Each recipe on our site is part of a meal, which, in turn, is part of a new set of seasonally-themed breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, released each week. As a member (free), you have access to each week’s 8+ meals and their corresponding recipes.
Learn more on the Sign Up page.
Get more recipes like this one. Sign up today at www.Lillys-Table.com!
When it comes to food, I usually try to please others. Find the foods they love and enhance them if possible. Maybe make their favorite gluttonous dishes a bit healthier or their favorite vegetables a bit naughtier. Often people will ask me what is my favorite dish to prepare. My typical response ‘good food straight from the earth’ is probably not exactly what they wanted to hear. Since I am writing this on my birthday I think it is high time to celebrate a bit and share a few of my personal favorite dishes from Lilly’s Table.
I have a long list of favorite vegetables, but one that I play with more than others are beets. One of my favorite dishes in the past few months are the Beets & Seeds Burgers. I also love making a large batch of the Beet Dressing and getting my beet fix any day of the week drizzled on whatever evolution of seasonal vegetables are in my fridge. When I don’t have something a bit ‘fancy’ like a Beet Dressing, my salads are typically tossed with the simple yet elegant Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Kale and I are also very good friends and while many a bunch become Kale Chips, I also love massaging in a good dressing and stealing bites of leftovers from the fridge of the Creamy Ginger Kale Salad or the Honey Mustard Kale Salad.
I consider dry beans jewels in my pantry and they play many roles especially in salads like the Chopped Vegetables & Lentils. Roasting or braising vegetables and tossing them with beans is very common for me too, such as the Braised Fennel, Turnips & White Beans. And if I make more than we can eat, it all gets blended into a quick veggie bean pate, such as the Fennel Turnip Spread. If I am not sure what to make for lunch a whole wheat tortilla usually makes its way into my cast iron pan and I fill it with beans, veggies and more. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas are one of my favorite combinations.
Cinco de Mayo is the week after my birthday, which is fortunate since I adore Mexican cuisine. Living in Tucson, I have become familiar with the Sonoran Hot Dog. Rarely do I have an appetite for this street food that would make a chili dog look tame, but making my own version at home with grass-fed beef hot dogs is easy and still slightly gluttonous. If you would like to celebrate a bit lighter Cinco de Mayo try the Tempeh Taco Salads, one of my childhood favorite dishes. Top any of these Mexican dishes with a few of my beloved condiments including Feta-Guacamole, Curdito Cabbage Slaw, Radish Salsa or a more tropical Pineapple Salsa.
On a rare occasion, I will buy crackers, but batches of these Almond Herb Crackers are surprisingly easy to make and I am always considering different herb & spice combinations depending on my mood, I love a recipe with seasonal flexibility.
I love when the fish is insanely fresh, just kissed with searing heat and a handful of additional ingredients. But, I don’t live near any oceans or any bodies of water that are home to fish, so I must settle for flash frozen and shipped. I find balancing fish with a lovely sauce as in the Creamy Arugula Tilapia, makes me forget the distance.
Some of us like breakfast to be sweet, others prefer a savory start. I am in the savory camp. In the past few months, I have been a bit obsessed with the quick to make Egg Tortilla Wraps. I also love granola and oatmeal too, but often find the sweet additions make me miss other savory options. Thus, I whipped up a Black Pepper Parmesan Granola and Oatmeal which I find both crave worthy.
If you are like me and spend more time thinking about what others want to eat more than your own personal favorites, take a quick moment and search through the recipes (upper right corner) and save the ones that resonate with you in your own recipe book. If you need an extra hand searching or saving recipes, please don’t hesitate to email me lilly@lillystable.com. Also, please let me know if there are any recipes you are particularly enjoying and I will work on developing more that are similar.
Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,
