chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothie recipe
Most of the time we just call this the Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie.  Mr. Picky says it's his new favorite and he is usually the one to make it.  You should see how many bananas I have to buy to...

cilantro-lime rice and an unexpected rice and bean burrito bowl
We all love to cook, right?  Ok, maybe some us just like to cook.  And I know that I'm the biggest cheerleader of planning your meals ahead so that dinnertime is stress free and a walk in the park....

warm coconut millet porridge recipe
I don't know what has taken me so long to share my favorite breakfast with you.  Although I haven't really been holding out on you since I did snap a picture of this delectable millet porridge a few months ago...

baked berry oatmeal recipe
My favorite thing about the weekends and vacations is lingering over breakfast.  Weekdays are (sadly) so rushed that we don't really have more than 10 minutes to sit down and enjoy our morning meal.  Not only are we lacking...

creamy polenta recipe
People have asked me (actually one person in particular, i.e. my Italian-born father) why I don't have more pasta recipes on my site or on my class menus.  I know everyone loves pasta and it's super easy to...

millet-cauliflower mash recipe
Don't change that dial!  I know what's happening here.  You see the word "millet" and all of a sudden you need to go wash your hair instead of reading the rest of this post.  You think it's bird seed...

gluten-free, vegan pear-cranberry tart recipe
Why do so many people go on cleanses on January 2nd?  One word -- SUGAR.  It starts on Halloween with an innocent bite of an Almond Joy and keeps coming until New Years Day with that "one last piece"...

pumpkin oatmeal recipe
I always thought the strategy stopped once I served Thanksgiving dinner, but I actually think it's just as challenging figuring out how to work efficiently with all the leftovers.  I really detest throwing away food, so I try to...

kale, mushroom and brown rice bake recipe
Daughter #1 is my 15-year-old who used to turn her nose at her plate if food groups were touching.  So you can imagine how very satisfying it was for me when she sighed, "I could eat Kale, Mushroom and...

farro with roasted vegetables and roasted tomato dressing recipe
We had such a nice Labor Day weekend.  I hope you did, too.  We were able to squeeze in some beach time, family time, yoga (for me) and our annual block party, which was great fun.  The combination of...

blueberry spelt muffins with flax recipe
I have to say, so far our family vacation is going really well!  I have to give much of the credit to my husband who enjoys planning and executing trips like this.  Unlike him, I don’t have the knack...

grilled mexican corn off the cob recipe
A close second to my obsession with summer tomatoes is my love for fresh locally-grown summer corn.  I think I buy it twice a week from the end of June to October.  I love corn's juicy, grassy sweetness.  I...

pasta with 5-minute cherry tomato sauce
Mr. Picky and I had the most glorious week on Long Island visiting my parents.  My sisters and their kids came to be with us too, so it was quite a full house.   It kind of felt like...

southwestern quinoa salad recipe
Have you ever read a cookbook or food blog where an unbelievable, creative recipe was put together with "odds and ends" from the pantry or produce bin?  I am always in awe of people who can do that.  Those...

wheat berry salad with lemon-tahini dressing recipe
In a perfect world we would all be eating mostly whole foods, that is foods that came into this world a certain way and stayed that way.  Whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods are more recognizable by our bodies and better...

no-sugar, no-egg, no-flour breakfast cookie recipe
Most people are not mind readers, so if you have a wish for the perfect Mother's Day, you may need to drop a few hints.  I used to dream of a day where I could relax in my bed...

green rice recipe (arroz verde)
I traditionally teach a Mexican-inspired menu during the month of April so that my students have some fun recipes to cook for their family and friends on Cinco de Mayo.  I am obsessed with Mexican food, so I really...

gluten-free oatmeal pancake recipe
I have two things on my mind this week -- eating anything that was forbidden during Passover (like grains) and being mindful of our consumption of limited resources with Earth Day coming up on April 22nd.   "How will...

gluten-free millet and shiitake pilaf recipe
I waited several years before I taught a recipe with millet in my classes.  Why?  Because I was afraid.  Afraid my (adult) students wouldn't like it.  Afraid I would turn them off to millet forever.  Afraid I would lose...

spinach risotto healthy recipe
I had a bad day recently and what I really wanted to do was inhale a pan of brownies, but I had just published a post about how I beat a sugar addiction and I didn't want to...

coconut rice
Before I started teaching so much, I used to do lots of pantry makeovers and kitchen re-organizations for other people.  Recently, I was helping my friend Jenni organize her pantry and I was completely envious of how it turned out....

