Not your ordinary smoothie: highly nutritious fruit and vegetable smoothie

Leafy greens are amazing for you. From pregnant women to healthy adults and children, every time we turn around we seem to find another study touting their benefits. Women's Health Magazine recently reported, "A study in the journal Neurology reports that getting two-plus servings per day of veggies--especially leafy green ones like kale--slows cognitive decline by 40 percent."So if we know they

Andreae's Vegetarian Moroccan Stew with No-knead Bread

This dish has that certain kind of tantalizing heat that makes it delightful year round, and I find it particularly perfect for these annoyingly chilly Chicago "spring" days. I first became acquainted with Andreae's Vegetarian Moroccan Stew when our friend Michelle volunteered to bring us dinner after we'd brought our newborn son home from the hospital. Michelle showed up at the door with a huge

Moroccan Spiced Bulgur & Chickpea Salad

The hard crunch of carrots and almonds, the chewy toothsomeness of chickpeas and cranberries, against a backdrop of whole grains, touched off with the bright hint of fresh mint, which seems incongruous and yet somehow perfectly ties it all together. Having been raised on casseroles, meat and potatoes, I'll admit to a certain Midwestern bias in me that tends to view with initial skepticism

Slow-Roasted Salmon With Mustard Parsley Glaze

Our son came home from the NICU on Sunday, and on Tuesday the first of our friends came through our door bearing the gift of home cooked food to help sustain two slightly frazzled sleep deprived new parents. And how we got spoiled by this first food delivery! Our friend Michaela is a foodie par excellence. Her dissertation examines controversies around foie gras in the US and France. She makes it

Alton meets Martha: Classic Cutout Sugar Cookies and Icing

I was incredibly pleased with the traditional yet delicious taste and crisp texture of these cookies. I loved eating them plain perhaps even more than I liked them iced, which is a true testament to the quality of the cookie. Most of all, I loved making them. I made up a batch of these traditional treats with a very good friend of mine, and they helped me remember that a nostalgic holiday task,

Double Chocolate Biscotti

It is finally that time of year where the weather forecaster has started to use the dreaded four letter word: snow. I can enjoy the winter just as well as the next gal, but for me the key component to snuggling down in cold weather is a cup of steaming cocoa. And what goes better with that steamy drink that a delicious double chocolate biscotti? True to the balance between taste and health that

Ina Garten and the Best Pesto You'll Ever Make

For weeks now my darling husband has been eyeing my basil plants. He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and whispers that magic word: "pesto." This afternoon he finally got his wish. I took a scissors to my beloved basil. A little bit of time in the kitchen with industrious sounds of whirring and grating and then there he was, offering me a spoon with a touch brilliant green pesto. I like pesto

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (and they're healthy too!)

Lately I have been craving oatmeal raisin cookies like they were a force of nature. But the idea of nibbling at tempting cookies was not exactly in line with my summer "shape-up" plan. Or so I thought. Then I found this recipe by David Lebovitz for all natural, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Folks, I may never try another oatmeal raisin cookie recipe again. I'm willing to believe there may be

Recipe Review: Chicken with Balsamic BBQ & Tri Colore Orzo

My mother-in-law is an incredible cook. She is responsible for my husband's culinary ability, and for that I am eternally grateful to her. That means that visiting my husband's parents in Wilmington, NC always means a ton of delicious food. One night she decided to do a meal based on the recipes of Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian. She selected a delightful, sophisticated take on BBQ