Szechuan broad beans

Melt in your mouth broad beans (aka lima beans?) in scallion sauce from Grand Sichuan in New York.

batata b'tahini (cauliflower & potato in garlic sauce)

Batata B'tahini: sauteed cauliflower, potato and garlic in a tahini sauce. From Tripoli Restaurant, in Brooklyn.

Greek baked eggplant & green beans

Eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olive oil = perfection. From a cafe in Olympia, Greece.

marinara & friarielli pizzas

Marinara pizza and friarielli pizza (with broccoli rabe grown on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Vesuvius), from Pizzeria Castel Nuovo in Naples, birthplace of pizza. Both absolutely amazing... dough crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with a sauce so perfect you don't want toppings.

szechuan potato sticks

Back from vacation, with some catching up to do!
Szechuan potato sticks with lots of chili, scallion, and garlic vinegar sauce, from Chinese Traditional Buns in Toronto.

jellied bean curd & hand-pulled noodles

Jellied bean curd (foreground) and cold noodles special (background) from Chinese Traditional Buns in Toronto. Both were some of the most fabulous and unique tastes I've had in a while.
Jellied bean curd: silken tofu in veggie broth with chili oil, scallions, minced garlic, cilantro, and seaweed (I think).
Noodles: chewy hand-pulled rice noodles with tofu skin, marinated cucumber, and smoky sauce (no idea what the flavors were).
Fresh soy milk on the side.

peas, rice & potatoes

Trinidadian split yellow peas, spice rice, and roasted potatoes.

polenta pie

Baked polenta pie topped with sliced tomato, mushrooms, and garlic, and assorted herbs. My first time making polenta from scratch - piece of cake! (or pie in this case)

yuca con mojo

Yuca with garlic and onion sauce, from Julie's Cuban restaurant, in Toronto.

okra with spring garlic & saba

Catching up on some spring eats - in this case okra sauteed with spring garlic and tomatoes, and topped with saba.

polenta with fava beans & asparagus

Fried polenta rounds topped with fava beans (lightly sauted in olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and lemon juice), with garlic roasted asparagus on the side. Yay spring!

roasted brussel sprouts with saba

Brussel sprouts roasted with garlic, olive oil, and salt, then drizzled with saba - grape must reduction (thanks Carolin!). The Saba adds a rich sweetness that compliments the brussel sprouts and garlic perfectly!

stewed daikon & beet greens

Stewed daikon with scallions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and cilantro, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian bookbook.
Improvised beet greens (free from the farmers market) with sweet hoisin sauce.

Lebanese artichokes, eggplants & green beans

Adrichawki: artichoke hearts tossed with garlic, scallions, cilantro, tomatoes, and olive oil


Makdous: spicy baby eggplant filled with walnuts, garlic, herbs, lemon, and pomegranates


Lubieh Bel Zeit: green beans simmered in tomatoes, garlic cloves, and spices

All from Lebanese Taverna in Baltimore.

fried plantains with garlic

green beans, eggplant, and broccoli in spicy garlic sauce

from some Chinese restaurant in Hoboken

yuca & garlic, rice & peas

yuca in garlic sauce (garlic, oil, onion, bay leaves, whole black pepper, vinegar) with caribbean rice and peas (adapted from Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook, with black-eyed peas, corn, cabbage, tumeric, garlic, onion)