Grace O

March 12, 2024

Published by Grace O

Slow Cooker Cooking: It Warms the Soul

My fans have let me know how much they enjoy crockpot cooking, so I love including slow cooker recipes on the website and in my cookbooks. Slow cookers allow busy families the chance to come home to long-simmered soups, sauces, stews and other comforting meals that warm the soul. The trick to developing or converting recipes for slow cookers is to correctly estimate the liquid needed. Figure that about 2 cups of liquid will be evaporated during the cooking process over six to eight hours, so plan accordingly. For instance, if you want to make chicken soup or minestrone soup […]

March 12, 2024

Published by Grace O

This Delicious Mushroom Soup Is Vegan, Too

Savory Vegan Mushroom Soup Mushroom soup is a fall and winter favorite but now you can make a light, healthy version low in calories and fat yet packed with flavor and nutrients. Whole food ingredients like detoxifying mushrooms, onion and garlic make the base for this simple soup you can make in minutes. Vegetable broth and the secret ingredient, rolled oats, blend together to create a creamy smooth, savory soup. Every ingredient in this recipe lends itself to health; mushrooms in particular are packed with immune boosting compounds called beta-glucans and are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Excellent […]

March 12, 2024

Published by Grace O

Just Say ‘Ja’ To These Scandinavian Superfoods

I have written about Mediterranean superfoods and the huge benefits of this mostly plant-based diet which also includes small amounts of extra-virgin olive oil as the most common fat and plenty of seafood, whole grains, modest amounts of lean meats and chicken. In fact, according to Bloomberg, the healthiest countries in Europe (and in fact most of the world) are Italy, Spain, Greece, Iceland and Switzerland. The first three are, of course, Mediterranean countries, but who’d have thought that the Icelandic population would be fueled by superfoods? Then there’s the French food paradox: French cuisine features lots of delicious bread, […]

March 12, 2024

Baked Salmon with Argentinean Chimichurri sauce

Published by Grace O

Argentinian Chimichurri Salmon

This salmon dish is a great way to use fresh herbs, which provide a multitude of nutrients, including detoxifying chlorophyll. The salmon has heart-healthy fats. Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinian sauce of fresh herbs, much like an Italian pesto, but without the cheese or nuts. Feel free to play around with the herbs you have on hand, but we find cilantro, basil and mint pair deliciously with baked salmon! YIELDS 4 SERVINGS Ingredients For the chimichurri sauce: 3 cloves garlic 1/4 red onion 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 […]

February 26, 2024

Published by Grace O

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Mediterranean Style

Shrimp and tomatoes are a very Mediterranean combination. I use soy sauce in place of salt and add Worcestershire sauce to create a nice depth of flavor. You’ll get selenium from the shrimp, allicin from the garlic, and lycopene from the tomatoes. Serves 2 Ingredients 3 Tbs. olive oil 1 Tbs. chopped garlic 1 cup chopped onion 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce 2 tsp. soy sauce 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 3⁄4 lb. peeled shrimp (devein, if desired) Chopped parsley as garnish Chopped chives as garnish Procedure Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add […]

February 26, 2024

Published by Grace O

Want To Boost Immunity? Try These Dishes

Even though the calendar (and the groundhog) says we’re less than six weeks from spring, we’re still in the middle of cold, flu, and Covid season. It’s important to boost your immune system to help ward off these nagging afflictions. It’s much easier to keep them at bay than to fight them off once they’ve settled in. If you haven’t already, you should read the article by our contributing writer and nutritionist Ginger Hultin. It provides in-depth descriptions of foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and compounds that help your body fight diseases. These FoodTrients can be found in delicious recipes […]

February 26, 2024

Published by Grace O

Game Hen & Rice Combine for Hearty Stew

Cornish Game Hen and Brown Rice Stew This thick and hearty stew is my take on the classic Asian chicken soup. The brown rice makes it even healthier thanks to its high-fiber, selenium-rich properties. Feel free to add carrots, celery, or spinach to the mix. Add hard vegetables earlier in the cooking process and greens or herbs later. I like to soak the brown rice overnight before cooking it. This shortens the cooking time by about 20 minutes. Serves 4-8 Ingredients 1 inch peeled gingerroot 1 Tbs. canola oil 1⁄4 cup chopped onion 1 whole Cornish game hen, cut into […]

February 20, 2024

Published by Grace O

Energy-Boosting Beet Salad Is All Go-Power

Nordic Beet Salad Today, beets are having their moment. Scandinavians, however, have been eating them for centuries. They also love their sea buckthorn berries, which aren’t as well known, made into pies or juice. You can find sea buckthorn juice online, or purchase sea buckthorn powder and mix it with water to create a juice, or simply substitute orange juice. If you have time, make the dressing and roast the beets the day before. Then toss the beets in the dressing and marinate them overnight. Benefits Beets and particularly beetroot-juice products may improve athletic performance and treat chronic disease. Beets […]

February 15, 2024

Published by Grace O

6 Super Reasons (Excuses) To Love Chocolate

These days chocolate comes in exciting flavor combinations that make it an adventure. I’ve seen many of these gourmet versions in stores such as Whole Foods and upscale supermarkets. I’ve also had the opportunity to sample many unusual forms of chocolate at the Natural Products Expo, which takes place in Anaheim, CA each March. By now, we all know that dark chocolate is truly FoodTrient-worthy. It’s loaded with vitamins, antioxidants and even some fiber. The flavor, texture and nuances of dark chocolate, like fine wine, are determined by where the beans are grown and how they’re processed. A 100 gram […]