Category: Editors Picks

When it comes to food, it’s all about opportunity cost. The way I see it is that whether something we choose to eat or drink is good for us should not be viewed on an absolute basis but in relation to what we would have picked instead. So for example, eating non-organic berries is better than not eating berries at all. Also, drinking a freshly-pressed orange juice is not as good as eating an orange but better than drinking a fanta. One great example of this are smoothies which can be a great complement to breakfasts. Smoothies are generally a good idea but often packed with sugars and come in multiples of their serving sizes. On the other hand, many smoothies contain great ingredients like fresh fruits, organic diary, nut butters and spices. Take this week’s Turmeric Banana Smoothie. It looks great, it tastes great and is, once again, whipped up in no time. Let me know what you think.

We have written about turmeric and its benefits before. It is known to be a natural anti-inflammatory, a natural antibiotic and antiseptic, a blood purifier, a natural skin tonic, lowers cholesterol and helps stomach ulcers. To be precise, a lot of these benefits have only been shown in small-scale studies on humans or mice, but they are looking promising on many levels. And because our Western diet isn’t rich in many spices used in Eastern food, I’m a strong believer that adding foods containing turmeric (as well as cumin, saffron, curry, cardamom etc.) are beneficial to our bodies as they contain nutrients we usually don’t have access to. One thing I learned is that turmeric has a higher bioavailability when it is digested along with some freshly ground pepper, so always include a sprinkle of it when you use turmeric.

My Turmeric Banana Smoothie is a great way to add a pinch of health to your breakfast. Is it the perfect drink of all times? Probably not but it beats other options like a drinkable yogurt packed with sugars. And it tastes super delicious. Give it a try and let us know what you think! Come and cook with us!

Turmeric Banana Smoothie

Did you know that carrots weren’t always orange? Well, at least it wasn’t their dominant color. As the story goes, back in the 17th century Dutch farmers selectively bread orange carrots to celebrate the Dutch Royal family who is also nicknamed “the Oranjes”. In fact, carrots used to be purple, white, brown and yellow before the orange ones took over. We have seen a comeback of these heirloom colored carrots and we like them. Here’s to a great recipe celebrating carrots, orange or otherwise. Come and cook with us!

Carrots are extremely good for you and despite years of overcooked, bland carrot sticks, they lend themselves to many flavorful dishes, including soups, salads, sides and baked goods. Carrots are packed with carotenoids, antioxidant compounds such as beta-carotene found in plants that are associated with a wide range of health benefits. Furthermore, carrots are a great source of lutein, zeaxanthin, two other carotenoids which together are beneficial for our eyes. Interesting to note, too, is that cooking carrots makes some of the nutrients more bioavailable, meaning that your body can better absorb them. And because beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, it’s best to eat carrots with a little fat, such as this delicious dressing I made for our roasted carrots.

There are so many great dishes that can be made with carrots. Keep in mind that they share the same botanical family as parsnips, fennel and parsley, making them all good partners in dishes in the kitchen. Some of our favorite recipes include Beet and Carrot Salad with Fresh Mint, Carrot, Orange Ginger Soup, Carrot Apple Soup and Carrots, Olives and Garlic, to name just a few!

Whether using the heirloom kind or the more common orange variety, this Roasted Carrot Salad with Dijon Dressing is delicious and can easily be expanded by adding red and golden beets as well as bulb of red onions to the mix. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. We could have devoured three times the amount I made. Come and cook with us!

Roasted Carrot Salad with Dijon Dressing

Looking out the window in Northern California, one wouldn’t know that spring is around the corner. That’s not to say that it isn’t the right time to add more fresh herbs to your dishes. Whether parsley, mint, basil, chives, dill, cilantro or mint, there are so many ways fresh herbs can be used to add some punch to a fresh green salad, perk up a soup or add more flavor to vegetables, meats and fish dishes. Make them a staple in your kitchen, too. Come and cook with us!

Whether you grow them in your garden, or buy them regularly at the farmers market or grocery store, fresh herbs can be a powerful addition to anything you cook and they are also packed with lots of antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin K. I usually have Italian parsley, cilantro, chives, mint and my favorite tarragon at hand and while they do require that extra step in washing, prepping and cutting, the little additional work goes a long way in making your food fresher, tastier and more flavorful.

Here is a list of herby hints to make sure that the herbs you buy will last longer:

• Use a sharp knife, scissors or tear by hand to avoid bruising herbs when cutting them up.
• Delicate spring herbs should be added at the end of cooking, or sprinkled over a finished dish to maintain optimum color and flavor. Interestingly, some of the nutrients are increased or decreased in their capacity due to heat. For example, parsley should be added during the last few minutes of cooking.
• Delicate fresh herbs wilt quickly if not properly stored. Wash them in cold water to remove any dirt and remove any wilted leaves. Stand them upright in a jar filled with an inch or two of water, cover the top of the jar with a perforated plastic bag and store in the fridge.
• For more sturdy fresh herbs, lay them on a damp paper towel, gently roll up and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
• Some herbs, such as parsley, tarragon and mint, can be dried to preserve them. Hang small bunches of herbs upside down in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place. Chopped chives can be preserved simply by freezing them but chervil and dill are nut suitable for drying as they will lose their flavor.
• One thing to note is that while it’s best to pluck off parsley and basil leaves off their stems, cilantro stems taste just like the leaves, so you can include the more tender ones.

Of all the herbs, parsley and chives are probably the most versatile ones while thyme and rosemary easily overwhelm a dish and cilantro is the most contentious: you either love it or you don’t. This week’s recipe is a fresh salad made of herbs. It’s quite strong, so go easy on the dressing and be creative if one or the other herbs we chose is not to your liking. Wherever your taste buds take you herbwise, let them inspire you to bring some spring into your dishes! Come and cook with us!

Fresh Spring Herb Salad with Preserved Lemons