Chocolate overdose made with dark chocolate Like most children, I was a huge fan of chocolate. The holidays, in particular, were always about chocolate indulgence. It meant plenty of Hershey bars, M&M’s, Snickers, Reese’s peanut butter cups…and let’s not forget the hot chocolate concoctions. As I grew older all that indulgence not only made me feel guilty but also affected my appearance because of constant facial skin breakouts and dark spots. Undoubtedly it had to change. Not wanting to give it up completely, I looked into the various ingredients in chocolate treats to see where I coul ..read more

Over the weekend, strolling through a health food store in a locale new to me, I came across a strange-looking fruit. There were large chunks of it with big seeds, and it reminded me of a durian fruit. In other words, the outside looks like a fossilized porcupine. Curious, I read the label and realized that I was holding jackfruit in my hands. It was excited because lately I have been hearing much about that fruit, as it is supposed to have a meaty quality to it and it makes its round in plant-based food circles. Can't beat a vegetable version of BBQ'd pork without the two-day prep time a ..read more

Eating more vegetables is not so much an experiment as it is more of a life style change, and it just feels great on my system. Worth mentioning is that along with all that came more education of animal husbandry and no-cruelty animal clothing or no-animal-fabric textile products. A recently viewed animal cruelty video that was filmed by undercover PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) agents sent shivers down my spine and made me wonder how those desensitized "humans" can possible do such awful things to any other living creature.  For now, if there is dairy in my house it i ..read more

HASH BROWNS THE ALPINE WAY. Hash browns is a simple dish in which potatoes are shredded, diced or crushed and then griddled or fried. Certainly, they’re a staple on American breakfast menus. To my astonishment, there are a myriad of ways to prepare them. I realized that when I looked hash brown recipes up online. Indeed, an endless number of cooks claim their preparation to be the best. While the obvious potatoes are a must, how those spuds are cut varies widely. Cooks shred either raw or cooked potatoes on a box grater, others swear on cutting them into strips, a.k.a., julienne with a kn ..read more

Not so long ago soup was what you got at the soup kitchen when you were down on your luck. Soup is what my mother advises me to eat when I happen to have a cold. Soup is what my grandparents ordered when they took us kids out to a restaurant. Last year bone broth became fashionable and it became the “it” food of the moment.  It's becoming winter, and while I find the warmth of a stove comforting as I prepare dinner, I’ve also discovered that my motivation to fire up my home stove is declining.  The best soup I've had recently was a bowl of spiced butternut squash with apple and quino ..read more

As fall has arrived, a friend of mine went apple picking to the beautiful Hudson Valley last week. She was kind enough to surprise me with a big bag of apples when she returned to the city. I love apples, but I can only eat a small portion of raw apples. If I eat too much, I get a strange stomachache. At home, I watch over our refined sugar intake, especially as my daughter gets super hyperactive from it. Always tweaking recipes, I came up with the following apple pie. The recipe is made with butter, but I decided to use a substitute – vegan Earth Balance butter, since I ha ..read more

Activated charcoal has been a remedy for ages. I was curious about how it is being produced….after it is burned, it is treated with oxygen to open millions of pores in its atomic structure. Up to this day, it is still the go-to substance when it comes to preventing the majority of poisons from being absorbed into the bloodstream. It also eases gastrointestinal problems, such as stomach cramps, gas, and indigestion, because it absorbs excess gas in the gastrointestinal tract. It also prevents hangover. Because the body does not digest charcoal, particles of toxins will cling ..read more

I’ve been getting asked about matcha a whole lot lately, and supposedly many dedicated coffee lovers are ditching java in favor of matcha! The greenness adds to its visual appeal, and unique flavor makes it the current darling of the tea world. Recently, it has been promoted by the health and beauty sectors because the green tea leaves are believed to be high in antioxidants. Common steeped green tea has the reputation of being healthy because the leaves contain antioxidants; however, when preparing green tea traditionally, water can only extract a small amount of the leaves’ nutritional ..read more

SEPTEMBER GOLD – the blogSummer is ending. For most of the country, it will be a relief from the heat-in-your face that made the past month not too pleasant. Fall season coming upon us with its golden shaded brown and dark green colors brings with it seasonal vegetables to hit the kitchen counter: Swiss chard, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, Fall squash, grapes, apples, and pears, just to name a few.  LocalThose who are committed to eating local seasonal produce products don’t get to enjoy all fruits or vegetables at any time they want. It is similar to clothing, we just don't get to put ..read more

I’m always looking forward to dinners at home. This past weekend it was one of the first few days that I was not working. There’s nothing like sitting around a table with friends and family. I'm bringing all this up since a weekend off is not the norm in a chef’s life. Appetizers are a must for any get-together, whether it’s a backyard barbecue, holiday get-together, or game night. I have a soft spot for toasts, or you can call them crostini. They're quick and easy to prepare so you needn’t spend much time in the kitchen, and less kitchen time equals more quality time with friends an ..read more