This is a great recipe for when you buy a whole bunch of avocados and they all ripen at the exact same time. Not only is it truly delicious, but there is an excellent chance that no one will realize that what you’ve made for them is any different than any other chocolate pudding they’ve ever eaten. Voila! Continue reading
Author Archives: Dr. Sukol
YOUR HEALTH PLATE: Coffee Nice Cream
Inasmuch as it’s going to be around 90F out there tomorrow, I am sharing a recipe that will be perfect for the weather. It’s like a smoothie but a lot thicker. You can eat it as is, or as the base for a smoothie bowl. It’s not ice cream; it’s “nice cream.” And it is delicious. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Canned Soup
Let’s say you have no get-up-and-go. Let’s say you did, but you used it all up dealing with your boss, your kids, your spouse, your self, your neighbor, your coworker, or your pandemic. Then let’s say that it’s dinnertime and you wish you had it in you to throw together something more nourishing than breakfast cereal or potato chips, but you don’t. What follows is a great recipe for when that day comes. Continue reading
Every Little Bit Means Progress
This is a post about how perfection is the enemy of progress. The thing is, this is true all the time, but I feel like it’s especially important to remind ourselves now, when we’ve been through so much, and it isn’t over yet, and we still need to be extra kind to ourselves, not to mention our family and friends and co-workers, who are also trying very hard to keep putting one foot in front of the other. So here’s the story: A while ago, it was time for us to replace our 300-foot-long driveway, so we contracted with some very competent, able-bodied cement guys. They put a date on the calendar for the following spring, and we waited (patiently) until May came around. Then they came one day and ripped out the old driveway, fully intending, of course, to replace it later that same week. Alas, as my grandmother used to say, “Menschen tracht unt Gott lacht.” That means people plan and God laughs. Ha-ha. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad
Thank goodness for quinoa and pistachios. If your mint isn’t coming up yet, feel free to substitute lemon balm, which grows wild and crazy around my house. This is a very forgiving recipe, and if you have other things you’d like to add or use up, like shredded carrots or chopped red pepper or a little lemon juice, then go right ahead. Continue reading
All Hail the 2021 Growing Season!
The first time I joined a community-supported agriculture (CSA) years ago, its kickoff late on a Thursday afternoon sent me racing out of the office at the end of the day. The first week’s bounty included lettuce greens, herbs, onions, kohlrabi, radishes. Adults chatted and children hopped around like bunnies as we waited for the strawberries to arrive. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Beet Hummus
The thing I love most about this recipe is the color. Remember the magenta crayon in the big Crayola box? That’s it. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PANDEMIC: Homemade Orange Juice
This is a special recipe for when you’ve had enough but the pandemic has not. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: French Lentil Salad
If you like lentils as much as I do, this simple recipe is probably looking pretty good to you. I would not have thought of mixing a classic dijon vinaigrette with lentils, but it works oh-so-deliciously. These lentils are exactly the kind of thing I love to find in the refrigerator when I don’t know what I’m looking for. To make this recipe easier (pandemic style), feel free to skip the bay leaf, substitute 1/2 tsp. garlic powder for the garlic, and use some kind of halfway decent Italian dressing instead of the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and spices. Then if you can get yourself or someone else to peel and slice a carrot and onion, the whole recipe will come together. Good enough. Continue reading
Something from Nothing: Gifts from the Compost Pile
Some years ago, when winter was coming to an end and spring was still soggy and cold, I discovered a lone organic potato in my kitchen. I have to specify that it was organic because conventionally grown potatoes are much less likely to root and generate offspring. This sad little potato was dried out, wrinkly, and way past edible. At least six little rootlets were beginning to form on the skin, and so I decided to try an experiment. I cut that little potato into six chunks, each containing a single rootlet. I dug a trench in the garden on the far side of our backyard, and dropped each of the pieces into the trench, about one foot apart. Then I covered them with dirt and waited. Continue reading