What is An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

Mixed Grain, Mango and Black Bean Salad with Cumin-Chili Dressing I was recently asked, “What is an anti-inflammatory diet?”   A simple answer: A diet built around whole foods with lots of produce, whole forms of grains, healthful fats and a couple of servings of fish each week (or equivalent omega-3 fatty acids).  An anti-inflammatory […]

Culinary Ennui? Try Freekeh

Freekeh, Fava, Fennel and Eggplant Salad Moving forward with a healthy diet sometimes pushes us to reach back in time.   Freekeh, a rediscovered form of wheat used in ancient Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, recently caught my eye and palate. If you like food romance, the following story of this ancient grain, described on Freekehlicious.com, may […]

Cabbage – In the Raw

Dress Up Cabbage for Summer Meals: Coleslaw 3 Ways Humble cabbage, often passed over in favor of glamorous sister vegetables such as kale, rapini, broccoli and cauliflower,  turns into Cinderella come coleslaw season.  At its simplest, shredded cabbage and onion tossed with lime juice and a few seasonings, make a cool and crisp taco or […]

The Cow is Queen

  Farro and Spring Asparagus Salad with Fava Beans, Arugula, Basil and Oil-Cured Tomato Dressing from Chef Lisa Dupar     I’m not a farm girl.    Of course I seek the best quality agriculture products for my never-ending kitchen exploits, but the closest I get to a farm is a trip to the Farmer’s […]

Everything Green for Saint Patrick’s Day – and Your Health

Green for Spring:  Salad with Creamy Tarragon Dressing Instead of wearing green for Saint Patrick’s Day, I suggest eating green.  While cooked cabbage may be a tradition for some, I favor something fresher.  Bright and crisp, curly or straight, greens are a promise of spring and a good bet for boosting your health.  My recipe […]

A New World of Vinegar and Oil

 Dressing Up Summer Salads – Cumin, Chili and Oregano Dressing  Remember when raspberry vinegar dressing was a gourmet treat?  It was usually paired with fresh raspberries, toasted almonds and warm goat cheese.  While that sounds passé today, it may have sparked a creative approach to salads that continues to grow.     Recent gifts of black currant […]

Beets – A Taste Transformation

 Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Walnuts and Sherry-Walnut Dressing  What food do you adore now but despised as a child?  For me it was beets.  The beets of my childhood were canned red ones steeped in pickle juice or fresh beets prepared in a pressure cooker, which brings them to the same unpalatable state.  Years […]

In A Produce Rut?

Try Vietnamese Salad Rolls It’s National Nutrition Month® and the theme is  “Shape Up Your Plate.”  It’s one thing to be familiar with the ChooseMyPlate graphic telling us to fill half of our plates with produce – it’s another thing to carry out the recommendation and enjoy it.   That’s where we need to get creative […]

Late Season Tomatoes and Basil

A Last Chance for Panzanella – Grilled Bread Salad Pay homage to the last of the season’s tomatoes and fresh garden basil with panzanella – grilled bread salad. Chop a pound of ripe tomatoes, any type will do, making sure to capture all their glorious juices to moisten the charred bread, fragrant with garlic and […]

At Your Fingertips – A Mediterranean Salad

Mediterranean Salad with Bulgur, Feta and Pistachios What’s on the top shelf of your refrigerator?  If you’re my height, it’s a black hole, rarely explored.  Recently, hunger for a salad heartier than tossed greens motivated me to grab a stool and reach into that black hole.  Buried in the back corner of the fridge was […]