What's in season

Healthy spring salad recipe with fresh peas and crispy fried shallots

Nifer — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:44:04 +0000

Now’s the time to head to the farmers’ market to find just-picked fresh shelling peas. Peas thrive in the cooler weather of late spring and early summer and they’re a good source of fiber, and with vitamins A and K they can help keep your eyes and bones healthy. Keep in mind that unlike their frozen counterparts, fresh peas take a little work. You do need to shell them, after all. But it’s worth it! Especially when you build a special salad around them.

Vegetarian Thai red curry

Nifer — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:00:16 +0000

Thai food is so flavorful and so full of healthful fresh vegetables—why don’t I cook it at home more? Naomi Duguid’s story “Thai Tonight” in the May/June 2013 issue of EatingWell Magazine helped me realize what I’m missing: a few easy-to-find Thai ingredients.

Don't Miss: 10 Essential Ingredients of Thai Cooking

Easy fall quick breads & muffins

Nifer — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:58:34 +0000

On a late-fall afternoon, as the little light of the day leaks out through the darkening clouds, one of my favorite things to do is to warm things up inside by baking. When my kids were little it was one of those activities that made me feel like a good mom (especially when I reminded myself not to freak out about flour showers and random bits of eggshell). When I have apples (or pumpkin, squash, zucchini, bananas…) lingering on the counter, I am inspired to bake.

5 fresh fall apple recipes you must try

Nifer — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:34:05 +0000

We went apple picking on Saturday and got a little carried away. It was a day that captured the essence of Autumn in New England: that “snap” in the air that puts color in your cheeks; the reds, oranges and yellows of fall foliage just like in a picture postcard; and apple trees weighed down with deep red, ready-to-pick fruit. We just meant to pick a few…and now we have so many apples we hardly know what to do with them all.

5-ingredient fall dinners

Nifer — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:08:02 +0000

It’s a busy time of year—the weather is getting cooler and everything just seems to speed up. It affects people differently: while I’m just trying to keep warm, for instance, my sister works hard and likes to get things accomplished. Although she doesn’t come right out and say it (very often), I think she thinks I’m a little bit lazy. Just because my motto is “There must be an easier way to do this,” that doesn’t mean I’m lazy: I just appreciate a good shortcut.

How to pick the perfect apple

Nifer — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:43:26 +0000

There’s something about that moment when you bite into the first, fresh, perfectly tart apple of the autumn season that reminds you: “Yes, this is what fall is supposed to taste like.” But while I love pretty much all in-season apple varieties, they’re not all equally suited for every purpose. I definitely plan to do some baking this fall (Don’t hate: Nothing goes better with Sunday afternoon football—Go Giants!), and when I do I’ll reach for certain types of apples while avoiding others.

Should you be picking organic apples?

Nifer — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:17:35 +0000

Depending on where you live, apple season is either just around the corner—or already under way. As a dietitian, I love apples for their super-healthy nutrition profile: one medium apple delivers just 95 calories and 4 grams of fill-you-up fiber. Apples are also packed with disease-fighting antioxidants.

Don’t Miss: How Apples Can Make You Skinnier & More Health Benefits of Apples

Vegetarian taco salad and more crowd-pleasing summer dinner salads

Nifer — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:38:47 +0000

Freedom! Freedom from fuss. Freedom from extra work. Freedom from complicated cooking. That’s what summer means and that’s what summer suppers demand.

4 ways to cook dinner with a bottle of beer

Nifer — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:05:23 +0000

There’s something about a warm summer night that makes the idea of savoring a cold, frosty beer so enticing. Could it be the way the tangy smell of the hops wafts about in the humid air? For me, it’s that tingle on my tongue that comes with the first refreshing sip.

Don’t Miss: 5 Perfect Pizza & Beer Pairings

How to pickle anything (no canning necessary)

Nifer — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:16:32 +0000

There are certain things I will never understand in this world: the rules of cricket, how fish reproduce, quantum harmonic oscillation…and people who don’t like pickles. That last one is probably the hardest for me to grasp, however.

Because: come on, pickles taste amazing! Snap into a perfectly crisp gherkin that’s sopped up plenty of gleeky vinegar, fresh herbs and just a hint of salt and tell me you’re not in briny heaven. Sneak a dill spear into your next burger and tell me it’s not tangily enhanced.

Keep It Fresh Challenge Tip 4: Plan a Menu, Starting with One Seasonal Ingredient as Inspiration

Sarah Hoff — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:18:36 +0000

Food doesn’t have to come in shelf-stable packages to be convenient. And we’re running a 5-week campaign to help transform you into a fresh-food aficionado, one who plans meals—and forages snacks—from the healthy ingredients stashed in your fridge. (If you’re just learning about our Keep it Fresh Challenge here, be sure to go back and check out our past weeks’ challenges.)

This Week’s Focus: Plan a Menu, Starting with One Seasonal Ingredient as Inspiration

Keep It Fresh Challenge Tip 2: Visit a Farm or Farmers' Market

Sarah Hoff — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:08:09 +0000

Food doesn’t have to come in shelf-stable packages to be convenient. And in the next four weeks, we’re going to continue to transform you into a fresh-food aficionado. Soon enough, you’ll be planning meals—and foraging snacks—from the healthy ingredients stashed in your fridge. It’s that simple. We’re taking it in steps, offering up a new focus each week. Last week, we helped you Stock Your Fridge with Fresh Foods.

This Week’s Focus: Visit a Farm or Farmers' Market

Keep It Fresh Challenge Tip 1: Stock Your Fridge with Fresh Foods

Sarah Hoff — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:17:14 +0000

Food doesn’t have to come in shelf-stable packages to be convenient. And in five short weeks, we’re going to transform you into a fresh-food aficionado. Soon enough, you’ll be planning meals—and foraging snacks—from the healthy ingredients stashed in your fridge. It’s that simple. We’ll take it in steps, offering up a new focus each week.

This Week’s Focus: Stock Your Fridge with Fresh Foods

What does a healthy fridge hold? Here’s a quick list to get you started:

Is corn healthy or not? 5 myths about sweet corn busted

Nifer — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:00:08 +0000

Sweet corn is one of summer’s simplest, purest pleasures. A fresh-picked ear, grilled to caramelized perfection and lightly buttered, offers incredible, complex sweetness, an intoxicating texture and plenty of nutrition benefits to boot.

But many people have convinced themselves that sweet corn is bad. That’s a shame. It’s easy to take a few real nuggets of fact and use them to come to a distorted conclusion about this super-delicious summer veggie.

6 surprising salsa ingredients

Erin McCormick — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:19:54 +0000

My husband and I are salsa addicts. We eat it with chips and quesadillas, on our burgers and stuffed inside grilled cheese sandwiches.

Lately, though, we’ve wanted more variety than traditional tomato-based salsas and have started to experiment with fruity, summery ingredients like cherries, mango, pineapple and nectarines that make great fresh salsas! Here are 6 surprising foods to make salsa with and sensational salsa recipes from EatingWell that we love and now make all the time at home.