Horta is Greek for “greens”. And Greece is home to over 300 varieties of wild edible greens, including chicories, arugula, dandelion, golden thistle, mustard greens, purslane, wild fennel, chard, spinach and various other greens in the cabbage family, as well as herbs, like nettles and sorrel. This is my riff on this Greek home-style dish. […]
Bitter Beauty: Radicchio
Radicchio is one of my favorite cold weather vegetables. It is also known as Cichorium intybus and Italian chicory, and it belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy) family that includes other chicory vegetables, like Belgian endive. Radicchio has a distinct bitter flavor. You can eat it raw, but I prefer it cooked, preferably braised with garlic and […]
How to Naturally Release Stress-Induced Weight Gain
If you want to release extra weight—especially during these uncertain times—basic self-care practices are key. Mindset is where you need to start. When you come from a place of anxiety, anger, fear, resentment or unrealistic expectations, your body will perceive these thoughts and emotions as “stress”, making it very difficult to release weight. Reduce anxiety. […]
Ginger Flank Steak
When I was growing up, one of my mother’s staple home-cooked dishes was stir-fried broccoli with sliced flank steak with big hunks of ginger in the mix. As a kid, I wasn’t crazy about broccoli; I didn’t much like flank steak; nor did I care for large chunks of ginger in my food. In recent […]
Grilled Cinnamon Poussin
A poussin is a young chicken, sometimes referred to as a “spring chicken”. At slaughter, poussins are less than a month old and weigh between 1 and 1-1/2 pounds. Whether roasted, poached or grilled, they are delectable because the meat is so tender. A word about cinnamon: Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory spice loaded with antioxidants; […]
Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day?
Mmmmm….This is one example of a quick throw-together, hormone-balancing breakfast that I regularly eat… –A salad of organic greens: an Italian romaine mix and arugula in an raw apple-cider and olive oil vinaigrette –Warmed wild-caught sardines (out of a tin) —Hot curry cauliflower rice And, no, I was not in the kitchen all morning “cooking”! […]
Boozy Pumpkin-Ginger Pie with Buckwheat Crust
It’s funny where a healing journey can take you. Before I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, flour-based treats—muffins, scones, pancakes, giant chocolate chip cookies from a nearby artisanal bakery or a wedge of chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting—were part of my everyday life. I was also a talented baker with a natural “feel” for […]
Omega 3 Rx: Quick & Easy Broiled Sardines
One of my all-time favorite Sicilian dishes is Bucatini con le Sarde (bucatini, being a fat, long, hollow pasta, with sardines, currants and pine nuts….mmm!). While I don’t eat wheat- or gluten-based foods these days (including, sadly, bucatini), I still love and appreciate the deliciousness of sardines. These small, oily fish are a concentrated source […]
Hay and Straw “Noodles” with Bolognese-style Ragu
When there’s a hint of chill in the air, I love making my own version of paglia e fieno served with a homemade ragu. Paglia e fieno, Italian for “straw and hay”, is a classic Italian dish, featuring a combination of yellow and green tagliatelle, fettucine or linguini (whatever your druthers) served with some variation […]
Basil-Mint Pesto
Eating enough healthy fat is essential for hormone balance, as well as for immune, heart and brain health. Olive oil nourishes the thyroid and has been touted as a fertility food for women. Regular consumption of olive oil is may also improve sperm integrity and function in men, according to a recent study. One of […]