Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring…or bland, but too often what is perceived as a healthy meal in restaurants is, in fact, laden with salt. Lowering your sodium intake is easier done if you are preparing at least some of your meals at home because you are the one in control of how your […]
Seafood
Shrimp With Pommery Mustard Sauce
Versatile sauces are a secret weapon any time of year, but especially when entertaining during the holidays! As promised, here is the recipe for Spaghettini’s Shrimp Pommery that caught my attention at their recent 30th Anniversary celebration. The sauce — and super fresh, perfectly cooked shrimp, of course – is what makes this dish so […]
Deliciously Healthy Tandoori Salmon Bowl
Begin with the best wild, sustainably caught Alaskan Salmon delivered to your door! For years, I’ve driven out of my way to fish markets and retailers who I trust to source sustainable fish – it’s important to me, plus the fresher the fish, the better it tastes. Then I met Stephanie Devine, owner of Seaforth Fish […]
Spring and a White Asparagus and Crab Salad for Easter
I first experienced the tender stems of white asparagus on a bike-barge tour from Amsterdam to Brussels in April of 2011. Like the gorgeous expanses of flowering tulip fields, white asparagus heralds the beginning of Spring and is revered as the ultimate Spring delicacy in Germany and The Netherlands where the traditional specialty of White […]
Grilled Whole Red Snapper and the Year of the Rooster
The Gregorian calendar New Year has passed, but for many around the world, the Lunar New Year, more commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, begins on January 28, 2017 and celebrates the Year of the Rooster in a two-week long celebration of reunion and family traditions. “In 2017 the Chinese Year of the Rooster […]
Firecracker Shrimp from Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook
Another delicious, informative, and fun day at Melissa’s Produce last week with the dynamic Katie Chin introducing her Everyday Chinese Cookbook and demonstrating how to make Firecracker Shrimp and Potstickers. Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Delicious Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen pays homage to Katie’s pioneering mother, Leeann Chin, who instilled Katie with a […]
Celebrating the Year of the Monkey #CNY
Being in China for the two weeks before Chinese New Year is exhilarating, but so is being in Orange County for Lunar New Year celebrations. This week South Coast Plaza celebrates Chinese New Year with a grand reception on Wednesday, February 3rd for the Year of the Monkey which extends from February 8, 2016 to […]
Foodie’s Guide to Fitness and Weight Loss – Meal Planning
Meal planning and prep is an integral part of a successful weight loss program. If your fridge and pantry are not stocked with healthy, nutritious, pre-prepped fruits, vegetables and proteins, you’re much more likely to give in to take-out or fast casual dining, and regretting it later. Being a food enthusiast, food lover or “foodie” […]
The Foodie’s Guide to Fitness and Weight Loss
1. Start Now. Of course it’s the new year and many people are motivated to make changes to improve their health. But if you’re reading this any other time of year – start now – even if you have 60 lbs. to lose, it can be done. For the first time in a very long […]
Salmon Chilly Chili by Chef Rick Moonen and What You Missed at #NBWFF
See “Top Chef Masters” chef demonstrations by chefs Rick Bayless, Hubert Keller, and Rick Moonen; talk with executive chefs from Orange County’s best restaurants and savor tastes of their cuisine; meet Shirley Chung, Brian Huskey, Brooke Williamson, and Louis Maldonado, finalists from Bravo’s “Top Chef“; participate in a Home Chef “Top Chef” challenge; sip and learn […]