Whole Grains - Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blueberry Compote Recipe

Steel-Cut Oats with Dried Fruit and Blueberry Compote

In the past several years, whole grain foods have been getting a lot of attention. There are whole grain breads, crackers, pastas, and more in supermarkets. What are whole grains and why are whole grains good for you?

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Quick and Easy Dinners - Korean Lettuce Wrap Recipe

Korean Lettuce Wrap

During the week, like many of you, there are days I need to be able to make a quick and easy dinner. Between meetings, pickups and drop-offs of kids, 30 minute meals are a must some days. After a long day at school, my kids are hungry and they want to eat as soon as they walk in the door.

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What's Cooking at Parent Grapevine

I'm excited to announce that I will be publishing some of my recipes on What's Cooking at Parent Grapevine starting today.  Parent Grapevine is a blog featuring real life stories on parenting, the good and the bad that parents can easily relate to.  Check out my first post!

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Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushroom Recipe

Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms

On Monday, guest blogger Lisa Corrado wrote a post on the value of cruciferous vegetables as true powerhouses in fighting cancer. I thought it might be helpful to introduce some of you to bok choy, a Chinese cruciferous vegetable. As a cruciferous vegetable, not only does bok choy contain potent phytochemicals that fight cancer, but it is also high in vitamin C, calcium and vitamin A.


Baby Bok Choy, one of the many varieties of Bok Choy

 Bok choy literally means "white vegetable," and refers to a number of different varieties including napa cabbage, baby bok choy or Shanghai bok choy, and choy sum.  No matter which bok choy you come across, you will find the taste to be milder and sweeter than most of its cousins such as broccoli, brussels sprouts or kale.  I think of bok choy as an easy entry to cruciferous vegetables.
Here's an easy stir fry recipe for Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms.


1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 cups baby bok choy, ends trimmed, washed and cut into 1" pieces
6 fresh shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable stock or water
Heat sesame oil on medium heat in a large skillet.  Add ginger and stir for about 15 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add bok choy, shitake mushrooms and red bell pepper.  Season to taste with salt.  Add vegetable stock and cover; cook for 3-4 minutes, until just tender.

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More Bok Choy Recipes:
Gimme Some Oven's Baby Bok Choy with Cashews
Sasasunakku's Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce
Alternative Health Remedies' Stir-Fried Rice Stick Noodles with Bok Choy and Cherry Tomatoes

Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms

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Guest Post by Lisa Corrado: Cruciferous Vegetables

I am thrilled to present Lisa Corrado as my guest blogger today, who shares a similar interest in healthy living. Lisa, a registered nutritionist and chef, provides nutritional counseling and coaching, and supports corporate wellness initiatives.

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Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe

Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup

Today, I made a big pot of Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup for some friends with cancer. I tried to include a lot of different cancer-fighting ingredients as the American Institute for Cancer Research stresses the importance of eating a variety of plant foods to ensure the most protection against cancer development. The result was a nutrient rich soup with lots of flavor.

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Winter Squash 101 (Plus 18 Recipes!)

More delicious winter squash recipes: Winter Squash 101 (Plus 18 Recipes!)

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Winter Squash Recipes

Buttercup Squash, one of many winter squash varieties

With cooler weather on its way, winter squashes such as butternut, kabocha, buttercup, delicata and acorn squashes are popping up in markets. Winter squashes differ from summer squashes as they are allowed to fully mature before being eaten. Their seeds are fully developed and the skin is hard.

Until a few years ago, I was intimidated by winter squashes, as I did not know how to cut its hard flesh, peel its thick skin, or cook it.

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Red Curry Meatballs with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Red Curry Meatballs with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

I was inspired to make Red Curry Meatballs with a Vietnamese Dipping Sauce after trying a spicy meatball recipe from Monica Bhide's Everything Indian cookbook, and seeing Kalyn's Kitchen's Thai-Inspired meatball recipe. I've been on a Southeast Asian kick lately, and have been experimenting with Thai red curry, so why not try them in meatballs.

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Soup of the Week - Suvir Saran's Lentil Soup

French Lentil Soup with Cilantro

As the weather gets cooler, I crave lentil soups.  I'm always on the lookout for a good recipe for lentil soup, especially one with a twist of flavor.  I came across several interesting lentil soups, but the one in Suvir Saran's American Masala cookbook sounded especially interesting.

