Garlicky Kale

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around although it has largely been overshadowed by broccoli and spinach in modern times. It is rich with essential nutrients such as calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as chlorophyll and fiber. In fact, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein! Researchers have also discovered that sulforaphane, a naturally occurring photochemical formed when kale is chopped or chewed, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, which help clear carcinogenic substances. In addition, it helps restore alkalinity in the typical American diet that is all too often overly acidic (too much sugar, too much red meat and not enough vegetables, etc).

Asides from its many health benefits, it also makes for a delicious side dish, particularly with other strong-flavored dishes, like garlic-thyme pollo al mattone (chicken cooked under a brick); in this version, the strong, slightly bitter flavor of kale pairs well with the garlic. There are many different varieties of kale, but this time, I used lacinato (or dinosaur) kale - a wonderful deep-green variety that I love.

Garlicky Kale From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 2 pounds lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero) • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (kale already contains sodium so you won't need that much salt) • 4 or 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped • a pinch of red pepper flakes • a splash of red wine vinegar Directions: 1. Remove the stems from the kale. Wash and drain well, but do not dry. 2. Heat a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook over high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more kale as the leaves wilt. When all of the kale has been added, season with salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the maturity of the kale. Young kale will be tender after 4 or 5 minutes. It may be necessary to add a splash of water if the leaves begin to scorch. When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water to cook away. 3. Push the kale to one side of the pan and add an extra drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the bare spot. Just as you smell the aroma of the garlic, stir to combine it with the kale. 4. Turn off the heat, add a splash of vinegar, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve warm or room temperature.

Garlic-Thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Onion Rings and Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

Of all the ways you can cook chicken, this is my favorite recipe so far! It produces the perfect chicken with a moist and juicy meat on the inside and crispy skin on the outside. This Tuscan method of cooking chicken traditionally uses a whole young chicken, split down the back and flattened, and often, the chicken is brined or marinated overnight, but in this version, the technique has been simplified and adapted for boned chicken legs made in one day. However, if you feel like being extra ambitious, here are detailed instructions for preparing a whole young chicken for "pollo al mattone" (including some very helpful illustrations).

A few rules to keep in mind to get that crispy skin on the outside:
1. You'll need a large cast-iron skillet, or if you don't have one, a heavy stainless steel aluminum pan will work but not as well as the cast-iron skillet would. Non-stick pans won't work at all.
2. You want to have a clean brick, or if you don't have one, find something that's very heavy that you can use to press down on the chicken, like another heavy skillet. I improvised by using a rice cooker bowl with heavy objects inside to weigh it down.
3. You want to make sure you've cut up the chicken in such a way that it is flattened so that the skin will cook evenly.
4. Make sure the skin of the chicken is dry before cooking. Otherwise, the skin will basically steam and melt onto the pan, rather than become crispy.
5. The oil in the pan has to be hot before you put the chicken in.

Just remember: right pan, heavy brick, flat bird, dry skin, and hot pan.

Here I've flavored the chicken with extra-virgin olive oil, thyme, and garlic, and paired it with cherry tomatoes, broccoli and oven-baked onion rings. The onion rings could either be a side for a main course or eaten alone as a snack. Feel free to get creative -- chicken is one of those versatile meats that you can pair with all kinds of different flavors!

Some ideas for variations:
-Use different herbs, such as rosemary, sage, or tarragon
-Use different spices, such as paprika or dried chili peppers
-Add sweetness, such as honey or unrefined cane sugar
-Change the acidic component; instead of lemon, you could use orange, lime or a kind of vinegar, such as balsamic vinegar, Sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar, depending on the other flavorings in the dish
-Create an Asian combination of flavors: how about honey, soy sauce, and five spice powder? or peanut oil, minced garlic, ginger, and scallions? or sesame oil, minced ginger, five spice powder, and scallions?
-Pair the dish with different sides (grilled, sauteed, or roasted vegetables go especially well with this dish): garlic mashed potatoes, garlicky kale (one of my favorite pairings), spinach, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, escarole, green beans, or olives are just a few options

