For the first few years I moved away to the US, my family would always ask me to bake brownies when I’d come back to visit. There is a little of an unspoken love affair for that simple square of dark chocolate, sometimes studded with nuts, sometimes often adorned with a scoop of ice cream. Almost always with a short cup of espresso. I can’t even recall where I found my first recipe for brownies and I admit I go through what B. dubbed my... 

Easy and fabulous chocolate sauce with Kahlua. Now that there are some super fabulous gluten-free vegan ice creams out there (have you tried the coconut milk and almond milk based ice creams?) and we don’t have to settle for less than delicious, I thought I’d reprise this silky chocolate sauce recipe from the archives. Because, you know. You may have missed it. And life is too short to live without fudge sauce. In my book, anyway. Happy... 

Cookies. Milk. Afternoon showers. Looking at the shoreline through the window. That was just the medicine needed the other day. Even if just for the enticing aroma of warm chocolate wafting through the house . I did not know the power of chocolate chip cookies until I moved to the US though. We don’t really do those back home. We have eclairs , macarons , financiers . These I knew as my pick up-feel better-never let me down treats. Until... 

A couple of weeks ago we lamented the signing of a sponsorship deal between the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and chocolate mega-corp Hershey. We exchanged emails with the ADA in order to voice our concern and to learn more about this relationship. The ADA media relations group was open and gracious in providing the information. Here’s what we found out. What you need to know: The ADA would not share the size of Hershey’s contribution,... 

I must start this post by saying that I did not pick pots de creme as a birthday treat for my better half. I could have though. He likes them. A lot. But, it became evident as I was reading your comment that there were a lot of delicious other desserts we could sink our teeth into and we still would have plenty to chose from for next year. You guys are awesome! Thank you ! I knew that I had…  Read More →

1. Creamy dark chocolate sorbet. It’s dairy-free and vegan. Rich but not filling. Cool and dark as midnight jazz. A respite from the shimmer of summer heat. Spoon it into chilled glasses. Turn off the lights. Light a candle. Music: Melody Gardot 2. Quinoa salad with lime and fresh mint. Cook quinoa in a rice cooker and keep the kitchen cool. Toss with just squeezed lime juice, good olive oil and garden ripe tomatoes. Spike it with whatever... 

Mars, the parent company of M&M’s, is constantly innovating with this winning brand. From a business perspective, you’ve got to hand it to them, they’re keeping a 70 year old brand young, bold, and alive. This strategy includes new flavors every once in a while. For the last 12 months or so, Coconut M&M’s have been offered “for a limited time only.” This is a well known marketing tactic that creates... 

Almond milk smoothie with carob and banana. It’s the little things in life. So they say. And today I would agree- wholeheartedly, in fact, with every rebel piece of my dairy-free chocolate verboten heart. The heart that beats without the comfort of gluten, without the silky swirl of cream, without the sexy burn of Tapatio sauce and raw red onion. The heart that misses Penne Arrabiata and roasted tomato salsa. The pragmatic heart that now beats... 

First of all before I go on, I must disclose that I didn’t make the fabulous dish featured above, but I can assure you that I soon will! This dish was created by a local here, Chef Paul Virant of Vie. Chef Paul took part in the Chicago Cadillac Culinary Challenge last week along with, Chef Martial Noguier of Cafe des Architectes. Two local Chefs in a friendly competition using strawberries as the key ingredient in their recipe creations.... 

Depending on how old you are, or how much you’ve watched television over the years, you might think of Jimmy Dean as the man who recited the 1961 country crossover hit “Big Bad John,” the host of a popular TV talk show in the mid-’60s, the cornpone star of television commercials for his branded “pure pork sausage,” or for the stomach-turning products later made under his name. What he really was, though, was... 

The healthy snackbar segment is huge and growing. It seems that manufacturers have figured out a way to dress up candy bars as healthy, and fill our craving for an anytime, anywhere treat. To be fair, there are many decent products out there, but some are not much more than glorified Snickers or Twix bars. Let’s take a look at Kellogg’s Fiber Plus Dark Chocolate Almond Bar , which boasts 35% of the daily value …  Read More →

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has issued this year’s Xtreme Eating Awards , bestowing honors on eight restaurant meals and one dessert that are so ridiculously unhealthy that they stand out even from the usual bad-for-you fare that permeates the nation. These lists are always amusing, and perhaps useful, but for me, they’re starting to lose their shock value. It was never shocking that meals filled with unholy amounts... 

Coq au Vin, is a French dish traditionally made by braising rooster with wine and aromatics. It’s a great technique to tenderize tough old cocks and it’s pretty similar to another French favorite, beef bourguignon. For those with a better memory than mine, you may remember my last Coq au Vin . It was really good, but true to the name of this blog, I don’t use recipe (not even my own), and I tend to come up with different variations... 

Brownies baked as cupcakes- from Namaste baking mix. Check out these fudgy little gems. Chocolate chip brownies dressed up like cupcakes. These are Steve’s creation. He’s been making gluten-free brownies for- let me think a minute- almost nine years. (How, I ask you, is that possible? Nine years gluten-free? Yep. We’ll be celebrating nine years of gluten-free living this December. Perilously close to a decade.) So he’s the... 

Oatmeal chocolate cookies. For your gluten-free munching pleasure. I suppose you could argue that one oatmeal cookie recipe is enough. I mean, how many oatmeal cookie recipes does a person need? To this I answer, at least two. Why? Well, first you have one with raisins. Raisins give oatmeal cookies that old school chewy sneaky nutrition boost. They’re old fashioned and comfy cozy. Kinda like spending one of those Saturday afternoons at your...