Pamela Michaels Fay, businessWrites

Food

Beans on Pizza Really is a Thing

If you’re a new vegetarian or just trying to eat a little healthier these days, you may still recall how delicious meat is on pizza. Whether your vice was Italian sausage, Canadian bacon or the ever-popular pepperoni, meat adds both flavor and texture to the dish. But, meat also boosts saturated fat and calories. The goods news is that with a little creativity, you can use many types of beans to replace meat on pizza and make a healthier, if nontraditional...

Juicier Hamburgers

In 2001, Daniel Boulud, who was named James Beard Outstanding Chef of the Year, offered a $27 hamburger at his casual bistro in New York City. It was made with ground sirloin, braised short ribs, foie gras and truffles. Since that time, gourmet burgers have become increasingly popular. Yet, despite this proliferation, the typical homemade hamburger is still rather lowly by the demanding culinary standards of top chefs. It has become even lowlier with the use of diet-friendly, but dry, low-fat ground beef. There are tricks, however, that can make your hamburgers as juicy as those smeared with...

Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Sweet potatoes are among the world’s most nutritional foods. Loaded with vitamins and minerals, they also have fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Besides being good for you, they are a hearty addition to many vegetable-based dishes. Combined with the delicate oniony flavor of leeks, sweet potatoes make a rich and satisfying soup. Serve this chunky soup as a starter or midday snack. Or, offer it with rustic whole grain bread and a side salad for a light...

Old-fashioned Potato Soup

Pick up a recipe book from the Great Depression era, and you’re likely to see a recipe for basic potato soup. Potato soup is a quintessential comfort food that is as economical as it is versatile. Once you master a good potato soup, you can create many other types of soup simply by changing the stock or adding combinations of your favorite vegetables, meats, seafood and garnishes. Try this potato soup alongside simple foods and bold tastes, like grilled cheese sandwiches on artisan bread with a vibrant...

Minimal Prep Convenience for Vegetarians

There is nothing like a freshly prepared vegetarian meal from scratch. But, as a vegetarian, it can be difficult to know what to eat when you are in a hurry. Perhaps you have a demanding schedule or you are on the road traveling. Or, maybe you just don’t feel like spending the 30 minutes required to whip up a vegetarian stir-fry. Fortunately, there are many quick and healthy vegetarian options from which to choose. Once you have identified your favorite vegetarian convenience foods and where to find them, you’ll never have to face the...

Company's Coming Vegan Salads

If you occasionally prepare meals for a vegan, you already understand the challenges of finding interesting recipes. Even a salad can be trying. For vegan preparation, you cannot freely toss in the items that make a salad more interesting to a carnivore, or even a vegetarian. Forget the grilled chicken breasts, bacon bits and anchovies. Step away from the blue cheese crumbles, garlic butter croutons, baked goat cheese and chopped eggs. Pile on the veggies...

Easy Vodka Sauces for a Gourmet Touch

Although vodka is a colorless and nearly odorless alcohol, it can be used in cooking to enhance flavors that you cannot taste otherwise. These flavors are alcohol-soluble and are only released when they come in contact with alcohol. Tomatoes have such an alcoholsoluble flavor. However, alcohols such as wine or brandy have their own distinct flavors to contribute. (ref 1) To avoid the culinary competition, make your sauces with vodka, instead. The alcohol burns off during cooking and you are left with a rich and complex dish to rival one prepared...