Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I was in the kitchen listening to the radio the other day- which, by the way is my favorite thing to do- when I heard someone talk about summer tomatoes. They were saying how good the crop is this year because of the hot hot weather. I realized it to be true as I thought about the bumper tomato crop I have been harvesting from my backyard. The tomatoes have been unbelievable. I mostly grown cherry tomatoes- I love them. They are super versatile and delicious.

Anyway, the radio person suggested a peach and tomato salad- and that is where I got my inspiration.  It is so simple that I am almost embarrassed to post it as a recipe.

The key ingredient is balsamic glaze. You can buy it at a specialty store- I bought my from Italy but you can make your own as well. It is as simple as cooking regular balsamic vinegar down on a medium heat until it cooks down to a syrupy consistency. That is all this salad has- salt, really good olive oil and thyme.

It is very delicious- the combination of tomatoes and nectarines is unbelievable. Before summer is over- try this super simple salad…

• 2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 to 2 nectarines cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Add the cherry tomatoes and nectarines into a medium bowl. Add the salt and olive oil. Let them sit for at least an hour. Add the fresh thyme and balsamic glaze and serve.

This is a great summer side dish. Perfect with the burgers or any other grilled protein. I come up with these concoctions after I have gone crazy at the farmers market.

In this case, I purchased a lot of gorgeous looking zucchini and yellow squash. After thinking about it for a while, I came up with this quick and delicious dish.

I wanted to use very few ingredients and not lose the fresh squash taste. I sliced an onion and grated some ginger- somehow I wasn’t in the mood for garlic. I wanted  the taste to be clean and simple and so that is all I did. I sauteed everything lightly and finished the dish off with some lemon juice- it tends to wake up all the flavors in a dish.

This concoction will be perfect with pasta as well. Add some al dente penne and you have a complete meal. You could add some fresh herbs to make it even yummier- either way, you can’t go wrong with this simple dish…
Click here for the recipe… »

This fried rice dish is perfect for the fish recipe I posted yesterday. I love making fried rice for meals- especially since I can incorporate lots of different vegetables and feed my family.

My daughter loves all versions I have made in the past- well, almost all of them.

For this one, I bought a bunch of green beans from the farmers market. They were lovely looking and I couldn’t help buying them. As I thought about what to make for dinner, I was flipping through a food magazine and came across a fried rice dish. That is when I decided to chop the green beans really small and make a delicious rice dish with them.

You can’t make fried rice without first making plain rice. How do you make your rice? I make mine with chicken broth. It imparts delicious flavor without much effort and I am always looking to add flavor into anything I can. The rice comes out yummy- lightly salted and nutty and it is perfect and ready to use for the fried rice.

I sauteed the plain rice with your usual suspects and in no time had a delicious fried rice dish. Try this recipe next time you are in the mood for some healthy Chinese food.
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I grew up eating this lentil dish. My mom would make it when we had people over for a meal.

It is very different than the regular lentil dish we normally make in which the lentils are cooked in water and then drained just till they are soft to the touch but not mushy. Once the lentils are cooked to perfection- like al dente pasta, they are mixed with a mixture of cumin seeds, green chilies and garam masala. You can also add sliced yellow onions into the mixture- it makes it more substantial and adds a bit of sweetness to the mix.

This dish is very simple and quick to make. It is perfect for a weeknight meal or when entertaining. I had chicken and spinach already in the fridge. I served it hot with freshly made rotis.

Try this lentil dish- you will impress everyone who eats it…
Click here for the recipe… »

Here is another summer dish that is super simple to make and delicious at the same time. I made this one for a barbecue we were invited to. I offered to make a bean salad and decided to add juicy nectarines to the mix.

Like mangoes, nectarines add a delicious sweet, tangy aspect to any dish.

I used garbanzo, kidney and black beans. I added green onions, cilantro and the nectarines- that is it. You can assemble this salad in advance and refrigerate it until you serve your meal. In fact it tastes better if you dress it in advance and let it sit for a while. The flavors marry each other and taste delicious.

Speaking of the dressing, I made an orange chipotle one for this salad. I juiced two large navel oranges, one lemon and paired them with a chipotle pepper, honey and olive oil. It resulted in a delicious, fresh tasting dressing. I mixed the salad with the dressing and kept in the fridge until we were ready to go for the get together.

The salad was served with some lamp burgers and corn. Everything was delicious, especially the salad. It was a perfect balance of spice, sweet and tangy- my favorite flavor combination!
Click here for the recipe… »