Sexy Starts in the Kitchen

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH STUFFED CHICKPEA PASTA WITH LEMON KALE SALAD I love dishes that elicit memories and to me this nostalgia is part of the meaning behind the phrase food is thy medicine. I'm not sure if that's what Hippocrates meant by it, but when I use the phrase I'm referring to not only the healing nutrients in foods but also the community and happiness food breeds which are also both part of a living well lifestyle. While cooking was not my mother's jam she still fed us and since it wasn't what she enjoyed doing it meant that much more to...

  MOOD ENHANCING MUSHROOM TOPPING I started making this a couple of months ago and now I can't get enough. It's my favorite way to enjoy mushrooms which compliments almost any dish as well as providing my body and mood with a natural source of Vitamin D which with all this rain, it desperately needs!  Your success rate will be a lot higher to continue on the health train if you learn to make your dishes flavorful.  Healthy food does not equal bland food!  Eating healthy can be enjoyable and make you feel better in the process.  One way to...

I discovered a trick that will keep your guacamole staying bright and green! Add lime juice before adding the avocado! This simple change up in your guac prepping process makes a huge difference! Once you start cutting up an avocado it starts oxidizing which causes the nasty brown color. Lime juice helps, but adding after the avocado takes a few minutes to squeeze it on (possibly more if you have a stubborn lime) and it doesn't coat the avocado well. By already having the lime juice in your bowl, as soon as you scoop out your avocado it hits the lime juice in...

Beets are arguably one of the prettiest vegetables out there.  Unfortunately they can be a little messy to prep. Although I can't take away the temporary pink hands,  I can show you a way to endure it only once a month and with beets' body benefits as well as being part of the often hard to obtain BIV part of the rainbow, it's worth it. A LITTLE FOOD SCIENCE... Beets contain nitrates that are converted to nitric acid, a molecule that helps open up your blood vessels increasing blood flow and feeding more oxygen to your working muscles therefore increasing our stamina....

On Wednesday I shared my quest for plant based sources of amino acid leucine to help with rebuilding muscle lost post surgery.  I discovered red lentils contain leucine which I used to create tortillas for Indian Tacos!  Another fun way to enjoy red lentils is in a hummus! I love thy chickpea hummus, but due to the protein blueprint when designed with lentils, this may be my new fav! Although lentils contain leucine, they lack amino acids, methionine and cystine, therefore they are not considered a complete protein.  There was a belief you needed to have a complete protein per dish for...