Photo by David Marcel

Ramp and spring pea soup.

From the mailbag, a reader request for ramps:

Ramps, which are basically wild leeks, are widely available in other parts of the country in the spring. Where can Houstonians find lovely spring vegetables like ramps, fiddleheads, etc? Tried Trader Joe's, no luck. Houston needs our ramps!

Sorry to say, but ramps are pretty hard to find in Houston to begin with -- especially this late in the season. Calls to Revival Market, Whole Foods and Central Market all netted the same response: No ramps. Maybe next year.

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Photo by jinxmcc

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, tomato, corn & black bean salsa topped Breakfast Tacos and was served alongside Broiled Tilapia. This week, a grilled eggplant is paired with Pork Tenderloin and remade into a Eggplant Caprese Salad.

Here's the rest of the plan:

Turkey Sausage Subs w/ Basil Mayo

Orecchiete w/ Broccoli Rabe & Sausage

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Seared Eggplant

Grilled Eggplant Caprese Salad

Pork, Rappini & Mozzarella Panini

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Texans love their homegrown restaurants and grocery stores, and the affinity that people feel for San Antonio-based H-E-B is easily matched (if not surpassed) by the cult of Whataburger. The best thing to come out of Corpus Christi aside from Selena (a.k.a. the Mexican Madonna), Whataburger inspires the sort of passion in Texans that In-n-Out evokes in those silly, silly Californians.

It's only natural, then, that two such beloved food purveyors would come together on a project guaranteed to endear both to fast food-loving Texans for all eternity.

It was announced a few weeks back that Whataburger would soon be selling its Fancy Ketchup, Spicy Ketchup and Original Mustard in H-E-B stores across the state. To anyone unfamiliar with the burger chain's condiments, let's just say they're pretty popular.

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Photo by Andrea_Nguyen

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, chopped rib-eye filled a hot-giardiniera-topped Philly Cheese Steak and was remade into Creamy Steak Taquitos. This week, Buttermilk Fried Chicken is served hot one night, then served again "picnic style" alongside a lightened Creamy Coleslaw.

Here's the rest of the plan:

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Corn on the Cob & Tomato Salad

Tilapia with Grilled Corn, Tomato & Black Bean Salsa

Picnic Drumsticks & Thighs with Lighter Creamy Coleslaw

Potato & Bacon Breakfast Tacos

Bacon, Swiss & Tomato Melts with Creamy Slaw

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Photo by Barbara Rich

Do you dare to eat a peach?

We all know that we should thoroughly wash our fruits and vegetables after buying them from the grocery store or farmers market. That doesn't mean there isn't still pesticide residue left on the produce items, however.

According to nonprofit advocacy agency Environmental Working Group, a lot of the most commonly consumed fruits and vegetables still contain a large amount of pesticide residue. If you want to avoid most of these pesticides, buying organic is the way to go, especially for the ones ranked highest on the list. Here are the top five fruits and vegetables that made the EWG's Dirty Dozen list and Clean 15 List found in their Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce.

Let's start with the bad news first.

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Photos by Mai Pham

For two weeks of every year, Central Market holds what in essence is an international festival in its stores by paying homage to the food and cultures of the another country. Three years ago, I attended my first "Passport" event when they celebrated the foods of Argentina. The following year, it was Spain, and then last year, it was France.

This year, Central Market is giving its customers "Passaporte Brazil," two weeks of food, cooking classes, music and more, dedicated to all things Brazil. They kicked it off in the usual style with a huge white tented party this past Thursday evening.

The kickoff party usually reflects the personality of the country. Last year, it was a more formal, seated affair that embodied the elegance of French dining. This year, the party was staged more informally as a walkabout buffet, with cocktail tables, a large dance floor for dancing and a stage set up for a live samba band to get everyone in the party spirit.

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Photo by susan@kingstreetmarketinggroup

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, pork meatballs were served with sriracha mayo in a Banh Mi and over Sesame Asparagus & Noodles. This week, a crispy Chicken Milanese is chopped up and thrown onto a Whole Wheat Pizza.

Here's the rest of the plan:

Tuna Croquette over Bitter Greens

Roasted Pasta Primavera

Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Baked Chicken Milanese with Tomato & Arugula Salad

Chicken Parmesan Wheatzza

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SalFalko

Discount grocery stores offer healthy products like organic fruits and vegetables at lower prices.

As nice as it is to buy healthy foods -- especially organic produce and boxed items -- it is unfortunate that the price can be much higher than with ordinary food products. Organic produce tends to be more expensive than regular produce.

In an effort to feed an entire family, many households opt for cheaper options like fast food, frozen dinners and processed foods. Although this does successfully feed a family, it doesn't feed a family healthy foods.

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I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, Israeli couscous was tossed in a beet and orange salad and served with pan-roasted lemon chicken. This week, a pork meatball is served in a banh mi sandwich and over sesame noodles.

Here's the rest of the plan:

Bacon and Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

Ginger Pork Banh Mi with Sriracha Mayo

Spicy Shrimp Cobb Salad

BBQ Pork Meatballs with Sesame Noodles and Asparagus

Asparagus, Tomato and Bacon Tart

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Photo by GW Fins

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week -- my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, a creamy polenta was served with Bacon & Eggs and Grilled Skirt Steak. This week, Israeli couscous is tossed in a Beet & Orange Salad and served with Pan-Roasted Lemon Chicken.

Here's the rest of the plan:

Linguine w/ Clams & Fennel

Pan-Roasted Chicken w/ Lemon, Garlic, & Mint

Orange, Beet, & Watercress Salad w/ Israeli couscous

Mint Pesto Chicken Panini w/ Tomato & Cucumber Salad

Greek Panzanella

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