Healthy happy you.
If you've never enhanced a pasta sauce with the liquid you cooked the pasta in, I highly recommend that you do so tonight. While the pasta boils, the water becomes starchy and flavorful. When tossed with cooked pasta, vegetables, and seasonings, the water clings to the pasta forming a creamy texture. In addition to the cooking liquid, this particular pasta dish is dressed up with mushrooms, Read more
Shiitake Mushrooms, aside from the phrase being my new favorite expletive substitute (it is up there with dang and crud), are fast becoming known as a new super food. Since they have been used medicinally in Asia for over 6,000 years, I'd really have to admit their status as a super food is "new" to me. And possibly you, too? Did you know that they contain protein? I, for one had no idea Read more
I must have passed by those wrinkly, dirty looking mushrooms a million times while perusing through the produce. Don't let their funky appearance steer you away. Mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake, turkey tail, and reishi build your immunity. They also support cardiovascular health and show promise in lowering the risk of and possibly treating cancer. But they're not a one shot miracle worker. Read more
We know it best for sushi, ramen, and teriyaki chicken, but Japanese cuisine actually encompasses a vast range of dishes and flavors. Japan may be a relatively small island nation, but its topography is peppered with snow-capped mountains, broad agricultural fields, and plenty of seashore. Pasture land is at a premium, so the diet tends to be low in animal fats and relies heavily on locally Read more
Chicken, when served with a saucy side of leeks and mushrooms, makes for a smooth-sailing weeknight supper. Use healthy skinless chicken thighs from last night's meal as the star of the dish, simmering and serving it in a white wine sauce. Although white wine, mushrooms, and leeks are a standard flavor combination, change things up by switching out button mushrooms for Asian shiitakes and Read more
Even though we're still in Winter mode, you deserve to do your body good with hearty recipes that won't break the calorie bank. It's time to give those buttons and shiitakes another chance. Learn more about the nutritional properties of mushrooms and try out these five savory, rich mushroom recipes that are sure to make you change your mind about them for good. Read more
Salt is one of those essentials in any kitchen, and it can take any dish from OK to amazing with just a quick sprinkle! This holiday season, spend just a few hours making your very own flavored salts for an easy edible gift. The process is simple and the possibilities as to the flavorings are pretty endless. I made three different varieties including roasted garlic salt, meyer lemon salt, and Read more
You may find this hard to believe, but my real Thanksgiving dinner — not the dry test runs that I prepare beforehand in my kitchen as a food editor, but the one I sit down to on Nov. 24 with my family — is incredibly humble. It's usually just the four of us, sitting around a table, eating a turkey and a few understated (but no less satisfying) sides. That's the Thanksgiving I grew up with, Read more
Weekend cooking can afford to be more complicated, but often unvarnished preparation makes for better food. Case in point: a straightforward pasta tossed with shiitakes, shallots, and asparagus. With a lightweight sauce devoid of tomatoes or cream, there's room for only one thing to shine — the market-fresh vegetables. A butter-and-vegetable-broth-based sauce adds creaminess, and lemon peel a Read more
I know it's late in the game, but October is National Pizza Month. Before celebrating at your local pizzeria with a slice containing who knows how many calories, here are ways to enjoy pizza at home keeping the calorie count below 300. Kashi Pesto Pizza: Kashi's signature seven whole grain and sesame wood-fired thin crust is topped with basil pesto sauce, diced tomatoes, caramelized onions, Read more
