Borscht With Beef

This Borscht With Beef is a deliciously healing classic soup filled with beets, cabbage, and beef. It’s kind of a cross between a hearty beef stew and a cabbage soup. It is amazing and even non-beet-lovers will ask for a second helping.

I was working with a client a few weeks ago who had really high blood pressure. Now, I’ve always known that beets are great to lower blood pressure but it wasn’t until we actually tested it out that I was truly awe inspired. This wonderful woman came to me willing to do anything she had to in order to feel better. She is my favorite type of client.

I always ask on my initial questionnaire if there is anything you won’t eat. She responded with only two things that she couldn’t                 get down, and one of them was beets.

So, we worked around the beets. And she did …

Tomato Free Marinara Sauce

If you literally can’t stomach tomatoes, this tomato free marinara sauce will have you jumping for joy!

I over-indulged to such an extent this summer that I set-back my digestive system to where it was before I knew how to heal myself with food. Really… it is still quite unbelievable to me that I could possibly do this to myself after so many years of feeling great.

If you don’t know my story, I’ll back up a bit and give it to you in a nutshell here. I used to have terrible digestive issues. The doctors thought I had ulcerative colitis and I was on a ton of medications. I had to know where every bathroom was at all times and I lived in pain. Fast forward and I went to cooking school and then got my Master’s degree in Oriental medicine and I learned to heal myself — and …

Fig Almond Smoothie

Fig season is my favorite season. This Fig Almond Smoothie makes great use of all of the fresh figs around right now.

Late summer and early fall are fig seasons here in New York City. The farmer’s markets have tons of little baskets filled with purple and green figs. The scent is so sweet and they are absolutely gorgeous. As soon as I see them, I have to have them. So, I buy them. I buy way too many of them.

I bring home my fig baskets and I put them in the fridge. And then I try to think of new ways to use them, new recipes to make, and new ingredients to pair them with.

And all of this is not only because I love to create foods using the figs, but also because if I leave them in the fridge, I will eat them all as-is. All

Black Bean And Pork Chili

Black Bean And Pork Chili… I guess this means it’s football season!

As I write this post, it’s August. It’s the middle of summer. It’s hot and it’s beautiful. So, why am I sitting here thinking of this Black Bean And Pork Chili?

And it’s not just chili, it’s everything fall related. I never ever feel like I’m wishing the days away or wishing for a season to end — I love the change of seasons — except maybe winter once March comes around. But, this week, all I want is chili and soup. And warming foods. Because, well… they really are the best foods…

So, here I am sitting outside on the deck, with the ocean breeze blowing and I’m ready for fall. Well, at least fall food.

Can it possible true that I’ve had enough guacamole and summer tacos?

Hmmm…. maybe it’s because warming spices are what my …

Mung Bean Coconut Curry

This mung bean coconut curry is the best curry you will ever have… it makes a lover out of people who think they don’t like curries. You have to try it!.

When I was writing my book — The Chinese Medicine Cookbook, I necessarily had to test out tons and tons of recipes. I tested everything from smoothies to stews to salads. But I wanted to make sure that I included a lot of recipes that used traditional Chinese ingredients as a way to pay homage to the culture that created my love for Chinese herbs and healing.

This recipe for Mung Bean Coconut Curry is one of those recipes.  I’m not sure I had ever really enjoyed mung beans before I created this recipe. The closest I had ever come to feeling love for this ingredient came in the form of pasta. The first grain-free pasta I ever had …

Paleo Pasta With Sardines, Anchovies, And Breadcrumbs

This paleo pasta with sardines, anchovies, and breadcrumbs is my favorite pasta ever! Even if you think you don’t like sardines and anchovies, you will love this recipe.

When I was in Lake Como, Italy, I had my favorite pasta dish ever. I took the recommendation of our waiter and ordered a dish that had sardines in it.

I don’t think had I ever had pasta with sardines before. And, honestly, I don’t think it sounded great at the time. But, the setting was beautiful, the night air fragrant, and the wine was flowing. I was all in.

To this day, I can say with certainty that I have never ever had food that good before and — until now — I haven’t had it since.

This paleo pasta with sardines, anchovies, and breadcrumbs is my take on that glorious pasta dish. I’ve made it paleo friendly, and I’ve used …

Spicy Ground Turkey Pasta

This Spicy Ground Turkey Pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner — it’s so easy and so delicious!

I love spice. And because of this love, if you open my refrigerator and look on the door shelves, you’ll see a ridiculous variety of  different jars and bottles of various spice blends, sauces, and pastes. When I’m ready to cook, I unload this mass of ingredients onto my counter and I begin. This makes me sometimes think twice about making my favorite spicy dishes when I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

But, now… things have gotten way easier…

I found my new spice blend obsession: Ayoba-Yo Spice Blend.  It’s a rare thing for me to be willing to give up my trusted spice jars, but this spice blend is so good that I’ve been able to streamline my cooking so much. This single jar is …

Chicken Tikka Masala Soup

Chicken Tikka Masala Soup is the most warming, most comforting, most delicious soup you will ever have. ‘Nuf said.

I am a soup lover. As far as I’m concerned, soup is something that is good all year-round. This is one of those soups that is great in the winter (duh…), but it’s also great in the summer too. Give me a bowl of this on a summer night while sitting out on the deck (maybe with a cold beer), and there’s nothing better.

Now, about the flavors in this soup… there is just the right amount of spice and just the right amount of richness, so that everyone loves this soup. I can say this will confidence, because when I fed it to Steve he loved it. I then said: “hmmm, I wasn’t sure you would like it because you don’t like Indian food”. His response was “I don’t, but …

Paleo Creamy Carrot Soup

Creamy. Delicate. Flavorful. Delicious. Healthy. And, so easy! This paleo creamy carrot soup is all these things and more…

I am not a winter person. I always wanted to be a winter person, but alas… I am not.

I tried to like skiing. It looks so cool and sexy when I see other people do it. I hate heights and I don’t enjoy being cold, so this didn’t go so well for me.

I don’t like having to bundle up in heavy layers each time I want to go out. It actually annoys me…

But, I do love a good sweater and a cute pair of boots.

And, I do love winter food. Comfort food. Stew. Cups of hot lattes, superfood creamy drinks, and hot tea make me really happy.

The best of all: SOUP.

I love a good hearty, chunky soup like my White Bean And Kale Soup or …

Grain-Free Pumpkin Muffins

These grain-free pumpkin muffins are delicious — but since they are completely grain-free, they will actually give you energy, soothe your digestion, and of course, make you smile.

I am a chef. I’m not a baker. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I cook with love and I love to taste as I stir, and season as I taste. It’s like a foodie’s dance of sorts.

Baking just mystifies me. It’s all too measured for my liking. There’s no tasting as you go, and no seasoning things up halfway through.

Over the past few years, I’ve come up with tried-and-true baked goods recipes that even I can make. Believe me, this means these recipes are idiot-proof.

Since I eat grain-free and dairy-free, there are not a lot of store-bought baked goods options that taste good. If I’m going to eat candy or cake or cookies or muffins or pies, …