Article by Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor It is almost the end of tomato season here in Florida. At least until fall. However, no matter where you live, it will eventually be the end of tomato season. When the vines start to die, there may still be many tomatoes left on the vine. Some will […]

Contributed by Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor   If you are like most home gardeners in Florida, right now you have a lot of select produce coming in from your garden; eggplant, more eggplant and okra. I posted this article last summer but like to remind folks that eggplant can be used in so many […]

Article courtesy of Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor Few foods are known for ramping up endorphins more than chile peppers. Chile aficionados can hardly eat a meal without them, and love a challenge to eat hotter and hotter peppers. There are many good reasons to love chile peppers

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Snow crab is plentiful in the grocery store at present and as such is relatively inexpensive. It also provide the wonderfully light meat that makes for an exceptional crab cake. The following meal is terrific for those warm summer nights when you want the contrast of […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor If you enjoy the joys of freshly baked bread, herbs, olive oil and fresh vegetables this pizza is both satisfying and relatively easy to make. Toss in salad and a glass of wine and ….. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Recently I posted “One Chicken – Three Meals” in which breakfast tacos were featured. Following up as promised is the recipe for said dish which is totally easy if you made the enchilada dish before the breakfast tacos. If you’ve booked yourself tight in the morning […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Assuming you have on hand, either from the grocery or in your garden, a few greens and vegetables such as lettuces, tomatoes, garlic, basil, lemons and a few other essentials, tossing together a fun salad for lunch or dinner should be quick and relatively preparation time […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor As we know sweet potatoes are loaded with nutritious goodness, so finding ways to create various dishes with them is not only good for us but can have a very different set of flavor characteristics depending on the direction you choose. Most folks like crisp French […]

Article courtesy of Diana Palmer, BS, CPT Here come the holidays, time of celebration and cheer.  With parties and jubilation come the pitfalls of diet and exercise sabotage.  So how can you celebrate and be cheerful without looking like Santa.  Try these helpful hints:

http://nutritionhealthnet.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3038&action=edit Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Sometimes we do not have a ton of time to cook and having containers of fresh greens, herbs, and vegetables around the yard really is a time and money saver.  Also having the freezer and refrigerator holding other ingredients from previously butchered fish or chicken […]

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a little twist on Southern style fried okra. Rather than cutting the okra into little chunks and dredging in corn meal I prefer to split the pod lengthways, soak in buttermilk, dredge in a little seasoned flour prior to frying. These cook up very […]

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Although we think of dressing with poultry this time of year around the holidays it is a great way to use leftover bread throughout the year. It is savory, and has that wonderful herbed smell that brings folks into the kitchen or to the table. A […]

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor ‘Tis the season when cranberries are a much desired side dish to celebrate the festival fall season of cooking the holiday favorites. Don’t buy cranberry prepared canned sauce when it is so easy and so much tastier to make your own. Anyone can do this! Cranberry sauce […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Not only are sweet potatoes loaded with nutritious elements they are inexpensive, store well, and when cooked may be stored frozen or under refrigeration until future use. I found sweet potatoes at 39 cents a pound at one of my produce haunts and to get a […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor I usually have on hand in the pantry dried chiles, roasted peppers and sundried tomato paste among other storable goodies. I like to have ingredients stored that I can throw together quickly for lunch or a quick appetizer round for friends and family that drop in […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Each day I try to plan to pass through the produce area in one of our local markets, on my way home, to see what is fresh or on sale that I can use for the evening meal. Shopping daily also allows me to get in […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Most cooks that frequent the grill have a favorite, go to, barbeque sauce. There are many varieties, Asian, Jerk or Kansas City, to name a few, which start with various bases, mustard, ketchup, soy, ginger, etc. The sauce created with this recipe is a hybrid of […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a one bowl meal that easily can come together in 20 minutes or less. If you’re a Chile Head you’ll appreciate the chile sauce together with the fresh basil and garlic. It’ll bring a little perspiration and release a few of the desirable endorphins […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor The best thing about growing vegetables and other edibles in containers around our house is being able to eat them. This time of year the early greens are coming in as the temperatures have dropped into the sixties at night. The tomatoes, greens, beets, and more […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor There are many versions of gumbo, most combining shrimp, sausage, and vegetables with rice. This is a little different spin, using seasonal vegetables without rice, substituting mushrooms instead to enhance the richness of this brown sauce gumbo. Throw in a tasty salad a glass of wine […]

