Le Blog
Food and eating solutions without: food rules, eating restrictions, eat-like-me-look-like-me diets nor “eat this, not that” food fears.
Instead I share the best information on balanced, practical ways to eat well and maximize your health through food enjoyment, mindful tasting and cooking food you love. There’s also recipes, culinary nutrition tips and posts on how food culture impacts how and what we eat.
Corn and Cremini Chickpea Cauliflower “Pizza”
Cauliflower Chickpea-Flour "Pizza" This recipe delivers a satisfying and meaty umami-ness from corn, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, but is it pizza? Gluten, scorned by carbophobic eaters and necessarily restricted by a minority of others, is a key ingredient...
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Chickpea Corn Cakes: Crave-worthy Carbs
If you enjoy crunchy, sweet summer corn and savory, nutty chickpea flavors and a fast, easy recipe, continue. However, I feel compelled to defend corn just in case with this comment: Carby chickpea corn cakes cause carb-avoiders cringe-worthy concerns, or conversely,...
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Quinoa Boulettes vs Ikea Swedish Meatballs
Mom would make Swedish meatballs for parties yet we weren't Swedish, didn't know anyone who was and Ikea was a two-day plane trip. Several decades later, braving my first trip to the hip-mega-everything store in search of kitchen doodads, I got overwhelmed and lost,...
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Happy Cooking: Jacques Pepin American Masters
Jacques Pepin American Masters Culinary Icon Julia Child, Albert Einstein, George Lucas, Bob Dylan and now, Jacques Pepin, headline a PBS American Masters series. Pepin’s edition portrays his evolution from 13-year old apprentice to respected, influential chef...
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From Bubbly, Burpy Beast to Sourdough Bread
In our household, National Sourdough Bread Day is a reminder to be generous. My mom’s habit of giving a loaf of sourdough bread to new neighbors or someone needing comfort became our family tradition. Bread makes a practical edible gift, but offering someone a...
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No Cell Phone Zones and Digital Dining Etiquette for Healthier Habits
Gaps in my childhood memories are like holes in Swiss cheese, yet recollections of meals evoke a solid sense of belonging and comfort. Feeling gushy about meals is easy when you nourish yourself, nurture friends and family and take a break from daily busyness...
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Pizza as a Path to Veggie-Eating Kids
Pizza Veggie Opportunities Ask a group of American kids to all agree on meal they like. Pizza, a unifying force in the kid kingdom, wins. However, ask kids to agree on specific vegetables toppings and you’ll hear some “yuck” comments. Unfortunately, most pizzas...
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Fast Flatbread 3 Ways–Watch out Pizza
Fast Flatbread 3 Ways (makes 6 one-person servings) Flatbread, is quicker to make than its cousin--pizza. It doesn't require careful measuring, sifted flour or yeast and doesn't make you wait. It’s five minutes from your pantry to a lump of dough ready to be pressed...
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The Sweet and Meaty Taste Science of Grilled Vegetables
“Let’s grill tonight” translates to “let’s eat meat tonight” in many backyard BBQs. It’s not surprising since grilled meat products create hundreds of complex aroma and flavor compounds. Grilled vegetables create less of these craveable compounds but develop delicious...
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The Sweet and Meaty Taste Science of Grilled Vegetables
“Let’s grill tonight” translates to “let’s eat meat tonight” in many backyard BBQs. It’s not surprising since grilled meat products create hundreds of complex aroma and flavor compounds. Grilled vegetables create less of these craveable compounds but develop delicious...
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Citrus and Almond Olive Oil Cake with Tangerine Glaze
This isn’t a typical olive oil cake. Often they are dense and extra unctuous, which can be desirable, or lighter and cake-like.
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Golden Horseradish Hummus
Golden Horseradish Hummus Hummus hinges on chickpeas and tahini, at least traditionally. I've met modern interpretations at restaurants and felt a little disappointed when I could find no trace or taste of either key ingredient. Chickpeas have a distinct flavor and,...
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Easy French Brown-Butter Tart
For bakers and home cooks who bake often, making tarts is easy enough. However, not everyone, including me, appreciates the specific measuring and techniques required for good tart dough. Now, after discovering this easy brown-butter tart, I’m dreaming of future tarts.
