YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Deep-Dish Greens with a Millet-Amaranth Crust

Looking for something to do with those collards?! Still trying to figure out what to do with that millet you bought in a weak moment a few months ago already? This is what you’ve been waiting for! What I love most about this beautiful recipe is the unusual and complementary pairing of greens and grains to highlight their different tastes and textures. Once you get the hang of it, you may even want to try it with other grains, like polenta (corn) or brown rice. Don’t skimp on the stock — water just doesn’t give it as much flavor. Continue reading


The Real Meaning of “Breakfast Cereal”

Let’s talk about something I said a few weeks ago: It started with the term “breakfast cereal.” I put it in quotes for reasons that I’ll get to below. I also made the point that the term “breakfast cereal” reminds me of phrases like “TV dinners,” and “Lunchables,” whatever that means. Whenever marketers tell me what to eat and when to eat it, that’s a very bad sign. Actually it’s more of a clue. And that’s the subject of today’s post. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Scrambled Eggs and Broccoli

After the requisite amount of hemming and hawwing, I picked up a copy of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything as a shower gift for our young cousin and his beaming Australian bride-to-be. When they opened it, he quipped “Well, we won’t be needing any other cookbooks.” True dat! Try this broccoli beauty for starters. Or dinner. Continue reading



YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Spicy Pink Sauerkraut

A few months ago I set up a green cabbage to ferment, and that’s exactly what happened! Tonight is the night that it’s going to be set free from its crock, spread over the bottom of a large Dutch oven, covered with turkey sausages, and made into yum! I’ll probably add some roasted potatoes on the side. Continue reading


Beans, Beans, They’re Good For Your Heart

The newest version of recommendations to guide our food choices has one glaring omission, and that is its lack of emphasis on beans. There is a lot to celebrate in it, the ridiculously long way in which they chose to say it notwithstanding, but still. It’s nice to know that the government finally backs my recommendation to eat eggs, for example. And thanks, Michael Ruhlman, for never taking those previous sets of guidelines [which warned us against “the evils of eggs and their concerning cholesterol levels”] seriously. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa, Squash and Bean Soup

Here’s a great, simple recipe from my friend’s friend’s daughter-in-law. We’re practically family! Check out Marci’s blog at veggingattheshore.com. You can say that YHIOYP sent you.

P.S. Note the regionalism in her blog title: that kind of talk is something you’ll hear only in Philadelphia and South Jersey. If you live in that part of the country, you would never say that you’re going to the beach. It’s “down the shore” for you! I have so many great memories of the Jersey shore, where the food is great and the living is easy. Continue reading


Does This Nourish Me?

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you choose your foods:
“What should I be buying, preparing, and eating?”
“What should I be making for my family, or co-workers?”
“Does this provide me with nutrients and building blocks?”
“Does it help my body to grow, to heal, to be strong and healthy?”
“Does it nourish me?”

To thrive or not to thrive, that is the question. Continue reading


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cauliflower Polenta with Mushrooms

My dad says that you shouldn’t eat anything white except cauliflower. Plus, he loves cauliflower. It may seem a little drastic, but it’s definitely a reasonable strategy for eating more vegetables and less stripped carb. Plus there is so much you can do with cauliflower. Continue reading