Redefine Your Understanding of Fat

The ancient Greek language had three distinct words for love. Philia, a love borne of loyalty and familiarity, would never be used to describe the passionate attraction of eros or the deep contentment of agape. I think we need to take that concept—having words that describe the intricacies of a more general term—and apply it to fat.

Making Sense of Salt

If you’ve been cooking our recipes here on Nourish Network, you’ve probably noticed that the vast majority of them have no measurement when it comes to salt; only ‘sea salt’ listed in the ingredients. The reason is two-fold. First, range of preference varies widely when it comes to how heavily to salt a dish. Second, I’m more interested in encouraging people to wisely discern how much salt suits both their taste and needs than dictate how much to use in a single dish.

Get Your Flax Straight

It seems talk about flax—both flax oil and ground flaxseed—heats up and cools down at various intervals. There’s no question, flax is an incredibly nutritious food. But no matter what the buzz of the moment, it’s important to understand that flaxseed and the oil pressed from those seeds bring different benefits to our bodies.

Change Your Oil

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “which oil am I supposed to use for what?” My answer is a combination of unwavering advice and “it depends.” Here’s a guide to choosing wisely in all circumstances—from grocery store shelf to pan on the stove.

Heavenly Desserts: Indulgences That are Light by Nature

Lately, I’ve preached the benefits of indulgences. I believe that if you eat what you really want, you’re less likely to overdo it in the long run. For me, that means saving room for dessert. Most of the time, however, all I really want is a little something to end a meal on a sweet grace note--a treat to enjoy, not make me groan, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”

Super Bowls V

Yes, I’m turning to the Super Bowl as a theme today which probably comes as a shock to those of you who know me (“Super Bowl . . . that’s baseball, right?”). But it struck me as a good opportunity to highlight some of the bowls we have here on Nourish Network and talk about what makes them so, well, super. Here are five for a winning Super Bowl Sunday.

In the Slow Lane

With mid-winter’s chill stoking our appetite for hot, hearty meals, we often turn to long, slow braises and gently gurgling stews. Given our hectic lifestyles, though, it’s not always practical to babysit a meal for hours as it cooks. The answer? Embrace your slow cooker.

Nourish Yourself in the New Year: Make a Night of It

In this month’s theme of giving you tools and practical strategies for eating smarter throughout the year, this one is low-hanging fruit; a super-easy step that will radically simplify your meal planning. Rather than start from scratch each week with what you’re going to make, designate two or three nights as themes. The beauty of this approach is that it allows you to structure your meal planning while still leaving you open to creative interpretation. For instance, I’m not starting from scratch when deliberating what to make on a Thursday night; I already know I’ll be making seafood. But that could be as varied as Curried Mussels or Blackened Catfish or Barramundi with Shallots and Chile.

Nourish Yourself in the New Year: Love Your Lists

Originally, I was just going to write about keeping a par stock list to keep track of your (fabulously efficient) pantry. But then I looked around my own kitchen and realized I have three lists working synergistically to help me keep the basics well-stocked and use what I have on hand. Here’s how I use them and how they work together.

Build a Healthy Pantry

Healthy meals start with a healthy pantry. Stock up on these basics, from cooking oils and vinegars to whole grains, beans, legumes, salt and spices.