Crazy for cantaloupe
Cantaloupes have been harvested since at least 2400 BC. These juicy, sweet fruits are closely related to watermelon and honeydew. One of the great things about cantaloupe is that they are so readily available. You can find this orange-fleshed melon in markets across North America. And not only are they full of flavor, but they […]
Rethinking the Food Pyramid
In the US and Canada, the Food Pyramid and the Food Guide are quite similar. They each recommend the basis of the diet be made up of grains, followed by fruits and vegetables, then dairy, then meats, and finally, fats. Whatever country you live in, there is probably some reiteration of this guideline for “healthful” […]
Keen on collard greens
By now, most of us know how important it is to get an adequate amount of dark leafy greens into our diets on a regular basis. And the best kind of dark leafy green to eat a lot of is any dark leafy green that belongs to the cruciferous family. Collard greens are one of […]
Tip, Trick & a Recipe: My heart skips a beat for beets
There’s nothing like a gorgeous purple beet sliced onto a salad, roasted in the oven, or juiced with some greens and other veggies to make a beautifully colored glass of deliciousness. What’s this you say? You don’t love beets? Well, maybe you’re just not doing it right! Beets are in season now and they are […]
Dive into Belgian Endive
How often have you passed by the Belgian Endive in the grocery store and wondered what to do with those oblong pale green heads of lettuce? Belgian endive is closely related to frisee and, like its curly-leafed cousin, it does have a rather bitter yet pleasant flavor. Enjoyed raw in salads or as a cooked […]
Tip, Trick & a Recipe: Star of the spice rack
Have you spotted one of those pretty star-shaped spices at the health food store and wondered what you could do with it if you brought it home with you? Star anise is a beautiful flavoring spice. The fruit of an evergreen tree native to southern China, it gets its name from its star shape (the […]
Nothing to cry over: An onion primer
It’s hard to imagine a kitchen without an onion. I use onions in almost all of my savory dishes. You probably have some yellow or red onions kicking around your kitchen right now! Onions come in yellow, white, and red and can range in flavor from mild and sweet to quite pungent and sharp. And, […]
Tip, Trick & a Recipe: Nuts over apple butter
There is no actual butter in apple butter. Apple butter is a very concentrated type of apple sauce. It’s made by the long, slow cooking of apples. You cook those apples down until they are caramelized and deep brown in color. If you like apple sauce, you’ll love that apple butter has an even more […]
Shout out for mung bean sprouts
Those long white bean sprouts you see in pad thai, chop suey and other Asian dishes are actually mung bean sprouts, and they grow from (you guessed it) mung bean seeds. Sprouts are essentially vegetable seeds that have just begun to grow and are the very symbol of life. Packed with life-giving enzymes and nutrition, […]