Garlic-thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, and Onion Rings Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Pollo al mattone Ingredients: • 4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs attached) • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • 1 branch thyme • 16 garlic cloves, peeled • 1 lemon, cut into wedges Directions: 1. Pour olive oil into a small saucepan. Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and put the minced garlic into the pan, or alternatively, use a microplane zester to grate the cloves over the saucepan. Pull the tiny leaves off the thyme branch and drop them into the pan. Bring the oil to a simmer for about a minute - not too long, or the garlic will burn. Reduce the heat to low and stir the thyme and garlic very slowly until softened, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and strain the oil with a mesh strainer into a large cast-iron skillet or stainless steel aluminum skillet, reserving the garlic and thyme for the topping. 2. Bone the chicken legs, preferably with kitchen shears. (Don't throw away the bones! Reserve them to be used in homemade chicken stock.) Spread the legs out into large, flat pieces with the skin intact. Trim the excess fat and skin from the edges. At this point, you can rinse the legs, if that's your thing - there's actually an ongoing debate about whether or not you should rinse raw chicken before it's cooked, but I personally don't do it because 1) it can cross-contaminate your kitchen and 2) any bacteria should be destroyed if it's properly cooked. Whether or not you rinse the legs, pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper. 3. Heat the large skillet over medium heat (not to worry, extra virgin olive oil smokes at approximately 375°F, although it depends on how the olive oil was produced). When the pan is hot, add the chicken legs in one layer, skin side down. Lay a piece of parchment paper or foil over the chicken. Then weight the chicken with another cast-iron pan, skillet, brick, or another heavy object that can cover the chicken and weigh it down sufficiently. Cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally checking the chicken to make sure that the skin is browning evenly. Adjust the heat if the legs are cooking too quickly. Remove the weight and parchment paper or foil. Turn the legs over, and cook for 5 minutes more, uncovered. Test doneness either with a paring knife, making sure that the juices are running clear, or with an internal meat thermometer (the internal temperature should be at least 165°F). The skin should be crispy and golden, and the flesh moist and tender. 4. Reserve the garlic-thyme infused olive oil for later use, such as: drizzling over the chicken or other dishes , cooking other dishes, or simply spreading it on a piece of bread. The oil will solidify a bit when refrigerated, but this does not affect the quality of the oil. 5. Arrange the chicken and the sides you have chosen (in this version: broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and fried onion rings) on a platter, and top with reserved garlic-thyme topping. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. 6. Optional: Add ½ cup dry white wine to the saute pan and using a spatula, scrape the excess fat from the bottom. Cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half, continuing to scrape the fat until it has completely dissolved (this is called deglazing the pan). Add 1 cup chicken stock, season with salt and again reduce by half. Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients: • 6 broccoli stalks, washed • 1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, washed • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Directions: 1. Cut the stalk from the head of the broccoli, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Discard the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger individual florets in half through the base of the head with a knife, pulling the florets apart. Gather the two halves and cut into quarters. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. 2. Sauté all the ingredients together in a sauté pan for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli becomes tender. Oven-baked onion rings Ingredients: • 1 yellow onion • 1 extra-large egg, beaten • 1 cup of hot brown rice cereal • ½ teaspoon salt Directions: 1. Cut edges off onion, and remove the outer layer. Slice the onion into ¼ to ½ inch sections (width can be increased or decreased depending upon how large you want your rings to be). Separate the sliced sections into rings. 2. Fill a small bowl, just large enough for onion rings to fit in, with the beaten eggs. Pour the hot brown rice cereal and salt onto a small dish or into another small bowl. Stir the hot brown rice cereal and salt together so that the salt is evenly dispersed through the cereal. One by one, coat each ring in egg, shake off any excess egg, and then dip the ring into the brown rice cereal, making sure it is thoroughly coated. 3. Bake the rings on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick extra-virgin olive oil spray in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Homemade chicken stock is far more flavorful than the canned chicken stock you buy at the grocery store, and chefs say that the key to a great soup is homemade stock. It's also a great way to use up the leftover parts of a chicken, instead of throwing them away. You can store homemade chicken stock in fridge for 3-4 days (possibly 5-7 days if you store it in an airtight container and bring it to a boil prior to using/consuming) and in the freezer for up to 3 months, and it can be used in a variety of ways: to braise meats, to create stews, to sauté vegetables, or reduced to create glazes or sauces.

If, however, you're in a pinch and don't have the time to make homemade chicken stock (this version will take you about 4 hours), I recommend Imagine's Organic Free-range Chicken Broth. It's one of the best store-bought organic free-range chicken broths that I've tried and a far cry from most store-bought chicken broths, which tend to be nothing more than salty water.

