Building a Better Salad
Ask most Americans to describe a salad and they will craft a picture of a lettuce heavy base, a few pieces of broccoli, some shredded carrots and perhaps a few slices of chicken breast. They’ll top it all off with some crunchy croutons and a creamy dressing poured out of a bottle or squeezed from a package. Better choice than cereal? Of course. Nutritionally dense? Eh. It’s a decent start. When I construct a salad, I begin with a foundation of every type of dark leafy green I can find. I’ll feature spicy arugula, mild spinach, crunchy chard, a...
Turmeric
Today’s post is a simple introduction to one of the world’s healthiest spices, turmeric. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant. This plant grows well in South Asia and is used throughout the region. In particular, turmeric is often used to help impart the warm, peppery flavors of Indian food. I dig Indian food. The rich, aromatic, deep flavors of the curries, the fluffy, crisp naan bread, the creamy yogurts, the vividly colorful sauces…I could go on and on. Turmeric can be used in place of saffron to add that distinctive golden color to chicken or...
Out of the Training Room, into the Kitchen
Major league baseball training rooms are a popular spot for guys looking to get their daily drug fix. The drug of choice? Advil. Over the course of 162 games, plus spring training, plus the post season, an inflamed muscle here and there is impossible to avoid. I have clear recollections of taking 12 Advil a day for weeks at a time. Hundreds of throws, swings of the bat, face first slams into dirt, full speed collisions with the wall – my body hurt so badly that I felt I had no choice. A couple of ibuprofen would take the...