Grace O

April 25, 2016

Published by Grace O

A Fusion of Flavors Accent Shrimp & Quinoa Recipe

This week, I have a fistful of flavor to bring to a new quinoa dish from my latest cookbook, The AGE BEAUFITULLY Cookbook. In Southeast Asia, where I grew up, the cuisine has been influenced by many countries: China, Japan, Spain, France, America, and to some extent the Middle East and Northern Africa. So I’ve been practicing fusion cooking my whole life. My mother ran a cooking school and my family operated multiple restaurants. My recipe for shrimp on sugar-cane skewers is a perfect example of Asian fusion food. It became very popular in our restaurants and then spread all over […]

April 13, 2016

Published by Grace O

Why Should You Care About FoodTrients?

By Grace O The right foods, herbs and spices can help us detox, lose weight, improve our skin and live longer, more vital lives. But how do you know which foods to choose? One of the things I set out to do in my cookbooks is to make it easy to see what each recipe (and its ingredients) can do for you. We started out with five symbols (icons) for the benefits in my first cookbook, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, but I expanded it to eight icons in my new book, The Age Beautifully Cookbook. Here’s what each icon means: […]

April 12, 2016

Published by Grace O

FoodTrients Created By Hunger for a Healthier Life

After I turned 50, I had my own health issues. I have problems with my knees, which led me to struggle with my weight – working hard to lose it only to gain it back again. But believe it or not, all of the work I have done on FoodTrients and writing The Age GRACEfully Cookbook and The AGE BEAUTIFULLY Cookbook and using FoodTrients ingredients has helped me stay healthy – my cholesterol is normal, all of my bloodwork is normal. I don’t take any medication, I strive to add FoodTrients ingredients to all my meals, which helps me maintain […]

April 12, 2016

Published by Grace O

Grow Your Own Microgreens and Sprout the Benefits

Microgreens are springing up all over, which means sprouts have a come a long way since the 1970s. Today, almost everyone is a health nut—interested in prolonging life, feeling as good as possible, and looking as young as can be. Because of that, chefs and foodies have decided to take another look at home sprouting. Of course, today the preferred term is “microgreens,” but really that includes baby shoots from vegetables, or beans, or seeds, or even grains. Sprouts, or microgreens, are very healthy because they contain all of the nutrients of bigger, adult plants in their young, tender shoots. Generally […]

March 16, 2016

Published by Grace O

Natural Products Expo: Where the Elite Eats Meet!

The determined FoodTrients team took on legendary Southern California traffic, parking lots filled to capacity by 8:00 a.m., and the threat of a monsoon-like storm to visit and evaluate a million square feet of exhibit space at this year’s Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center, in the shadow of Disneyland. This is the largest natural products trade show in the world and this year’s event broke records—again! There were more than 3,000 exhibitors and over 77,000 registered attendees—up 6.9% over last year. This included 600 first-time exhibitors. Besides its enormous size, the most notable characteristic of this […]

March 8, 2016

Published by Grace O

Homemade Sardines Get a Crockpot Makeover

Sardines made easy in a crockpot! My readers have let me know how much they enjoy crockpot cooking. They allow working 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 in the slow cooker, just add 2 extra cups […]

February 2, 2016

Published by Grace O

Food Is a Meaningful Centerpiece of Chinese New Year

By Grace O I’m looking forward to Chinese New Year, which begins on February 8. This year is the Year of the Monkey. People born in this year of the Chinese zodiac are characterized as quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous. They are clever and intelligent, especially when it comes to career and wealth. ‘Monkeys’ are lively, flexible, and versatile. It’s said that their gentleness and honesty brings them an everlasting love life. Does that sound like you or someone you know? Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Alice […]

January 26, 2016

Published by Grace O

Citrus Takes a Big Bite Out of Aging

It’s January, prime citrus season and the trees are heavy with fruit here in southern California. In my backyard I have several navel orange trees, a couple Meyer lemon trees and a small lime tree. I also have citrus groves in San Diego with more than 100 grapefruit, orange and lemon trees. My friend, who has a horse ranch nearby, has a couple of grapefruit trees that are practically ignored, but at this time of year they are full of the juiciest, tastiest pink grapefruits. I suspect the combination of benign neglect and plenty of natural fertilizer from the horses […]

January 19, 2016

Published by Grace O

A Whole New World of Pastabilities

Fair or not, in the fight against carbs, pasta has gotten a bad rap lately. Yes, white pasta is relatively high in calories (200 per 2 oz. dry) and has modest nutritional value with about 2g of fiber and 7g of protein, but there are many alternative pastas that are better nutritional investments. And like the enriched macaroni products we’re most familiar with, they are all good canvases for a wide variety of toppings, flavors and textures. I won’t give up my noodles and with these alternatives, you won’t have to. Grain Pasta Switching to whole grain pasta provides a […]