Last month, I was taking a walk through my local park in Brooklyn with a clear intention of doing nothing else but observing. Given that walking is my primary mode of transportation, to undergo a “purposeless” walk such as this felt both strange and liberating.read more

“I mean, I expected it to be good, but this sauce is f*ing amazing.” I was not anticipating this response from my best friend, for whom I had recently prepared this meal on a chilly Friday night after a long week at work, each ofread more

Nothing says fall like pumpkin, right? These days everyone and their mother sells something in the pumpkin family, whether it’s a latte or an essential oil or a sickly sweet bread that’s more like cake. My own family has a long tradition of making pumpkinread more

They say it takes twenty-one days to create a new habit—but how long does it take to break one? In my experience, it’s somewhere around four. At least that’s how long it took me to get used to not cooking during my recent stay atread more

When my younger sister and I were growing up, one of our many family traditions included an Easter egg hunt. My mother would stay up late to hide the neon and pastel plastic eggs, literally bursting with candy, around the house. My mother has manyread more

Ayurveda teaches that a daily routine, called dinacharya, is an essential foundation to good health. In times of imbalance, choosing dosha-specific practices (i.e., taking cooling teas or using cooling oils in times of excess heat, or pitta) on a regular basis will help to alleviateread more

“How do you cook your beans?” Maybe not the best pick-up line, but this question is an excellent way to get to know someone . . . well, their digestion at least, which according to Ayurveda says a whole lot about a person’s current stateread more

The D-words (diet and detox) aren’t in my vocabulary anymore, but this refreshing Winter Citrus Salad is about as close to those eating goals as I got in January. What makes it less harsh—and tastier—is gently cooking the vegetables (the preferred way of eating mostread more

Being told something is good for you as a kid is often a mighty good reason to run far away from it. Beans were always one of those foods for me—pretty boring, oddly shaped, and depending on their origin slimy and smelly and just unappealingread more

Images of an angry British man flashed in my head all while making this recipe. I never quite understood why the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen couldn’t make risotto—they’re chefs, aren’t they?—until I researched a few recipes and realized the intricate dance of fat, heat, andread more