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Swiss Chard Hazelnut Dessert Tart |Tarte Sucrée Aux Blettes et Noisettes
Swiss Chard Hazelnut Dessert Tart Really. It’s not so bizarre to use vegetables in dessert. Consider zucchini bread and carrot cake. Other popular recipes include red velvet beet cake, sweet potato pudding and avocado chocolate mousse. Dessert tarts made with...
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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Sumac
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Sumac Pan-seared cauliflower steaks work great, yet often require finishing in the oven. This cauliflower steak with sumac option shortcuts the pan-searing for a longer, but less fussy, roast in the oven. While these “C-steaks” may not...
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Boursin and Yogurt Artichoke Gratin
Boursin and Yogurt Artichoke Gratin French and American gratins, pronounced “Grawh-tAHn”, range from dense, cheesy and cream-laden to light dishes made simply with a béchamel sauce.This artichoke gratin, satisfyingly filling yet not overly cheesy works well as a dip...
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Parsnip Puree Soup and Crisps
Parsnip Puree Soup with Crisps You’re so sweet, you’re so fine, but a sugar bomb in wintertime. Okay, the song doesn’t go this way but, in winter, cold converts parsnip starches to sugar at high levels and if the parsnips freeze before harvest, they become even...
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Beggar’s Purse Crêpes (Aumônières de Crêpes)
The tasty morsel above is from Amarosa vineyard and restaurant in Tuscany, Italy. The herbed version below I made in Paris where the chefs had us stuffing them with a creamy scallop filling. Beggar’s Purse Crêpes Beggar’s Purse Crêpes are an ironic description for a...
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Parsnip Puree Soup and Crisps
Parsnip Puree Soup with Crisps You’re so sweet, you’re so fine, but a sugar bomb in wintertime. Okay, the song doesn’t go this way but, in winter, cold converts parsnip starches to sugar at high levels and if the parsnips freeze before harvest, they become even...
read more
Beggar’s Purse Crêpes (Aumônières de Crêpes)
The tasty morsel above is from Amarosa vineyard and restaurant in Tuscany, Italy. The herbed version below I made in Paris where the chefs had us stuffing them with a creamy scallop filling. Beggar’s Purse Crêpes Beggar’s Purse Crêpes are an ironic description for a...
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Crepes and Crêpes Célestines | Herbed Crepes
Crêpes are full of contradictions. They are fancy foods, yet street foods. They are rich and decadent but can be simple and nutrient dense. They are quick or they can be turned into fancy purses as in aumônières de crêpes or other culinary art tricks. They are French,...
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Almond and Hazelnut Dukkah
Almond and Hazelnut Dukkah Dukkah, a savory spice and nut mix, has Arabic roots and worldly applications. Traditional key ingredients are nuts, coriander, cumin seed, salt and sesame seeds, but it can also include other seeds such as fennel and peppercorns. The word...
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Garlic and Walnut Herb Sauce with Nutritional Yeast
Garlic and Walnut Herb Sauce with Nutritional Yeast This sauce is a creamy pesto-like sauce with parsley, walnuts and extra garlic but instead of cheese or added salt, it uses nutritional yeast. Some people call this “nooch”, to give it a more affectionate, shorter...
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Turkey Picadillo Lettuce Wraps
Picadillo is fun to say but better to eat. You can do both in Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines and other countries who’ve adopted this Spanish dish. It’s a wild mix of sweet, savory and pungent flavors influenced by its Moorish spice heritage. Picadillo varies by...
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Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas
This chickpea appetizer or snack will create more bean eaters. The balanced spicy, citrusy and salty sensations plus a crunchy exterior are irresistible. Quick and easy to make, these can be made ahead of time or served hot and crunchy from the pan.
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Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Miso Soup with almonds and pomegranate
Typically carrots are oven-roasted to develop caramelized sugars but pan roasting can create some of these flavor compounds in a one-pot dish—less washing and no hot oven! The garnishes add a crunchy almond texture and contrasting sweet-tart pomegranate seeds....
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Black-eyed pea and Hominy Texas Caviar
Black-eyed Pea and Hominy Texas Caviar This recipe highlights how canned beans can make you popular and happier. For happy, you can quickly toss together this dish as an appetizer, side dish or picnic nibble. It's a popular party pleaser that also offers flavorful...
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