Homemade Chicken Stock Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 5 pounds of chicken parts, preferably with some meat left on them • 3½ quarts cold water • 1 large carrot, peeled and quartered • 1 large onion, peeled and quartered • 2 celery stalks, washed and quartered • 2 parsley sprigs • 1 thyme sprig • 1 bay leaf • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 tomato, washed and halved (optional) Directions: 1. (optional) Roast the chicken parts in a 450°F oven until nicely caramelized, about 30 minutes. 2. Put the chicken parts in a large stainless steel stockpot and cover it with 3½ quarts cold water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and once the stock comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. 3. Add the carrot, onion, celery stalks, salt, black peppercorns, and tomato. Add the parsley and thyme sprigs and a bay leaf, in a sachet if possible (you can create a sachet by bundling the herbs inside a cheesecloth and tying the bundle up with kitchen string). Simmer gently for about 3 hours. 4. Skim off any grease that floats to the top. Strain the broth through a colander lined with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. If you are not using the broth immediately, allow it to cool completely, then promptly refrigerate or freeze. (Storing it while it is still warm will cause it to ferment.) After a few hours in the refrigerator or the next day, skim off any of the fat that has solidified on top of the broth.

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

This was a healthy, delicious salad with a nice balance of flavors - the slight sweetness from the roasted beets, the bitter, tangy, and sweet taste of the grapefruit, the sour taste from the lemon and tangerine juices, slight bitterness from the mixed greens, the sharp flavor of the raw shallots (that taste like the love child of onion and garlic), and the sea salt. I also love the balance of textures - the soft texture of the beets, the crunchy shallots or the brown rice cake crumbs, and the creamy, buttery texture and taste of the avocado, also known as a "butter pear", which pairs very well with the other ingredients in the salad. Having grown up in California, where the avocado is commonly grown, I love avocado - it goes in my salads, or is made into a spread that I've put on brown rice cakes (you can spread it on toast too) or into guacamole, one of my favorite dips. In this salad, I used Hass avocadoes, which have a more subtle taste than some of the other avocadoes.

I peeled and cut the beets into approximately 1 inch cubes, before roasting them, since I had purchased large beets and figured that the beets would roast much faster this way. Roasting the beets causes it to caramelized all over from the intense heat, resulting in beets that are sweeter than the raw version (which are already naturally sweet). I do tend to have a sweet tooth, and I loved the sweetness of the roasted beets.

Obviously, you don't want to wear anything white when preparing this salad. The beets definitely stained the other vegetables in the salad and a small section of my cutting board. That said, the fuchsia juice from the raw beets didn’t stain my fingers the way cooked beet juice is known to do and washed off fairly easily - so there's no need to worry about wearing disposable gloves. It will however stain your pee... so don't freak out if your pee turns pink - no, you're not internally bleeding and it's not one of Aunt Flo's monthly visits either (if you're a lady)!

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 6 medium or 3 large red or golden beets • salt and pepper • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • extra virgin olive oil • 1 large shallot, diced fine • 1 grapefruit, skin and pith removed • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon tangerine juice • ¼ teaspoon chopped lemon zest • ¼ teaspoon chopped tangerine zest • 2 firm ripe avocados • 5 oz mixed greens • parsley • 1 brown rice cake, crumbled Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and cut the beets into cubes. Arrange the beets in a single layer on a roasting pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (optional), and toss, making sure the beets are evenly covered. Roast the beets for about 45 min, until they are soft and caramelized all over. 2. Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, mix together white wine vinegar (optional), tangerine juice, lemon juice, shallot, parsley, tangerine zest and lemon zest, and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Cut the avocados in half, removing the skin and seeds. Slice the avocado lengthwise into ¼-inch sections, and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon. Peel the grapefruit, removing the skin and pith. Next, carefully peel off the thin skin of each grapefruit segment, making sure the segment stays intact. 4. Toss the beets gently with the vinaigrette. Arrange the beets on a plate with some mixed greens, the sliced avocado, and grapefruit segments. You can use pretty much any kind of mixed greens. I used a 5 oz package of Earthbound Farm's organic baby mixed greens that came pre-washed and contained some or all of the following greens: organic baby lettuces (red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa, tango), organic red and green chard, organic mizuna, organic arugula, organic frisée, and organic radicchio. Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette. Top with crumbled brown rice cakes as "croutons" - like so:

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata

MMM.. these slow braised short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy, with a ton of flavor (read: fatty). I highly recommend using grass fed beef short ribs, and I just can't emphasize enough how much more delicious and flavorful grass fed beef is compared to regular beef. However, any kind of beef short ribs do have a high fat content, which is why I won't be making this dish regularly, only once in awhile. Don't say I didn't warn you - you might have to bust out your sweatpants!

The sauce that is paired with the short ribs was absolutely delicious. The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of red wine to be added to the braising liquid (later turned into sauce), but since I didn't want to drink any alcohol and I knew that only some of the alcohol would have cooked off had I included it, I substituted blueberries and raspberries instead. When pureed, the blueberries and raspberries produced about 1 cup of juice and gave the sauce a nice sweetness that balanced out the saltiness. Other options could have been red seedless grapes, cranberries, blackberries, etc, or their respective juices.

