You know that old Sesame Street song that goes, “One of these things is not like the others . . .”? Put a cashew next to butter and margarine and you’ll probably think, “Hey, I know which one of these doesn’t belong.” Think again. By using nut creams—in this case pulverized cashews—I’ve pleased many a client who swears by butter but wants to go dairy free. Not only is the cashew taste fulfilling and delightful, but nuts are far better for you than any store-bought buttery spread made from corn oil.

Painting, like cooking, is all about getting into a zone, which is probably why I like doing both. They’re complementary in another way; I’m visually driven, and when I’m working on a painting—as I was this past summer—I’m drawn to foods that create a color sensation on the plate. Don’t ask me why— maybe there’s something about color that impacts taste—but foods that blend well visually also taste fantastic together. I know that not many people would put pomegranate seeds together with olives and fennel, but you gotta trust me on this one; it’s not only a dance party for the mouth, but your eyes will widen at how good it looks.

I come by making salad dressing honestly, as my dad was in the food manufacturing business. Many a day I’d come to my dad’s office with my latest vinaigrette concoction in a yogurt cup and take it to the lab, where I learned to measure ingredients precisely so we could reproduce the taste in my little yogurt cup when it was scaled up to a two-hundred-gallon drum (talk about the importance of learning how to write down a repeatable recipe!). This airtight dressing is easy to prepare and delicious.

Sometimes food needs a little love, a little bling to provide some zing to what might otherwise be a bland taste. That’s where this salsa provides both some eye candy and a bright, fresh, crunchy taste.

During the summer months, I take advantage of the abundance of tomatoes and put them in the oven to roast. The heavenly smells take me back to Italy, where I first learned how to make this version of tomato sauce. 

Talk about longevity: Pistachio trees can bear fruit for two hundred years, and they’ve been
doing that for a long, long time. Pistachios are even mentioned in the Bible.

Chimichurri is to South America as salsa verde is to Italy. Or maybe it’s simpler to call it Argentinian barbecue sauce. My version combines parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lemon juice, and the kicker, mint. The scent of mint has been shown to increase alertness, and the taste is perfect for waking up chicken and other meats. As the Argentines might say, this is a chimichuri that adds destello (sparkle) to a dish.

This is the dollop that’s always front and center in my refrigerator. The combination of fresh parsley and mint, blended with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt is a perfect drizzle to amp up the yum for chicken, lamb, fish, or vegetables. I’ve been known to scrape the jar, just to capture the last few drops. Parsley gets a brain boost from the phytochemical quercetin, which helps protect brain cells from free radical damage, while mint helps with focus and concentration.

Gone are the days when asparagus was boiled until it resembled a gray Seattle drizzle. Here we roast asparagus until it becomes sweet and caramelized in a way that’s hard to believe until it’s tried. Asparagus is full of antioxidants that help in DNA synthesis and repair. In this soup, it’s paired with the nerve-protective benefits of pistachio as part of the minty, creamy topping. This is some serious yum in a bowl.

If you’re a coleslaw fan or have a jones for a crunchy salad, this recipe is for you.  Red cabbage is a nutrient-rich cruciferous vegetable.  Jicama is loaded with nutrients, including iron. Together they make a colorful pair. 

If you believe, as I do, that ancient ingredients have generally stood the test of time because they possess elements important for well-being, let me introduce you to chives, which have been used in recipes for about five thousand years. I’m so partial to chives that I grow them in my garden for both their wonderful flavor and the beautiful purple flowers the plant produces They’re members of the genus Allium, making them cousins to onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks. The sulfur in chives is believed to help the liver detoxify the body, but you won’t taste any of that sulfur in this drizzle. Instead, their volatile oils impart an almost sweet onion fragrance. This oil adds a bright, fresh-green pop to soups, salads, and fish. As for whether it also imparts the wisdom of the ancients, well, there’s only one way to find out.

A staple of Latin cuisine, this black bean soup rocks because it’s a nutritional powerhouse. Black beans are rich in protein and dietary fiber, and recent studies link black bean consumption to reduced rates of pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers.

This dressing lends a light, refreshing flavor to all manner of foods. Since it could hardly be easier to make, I recommend keeping some on hand at all times. I know I do.