Frank Picchione

Lavender Roses, Thistle & Green Hydrangea

Arugula Pizza with Red Peppers & Shiitake Mushrooms

I baked this pizza as usual, with the peppers and mushrooms on the cheeseless crust. I added the arugula, which I had tossed in a bit of olive oil and salt, at the very end, allowing it to wilt slightly.

Perfectly Grilled Tofu

I recently discovered this super firm, high protein tofu at Trader Joe's in Westport. I bought about 15 blocks of it to take back to the city because the closest Trader Joe's to me is way over on the Upper West Side. I love its chewy texture, and it grills perfectly without sticking. In fact there is little need for non stick spray or oil. I served this batch with a shiitake mushroom and saffron tomato sauce.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This dairy free ice cream is a combination of silken tofu, coconut milk and soy milk that I sweetend with stevia, making it sugar free as well.

Vegan Carrot Cake

This recipe is still a work in progress. The cake was much more delicious, with a better texture, the day after baking, so it is a good make ahead dessert. It was loaded with sweet organic carrots and walnuts, but the addition of raisins or coconut would be welcome. I'm thinking raisins in the cake and coconut in the frosting is the way to go. The cream cheese frosting - also vegan - was loaded with powdered sugar, but the cake itself is completely fat free - if you don't count the small amount of healthy fat in the walnuts - and I sweetened it with stevia, unsweetened organic apple sauce and a bit of maple syrup. As desserts go it doesn't get much healthier.

Below are photos of the cake batter before and after baking. It was incredibly moist.

Summer Salad

This summer salad is a refreshing combination of watermelon, English cucumber, fennel, basil and pink sea salt on a bed of golden heirloom tomatoes. The dressing is a simple combination of rice vinegar and olive oil.

Vegan Margarita Pizza

I made this pizza with vegan mozzarella, which was actually pretty good. It melted and browned nicely, and was even a bit stringy and elastic like the real cheese. I finished it off with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and sea salt.

Vegan Creamed Spinach

This recipe takes no time at all. I started by lightly toasting a couple teaspoons of ground cumin. Then I added three bunches of baby spinach leaves and sauteed them until just wilted. Spinach cooks down to nothing, so if you're going to puree it it's necessary to plan for one bunch per person. To finish I combined the spinach in a food processor with enough silken tofu to reach the desired consistency. The resulting color is much brighter, and the taste is much cleaner and fresher than traditional creamed spinach, and with a fraction of the fat and calories.

Raspberries & Roses

Mexican Salad

Last week at a fiesta in Santa Barbara my friend Camilla made a killer batch of guacamole. Health-minded as always, rather than the traditional corn chips she served the dip alongside fresh, crunchy jicama spears. Jicama is a high fiber, low carb root vegetable native to Mexico. Tonight, inspired by Cam and our love for Mexican cuisine, I combined it with bib lettuce, avocado, grilled corn and red onion in a cilantro-lime dressing. Below is a photo of the giant jicama I bought before peeling and cutting it into matchsticks.