The only part about this dish I could have done without was the gremolata. This was my first time making and tasting gremolata, which is traditionally made with lemon or orange zest, garlic, and fresh parsley, and honestly, it was a bit too strong for my preference (partly because of the raw garlic - whew!).

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: Beef short ribs • 3.5 pounds beef short ribs - cut 2" thick • Salt to taste • Freshly-ground black pepper to taste • 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, roughly chopped • 1 small to medium carrot, peeled, and roughly chopped • 5 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped • 6 garlic cloves, smashed • 6 sprigs thyme • 6 sprigs parsley • 2 bay leaves • 1 pint raspberries • 1 pint blueberries • 4 cups beef stock Gremolata *¼ cup chopped parsley *Zest of ½ lemon, minced *1 large garlic clove, minced Directions: 1. For the ribs: Preheat oven to 475°F. Cut the ribs into squares, so that each piece includes a bone. Season the ribs with salt and pepper; be generous. Arrange ribs bone-side down in a roasting pan and roast until lightly browned. This should take about 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add onions, and saute until onions are starting to soften, 6 to 7 minutes. Add leeks and carrot, and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and saute 2 minutes more. 3. Spread vegetables into a roasting pan, and arrange ribs on top of vegetables, bone-side up. Puree blueberries and raspberries together in a blender. Add the puree and enough beef stock to barely cover ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and place in oven. 4. When braise begins to simmer, after about 20 minutes, loosen foil and reduce heat to 350°F. 5. Turn ribs about once an hour. After 1½ to 2 hours, test meat with a fork; meat should be tender, nearly falling from bone. Raise heat to 450°F and return ribs to oven for a final browning. 6. After about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Pour off and strain braising juices into a large skillet, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all their juices. Discard vegetables. Allow liquid to rest for five minutes, then skim off grease from surface. Bring strained and skimmed liquid to a boil, and reduce to about half. Pour liquid back over ribs and reheat if serving immediately. (Or alternatively, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and skim solidified grease off the surface. Then, reheat sauce, and serve next day with gremolata.) 7. For the gremolata: Just before serving, mix chopped parsley, fresh lemon zest and minced garlic and sprinkle over short ribs.

The intro

I am a self-professed foodie. I love to eat and can eat like nobody's business. Once, during a cruise with a few of my high school friends and their families, the guys started an eating contest. I came in at 2nd place with 16 1/2 lobster tails. They were just the tails, not an entire lobster, but that's still a shitload of food. I obviously don't make a habit of eating like that on a regular basis. It's neither healthy nor enjoyable to overeat, but it just goes to show you how much I love to eat, to the point that I have definitely overindulged. I've also never been a picky eater, and I will try just about anything. I would love to travel around the world and try different ethnic foods.

And I love to cook and bake. I document my cooking/baking experiences - which recipes worked out and which didn't, what mistakes I might have made, what variations or improvements I plan to make the next time around I make the dish again, etc.

I don't know where this obsession with food comes from. All I know is that I love food. All kinds of food. Which is why I decided to start this blog - so that I could share my passion and love for food with others. After all, to me, food is about sharing. Sure, I can enjoy food alone, but to what extent would I be able to enjoy it without anyone to share the experience of eating with, or without anyone to cook for? Cooking is one of the ways I show my love.

But there's another reason why I made the decision to start this blog.

The typical American diet (high in sugar, high in unhealthy fats and carbs, and not enough fresh fruits, vegetables or whole grains) is one of the main factors contributing to why 2/3rds of Americans are now overweight and one third obese, with a whole host of other health problems aside from weight problems. And that's on top of the fact that the majority of American foods found in supermarkets and restaurants now contain pesticides, preservatives, additives, antibiotics, growth hormones, or are in some way, chemically processed (like hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, and other foods containing trans fats, etc). In fact, many of the refined sugars are carcinogenic! Obesity already puts people at a higher risk for developing cancer later in life, but the way our foods have been processed put people at an even greater risk; and along with obesity, cancer has also reached epidemic proportions in America. The American Cancer Society estimates that half the men and one-third of the women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetimes.

However, the majority of cases of cancer, obesity, and other health problems are absolutely preventable. John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market, stated in a WSJ article a few months ago: "Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices."

