A serving of roasted vegetables over grains

Farro, Bean, and Roasted Vegetable Salad

If you have never tried farro, this is a great way to start. Farro gives this salad a wonderful texture. You can, however, use another grain you may have on hand such as brown rice, barley, or bulgur. This recipe uses roasted carrots and zucchini. However, you can use any roasted vegetable or even leftover […]

Olive oil in a corked jar

Can I Cook with Olive Oil?

I get this question all the time. Shouldn’t I cook with an oil other than olive oil? The answer to this is yes and no. If you have a $40 bottle of olive oil, I would save that for a special splash on top of a salad or use it as a dipping oil for […]

A grill with hot coals ready for use

Food Safety for Summer Grilling

As the weather warms up, I think about the nights I spend grilling with my family. Though we grill year-round, the food seems to taste just a little bit better on warm, summer evenings. With summer approaching, it is a great time to brush up on safe food preparation and cooking methods to avoid foodborne […]

How to Use a Chef’s Knife

In this how-to video, Dr. Carolyn Dunn shows how to properly use a chef’s knife. Following these simple rules will keep you safe in the kitchen so you can feel confident practicing your own knife skills. The chef’s knife is the workhorse of the kitchen, as it can accomplish many tasks such as chopping, slicing, […]

instant pot quinoa

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Quinoa is a whole grain that provides complete protein along with other nutrients. It is a great addition to a healthy eating pattern but many people are not familiar with this super food or may not know how to cook it. The recipe below is one of my favorite ways to cook quinoa. It is […]

Kitchen Tools to Help You Save Time and Space: Microplane, Mortar, and Peeler

While there are a lot of fun and easy-to-use single task kitchen tools (think avocado knives, garlic presses, etc.), there are super affordable multi-task tools that can save you time, money, and space! I love these the most, and they make cooking healthy at home so much easier! Microplane I am always preaching about my […]

How to Winterize Your Salad

Let’s face it. There are so many great things about summer: warm weather, longer days, and lots of fresh produce. For me, it’s easy to create a colorful salad masterpiece with in-season vegetables and fruit during the summertime. Bright red tomatoes against a green leafy background topped with fresh blueberries makes getting an extra serving of […]

harissa

Is Harissa the New Sriracha?

I learned of harissa paste a few years ago while browsing one of my favorite recipe websites, Smitten Kitchen, by Deb Perlman. She describes harissa as a Northwest African chile pepper paste with red peppers, spices, and herbs such as garlic, coriander, caraway. This condiment is used everywhere from Tunisia and Libya to Algeria and […]

healthy dessert

5 Steps to Make a Healthy Dessert You Can Eat Everyday

I love having dessert after a meal. Hence my need to figure out what dessert I could mindfully eat every day. With research on the health benefits of eating berries, it became clear that incorporating berries every day was a must. I decided to experiment with a few berry-centered dessert options and found the perfect one. […]