Danger in the Gluten-Free Aisle

New gluten-free products are making it easy to live without gluten, but are we missing the bigger, teachable moment–and rewards–of a gluten-intolerance diagnosis?

How About a Quick, “White-Free” Snack

Feel yourself getting sucked into a 4:00 p.m. “White Snack” attack? The best defense is a good offense. In this case, that means having a ready, handy, really tasty substitute for pretzels, crackers, cookies and Goldfish. Try Jicima Sticks with Black Bean Hummus instead.

Using Herbs and Spices: More on Flavor Families

Here’s the great thing about herb and spice flavor families. Find one you like and you’ve got an easy springboard to creative fun, as in this recipe for Eggplant and Garbanzo Stew with Spicy Coriander Flavors.

Is it OK to use the garlic and ginger that comes in jars?

Those little jars of prepared garlic and ginger are so completely convenient!  No fussing
with paper-thin garlic peels, no paring gnarly knobs of ginger or endangering fingers on the ginger grater and no garlic-smelling hands for the rest of the night.  But is it OK to use these conveniences?
I get this question a lot, usually phrased [...]

What to Do with Extra Eggplant?

Know how many pounds of eggplant are grown in China each year? A lot. That’s why Chinese cuisine is a good source of inspiration when facing a surfeit of eggplant.

Don’t Pitch that Browned Rice

“Browning” rice is not like “browning chicken breasts until golden,” or “toasting nuts until brown and fragrant.” No, it means forgetting about the rice simmering on the stove until a thick brown, hard crust forms on the bottom. But now there’s a new use for it–so don’t pitch it in the composter.

Mutant Produce Now Comes Complete with Stickers

Do you remember when you could buy a pear, wash it, then eat it?  Not anymore.  Mad scientists have successfully hybridized every last produce species.  Shortly after harvest, fruits and vegetables now develop a brightly colored, impossibly sticky scab on the outer skin.  Being highly toxic, the scab must be removed before eating, presenting consumers [...]

Food Safety: Why Don’t We Just Eat Peanut Butter?

With yet another food scare, maybe it’s time to start relying on our own wits to ensure the safety of what goes in our mouths. Here are some quick guidelines to begin regaining a sense of control and comfort when it comes to eating.

Stocking the Pantry—How to Avoid Time Panic

If it’s true that creating a pantry takes more than an afternoon, then how can we possibly reap the benefits of a pantry? Is there a way to reframe the picture so time panic doesn’t prevent you from having one of these invaluable kitchen resources?

Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free Living—Beyond Recipes and Cookbooks

What do you do if you’ve been told to stop eating wheat or gluten? Cookbooks and recipes aren’t a bad starting point. But they are only part—and a relatively small part of the solution. What’s more, they’re the easy part. Find out the deeper fundamentals that will lead to more lasting–and enjoyable–success.