Almonds are a precious food that offer a crunchy bite of complete protein, healthful fats, vitamins and minerals, and deliciousness. They have grown in popularity both as a snack and nut butter, and are being used widely to produce nut milks, replacing dairy and outpacing soy. Many are concerned about almond’s intense ecological footprint, as their production uses a lot of water and pesticides, but according to the Food Revolution Network almond’s carbon footprint is 10 times smaller than that of dairy milk. According to Harvard’s School of Nutrition Almonds have been suggested to reduce heart disease risk and to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
At home I make almond and oat milks, and alternate between the two. Non-dairy milks are so easy to make and when done at home have no added preservatives or sugar. You can, of course, add salt, Medjool dates, agave or vanilla extract for flavor and sweetness.
As the heat of summer hits, I start dreaming about the delicious fare served at Hamptons gatherings—dishes that are inspired by an abundance of fresh, local produce. Foods that are nourishing, perfectly ripe and crave-worthy. Even cocktails are influenced by what is fresh and fragrant in the nearby farms, and when watermelon is in season, it takes center stage in a variety of lemonades and cocktails. One of my favorites is a crisp, cold Watermelon-Cucumber blend I discovered at Sebonic Golf Club. It is summer in a glass.
A martini is a pure cocktail that consists of two main ingredients (gin or vodka and vermouth—with the option of two supporting acts, bitters, and your garnish), and there are endless variations on the theme. Sebonic served a Watermelon-Cucumber Martini that honored the classic recipe and included vermouth. It was delicious, but I enjoy simple, super clean cocktails, and I do my best to stay well hydrated in the summer, so I asked the bartender to pass on the vermouth and add more watermelon juice. She indulged me and after a few attempts we created this Martini-inspired drink. It is fresh, cold, light and so rejuvenating—one of my favorite Saturday night summer sippers.
When hosting gatherings at my home in the Hamptons this is my welcome drink. There, I have access to wonderful produce, and gladly purée and strain a fresh watermelon, then chill it before adding to this blend. Any leftover juice goes into my watermelon lemonade for Sunday’s BBQ. For this cocktail, a store-bought, cold pressed organic watermelon juice is just as delicious.
The Island Bee is sorely missed. The vegan café and market that was here on the island of Palm Beach, was an offshoot of The Bee in West Palm, a lifestyle space to support healthy habits. Both locations were creative, fun, and welcoming, with terrific food, nourishing shakes, healthful juices, and healing elixirs. Especially now, during the pandemic, my family and I are craving The Bee’s healthful offerings—there was and is nothing like it for miles.
Both locations were on my daily route and I looked forward to stopping in. It was a great place to meet friends and family for an organic, vegan breakfast or lunch, and I loved going by in the afternoon for a Funky Buzz—a healthful coffee and cacao pick-me-up. What made the Funky Buzz so delicious? The cold-brewed coffee. Cold brew tends to be less acidic than hot brewed coffee, and it’s sweeter and milder. If you like coffee, then you will love how flavorful and aromatic a cold brew can be.
When the Island Bee closed, a friend of mine gifted me a beautiful Yama Glass Cold Brew Coffee Maker for Christmas so that I could make the Funky Buzz at home. Made of hand-blown glass and a beautiful wood tower, the Yama has been sitting in my kitchen to be enjoyed more for its artistic presentation than it’s lab-like functionality—which landed it on Forbes Finds’ 2019 list of best cold-brew coffee makers.
It looks like a complicated apparatus, and for the longest time I could not find a coffee worthy of the effort; after all it is an 8-hour process with the Yama. Recently my husband discovered Chik Monk coffee at Amici Market, and has been making us the most fabulous nut-milk cappuccinos. When he grinds the coffee in the morning everyone in the house is immediately drawn to the kitchen. The aroma inspired me to clean the Yama, learn how to use it (which is not complicated at all!) and start brewing. My daughter, Gigi, who also loved this smoothiehelped me create our version of The Bee’s Funky Buzz, and it is as delicious a pick-me-up as we remember.
The most popular way to make cold-brew coffee without a specialized carafe is the immersion method. This involves pouring coarse grounds in a glass mason jar, filling it with water and letting it sit overnight, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. After it has infused, you then pour it through a filter to clean out the grounds. According to Food52, the optimal cold brew coffee ratio is 3/4 cup coarsely ground coffee to every four cups of cold water.
Fruit is always a part of our breakfast routine, and oftentimes, it takes centerstage. When there is an abundance of fresh, farm stand berries available, I love making a simple, pectin free jam that can be used to slather bread, serve as a gooey filling in Hamptons Entertaining oatmeal bars—or to add a beautiful and delicious layer to a parfait. Inspired by Memorial Day, these red, white, and blue breakfast parfaits are a fun way to celebrate.
Make the jam the night before so that it is chilled when you add it to your parfait and be sure the berries you layer into the parfait are completely dry. I am also sharing an easy flag fruit bowl that needs no recipe and looks lovely with the parfaits—it is perfect to scoop over oatmeal or to be enjoyed on its own.
