I am no expert, but I am pretty sure chicken pho cures everything. A while back I travelled through Vietnam and I came down with the usual travellers sickness. I was down for the count until I tried my first bowl of pho. It completely cured me. More recently I enjoyed a couple too many glasses of red wine one night over the holidays and woke up feeling pretty awful. One bowl of chicken pho and I was back to normal.
Read MoreNext up in my Thanksgiving recipe series are my crispy skillet potatoes with garlic and herbs. I am not saying not to serve mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, but I am saying that these are delicious and a total showstopper. If you can’t imagine not serving mashed potatoes, you can also just make them for dinner and throw a fried egg on top, just saying, because this recipe is a keeper.
Read MoreFull confession, I love hippie food. The crazier concoction the better. If it looks like twigs and berries and promises that it is good for me I am sold. I think this fascination with natural foods comes from walking the aisles of a natural food store growing up. I can still smell that store - with its carob chips pretending to be chocolate chips and patchouli soap (I still love both for the record). My fascination continues since we live so close to Berkeley's famous Berkley Bowl, where it seems cool to be into natural food stores. (I think I found my people!)
Read MoreHave you ever thought about the first person that dared eat an oyster? Or what about that first person who tried a mushroom and prayed that it wasn’t poisonous? I am not sure why but I think a lot about these people. Probably because I spend a lot of time prepping food and thoughts like these just pop into my head. Like why do we eat arugula but eating dandelion greens (until recently) has been avoided? Or who thought that if you blanch stinging nettles, which literally sting you when you pick them, they would be the most delicious pizza topping? This burning question is especially relevant when it comes to artichokes. Have you ever seen an artichoke plant? They are scary pre-historic bushes and if the artichoke is not picked in time it turns into this crazy gorgeous purple blossom that looks like it could eat you ( a la the man-eating plant in Little Shops of Horrors). Also the plant is so tough that people literally can make furniture out if it. So who in the world was the crazy person to dig deep inside that prickly center and figure out there was deliciousness in there? How did they know if you steam the center and then douse it with butter and serve with a lemon aioli that tastiness awaits? Who? Who? I need to know!
Read MoreMy full on transformation into hippie life has begun - and I am proud of it. I have always been on the fence but I think as I get older the more I am embracing it. I don’t know if it is a product of Northern California or if I have always been attracted to a more “natural" way of life, but I am totally waving that flag now. Don’t get me wrong I am still addicted to my iPhone, I may have had just cheese and salumi for dinner last night and I have a tree in my living room that I put Miracle Grow on because it is dying,but I like to think it is all about balance and pachouli. (Yes I love the smell of pachouli - that is hippie 101 right?) I have gone pretty much natural on cleaning products, make-up, deodorant and most importantly food There is such a connection between how something is grown and raised to the status of our health. If I were to quit my job today one of the paths that I would probably want to go down is food policy in this country. Sounds sexy right? I take for granted how lucky I am in to live in Northern California and have access to some of the best local, sustainable raised food out there. I used to get horrible migraines that all of a sudden stopped when I started eating better food.
Read MoreHappy New Year! Can you believe it is 2016!? We just got back from vacation. I love vacations but I can’t stay in vacation mode too long. By the middle of a vacation, I crave routine and normalcy. I love exploring new places but need to balance that with real life. For the holidays we drove to Big Sky Montana. The drive from Oakland to Big Sky is about 15 hours, give or take. We drove this year so we could bring the dog. So much of our life revolves around that silly dog. But he is worth it - most of the time.
Read MoreDo you have food memories? Like vivid memories where you can still remember the taste of the food and how you felt at that exact moment? Well pickled green tomatoes is a serious food memory for me.
Read Morepring has officially sprung and I can’t help myself from eating all of the vegetables I missed during the colder months, especially fava beans. Fava beans or broad beans are super seasonal vegetables that arrive in April and are usually gone by May. Because favas are a little time intensive to shuck the easiest way to eat them is to roast them in the oven (or on the grill) whole with a little olive oil for about 5 – 7 minutes until soft. But if you have the time, they are delicious and gorgeous in a light and fresh spring salad.
