I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to certain holidays, because I think they are commercialized and focused on buying gifts for people. Â I now understand why my mother always asked for “no fighting” or “help around the house” in lieu of gifts for holidays like Mother’s Day. Â Every mother I know has a lot on her plate, of course some have more than others. Â But it is by far the toughest job and most fulfilling job I’ve ever had.Continue reading
Spring must be cookbook season, because I am loaded with new ones right now! My friend Liz Moody sent me her new book Healthier Together and it’s right up my alley. Liz is a great gal, health blogger and food writer. The book‘s premise is about cooking for two, but cooking together. I think this drives home a few important concepts: first, that it’s easier to achieve your healthful eating and lifestyle if you have someone else to do that with. Second, I can’t emphasize enough the role that community plays in our overall health. We need socialization, companionship and affection – both to give and receive. Even though I am very capable of cooking a meal by myself, I enjoy it so much more when my husband and kids are in the kitchen with me. And one of my favorite ways to spend my free time, besides being with my family, is cooking and eating with friends.Continue reading
While I am finishing up my manuscript for my second cookbook, I am taking advantage of the plethora of new cookbooks in my kitchen. One that I was excited to receive was my friend Katie Morford’s book, “
I was making my usual to-do list of Passover desserts the other day, and I realized that all of them contained nuts, mostly in the form of almond meal. Â I am not hosting Passover dinner this year, but I am making all the desserts for both seders at my mother-in-law’s house and we do have someone coming who has a nut allergy. Â Although the parents of the young man with the allergy were gracious and encouraged me not to go out of my way to make anything special for their son, I would never hear of that. Â Passover is already a challenging 8 days. Â I can’t imagine depriving anyone of more than is necessary! Â It also reminded me how many people are faced with a nut allergy (I know there are soooo many allergies out there, of course.) Â So I decided to share one of my favorite nut-free, but also Passover-compliant desserts, Fallen Chocolate Cake, also known as Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake.Continue reading
This stew was an innocent dinner last week. Â I saw my friend Leanne post a photo of this stew on her Instagram feed and it looked delicious, vegan, flavorful, easy, everything I like and the way my family eats. Â She mentioned she found the recipe in the NY Times. Â Well, what she didn’t tell me was that it was Alison Roman’s recipe for the NY Times and it had its own hashtag #thestew. Â Who knew??!!
When I taught this black bean brownie recipe in February of 2009 (yes, 10 years ago!), the idea was trending so much that I thought the recipe would get lost in all the black bean brownie hysteria. Â But just like fashion, sometimes trends make a comeback or sometimes when you take something out of the closet that has been sitting there for a while, it looks fresh again. Â That’s what happened with this recipe which I hadn’t made in many years.
I need you to be open-minded about this one. 😉  First off, by “raw tacos” I do not mean raw animal protein.  That would be ridiculous and awful.  I mean a raw, plant-based taco-like mixture that is super quick and easy to prep, healthy and, I think, delicious!
I promise this is the last time I will complain about the weather. Â But really, for LA, this rain and sub-60 degree temperatures are cramping my style. Â I want my money back! I am drinking more hot water and tea than ever to stay warm and relying on more cooked food than raw. Â I know that spices have a warming thermal nature, so I decided to flip through my friend Kanchan’s (on Instagram she is @chiefspicemama) cookbook, “Spice Spice Baby: Â 100 Recipes with Healing Spices for Your Family Table.” Â I was instantly drawn to her recipe for “Anti-Microbial Spiced Chai” which not only looked cozy and delicious, but I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.Continue reading
