I was recently interviewed in a podcast by Julia Outlaw and Dr. Eleni Tsiompanou from Harmony and Health. The focus of the podcast is about the power of food and how it has the ability to harm or heal us.  The hosts interviewed me and we discussed the health benefits of particular herbs and spices, and shared the process of developing recipes. And we connected about the joy of eating! The episode includes recipes for improving mood and attention. Listen to the podcast HERE or you can listen to it below ..read more

As young kids growing up in SoCal we were taught by parents who were conscious of the environment, from summer week-long camping under the stars, learning not only about deer and occasionally a black bear–to properly dispose of any rubbish we found in the campground, the trails to the shoreline of the lake, to boating on the rivers and the sea, traveling the roads and never ever tossing trash out the car window! On the very first Earth Day in 1970, we walked joyfully in a big group to school-normally a 4-mile bus ride–my sister and I clothed in t-shirts hand-painted by Mom and spent the scho ..read more

Photo by Manja Wachsmuth, Vanilla Table Kumara is the New Zealand name for the sweet potato; it was a staple of the Maori long before the Pakeha (white Europeans) touched the shores of Aotearoa. Translated from Te Reo Maori, New Zealand is known as “Land of the long white cloud”. The kumara flesh color ranges from pale yellow to rich red. This vegetarian recipe uses the sweeter and darker-fleshed variety, which in the US is, rather deceptively, known as a red yam. With melt-in-your-mouth, hot-out-of-the-oven layers of oozey cheese, kumara and vanilla caramelized onions, using vanilla for swee ..read more

FOR SPIRITED WOMEN WHO DANCE TO A DIFFERENT TUNE Rock my Age interview Natasha MacAller From professional Ballerina, to chef and now author, The Dancing Chef - Natasha MacAller shares her journey spanning these three extraordinary careers - each an art form in its own right and requiring discipline, dedication and technique. Now a restaurant consultant and author, Natasha’s most recent book Spice Health Heroes opens our eyes to the role spices play in our overall health and wellbeing. The interview is also available on Podbean ..read more

I had never seen—let alone tasted—a tamarillo until I arrived in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands. Also known as tree tomatoes, tamarillos originate from South America, but they flourish in New Zealand. The red ones are tart, flavorful and my favorite. To roast, cut in half lengthwise, put on a baking tray cut-side up, sprinkle with sugar and roast in a 350ºF/180ºC oven for 30–45 minutes until the fruit is a deep, dark red. Scoop out the pulp into a food-mill or strainer to remove the seeds, and purée. Tightly covered, the pulp will keep refrigerated for two weeks. If tamarillos are not available ..read more

A clean out the fridge recipe I put together while staying at a friends house. As there were only sketchy ideas for dinner – I did a quick head in fridge survey and came out with a jar of pickled capers. Dinner? You betcha! Discovering enough caper friendly ingredients in the kitchen, all I needed at the store was some chicken and dinner became a cross between chicken piccata and stroganoff, with a side of peas. Feel free to make lots of substitutions – even the capers aren’t necessary, you could use preserved lemon, cornichons (those little tiny pickled cucumbers) or quick pickled onions for ..read more

Adapted from the classic Chez Panisse Vegetables Cookbook by Alice Waters This classic simple French dish can be enjoyed as a starter with a chunk of warm bread with butter or main and served hot or cold-delicious in any season and I agree with Alice: this Ratatouille tastes even better the next day, so a perfect simple make ahead dish!** Serves 6 as a main, 8-10 as a side dish Ingredients 1 large (about 525g) aubergine/eggplant 1-heaped Tbsp. salt EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) or grape seed oil as needed 3 onions (600g) 15 cloves garlic (50g) smashed, peeled and chopped 1 medium c ..read more

A take on my famous LA Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Whipped Cream from my cookbook “Vanilla Table”, easy to prepare, and bake and devour, are delicious any time of the day. Go totally decadent and smush a scoop of your fave ice cream on top or between the layers of freshly baked shortcake. I’ll always, well almost always, choose vanilla ice cream. Just can’t help it. What’s your favorite combo? Makes 12-16 Ingredients 65g/¼ cup sugar or vanilla sugar Zest of 1 lemon and one orange 220g/8oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour 1Tbsp baking powder ¼ tsp kosher, sea or pl ..read more

The trifle ‘reveal’ took place on Vava‘u Island, Tonga for Heilala’s First Annual Vanilla Harvest Event. As the massive bowl was paraded around the tables after a three-course luncheon I detected agonized sighs coming from the 22 guests as they protested: ‘No! No! Not the trifle!’, then whispers of ‘bacon bits in a dessert?’ But of course! I love the sweet–salty combination of crispy bacon, oozey vanilla caramel and hot fudge sauce. Needless to say, as the guests pushed back their chairs post-trifle I noticed all that remained in the bowl were a few cake crumbs and toasted almonds. And the bac ..read more

What to do with all those gorgeous homegrown tomatoes? A traditional bisque adds shellfish and a roux. This version is vegetarian and gluten-free as it is thickened with vanilla-caramelized onions rather than a flour-based roux. Photo by Manja Wachsmuth, Vanilla Table Serves 4 Ingredients For the Bisque: 12 medium (2 lb) fresh tomatoes (28 oz canned whole tomatoes) 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tsp fine sea salt 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped 1 onion, peeled and chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 bay leaf, bruised 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 Tbsp fresh cracked pepper ..read more