Simple Vegan Peanut Butter Curry

If you are going to pick one curry to make, allow me to recommend this simple vegan peanut butter curry… OMG!

Everywhere I look I see tons of curry recipes. One looks better than the next. And as I’m perusing my cookbooks and my favorite food blogs, and my beautifully photographed stacks of foodie magazines, I get really confused. You can almost see the wheels turning in my head… should I make a chicken curry? A meat curry? A nut stew? Hmmm, maybe just chickpeas?

There are sooooo many ways to make curry. I guess this is what makes it the best clean-out-the-fridge meal around.

So, there I was, standing in front of the open refrigerator, just waiting for the contents to speak to me. Okay, truthfully, I was pulling out all of the veggies that were about to go bad unless I did something with them quickly…

Any-hoo, I …

Fresh Vegetable Minestrone Soup

This fresh vegetable minestrone soup is packed with fresh veggies and herbs — it is truly amazingly delicious and healing. It’s like a hug in a bowl… Food really is the best medicine!

We are not vegetarians here in my house. I lean that way, but the rest of my family does not. So, oftentimes when I make a vegan or a vegetarian dish, some people — who shall remain nameless — don’t feel like they’ve had a “real” meal. They feel gypped. I, of course, think this is ridiculous, but sometimes it’s just not worth the fight or even an explanation.

And then sometimes I can make a vegetarian dish that’s so hearty, nobody thinks twice about it. That’s this Fresh Vegetable Minestrone Soup. It’s so jam-packed with so many things, nobody will miss the meat.

Vegetable-forward soups are my favorite kind of soups. Don’t get me wrong, I …

Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies

These Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies are so delicious… nobody will guess that they are grain-free and dairy-free!

I was never one of those people who had real true chocolate cravings. Honestly, I never understood it when people said they needed chocolate and they needed it fast. And then, last week, I had a chocolate craving… hmm. It wasn’t all-encompassing, but it was a definite strong desire for something chocolate. And nothing else would do. So, I looked through my recipes. What could I make that I had all of the ingredients on hand for? What could I make that was simple. I didn’t want to mess around with cake pans and pie tins.

I have a few cookies recipes on this site that I know will come out great every time I make them. My Flourless Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies are my usual go-tos when I’m in a cookie mood. …

Gluten-Free Apple Cake

This gluten-free apple cake is amazing! There are NO grains in the cake itself and I used gluten free oats for the topping. This one is a keeper — it’s so delicious and everyone can eat it!

I scare people when I bake. I mean, I literally scare them. I often burn things, the end result sometimes tastes… ummm… less than delicious, and I have even started fires in the oven. And yes, I did go to cooking school…

I’m a great cook because I can taste as I go and I don’t have to measure. But when it comes to baking, all bets are off  because I tend to treat baking like cooking and it just doesn’t work that way. You know… science.

But, every now and then I really get in the mood to bake something. I attribute this to my obsession with the Great British Baking Show. …

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 …