Have you heard about the fun addition at the New York Times? They've ingeniously converted emojis into delightful vegetable and fruit recipes! To get in on the culinary excitement, simply text 361-Cook-NYT with the vegetable or fruit emoji of your choice, and they'll promptly send you a recipe related to that emoji. It's a fun experience worth trying out!

I prepared this dessert for Michelle Obama and her team in 2019, when I was working at Google in the Teaching Kitchen, when she launched her book ‘Becoming”. This dessert is fantastic and decadent. The base is a ripe avocado. But what hides the flavor of the dessert is the rich Dutch chocolate powder, the citrusy and tangy taste of the orange juice and zest, and the sweetness from the maple syrup. I added a dollop of coconut whipped cream, a sprinkle of carob nibs, and a small mint leaf for freshness. The best thing about this dessert is that it was 100% plant-forward.

Move into summer with ancient grains. This dish is the perfect side for a bar-b-que, stovetop or oven. What I love about bulgur is that this grain requires no cooking. The grain is partially cooked so all you have to do is pour hot water on it and allow the grain to reabsorb it and it is ready to go. My favorite cucumber to use for this dish is a Persain cucumber. They are sweeter in flavor and have less seeds.

Summer has started. The air  where you live may be cool in the morning, warm or extremely hot (like in Texas). This is the time of year where you may feel like eating something that is  a little  sweet, crunchy,  fried and light in texture. One of my favorite salads or appetizers/ mezze  is a dish that has inspired me from the cookbook author Yasmin Khan, The Ripe Fig. The dish is Halloumi saganaki. Saganaki is a Greek cuisine that simply means an appetizer, fried cheese or flambeed prepared  in a  frying pan.