spinach and quinoa salad with feta and dill (aka, spanakopita without the guilt)
I know it's still February, but I think a spring bug bit me.  The new strawberries, asparagus, sugar snap peas and artichokes were calling my name last weekend at the farmer's market and I felt myself thinking ahead to...

cornbread (with quinoa!)
Let me just start out with a disclaimer -- I am not from the South.  I am a Yankee, which means I like my cornbread with half cornmeal and half flour and a drop of sweet and that's that....

overnight steel cut oatmeal recipe
We eat a lot of oatmeal in this house for so many reasons. It is nutritious, filling, inexpensive and incredibly easy to make.  Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber (the kind that helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol by...

farro and kale with roasted pears and turkey bacon
I hope your Christmas was merry.  We have been sharing a lovely week with my family in New York.   My mother really outdid herself and gave me Christmas day off, which was a gift unto itself.  If you...

rustic butternut squash soup with fennel and wild rice
One way that I have learned how to be a more confident cook is by identifying certain "formula" recipes and then just changing the ingredients around to come up with something that seems like a different recipe. One day...

basmati rice with roasted cauliflower
We are well into fall and I couldn't be more excited.  At the farmer's market the other day I was happy to see the return of some familiar faces -- winter squash, apples, pomegranates, persimmons and the entire Cruciferous...

black bean burgers with smoky red pepper sauce
Not so fast.  You see "Black Bean Burgers" and you're already making a run for it?  Well, I can't blame you if your only experience with veggie burgers are those dry, thin hockey pucks in the frozen section of...

late summer minestrone
  Oh, I am not very good at goodbyes.  And saying farewell to summer is just inevitable now, isn't it?  My minestrone soup is one of those recipes that bridges summer and fall.  Zucchini and tomatoes are still plentiful in...

farro with cucumber, golden beets, feta and mint vinaigrette
Someone asked Daughter #1 yesterday what her favorite dish is that I make.  She thought that was a tough question since she really does like everything I cook at home.  So she decided to narrow it down herself to...

chopped grilled vegetable salad
When I moved from Beverly Hills to Manhattan Beach almost five years ago, one of the things that I had to adjust to was how much more casual the beach was.  Everyone here was more laid back in how...

corn and edamame succotash
This house sure is quiet.  The girls are still in Connecticut and Mr. Picky is off at the batting cage for a little bit with his dad.  I don't think I've been alone in my house in a year....

quinoa tabbouleh
Father's Day is this Sunday and we are getting ready to celebrate the man of the house.  I have already begun planning my menu, which no doubt will involve some grilling since we all know that's a man's...

muesli
My husband and I have a division of labor approach to managing our home, kids and life. For example, he is in charge of sports, car issues, and electronics, and I handle meal preparation, communication with teachers and writing...

pantry pasta
My father called me the other day.  My father never calls.  He always jumps on the phone when I'm speaking with my mother, but he is not in a habit of actually dialing my number unless there is something...

granola
I started making my own granola when I realized how much money I was spending to buy it at my local natural foods store.  $8 for a little container?  Ouch!  But the price wasn't the only deterrent.  There's also...

artichoke and spinach barley “risotto”
When I invited some friends over for dinner last Friday night, it seemed like a great idea.  After I finished teaching a class and picking up the kids from school, I would have a few hours to get the house...

lemon and cumin-scented quinoa
I will admit, the first time I ever made quinoa, I didn't like it at all.  I cooked it like rice with nothing added and it really wasn't very tasty.  Who cares if something is super nutritious if it tastes...

vegetable fried rice
When parents struggle with "what to make for dinner," one tip I like to offer is to find a dish that everyone likes to eat when you go out, and try to make it at home.  Fried rice, however, is...

harira
Harira is a Moroccan stew that is traditionally served during Ramadan to break the daily fast.  In my house it is a nourishing one-pot meal that is perfect for a chilly winter evening.  I have seen many versions of recipes...

mushroom-barley soup with kale
I was craving a hearty, meal-in-a-bowl soup for dinner last night.  Something I could pull together before the kids returned home from school and that I could pack in their thermoses for lunch the next day.  Mushroom-barley soup came to...

lentil and brown rice soup
Everyone needs a lentil soup recipe in the repertoire.  This is a classic and a nourishing one at that.  I grew up on lentil soup and my mom was into creating “complete proteins” when we had a vegetarian meal. ...

healthy brown rice pudding recipe
Brown rice is a staple in my home.  A simple bowl of steamed brown rice, whether it is short-grain, long-grain, basmati or jasmine is utterly satisfying to me.  I love the nuttiness and wholesomeness of brown over white.  Keeping...