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October 24, 2023
The Chinese have been growing and eating jujubes for over 4,000 years. Jujube, or Chinese date, trees are shrub-like with thorny branches. The fruits are shaped like small apples that are green when unripe and turn brownish red. As they ripen and age they wrinkle and shrink to the size of a large date. The flesh of the fruit is most like an apple when it’s unripe. As it ripens it becomes soft and spongy. Asians generally steep slices of jujubes in hot water and make a jujube tea. Sometimes they reduce the tea on the stove and add […]
October 23, 2023
Everyone loves Halloween. That’s probably because it’s the first holiday after the summer and signals a new holiday season with Thanksgiving and Christmas just ahead. I have friends with children who like to trick-or-treat in my neighborhood. It’s fun to have them over after they’ve collected their candy to check out their costumes. Usually the kids are hungry, and rather than letting them dine on candy I like to serve them treats that are delicious, but that they’d never suspect are healthy, too. Their parents sure appreciate that! The recipes below from my cookbook, The Age Beautifully Cookbook, deliver on […]
October 10, 2023
Like many people from Asia, I’ve always loved ginger. Besides tasting wonderful in soups, stir fries, rice dishes, beverages and desserts, it’s like a little medicine chest of natural remedies and health benefits. Traditional Indian medicine calls ginger the “universal remedy.” It’s commonly used to relieve nausea, can stimulate circulation, relax muscles, relieve pain and as an anti-inflammatory. As a child, my mother made a Chinese porridge with ginger for me, or she’d boil ginger and make it into a tea with honey to cure a cough and sore throat. I still find ginger tea very soothing to this day. […]
October 10, 2023
The change in season is such a wonderful time, even in temperate Southern California. Yes, the days can be hot, but the sun sets earlier and though it may still reach 80-plus degrees at 2:00 pm, evenings are cool, and thoughts turn to comforting, fallish foods, including vegetables. Most fall vegetables are available in winter, too, and most vegetables, for that matter, are available year-round thanks to farmers in Mexico and Central America. The key is that typically fall vegetables are at their peak this time of year, so take advantage of them at their best. Here are some vegetables […]
September 24, 2023
No matter the country or culture, every one of them has a version of chicken soup. There is something universal about a warm, briny brew with chunks of chicken, vegetables, herbs and sometimes rice or pasta. Depending on how it’s prepared, chicken soup provides fluids, fiber, protein and vitamins. It’s a delicious first course, soothing comfort food, and some even attribute it with healing powers (‘Jewish penicillin’). But it’s not just folklore. Chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory, inhibiting immune system cells from over-reacting. It also relieves nasal congestion and sore throats. Plus, the zinc in chicken improves absorption of […]
September 11, 2023
As the summer heats up, I’m less inclined to cook hot meals. Plus, go to any supermarket and it’s clear that produce is in full bloom. Colorful fruits and vegetables inspire me to whip up delicious and healthful salads. When you go to Italy in the summer, you can’t believe how luscious the produce is. That’s because much of it is local or grown not far from where it’s consumed. Our own grocery stores are stocking much more local produce. Check out all the delicious produce at your nearby farmers market. A few weeks ago, I wrote about international dressings […]
September 11, 2023
I’m sure you’ve had this experience. You eat healthy most of the day, but at about three o’clock in the afternoon you crave something sweet. Or salty/crunchy. You indulge and feel great for a short time, and then you’re more tired and hungry than ever. What’s happening is that the simple carbs in these snacks spike the level of the sugar in your blood and trigger a surge of insulin, which the body manufactures to metabolize sugars. These extreme swings in blood sugar levels will not only play havoc with your energy and moods, but can present serious challenges to […]
September 10, 2023
Who doesn’t love pesto, the uncooked sauce most associated with the city of Genoa in Northern Italy? The pesto most of us have tried is made with fresh basil that’s been pounded and mixed with super-diced garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, then blended with extra virgin olive oil. Basil pesto imparts a beautiful green color on pasta and is a great spread on Italian bread. The dark green basil leaves are nutritional stars, because they are full of compounds that stabilize blood sugar levels and antioxidants that help protect cells from free radical damage. The garlic in pesto contains allicin, […]
August 30, 2023
The growing trend of one-bowl meals just keeps going. I enjoy creating a blend of flavors, spices and textures in my bowl recipes and find them to be delicious, satisfying meals. The legend of the Buddha carrying a bowl with him on his journeys and accepting food as donations to be eaten at the end of the day is the origin of the Asian-inspired “Buddha Bowl.” If the Enlightened One had lived in Morocco, a Buddha Bowl would probably have contained couscous and the spice blend, zaatar. Or if he travelled throughout Peru, at the end of the day his […]