When Florida Grapefruit is at its sweetest, from January through May, my favorite way to enjoy it is to simply slice it in half, cover the cut sides with orange blossom honey and wheat germ, and dig in with a serrated grapefruit spoon—once I’ve enjoyed all the fruit, I raise the emptied shell to my lips to drink any remaining juice. With only 80 calories, fiber and no fat or cholesterol, I often eat both halves.
Broiled grapefruit is a deliciously addicting way to enjoy the fruit when it is a bit tarter. It is much like eating a crème brûlée, only the hot caramelized topping gives way to cool, tart-sweet segments of citrus fruit rather than a chilled custard. The best broiled grapefruits have a lustrous caramelized topping covering sections of the warm, juicy citrus.
This recipe has a little ginger and cinnamon, adding a warming fragrance, along with a touch of sea salt creating a lovely balance of sweet, salty, and bitter, that will have you craving this dish often. While any grapefruit will work in this recipe, Star Ruby and Pink Grapefruits make for the loveliest presentation.
If you’ve ever enjoyed a crème brûlée with a dollop of cream then you will want to add a dollop of Greek Yogurt and Honey to the center of your broiled grapefruit—this option elevates both the presentation and the flavor profile.
As a note of caution, some medications interact with fresh grapefruit and grapefruit juice. To find out about specific medications, ask your doctor.
Main course salads are a refreshing change for an easy meal. My family has become accustomed to gourmet 3-course meals, and after 60 days of cooking, I needed to add something easy to my repertoire: easy, healthful, delicious, and satisfying.
Miso is considered a superfood because it is packed with healthy probiotics and vitamin B12, and we love the umami flavor it imparts on any dish. The warm broccoli soaks in the miso flavor creating a light but savory and satisfying dish. The quinoa is protein-rich and filling. Cook the quinoa in a flavorful vegetable broth to give this salad an extra boost of flavor.
This is truly a healthful, deliciously satisfying, and beautiful main course salad.
My little herb garden is filled with fragrant parsley, and I have an abundance of celery and farm-fresh leeks on hand. Last week my family loved my potato leek soup, so I thought I’d make a refreshing take on it by adding parsley. This is a terrifically bright and light soup; a great starter to whet the appetite before a savory main course or enjoyed as a light lunch with a slice of warm, homemade bread.
With a subtle but noticeable olive oil flavor and a hint of orange, this cake has become my family’s new favorite, and I will be making it again, and again. The olive oil gives it a pleasant fruity flavor while keeping the cake moister for longer than butter ever could. My husband loves the idea of a tender cake sans butter and nearly devoured the entire cake the first time I made it. Even die-hard butter devotees admit this is an exceptional cake.
Thank you to my friend and author, Lise Arin, who shared this recipe with me. She pulled it out of a magazine back in 2013! Her husband, a fabulous cook, usually resists menu suggestions, but in the time of COVID and a mere 7 years later, he acquiesced, and we are so happy he did.
I barely changed the recipe, adding a wonderful nut milk to replace the dairy and a bit of orange zest. This is truly a great recipe—a simple, orange-scented olive oil cake that is an elegant treat for family and guests alike.
A French classic, this delicious soup is quick, easy, and versatile. When renowned chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin shared his recipe for Potato Leek soup on Instagram I was immediately transported back to my days in the south of France when I studied with Roger Vergé.
Potato leek soup, or potage parmentier, was one of the first dishes I learned to make in culinary school. It is an essential base soup in French cuisine. Add a bit of heavy cream and serve it chilled for Vichyssoise, addwatercress for potage au cresson, or top it with bacon, diced vegetables, fried leeks, or fresh herbs. For a little French frou-frou, add whipped crème fraicheon top and a dollop of caviar—lovely for a special dinner. There are endless variations to suit every taste.
When I serve this soup for lunch I sprinkle a chive garnish overtop and serve salmon-watercress sandwiches on the side.
While I strive to eat a plant-based diet, I do indulge in wild-caught sustainable seafood every so often. Drawn to the taste and the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the vitamin B12, salmon is part of a bi-weekly nutrient-dense, veggie forward meal in my home.
Several months ago I became a member of the Wild Alaskan Company, and every month, like clockwork, a box of fish arrives and I pour over recipes in search of new ways to handle the bounty. A wonderful nut crust over most white fish satisfies cravings for something crispy, and there is a great recipe in Hamptons Entertaining that I use often. A simply baked fish smothered in a traditional chimichurri is always a winner.
This month, with my daughters both at home, I wanted to do something fun and different. I came across this fantastic New York Times recipe by Mark Bittman and tweaked it ever so slightly to satisfy our personal tastes. Mark uses capers, and I opted for green olives instead, added a little fresh thyme and opted for panko instead of breadcrumbs. Bittman suggests that the burgers are served on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves, with lemon wedges and Tabasco or any dressing you like. We enjoyed ours with tomato and salad greens on a toasted bun smothered in Veganaise that I spiked with a homemade hot sauce, and chopped celery. Sweet potato oven-baked fries on the side complete this delicious meal.
