Category — ALL RECIPES

People love to combine chocolate and Guinness in recipes – even me! But what about porter ale? Will no one think of the porter ale? Porter ale goes really well with chocolate, too, especially in these brownies. I like my brownies fudgy and dense, and these definitely fit the bill.

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I think this blog could easily be rechristened “The Healthy Hedonist,” because at heart, I am equally interested in eating the best things I can possibly get in my mouth AND maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy but be smart. Be smart but don’t suffer.

Over the years, I have figured out quite a few diet hacks to achieve both of these goals. Because that whole “no pain, no gain” thing doesn’t really fly with me. You can eat healthy and still be a hedonist. Here are some of my favorite tricks!

Top Ten Diet Hacks I Use Almost Every Day to Eat Healthier 

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What could be more refreshing than a mint julep on a summer evening? Add some of the season’s best blackberries, and you’re really in for a treat. Since juleps are always served over a full glass of crushed ice, it’s sort of like a boozy berry slushie.

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It’s 6:30, you have dinner guests are arriving in less than an hour, and all you have in the fridge are some boneless skinless chicken breasts and a head of lettuce. There are legos all over the living room floor and the toddler still needs to be changed, fed, and bathed. What do you do?

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Have you heard about the cronut craze that’s sweeping the nation? Here’s the story in a nutshell: some guy in New York took the fried, glazed goodness of a donut and introduced it to the flaky layers of a croissant. They had a baby and behold, the cronut was born. And people are out of their minds over it. Like, spending $40 to buy one black market cronut out of their minds.

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This was one of the most popular recipes on my old site, but I haven’t made it in years so I thought they deserved another go. Now I’m wondering: what took me so long? They are just fantastic.

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Harissa is a spicy North African sauce or paste made from dried chilis, toasted spices, garlic, and oil. In Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya, people use harissa like mustard or ketchup–it goes on many, many things. It’s hard to find a really excellent version to buy in the U.S., but luckily it’s pretty easy to make at home. I like to make a large batch and preserve it in cute jars so I can give them as hostess gifts.

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All of a sudden, Hummingbird Cake is everywhere. I saw it on two popular blogs the day after I first tried it at Dixie in San Francisco. I had questions, like what the heck is it? Why is it so good? And why is it called “Hummingbird Cake?”

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I know what you’re thinking: cake? For breakfast? I say yes, yes, unequivocally yes. If it helps, you can think of it as a giant blueberry pancake. It’s just the thing for a lazy summer Sunday, and is so full of berries that it’s practically health food.

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I am going through another one of those phases where I decide to count calories and eat healthier. They usually pass after a few months, but while in the thick of them I tend to come up with some pretty creative low-calorie recipes. Hence these teriyaki tacos (teriyacos?) with a crunchy snap pea and scallion slaw.

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