Age GracefullyThe First Taste of Fall: Apples & Pears
There’s always a moment when I realize fall has arrived. Here in Southern California, it isn’t necessarily because the temperature has dropped or the leaves have started changing. Sometimes, it’s simply walking through the market and seeing beautiful displays of crisp apples and ripe pears. To me, apples and pears are some of the first tastes of fall. I love them because they’re delicious just as they are, but they’re also incredibly versatile in the kitchen. Slice them into a salad, pair them with nuts and cheese, cook them alongside a savory meal, or bake them with cinnamon and warm […]READ MORE
January 30, 2023
Published by Grace O
The versatility of pesto can help us all do our very besto when it comes to adding great flavor and big benefits to dishes. Use your imagination and check out the pesto chart along with two of my out-of-the-box pestos that deliver great taste along with powerful nutrients. You can serve these and any favorite pesto over vegetables; pasta; flatbread … whatever you choose! Nettle Pesto At the height of allergy season, incorporating nettles into your meals can be a soothing practice offering relief. With research supporting the use of nettles for seasonal allergies and hay fever, this plant contains […]
January 3, 2023
Published by Grace O
I love to open up my home and invite friends and family over for celebrations. And the holiday season provides irresistible opportunities to throw great parties that people will remember. My first priority is always my guests, and I ensure that they are well fed, entertained, and delighted. Good food is vital to any party. Hungry guests are not happy guests, so I have a wide variety of food available for the duration of the party. During the holidays, a time when people tend to overeat and overindulge, I offer some healthful party fare in addition to seasonal favorites. Give […]
January 3, 2023
Published by Grace O
Family meals and entertaining friends are even better when you add a delicious dessert to the menu. I love serving my Pear and Apple Tart during the holidays. In this dessert, I take the recipe from the classic French dessert tarte tatin–with its quercetin-containing apples–and add pears for their copper content, pecans and cinnamon, which are high in antioxidants. It is worth noting that when used in sufficient amounts, cinnamon also has anti-blood-clotting agent, anti-inflammatory properties and may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Pear and Apple Tart SERVES 6-8 Ingredients 6 Tbs. butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup sugar, […]
December 28, 2022
Published by Grace O
I love turkey as much as the next person, but sometimes when I’m entertaining I want to show off my cooking chops. We all get into that culinary holiday rut of turkey, ham and beef roasts. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with those! But there are other entrees that are delicious, unique and could become your new holiday tradition. These are featured in my book, The Age Beautifully Cookbook. Roasted Pork Shoulder Pork shoulder is pretty tough, so I like to start this dish the night before and let it cook slowly overnight. This method will tenderize any tough cut of […]
October 23, 2022
Published by Grace O
Indian food is a hot trend today. It has expanded beyond traditional Indian restaurants onto menus all over the country. It’s no wonder. Today’s more adventurous diners have embraced Indian flavors for some time now, and Indian spices like ginger, coriander, cumin, cayenne, cloves, cardamom and turmeric have been enhancing everything from sweet potato fries to chicken salad. But the added bonus of Indian cuisine is that many of its signature foods have long been prized for their healing properties as well as their great flavors. Ayurveda is the name for India’s ancient medical practices. Most Indian super foods have […]
October 11, 2022
Published by Grace O
Beans are a wonderful, vegan source of protein. They are full of fiber—good for lowering cholesterol and pulling heavy metals out of the body—and lysine, an amino acid that repairs tissue. When made in a pressure cooker, beans provide a quick, easy homemade lunch or dinner. For even faster preparation, canned beans can be rinsed and used. Even if you are not a vegetarian, for those of us trying to eat more meatless meals, beans offer a delicious and satisfying alternative. Here are a few vegetarian and vegan recipes I’ve created that offer a variety of international flavors. Cuban Black […]
September 25, 2022
Published by Grace O
Do you want to spice up your life while making meals that help you look and feel younger? Get ready for a delicious dish that can do just that – my Turkey with Molé Sauce, which is featured in my cookbook – The Age Beautifully Cookbook. I created an easy ways to help you make your own favorite recipes anti-aging. I’ve been researching spice mixes so I can boost the benefits in all of my recipes and yours. Where to begin? I started by identifying all the spices in my kitchen cabinet that are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories: turmeric, mustard, […]
September 25, 2022
Published by Grace O
It’s summer and avocados are at their best. Who doesn’t love this buttery-rich fruit that’s full of nutrients and good fats? I’m just happy to take a ripe avocado and spread it on whole grain toast, but the chef in me can’t resist coming up with new ideas for avocados, too. Here are some facts about avocados that make them one of the healthiest foods you can eat: They’re high in monounsaturated fat, specifically oleic acid, an omega-9 fat that can help lower cholesterol. The monounsaturated fat in avocados is also associated with reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. Avocados […]
August 30, 2022
Published by Grace O
One of the hottest trends for skin and hair care products, argan oil, has a little secret – this powerful anti-aging oil goes way beyond beauty when it comes to being healthy, effective and useful. Argan oil is from the kernels of the argan tree (Argania spinosa), which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. You’ve probably seen a variety of skin and hair products that contain argan oil, because it’s known for its effective moisturizing properties. There’s been research that suggests the fatty acids in argan oil support healthy, hydrated skin, reduce hair damage and contribute to glossiness. What’s surprising about […]
August 30, 2022
Published by Grace O
For such a delicate-looking and innocuous herb, cilantro, which is the leaves of the coriander plant, is a little bit controversial. People seem to either love it or hate it. Cilantro looks like flat leaf parsley, but it has a tangy, almost citrusy flavor. Long used in Asian, Indian, Caribbean and Latin American cooking, cilantro gives a bright taste to salads, salsas, meat, chicken and fish. I think it’s the secret ingredient to summer dishes, though you can find it fresh in supermarkets all year round. Given the chance, even the most skeptical can acquire a taste for cilantro. But […]
August 1, 2022
Published by Grace O
Even though I follow my FoodTrients program for its anti-aging benefits, I know that vitamin supplements are an important part of aging gracefully. I take 20-plus vitamins and supplements a day, most of which are in capsule form. But for me, they’re not so easy to swallow. I need to drink them with water. Some friends of mine hide their pills in a piece of banana or a spoonful of apple sauce for easy downing. By the end of the day, I’m tired of pills getting stuck in my throat or drinking so much water! It’s tempting to skip some […]
July 30, 2022
Published by Grace O
The inspiration for my empowering FoodTrients program—this website, the cookbook, my board of advisors—really came from my father. He was a physician and he had a way of looking at food as though it could heal us. He understood the value of the vitamins and minerals found in fresh foods and how those elements could influence our health. Foods like organic fruits and vegetables, wild fish, and humanely raised animals have so many good things in it: antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory agents, fiber, and anti-bacterial compounds. I needed to come up with a term to encompass the […]
July 6, 2022
Published by Grace O
You have probably heard of the Mediterranean Diet. Besides conjuring visions of sipping chilled prosecco overlooking a sparkling sea, this way of cooking and eating is a heavily plant-based diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, herbs, fish, lean meats (in moderation) and monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil. It’s a true farm-to-table diet that relies on locally produced/caught/raised foods. In a number of studies, people who live around the Mediterranean in Southern Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, as well as countries such as Croatia, Israel and Morocco, and live a mostly agrarian life tend to have lower incidences […]