High Protein Pumpkin Bread

Have you ever been to France? If so, did you try the Pan d’épices (aka, spice bread)? It’s a French classic, sold in loaves, but sometimes sold in squares, cut from giant slabs. It’s something between a cake and a bread, but neither one nor the other. It’s delicious. Made with a lot of spices, honey, and some other rad stuff. 
This high protein pumpkin bread reminds me a lot of Pan d’épices.
To be honest, I didn’t actually notice the resemblance at first. It was my Parisian friend Charles who after tasting it said (in his very thick French accent): “Is this some kind of Pan d’épices?”
His comment was right on point. This pumpkin bread is quite similar to that French goodness, although the recipe is completely different.

Aspartame: Good Or Bad?

Aspartame is used in tons of products you can find at the grocery store: diet sodas, fruit juices, cordials, yogurts, chewing gums, cooking sauces, chips, drink powders, and of course, sugar substitutes.
It has been reported that aspartame is used in around 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide.
With such a widespread use, chances are that you’re consuming aspartame on a daily basis, without even knowing it.
That alone is a good enough reason to learn something more about this sugar substitute.

Suggested Reading: The Omnivore's Dilemma, A Natural History of Four Meals

The Omnivore’s dilemma is not some sort of boring food manifesto written by some left-wing intellectual in which the author rambles about the “evil” food industry which poisons all our meals, and makes us sick.
It’s something more, much more.
In a way, it is a kind of food manifesto, and Michael Pollan is indeed an intellectual (he’s a professor at UC Berkeley), and most probably he’s also left-wing, but the book doesn’t feel any of these things while you flip through the pages.
Instead, it’s a tantalizing journey up and down the food chain, that will probably change forever the way you’ll decide which foods to put in your mouth. Eggs, meat, dairy, even organic produce will never look the same to your eyes.
You’ll learn a great deal on food, and that’s precisely why you should read this book.

The Fountain Of Youth Is Filled With Your Sweat!

For millennia mankind has been obsessed with what can be considered the greatest of all myths: the fountain of youth. A magic water with the power of stopping the passage of time, and grant immortality to its drinker.
Legends about it have been recounted across the world for centuries, and can be found in writings by Herodotus and Alexander the Great.
Many explorers spent their lives tormentedly looking for the spring from which poured the mystical water. Practitioners of alchemy brewed all sorts of herbs, spices, condiments, powdery and minerals, as the hope of achieving immortality was too hard to resist.
Of course, fiction has thrived on this tale. Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray or Peter Pan, are just two of the numerous characters brought to life by novelist struggling with an ageless existence.
What about the present times? After searching the four corners of the Earth we have finally settled that the elixir source of eternal youth might be indeed just a legend. More significantly, science has ruled out the existence of a magical potion that could grant immortality.

Swiss Chard And Spinach Quiche

Have you had your greens today? If not, you might want to revert this asap, as we all know too well how greens are crucial for better health.Let’s face it, it’s not always easy to get your daily green fix. Sometime it’s difficult to know what to do with them besides juicing, have them raw in a salad or just lightly steamed.
In order to give you one more option, today I’m gonna share what I believe to be one of the “greenest” quiche you can ever imagine. Made with lots of spinach and swiss chard. So much of it, that one slice will provides a full two servings of greens. What about that?

Maca: The Ultimate Superfood! (Or So They Say...)

I’m sure you’ve heard about Maca already, it’s the latest superfood everyone talks about.
It always the same old story: a “never heard before” superfood appears on the market.
Everybody jumps on the bandwagon praising it to be the next miracle food; only to find out after a while that, as with any other superfood, it might have some health benefits but, alone, it’s never enough.
It happened to spirulina first (remember when, few years back, it was called the miracle algae?), chia seeds, hemp seeds, psyllium fiber, just to name a few.
Now it’s maca’s turn: celebs, wannabes, athletes, in-the-know health fanatics, superfood enthusiasts, hipsters, hippies, yuppies (are there any yuppies left? I wonder...), I mean everybody wants a piece of this wonder root.
According to Details Magazine, some of the celebs hooked on maca include: Jude Law, Marc Jacobs, Miranda Kerr, Erin Wasson, David Wolfe, Woody Harrelson, and Mike D of The Bestie Boys.
With such an amazing line-up, don’t you already wanna know more about it?

Some Reasons Why You Should Use More Saffron In Your Diet

Saffron is one the least known spice in the world. Few people know where it comes from, how it’s harvested, and what to do with it.
I find this to be a real pity, as saffron it’s only delicious, but also full of health benefits, and quite versatile in the kitchen.
It’s true that saffron is very expensive (that’s why it’s also referred to as the yellow gold), but the high price is balanced out, as you just need to use very small pinches in your dishes.
Let’s discover a little bit more about this amazing spice...

Protein Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The story of these cookies begins with a challenge thrown at me by a friend who follows a strict gluten-free diet.
He asked if I could bake him a batch of gluten-free, high-protein cookies. No wheat flour allowed - of course - but also no flour subs allowed (such as rice flour, quinoa flour, or similar). As he didn’t care for them either (I know, picky friend...)
“Just don’t use flour, or any flour sub please. Try to be innovative!” he told me. However, I could use oats, he said that oats are gluten-free.
“Really? I didn’t knew oats were gluten-free. Interesting. Are you sure?”
I was not 100% sold on this, and some research was definitely necessary.
I then discovered that what he said was not entirely correct. According to the scientific literature available, most of the people suffering from celiac disease can tolerate small amounts of pure oats, provided that they have not been contaminated with other cereals.
The official guidelines for celiacs, however, discourage the consumption of oats, because the contamination risk is almost always present (just really small amounts are permitted).
Notwithstanding that, I decided to use oats anyway in these cookies (he’s not celiac, so there’s no risk). Still I didn’t want to label them as “gluten-free”. When I’m not sure about something, I prefer not to make a statement. I believe that this is more cautious way to proceed.
Enough digressing on oats; let’s start baking...

New Study Reveals That Every Single Junk Food Meal Damages Your Arteries

If you believe that hitting a fast-food from time to time, binging with a junk food meal is an ok to do, you might want to think again. A newly published study suggests that even one single junk food meal is detrimental to the health of your arteries.

Lemony Curried Chickpeas

If you live in LA (or have been in LA) chances are you've already eaten at Joan's on Third. A great store/restaurant located between the Beverly Center and the Grove, with a refreshing yet comfortable atmosphere and a great menu selection.
They have amazing food there; the lobster rolls, the chinese chicken salad and the carrot cake are among my fave dishes. But my #1 choice is the curried chickpeas, a simple salad full of flavor and depth.
I'm so obsessed with that salad that every time I go there (not often enough as I live on the other side of the country, sigh!) I order it as part of the salad trio (a selection of three salads from their daily specials on the menu). Except that I don't pick any other salad, just three portions of the curried chickpeas. Because they're all I ever want to eat when I go there.
The mixture of spices is superb. The touch of lemon sublime. The combination of flavors unique...OK, I might be exaggerating a tad, but it's really yummy.
So when I found the recipe on the LATimes, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could finally make the curried chickpeas at home: SCORE!