I just just made a new food friend, the Mortgage Lifter Bean, which I picked up on a trip through New Mexico. The Mortgage Lifter’s charms go beyond its quirky name. Cultivated by native Americans in the Southwest (1,2), one story says it was named the Mortgage Lifter Bean by a farmer who, just as […]
Plant-Based in 2024
January 8, 2024 by 3 Comments
“Faux” Gras Plan to put more plants on your plate in 2024? It’s a thing. More and more people are catching on to the nutritional benefits and gastronomic diversity of veggies, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Esteemed New York Times food writer Melissa Clark writes that she “wants to become as fluent in tofu as she […]
A Novel Way to Help Control Blood Sugar
November 29, 2023 by 2 Comments
Jump on the Cottage Cheese Revival: Peanut Butter Mousse and Whipped Feta Cream Protein-packed cottage cheese is having a moment (1) and blitzing it into something irresistibly creamy is the move. It was top-of-mind for recipes featuring California dried figs when the Valley Fig Growers asked me to write a website article on health research […]
A Celebration of Corn
May 22, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Esquites-Style Shrimp with White Beans Esquites-Style Shrimp with White Beans has been on repeat in my kitchen for months. It’s perfect party fare yet substantial enough for a meal. Don’t worry about leftovers – there won’t be any. Corn (maize, or maíz in Spanish), the star of Esquites, is being honored in a month-long […]
Veganuary? Make Meatless Marvelous
January 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Loaded Hummus with Smoky Mushrooms and Blistered Chickpeas January is a big month for food-and drink-related resolutions (1). Participation in Veganuary, a 31-day challenge of going vegan for the month of January, has grown, with a record-breaking global sign-up rate of over 600,000 people for 2023 (2). Will a month of eating a completely free […]
Stroke Awareness and Prevention
May 26, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Roasted Carrot, White Bean and Almond Dip May is National Stroke Awareness Month. It’s likely you, or someone else in your orbit has been impacted by a stroke. It is the number one cause of adult disability in the U.S.A. and the 5th leading cause of death (1). What is a stroke? Per the Center […]
Get the Most from Probiotic-Rich Foods
July 22, 2019 by 1 Comment
Skyr-Swirled Beet Dip Fermented foods are hot – consumption increased 149% in 2018, led by more novel products like kombucha and kimchi (3). For the past 2 years, dietitian-nutritionists ranked fermented foods #1 on the list of popular foods in the 7th annual report, “What’s Trending in Nutrition” (1,2). Growth in the world of fermented […]
Eat Like You’re On A Tropical Vacation
February 28, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Nappa Spoons with Lentil-Rice Caviar, Mango, Avocado, Almonds and Mango-Chia Sauce You may not be basking in sunshine on a beach today, but it doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a taste of an exotic vacation. With mango prices as low as a dollar each,I took a culinary adventure with this tropical fruit in […]
Beets are Red Hot
October 22, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Beets are Red Hot Move over Caesar – beet salads are taking over as a standard starter on many restaurant menus. At least it seems so – I see a lot of creativity with beets. If you love a good beet salad, try my go-to recipe, Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Walnuts and Sherry-Walnut Dressing […]
The Savory Side of Chocolate
February 14, 2017 by 1 Comment
Cacao Nib Tapenade When my husband suggested a lemon dessert for Valentine’s Day to go with some fresh raspberries he brought home my first thought was, what about chocolate? Chocolate had to appear on my menu for this special day so I turned to a box of unsweetened cacao nibs in my pantry. I whirled […]
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