This is the time of year when the pomegranates ripen and come to market. While I was growing up, my family made a regular annual ceremony of opening the beautiful pomegranates to find them filled with shiny, red, juicy jewels. We shared them among ourselves, appreciating the fruits of our table, gobbling up the seeds, and counting our blessings.
Author Archives: Dr. Sukol
Addition by Subtraction
This week I heard about a concept called “Addition by Subtraction.” My brain started whirring.
I’ve thought about this before, using different words. What, for example, is the cost savings of a heart attack that never happens? Or an asthma attack? An ER visit that never happens? Put the other way, what would a few days away from school cost you? Or a month away from work? Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Granola with Vitamin Z, a Seasonal Secret
It’s zucchini time! Zucchini has to be one of the best vegetables to hide in food. It contributes moisture and nutrients, not to mention happy bellies. And kids never suspect a thing. But it’s not just for little ones. This recipe is great for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and all kinds of food emergencies. This recipe, from Cookin’ Canuck, will blow your mind. Continue reading
My Breakfast Menus
Consider that the typical American breakfast consists of toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, biscuits, muffins, “breakfast cereal,” and the like. Ask yourself this: “How come the typical American breakfast is practically all white flour and sugar?” And then you will understand why I am not the typical American breakfast eater. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chickpeas on Cucumber Cups
One thing I learned from The Gardener (my mom) is that if you have a can of beans in the cabinet, you have a meal. And since it was a rare day that there weren’t a few cans of garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas) in the cabinet, there was always a meal to be had. This recipe comes from glutenfreeeasily.com. It makes a great lunch, a great snack, a great contribution for a potluck. I think you’ll like it.
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pasta-ta-DIE-for
When a former Jersey girl tells you that she likes tomatoes, there’s a pretty good chance that she ain’t kiddin’ around. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there is only one time of year when a tomato is really worth eating at all, and now is it. Think about it this way: This time of year I celebrate tomatoes. The rest of the year I just go through the motions. So here’s one magnificent recipe for my fellow tomato lovers. It comes to you courtesy of cooks.com. If you can’t get Jersey beefsteaks, use the juiciest tomatoes you can find.
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
A few weeks ago I got the idea to make a special treat for our friends. It had to be easy and, since the supermarket was already closed, it had to be made from ingredients already in my house. What do I always have around? That’s easy — chocolate and peanut butter! Even though I had never made peanut butter cups before, they turned out fantastic.
A Comparison of Popular Diets
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about carbs, both intact and stripped. What are stripped carbs? Carbs that were once intact (like wheat, rice, and corn), but which have had their fiber matrix stripped out through a variety of manufacturing processes. This means sugar, white (wheat) flour, white rice, and corn starch and syrup. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: It’s-All-Good Brownies
Lots of my friends think I never eat treats, sweets, or anything fun AT ALL. They are so wrong. Now it’s true that I don’t eat stuff that I would categorize as “food-like,” such as corn syrup, or white flour, or maltodextrin. But I definitely enjoy my share of desserts. For example, the peanut butter cups that I made a couple of weeks ago from quality dark chocolate and organic peanut butter (one ingredient — peanuts), were absolutely sublime, and easy. And yesterday I ate a chocolate macaroon that was pretty yummy. Continue reading
Ratatouille at Home
I would like to tell you about a recipe I made this week. This recipe is for a ratatouille (of sorts), but unlike most recipes it is not about the ingredients. It’s about the sources. Most of the ingredients came from around my own house. Here’s how it went. Continue reading