April 9, 2024
Published by Grace O

Golden Berries Are an Anti-Aging Treasure

Golden berries go by many names. Some call them ground cherries. They grow on bushes, individually wrapped in husks like their cousin, the tomatillo. They are native to the Andes, which is why some people call them Inca berries or Aztec berries or even Peruvian cherries. Golden berries also grow in South Africa, where they are known as Cape gooseberries. Whatever you call them, just be sure to eat these bright yellow-orange fruits about the size of a cherry. Here in America, we most often see golden berries dried because they have a short growing season and an even shorter […]
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April 9, 2024
Published by Grace O

Spring Vegetables Take Center Stage

After a very challenging winter (at least here in Southern California where we actually had blizzards that left ten feet of snow in the local San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains), we are so ready for spring! In most of the country, you can get most any vegetable any time of the year, because we import many items from places like Mexico and Central America. But beginning in March and April, spring vegetables are ready for action and local produce becomes readily available at markets—farmers and super. Here are a variety of spring vegetables that are especially sweet and delicious […]
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March 27, 2024
Published by Grace O

Taste the International Language of Chicken

Everyone loves chicken! That’s because it’s so versatile and takes on whatever flavors it’s cooked with. Chickens, as a source of high-quality protein, can be raised in small spaces and require relatively modest amounts of feed to grow rather quickly. Every culture in the world has a national version of a chicken recipe. Traveling the world and growing up in the Philippines, where the cuisine is influenced by so many cultures – Spanish, Asian, Indian, Polynesian, and American – I have been exposed to delicious dishes from around the globe. That’s why at FoodTrients we love exploring international flavors. What […]
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March 27, 2024
Published by Grace O

Let’s Dish Up Some Anti-Inflammatory Recipes

Inflammation can wreak havoc on your health. It’s the body’s natural reaction to a stressor, which can be an injury, illness, infection or even a tough workout. Acute inflammation is a good thing, as long as it resolves the effects of stress on the body in the short term. But when it is chronic, occurring at high levels over a period of time due to a lack of sleep, poor diet, repeated infections, or other health conditions, it can lead to digestive problems, reduce the body’s ability to heal and lower immunity, leading to inflammatory diseases such as cancer, diabetes, […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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February 13, 2024
Published by Grace O

Let’s Celebrate the Year of the Dragon!

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is a very important holiday for me. Although I was born and raised in Southeast Asia, my father was three-quarters Chinese and my mother was half Chinese. We always celebrated the lunar new year by making special meals full of symbolism. For instance, we made a sweet sticky rice cake called tikoy because it symbolizes unity and togetherness and good luck that is supposed to stick to you all year long. We also cleaned the house and bought new clothes to wear on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. And […]
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