As the seasons change and the days get shorter again, it’s critical to assess ways to increase energy and vitality so you can stay alert and focused. Instead of reaching for an extra cup of coffee or other types of stimulants, try a whiff of one of these energizing essential oils (or create a blend!) to wake you up and keep you going through the rest of your day. On top of getting enough high quality sleep each night, moving your body with some physical activity daily, and eating a balanced diet to provide you with the baseline energy you […]
Beef is a little controversial for several reasons. First, many popular cuts of beef such as prime rib, filet mignon and short ribs are pretty high in
Sheet pan meals are having a moment and why not? What’s better than preparing a whole meal using just one
From tuberculosis to bird flu and HIV to coronavirus, these infectious diseases share a common origin story: human interaction with animals. Otherwise known as zoonotic diseases for their passage from animals to humans, these pathogens―both pre-existing ones and those newly identified―emerge and re-emerge throughout history, sparking epidemics and pandemics that have resulted in millions of deaths around the world. How did these diseases come about? And what―if anything―can we do to stop them and their fatal march into our countries, our homes, and our bodies? In How to Survive a Pandemic, Dr. Michael Greger, physician and internationally recognized expert on […]
Whether your Thanksgiving and holiday dinners are intimate gatherings or lively feasts, your turkey dinner can be exciting and loaded with a world of new flavors. If you’re a little adventuresome and yearn to deviate a bit from the old standby holiday recipes, we’ve got some great turkey tips loaded with a world of new flavors. Here are recipes for a spiced-up turkey and some tasty and unique dishes to fill up your holiday table. Turkey is typically the American centerpiece of holiday meals, but we have variations that are just as delicious and have some international flair. Spicy Sriracha […]
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Breathing is an essential function for our health and wellbeing, an exercise so basic to sustaining life that we do it without even thinking. But it’s also a lost art. Humans have forgotten how to breathe correctly, so the journalist James Nestor traveled the world to find out where we […]
I met chef Mike Elmachtoub when someone recommended his catering company to me. I called Urban Crunch Meal Prep & Catering and ordered some pistachio-crusted salmon and filet mignon for my staff. The food was well received, so I began to order more and more from Urban Crunch. Chef and owner Mike and I got to talking about his upbringing in Lebanon and how his father owned multiple restaurants all over the world. Mike knew he wanted to be in the restaurant business himself, so he studied culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. (He’s lived in the U.S. […]
These tortillas are soft enough to wrap around fish but durable enough to hold fajitas. I spent weeks perfecting them! Everyone who tries them loves them. This recipe makes reddish-colored tortillas using red bell peppers, but for tortillas with green flecks use green bell peppers. I use golden flaxseeds because I prefer their color. Flaxseed contains fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease, and vitamin E, which protects the heart and the skin from the sun’s aging effects. The carotenoids in squash and peppers are precursors to vitamin A, which […]
My Homemade Vegetable Stock and Mock Sour Cream make this a light but satisfying vegan soup. You can use store-bought vegetable broth instead of homemade. The yellow bell peppers complement the taste and the nutrient content of the tomatoes, and they lighten the color of this soup to a pretty orange hue. If you don’t want to chop, seed, and peel the tomatoes, you can use canned chopped tomatoes instead. Tomatoes contain heart-healthy lycopene. SERVES 4 Ingredients 8-10 Roma tomatoes 2 orange bell peppers 2 cups Homemade Vegetable Stock Sea Salt and black pepper to taste 1/4 cup Mock Sour […]
Asian fusion cooking is about using Mediterranean or American ingredients and, possibly, French techniques in classical Chinese, Thai, or Filipino recipes. I’m not intimidated by exotic ingredients, but I know that many of my American friends can be. For them, I try to use more familiar spices to simplify the cooking process. I also look at trends in the healthy cooking sector and add my own delicious Southeast Asian spin to the recipes that are sometimes bland. Quinoa has become a popular ingredient because of its detoxifying, gut healthy fiber, but it has almost no flavor. I’ve created a way […]