(Image credit: Lauren Volo)
If you don’t know about succotash, you should. Like potato salad or coleslaw, it’s a frequent player at summer cookouts. While a classic succotash is all about corn, lima beans, and maybe some tomatoes or red bell peppers, this one, from Jeanine Donofrio of Love & Lemons, eschews the norm. Swap out the limas for chickpeas, add in a mix of tender summer squash, and boost the flavor with smoked paprika.
(Image credit: Getty Images, courtesy of WTA)
The Olympics are here — neither Zika, nor heat wave, not presidential impeachment, nor plumbing woes could keep this age-old competition from moving forward. We’re planning marathon Olympic-watching sessions, of course, but all these amazing athletes got us thinking about what it takes to fuel such terrific prowess — in the pool, on the field, in the ring. We asked 10 athletes to share what they eat on a daily basis. Here’s what we found out.
Age: 31
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Event: Tennis; Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles
Training Regimen: Fitness, practice, and tournaments — lots and lots of tournaments. At home, 3 days on and one day off. The “day off” could include mountain biking, swimming, or walking.
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)
With summer winding down, we’re planning to spend as much time outside as possible: on the deck, in the yard, at the beach, by the pool — you name it, we’re doing it. One of our favorite ways to hang al fresco is with friends, with something cold in hand and the bounty of the season’s produce on the table.
Of course, nothing puts a damper on an outdoor party like unwelcome guests of the biting variety. So, if you’re planning one last hurrah (or a few), forget the flowers and opt for these mason jar citronella candles.
Not only will they help keep those pesky bugs at bay, they’re also perfectly pretty table decor. Even better, you’ve probably already got the majority of ingredients on hand and can prep the candles while you’re preparing dinner.
(Image credit: Soylent)
Soylent, the meal replacement drink that came out of Silicon Valley, announced a new product offering today: Coffiest. This new beverage wants to help you replace your breakfast and morning cup of coffee. The drink is comprised of Soylent 2.0 and an added 150 mg of caffeine (a small cup at Starbucks is 260 mg).
(Image credit: Saveur)
For the seventh year in a row, Saveur is holding their Blog Awards. There are 78 finalists in 13 categories, whittled down from an astounding 30,000 nominations. Some of the categories this year include “Best Food Instagram,” “Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners,” and my personal favorite “Best New Voice.”
(Image credit: Christine Han)
Mussels are one of the unsung heroes of the seafood counter. They’re readily available, a sustainable choice, and easy to cook in a myriad of ways. Mussels make a good weeknight option since they cook quickly and sit in a flavorful sauce that’s great for serving over noodles or rice, or just with a crusty heel of bread. Thai green curry paste and coconut milk are a great match for these briny bivalves.
If you go to Mexico City and leave without a pressing, relentless craving for melon, or really just about any fruit, sprinkled with tajín (salsa en polva), a branded seasoning powder comprised of chiles, lime and salt, I think you need to go back because you did it wrong. It feels melodramatic to call this intersection of tangy spice and juicy fruit a national dish, but the spice blend is a staple on tables and at street vendors all over Mexico, and I dare say more popular than ketchup is here. If you go to someone’s home and they have a bottle of tajin in their cabinet, it’s usually right up front and there’s a spare somewhere near because it would be unfathomable to run out. If asked, the person will probably tell you that they had it once over melon, mango, pineapple or cucumbers one time, or maybe in a michelada and they could never eat it another way again. I hope you consider that a warning. 
Although in Mexico it’s a street snack, as unfussy as can be, but because I’m a no-fun person who hates eating standing up, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make a salad of it for some time and finally figured it out. Here, the lime juice is squeezed fresh, the chili powder is sprinkled to taste, the salt is coarse and I add other accents — roasted pepitas, crumbled cotija and chopped cilantro. It works as part a brunch spread (I think all brunch spread need more salad), with some sort of taco-centric meal or as the heat wave salad of my dreams. Continue reading
(Image credit: VH1)
VH1 announced today that Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog will be teaming up to host a reality show called Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party. The show will focus on the two cultural icons throwing dinner parties for their celebrity friends. “At our dinner party, we will exemplify America’s fascination with food, entertaining and celebrity. ‘Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party’ will redesign the traditional food competition shows in a new, different and very funny way,” Stewart says of the upcoming show.
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)
When it comes to avocado toast, the best slices go well beyond two ingredients. If you require further proof, let us present this caprese avocado toast. All the components of a caprese salad — from the ripe tomatoes and the creamy mozzarella to the fresh basil and the tangy balsamic glaze — are a good friend to the cool avocado. If there was ever an example of when the whole is better than the sum of its parts (and we’re talking about irresistible parts!), caprese avocado toast nails it on the head.
When farmers markets abound with colorful, heirloom varieties of tomatoes, it’s time to seize the day.
With tomatoes this good, you could easily sit down to a plate of them for dinner every night without a hint of boredom, but why not have at least one other trick up your sleeve?
Think of this salad as a deconstructed BLT with some corn and fresh green beans thrown in for good measure.
