Walking to the Friday farmers market, sunlight dancing on the waves of the Pacific and iconic Huntington Beach Pier as a backdrop, is one of the best perks of living where I do, besides the obvious: sun, surf, sand and laid-back beach culture that comes with living in Huntington Beach, the surf mecca of SoCal. […]
Heart Healthy
10 Skinny Dips & Salsas
Dips and salsas are instant party food and summer favorites – they are a breeze to make and can usually be prepared ahead of time which guarantees you more time to enjoy your guests and share in the fun. Sure crowd pleasers, kids and adults are always happy to scoop and nibble and they’re the […]
Spicing Up Father’s Day
Among my tips for low sodium cooking, spices and herbs are one of the easiest to adopt and most fun to experiment with. They’re readily available and can transform a blah dish into a totally amazeballs, “what’s your secret” kind of dish. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the seemingly endless varieties of spice blends from Savory […]
Purple Potato Pesto Pizza – the Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever!
Dinner is served! And no one is happier than I, when it’s a pizza that turns out this awesome! In more sophisticated speak: a pizza with an unparalleled amalgam of flavors that captures every sense upon first sight, the vibrant colors and textures trigger Pavlovian salivation. The first bite confirms every notion the moment your teeth […]
Weeknight Dinner: Slow Cooker Potato Tacos
For working folks and busy families, the slow cooker can be a life saver. There was a time when I thought it was the greatest addition to kitchen appliances since the toaster, now there are simply too many to choose from. It was the one recommendation that I made to my father and my brother […]
The Fully Loaded Baked Potato
When I say “loaded baked potato” probably the first image that comes to mind is a piping hot, fluffy Idaho russet potato loaded with butter, bacon bits, sprinkled with chives and topped with a dollop of sour cream and maybe a handful of shredded cheddar cheese for good measure. Sooo good, but sooo bad at […]
Sweet & Spicy Energy Bars
This bar has it all – all the health benefits of coconut, dried fruits, oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, flax seed, Mediterranean herbs and a dash of capsaicin from the chiles. Much of that ingredient list is contained in the Avanti Natural Holistic Gourmet ™ spice mixture that I used and which distinguishes this energy […]
Simple Corn Pudding with Roasted Hatch Chile
This simple corn pudding recipe marries the nutrient-dense egg with America’s favorite vegetable: corn. Throw in mild hatch chiles complemented with a subtle sweetness and warm flavor of freshly grated nutmeg and you have a winning dish that screams “company is coming”, yet is secretly guilt-free. While many corn puddings call for a generous amount […]
Double Duty Dinners: Asian Short Ribs
Fork-tender short ribs do double duty in an Asian twist on beef stew the first night, then are reinvented with noodles, greens and spicy Kimchi for a second comforting meal. Jump to Recipe Slow cooker meals are a lifesaver for busy households, especially when you can get two, or even three, meals from one cut […]
Get Your Greens On: Peanut Chicken and Kale Wrap
It’s always great when you can get two meals out of one hour in the kitchen. Today, I’m continuing with my Eat More Greens in 2013 campaign with another way to enjoy the nutritional power house that is greens: kale, collards, beet greens, dandelion greens, gai lan – you name it, I’ll be cooking […]