So what's stopping us from making these choices that we know are good for us? Well, I think part of the reason is that people often have this misconception that healthy food tastes like shit. And that mostly only unhealthy food tastes delicious. People often just can't picture themselves eating healthy food and actually enjoying it. Perhaps people are afraid that they won't be able to enjoy their favorite foods that they grew up eating, or that they might have to make some significant changes in their dietary habits and that they won't have the discipline and self-control to stick to those changes - or maybe they don't know where to even begin. I don't want to be judgmental or preachy though, because after all, I used to be one of those people myself. But fear not! It took me some time to make dietary changes and some time to educate myself and learn about nutrition, but once I realized that healthy food can be delicious, even more delicious than the artificial foods I was used to, it wasn't difficult to change my dietary habits. Trust me, it's a far better motivator than fear of cancer, heart stroke, etc - because when you use fear as a motivator, then basically sometimes fear that something will taste awful or fear of trying something new takes over all the other fears.

I think another factor that is preventing people from making healthy dietary changes is that there's a lot of misinformation out there about what exactly is healthy for you and what isn't, which complicates the problem even further because people don't know what to believe about healthy food, when there's so much conflicting information around. In fact, the term "healthy" has been so utterly abused and misused that it's almost lost meaning. For example, I was recently browsing through the food blog of a cook from the South who said she "omitted the use of lard in exchange for vegetable shortening, vegetable oils or olive oil" because "this way of cooking.. is more nutritious." Ummm.. just because something has the word "vegetable" in it doesn't make it healthy. Vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are possibly less healthy than lard is, because at least lard doesn't contain trans fats, which are cancer-causing! Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil might as well as be called "cancer oil". Of course, obesity also increases the risk of cancer, so which is the lesser of the two evils when it comes to the probability of getting cancer? I don't know, but either way, I don't plan to find out from personal experience! (Side note: yes, olive oil is very healthy, but that's only 1 out of 3)

Anyway, now that I eat mostly healthy and organic foods, I am here to say that in my experience, it is absolutely not true that healthy food tastes like shit! (And yes, taste is extremely important to me.) In fact, organic food tastes better overall than non-organic food. Organic beef, especially grass-feed beef, tastes way better than non-organic beef. Organic free-range chicken is juicier, more tender, and tastier too. Try a fresh piece of wild Alaskan salmon and you'll never want to go back to farm raised salmon again. And organic steel cut oats are by far the best oatmeal I've ever had. The supermarket tomato doesn't hold a candle to the heirloom tomatoes or other tomatoes found at farmer's markets, like Shushan Farms' hydroponic tomatoes at the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC in terms of flavor and nutritional value. I could give dozens more examples but you get the point.

As far as all those unhealthy, refined white breads people usually eat that have been all but pretty much stripped of any nutritional value, I've personally found quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, rye, and other healthy whole grains to be very tasty alternatives. I'm not saying that would be the case for everyone, but only that if people opened their minds to the idea that many healthy foods are tasty, they may be very pleasantly surprised, just as I was! Quinoa is one example of this because it's both incredibly healthy for you (not only does it contain all 9 essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete source of protein, it is also high in fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and riboflavin/vitamin B2 as well as being gluten free) and has great flavor with a light, fluffy texture that I love. Yet, most people have never even heard of it, let alone tried it, but if they did, I'm sure many of them would like it. As far as refined sugar goes, there are many alternate sweeteners out there on the market now that are far healthier for you than refined sugar and taste just as good: agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, etc... just to name a few. And any hydrogenated vegetable oil pales in comparison to the flavor of a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Point is - there are TONS of foods out there that are both nutritious AND delicious)! And that's what this blog will be focused on - I hope to open people's minds to some of the other delicious alternatives to the foods that they currently eat, so that they can become healthier, while at the same time still be able to enjoy eating food. These recipes won't necessarily be fat free and may not be the absolute healthiest possible options out there, but at least, they will be healthier than what most people normally eat. All of my recipes will be made from as many local, seasonal, organic, or natural ingredients as possible.

There will also be many dairy-free recipes for those of us whose genetic makeup prevents them tolerating these products well. I, along with many of my friends, am to some extent, lactose intolerant. In fact, the majority of the world's population is. I also ran into severe health problems partly due to a high intake of sugar and had to temporarily cut all sources of sugar out of my diet, except for fresh fruit.

[Note: I chose the name Coconut & Honey because they're both healthy and tasty and some of my favorite foods. I often use coconut oil in my cooking - it's one of the healthiest oils, lends itself well to both cooking and baking, and has a wonderful, unique flavor. Coconut is also a common ingredient in Asian cuisines, and being that I am Chinese, I felt it reflected my heritage; I also like the flavor of many other tropical fruits, such as mango, pineapple, bananas, lychee, and guava. As for honey, it's one of the healthiest natural sugars and a personal favorite of mine. It's also nearly universally liked, and people of many diverse cultures have been cultivating and consuming various types of honey for thousands of years.)