perfect pairing.

Play with this one, folks – use a jalapeno instead of a bell pepper; add cilantro, if you want. You could even just make pico de gallo and add roasted corn. Or add salsa to this and serve it as a dip. So versatile! So colorful! All the veggies. The perfect start to a summer party….now where are those chips?

Type: Grill, On The Side

Author: Jennie

Oven Temperature: 450°

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 ear of corn
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 lime
• pinch cayenne
• s/p

Directions

1. Turn your oven to 450. Lightly oil your ear of corn, then stick in the oven wrapped in tinfoil for 20-25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dice your onion and bell pepper.

3. Juice your lime.

4. When the corn is done, carefully chop it off the cob. Then, mix lime juice, corn, pepper, and onion in a bowl. Salt and pepper and pinch with cayenne. Serve as a side, on tacos, roast meats, etc.

Hi guys! It’s #TBT and recently I was a little under the weather but it also was a million degrees out and the idea of tea or soup was just out of the question. It reminded me of these turmeric/ginger/avocado popsicles. So I thought I would reshare them with you in case you’ve also been hit with a summer cold and maybe need a way to feel better without heating up too much. Enjoy!

*****

These popsicles are basically a smoothie in a popsicle, and I am pretty excited about them. First of all, these are veggie filled, and have turmeric and ginger – can you say cold-busting? Who has had that dreaded summer cold where you sit on your couch, hot because it’s 90 degrees out, and feel like your options are to drink soup, and tea, and hot lemon water, until your face melts off?

Well, no more. Now you can have this cold smoothie and feel good about getting your nutrients too. It’s the perfect after-exercise summer snack, and it’s just sweet enough to feel like a treat, too.

The full recipe is here, but it’s basically coconut milk, spinach, avocado, turmeric, and ginger. I will say these are quite earthy, so if you want a little more sweetness, add the apple sauce. I like my smoothies (and apparently, popsicles) earthy, so I left it without.

Check out my other popsicle recipes to stay cool through the summer – you’re going to need it. I love the peach ones and the fig ones, especially, but there’s tons of flavors. And feel free to experiment – most smoothies tend to be delicious popsicles!

Summertime is here in full swing, and that means HOT weather and long afternoons. July has been hot and sticky here, and we’ve been in great need for a drink in the backyard that’s not going to be too heavy for the weather. Garden cocktails are absolutely necessary from now until October in SoCal.

Enter this sweet yet vegetably cocktail, which packs in a couple veggies and some vodka for good measure. It’s almost like you’re drinking a super healthy juice, except ice cold with some vodka. The idea came to me when I was thinking about how sweet bell peppers can be, and how they get undermined a lot as a juice of choice.

Carrot juice is everywhere, beet juice is showing itself at Trader Joe’s, but no bell pepper juice! And why, when they’re so beautiful and delicious? So I grabbed an orange and a red one, and off I went to make a cocktail.

Of course, like all good things, I added some chilled vodka because it’s summer and vodka make us feel like it’s vacation all over again. And a radish, because I like my vegetables a little spicy – feel free to add a little black pepper, even, if you like! This was the right choice for an eighty-five degree afternoon sitting under an umbrella in my backyard reading a book and munching on a snack.

This cocktail is great with a tray of snacks – cheese and crackers anyone? Or, have it with a grilled salmon or steak – perfect sweet to savory. Or let’s be real, have it alone then call it a vegetable serving, because it really is…just with an added bonus. Whatever you do, try this soon because it’s easy and delicious and a great departure from overly sweet summer drinks that leave you sour the next day. Veggies are the way to go, alright!

Type: Spirits

Author: Jennie

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 4 ounce vodka, chilled
• 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped (plus 2 pieces for garnish)
• 3 radishes, roughly chopped (plus 1 thinly sliced for garnish)
• 2 ounce carrot juice (optional)

Directions

1. Chop your bell pepper and radishes. With everything but the garnish, run through blender until smooth.

2. If desired, add carrot juice to blender and blend until smooth.

3. In a jar or cocktail shaker, shake vodka and ice vigorously for about 30 seconds. Strain into martini glasses.

4. Top with juice from the blender. Serve cold with pepper and radish slices.

Happy Thursday, you guys! Today I’m throwing back to this falafel I made last year, because it was awesome and because it’s a great summer dinner when it’s hot and all you want is a hearty dinner that’s easy to put together. Make a bunch of falafel and then make salads all week! 

*****

I love falafel and am constantly looking for an excuse to eat it, but I don’t love that it can leave me feeling heavy when it’s fried. The best falafel I ever had was at this place called Cafe Zog in Providence, Rhode Island with my friend Lauren (circa what, 2001, maybe?)

I recently saw Lauren and it reminded me of our adventures in Providence, and of my love for falafel. So I made some falafel baked in the oven instead of deep fried, and I threw it on a salad. I think this is a great compromise for those of us who love the flavor but don’t want to make something chocked full of healthy ingredients bad for us.

I love Mark Bittman, and his recipe really impressed me. If you plan on using canned chick peas (I did!) use two cans instead of one, and know that it might be a bit wet – you might need to not add any water, and your patties will be slightly flatter, but I can tell you they were delicious despite this.

I also just found tahini at Trader Joe’s as a dip, so I used that in this recipe and in this salad, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Falafel Salad

Ingredients:

1 recipe Mark Bittman’s falafel
4 cups arugula
1 cucumber, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 oz fresh feta, crumbled
1/4 cup tahini sauce
s/p

Directions:

1. Make your falafel according to Mark’s directions.
2. Chop cumber, halve tomatoes, crumble feta.
3. Add arugula, cucumber, tomatoes, and feta to a bowl, and top with falafel (crumble this in if you’d like, or leave in patties.)
4. Add tahini on the side, and salt and pepper as you see fit.

What do you think of falafel? Do you love it? Have you tried it? Let us know what your favorite Mediterranean food is!