Recipes

For those who don’t know, Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa is a Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur. Nobu is known for his unique fusion style of blending Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. Nobu’s super-star status can in part be credited to his friendship with Robert De Niro, who was a frequent patron of Nobu’s much-loved Los Angeles […]

My featured Changemaker this month is Robert Surles, more commonly referred to as Chef Bobo. Bobo is a New York City chef leading the charge in helping make and keep kids healthy. In 2002, The Calhoun School, my alma mater, hired Chef Bobo–previously the personal chef to NY Yankee legend Derek Jeter— from the French Culinary Institute […]

Let’s discuss millet. Millet is an ancient seed originating from Africa and Northern China. Millet has been around for centuries and remains a “staple” in the diets of about 1/3 of the world’s population. With a milk-sweet corn-like flavor, this grain is naturally gluten-free–making it a go-to for Celiac sufferers. Millet is a whole grain, […]

Gluten-free and vegan-friendly, these blackberry oat bars may just become your new favorite treat. Fresh blackberries are the feature of these tasty bars. Sweet, yet tart with great texture. Thankfully, fresh berries are available well into the cool Fall months and here in California even longer. Oat and almond flour make the base of this […]

My husband introduced me to Sidecars a few years ago. Something new and not too sweet was an easy sell. I liked the idea of having a drink served “up” instead of over ice. I also loved the look of an elegant martini glass. After one sip, I was hooked. But they are strong. I […]

This is my spinach Stromboli, and it is tasty. To clarify some confusion, Stromboli and calzones are not the same thing. Both Stromboli and calzones are pizza derivatives. Both use either pizza dough or Italian bread dough (which involve similar ingredients) to achieve a similar goal: a small handhold pizza roll.  The differences come from […]

This recipe is based on a recipe I recently saw in The Jewish Weekly in a special food feature about Rosh Hashanah (which starts tonight) the Jewish New Year–also known as the first of the High Holidays. As someone who celebrates the Jewish holidays, I welcome new foods to make during the celebration. This cake captivated […]

Shaking beef, also known as “Bò lúc lắc”–meaning sautéed dried beef–is a French-inspired Vietnamese dish that my entire family loves. The Vietnamese name translates to “shaking beef,” which is the main cooking method for this incredibly easy and tasty dish. Historically, beef was once considered a luxurious delicacy in Vietnamese cuisine. Beef was often reserved […]

I have not been shy about my love of salads. I am, however, an admitted salad snob. My husband agrees. I like my salads to taste good and to look good. Appearance matters. Making a salad look appetizing should not be that complicated: vegetables in their natural states are inherently pretty, given the variety of […]

This is a Havana cocktail and I love this drink almost as much as I love the song Havana by Camila Cabello.  A rum-based drink that is served “up,” this is smooth and fruity from the very first sip.  The trick to this tropical beauty is the pineapple-flavored rum I used to kick up the tropical […]

The Muffuletta is one of the greatest sandwiches ever created, yet sadly many have never heard of it. The Muffuletta is a New Orleans classic, created in 1906 by a local grocery owner named Salvatore Lupo. Lupo, an attentive man, watched as Sicilian farmers would come to his store, The Central Grocery & Deli, and order an […]

Some things will never change. Even after 11 years of living in Northern California, I still consider myself a New Yorker. And so when this time of year arrives, I think of corn–the kind of colorful, sweet, cobs of corn that were plentiful on the south fork of Eastern Long Island, where I have spent […]

15-year-old Lily Riccio is my featured Changemaker this month. This high school sophomore is doing her part to help shatter barriers and bring down glass ceilings across industries. Lily launched her digital platform, Power of Girl, in April 2017.  It is an inspirational website that she developed to empower young women. Power of Girl features […]

Day 5 of my smoothie week concludes with another easy, tropical-inspired dairy-free smoothie packed with nutrients to keep you energized throughout the day (or weekend). This is my pineapple-peach turmeric smoothie, and it is delicious. I can’t say this is my favorite of the 5 smoothies I’ve posted this week, but I may be slightly partial […]

Smoothie Week recipe #4: a cranberry-orange creamsicle smoothie that’s completely addictive. Ever had a creamsicle as a kid? If you were a fan like I was, you are in for a treat with this cranberry-orange creamsicle smoothie that hits the nail on the head in the nostalgia department. In developing this recipe, I just had […]