Read MoreI have a serious love of Mexican food. I could eat it morning, noon and night and never get sick of it. Especially tacos – I love a good taco. For me, a taco is all about well-seasoned filling and lots of garnishes. Traditionally the meat in tacos has been braised or can take a while to cook, but my shrimp tacos can be ready in under 10 minutes, which might make it the world’s perfect taco.
Read MoreIf you have ever picked up a vintage cookbook there will undoubtedly be a recipe for deviled eggs. Deviled eggs have been around for years, even decades, and I don’t see them going anywhere. They are a classic appetizer that is perfect for entertaining or just plan snacking. They also are the perfect finger food. Although the classic recipe is delicious, I have updated my deviled eggs by adding some sriracha, curry powder and bacon. All three flavors come together to create a smooth, spicy and hearty deviled egg.
Read MoreWe just got back from a quick but cold trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding. It was a whirlwind weekend of fun and needless to say, I think I need another weekend to recover. Especially from the cold. I have truly become a softy when it comes to weather. I lived in Boston and NY but forgot how to deal with cold weather. I also forgot that when the weather is cold you are inside all day, eating and drinking. All of this is to say I need a serious detox this week. This kale salad with butternut squash, quinoa and hazelnuts is the perfect recipe to get me back on track.
Read MoreI have a serious case of wanderlust these days. All I want to do is dream of places to travel. Even though we just took a trip to Florida for the holidays and we have a couple of weekend trips coming up(like NYC this weekend), I still have this itch to travel. I will take just about any kind of travel - day trips, weekend trips or even better, international trips. I have my heart set on Morocco for some reason. It has been high on my list of places to visit for a while, I think it is all the colors and patterns of Morocco as well as (and most importantly) the food. I am in love with the flavors of Moroccan food - a mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern - it is completely the flavor profile I always turn to when I am cooking. So inspired by my serious case of wanderlust, here is my version of a Moroccan citrus salad with feta, pistachios and mint. If I can't get to Morocco anytime soon, maybe I can pretend I am there by cooking food influenced by that part of the world.
Read MoreBreakfast is one of those things that’s really good for you but no one seems to have time for it. Or at least I don’t. For a while my breakfast was two cups of coffee and nothing else. I quickly learned that by 11 am I was so hungry that I would eat anything that was in sight. Hangry doesn’t even begin to describe it. Also, it is not the best tactic if you are ever trying to watch what you eat.
Read MoreDo you have any New Year's resolutions or intentions?I had the best of intentions to eat really clean the month of January. In theory I wanted to avoid gluten, dairy and alcohol. Sadly I couldn't even make it a week! My lack of willpower is seriously lame. I have already had a couple delicious cocktails as well as a delicious pizza from a local pizza shop. I am ok with it partly because it was worth it and also in general I try to eat pretty healthy all year-long. (but still I could have gone longer than a week!). Since I am surrounded by food all day, I think I am hyper aware about what I eat, because if I didn't I would be eating brownies and cupcakes all day (although that would be tasty, the end result would be bad).
Read MoreSince I work around food all day, I tend to eat pretty healthy breakfasts. I have become a walking advertisement for that old saying of starting the day off right with a good breakfast. Sadly no more waffles or bagels for breakfast. I find that if I start the day with something quasi-healthy, I can usually go the day without binging on the baked goods that always seem to be hanging around at work. My normal breakfast is a salad (boring I know) but if I had time, I would always make myself a version huevos rancheros. So delicious and so healthy.
Read MoreI know I have been posting nothing but salads recently, but that is all I seem to want to eat. Nice crisp, cold salads. This one is no exception. You wouldn't think it, but the combination of tomatoes and watermelon together is pretty amazing. Sweet, tangy perfection. One of these days I will start posting other recipes like pies and hearty fall food, but until then I am getting my fill on fruits and vegetables because this tomato watermelon salad is what I am going to be dreaming about come cold, dreary January.
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