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Thai Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Thai Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Lately, I've been craving both Thai coconut curry soup and lentil soup. Perhaps, it's because I wanted to relive the heady bowl of Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup I had for lunch last week when it was wet and dank outside.

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How To Poach Chicken - Chinese Poached Chicken with Soy Ginger Sauce

Chinese Poached Chicken with Soy Ginger Sauce

Poaching is a virtually fat-free way of cooking chicken and fish.  Although seldom used in American kitchens, poaching is a popular way of cooking in China. Growing up, I remember watching Titus Chan’s cooking show, “Cooking the Chanese Way,” (yes, I know, very corny, but the recipes were really good!) and making his Chinese Poached Chicken for dinner.  I was fascinated by how soft and silky the chicken was, using such a simple cooking method.

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Korean Chicken Taco Recipe

Korean Chicken Tacos

I recently tried my hand at a Korean Chicken Taco recipe after tasting my first Korean taco at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, California, which features a wide selection of artisan street food, in addition to fresh produce, meats, bread, cheese, and more. It was amazing to see how long the lines were at some of the most popular food stands.

One stand that caught my eye was Namu, a Korean stand, featuring "Real Korean Tacos" made with kalbi short ribs, seasoned rice, pickles and kimchee remoulade.

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How To Dress Up a Roasted Chicken - Chimichurri Recipe



Roasted Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

This week, I was super busy, shuttling kids around, going to what felt like a slew of meetings and more, so I picked up a roasted chicken for dinner.  I knew it would need to be "dressed up" to pass muster with my picky eaters at home, so I resorted to one of my favorite standby sauces, a version of chimichurri, a South American sauce originating from Argentina and Uruguay, which at its very basic, consists of parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Here's a quick and easy way to dress up a roasted chicken on a busy night.  This Chimichurri Sauce is delicious on fish, grilled vegetables, and just about anything you can think of.

Sometimes oregano, cumin, cilantro, paprika or lemon are also added.  This sauce transformed one of my kid's "yuck" expression to "yum!"

Chimichurri Sauce

4 tablespoons minced parsley
4 tablespoons minced onion
1 minced garlic clove
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
a dash or two of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.


More Chimichurri Recipes:
Closet Cooking's Chimichurri Sauce (with cilantro, oregano, smoked paprika)
Baking with Basil's Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

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A Healthy Dinner Menu

Braised Chicken with Fig Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

I was trying to come up with a healthy dinner menu this past week when I came upon Tiffin Tale’s menu for a Fall Harvest Dinner that she entered for a food blog challenge. What perfect timing! Tiffin Tales has amazing pictures and recipes, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong.  My goal was to come up with a menu for the cooler weather that was hearty but healthy.

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How To Cook Beans



Dried Black Beans



Beans are a great source of fiber and protein, and are naturally low in fat (1 cup of cooked black beans has 15 grams fiber, 15 grams protein, 2 grams fat, and 0 grams saturated fat).

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The Farmer's Market Sandwich



Farm fresh heirloom tomato, mozzarella cheese and pesto sandwich

 Each summer when the local farmer's market opens, the one thing I look forward to most is my first taste of fresh baked bread topped with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes. To me, this sandwich marks the beginning of all the fresh summer produce to come.

There's a stand at the farmer's market that offers samples of this delicious combination to all bystanders throughout the summer, and people line up to get a taste. On many Saturdays, I buy a loaf of our family favorite, semolina bread topped with sesame seeds, a container of fresh pesto, a mozzarella ball, and tomatoes to make this special treat at home for lunch.
As the summer goes on, however, my kids start turning up their noses at this delicious combination, having had one too many.  So, I stopped making what had become our standard Saturday lunch, and guess what?  This morning, my son requested it for lunch!



1 loaf fresh baked bread, sliced
1 large fresh mozzarella cheese ball, thinly sliced
1-2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
fresh pesto (Kalyn Denny has a great post with pesto recipes)
To make a sandwich, spread a generous amount of pesto on one side of each slice of bread. Layer on sliced mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.  Cut in half and eat!

Farmer's Market Sandwich

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