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor One of the many ways to use Kamut wheat. Equipment: Sauté pan, medium sauce pot with lid, chef’s knife, cutting board, measuring utensils. Ingredients: 1 cup dried Khorasan Wheat (Kamut) 4 cups water or unsalted vegetable stock ½ lb fresh asparagus spears, stalk end trimmed (save for […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor I recently made a mother batch of red sauce, and this night I wanted something easy to throw together using the red sauce and pasta. While at the store earlier, keeping the red sauce in mind, I found a sale on a mix of fresh oyster, […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor There is lots of basil available in the yard this time of year in containers and random plants throughout the yard from seeds that have blown around. You can never have too much basil and a quick lunch that is really tasty and easy to make […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Try this if you can find fresh yuca root, also called Cassava or manioc, as it is unusual to many folks that may not even know what yucca is let alone having it as part of a meal. The look is similar to potato fries but […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This tasty Caribbean Style cold salad is really easy to prepare and has a pleasing eye appeal and a very exotic nose.  You may choose to make ahead of time and hold, refrigerated for up to 2 hrs. prior to service. Enjoy!

A note from Donna Hargrove, D.O., FACOG, – Nutritional Editor and Chef Bren Anrkum – Culinary Editor Dr. Hargrove and I subscribe to the idea that nutritionally sound food choices create a solid foundation for improved overall health. We believe that whole foods are key to successful health improvement and maintenance. In particular, we believe, […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Pasta’s in Italy are as diverse as you can imagine from region to region and range from very simple pasta’s with the pasta, oil, and cheese to more complex vegetable combinations called ragu. The following is a combination of ingredients high in nutritional value, and combined […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor. Having leftovers from a meal is a good thing especially if you’ve planned for the leftovers to become some quick and easy sides, or meals for future breakfast, lunch, or dinners. Over the weekend we did a low country boil and as luck would have it […]

Guests love this meal. It is both visually appealing and unique to in that it requires little preparation effort and, with a little bit of attention to timing, cooks everything in one pot ready to dump onto a large platter and serve. The choice of ingredients is up for grabs as long as it includes […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor I’ll make this condiment fresh for fish or shrimp tacos. Gives more crunch than lettuce and the color is much more interesting. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hargrove D.O., FACOG- Nutrition Editor This recipe is a twist on the traditional southern pear relish. I have used honey for part of the sugar making the sweetness a little more subtle, some favorite Indian spices and some chiles for kick. Serve it over black-eyed peas, cooked greens, grilled pork chops […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a really fun appetizer with lots of eye appeal and an explosion of tastes. You need some leftover spicy black bean soup from a mother batch, ahi tuna, and shrimp for the basic flavor profile and a little more time to prepare. It’s worth […]

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hargrove D.O., FACOG- Nutrition Editor I originally wrote a nutrition article about sea grapes and included in the article was the one recipe I could find for sea grape jelly. Chef Bren and I decided to try out some variations of this recipe with several different flavor ingredients. Fortunately sea grape […]

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Smashed potatoes are easy to make and versatile in that you can add so many flavorful ingredients, chives, cheese, yogurt, bacon, onions, peppers, whatever pleases your palate, to the potatoes when you mash them. The following recipe makes a “stiff” smashed potato dish with the skins […]

Article by Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor Honey is a food made by honeybees (Apis mellifera) that have collected nectars from a variety of sources, usually many types of flowers. The nectar mixes with the bee’s digestive juices, which partially digests the mixture that forms honey, where it is then stored in the wax honeycombs […]