Recipe

A few years back I switched my family from store purchased toothpaste to natural, homemade toothpaste. These days there are a lot of complicated chemical ingredients listed on the back of toothpaste tubes and containers—even many of the natural brands have them. Not to mention, the natural, safe brands seem a bit overpriced. So I thought—why not make my own? Being very choosy, I used safe, simple, natural ingredients, and now I am here to share my own natural toothpaste recipe with you!

As the days get cooler and the mornings get darker, I start to crave more warming and hearty breakfast foods. As a runner, fall is typically a time of peak preparation; many large races occur in the fall months, and my training season is no different. About 4 weeks ago I started training for my second big race of the year: the California International Marathon, affectionately called CIM. While the race is known for its world-class organization and net downhill course, it is anything but easy.

Need something colorful, warm, healthy, and hearty this fall? Try this scrumptious sweet potato pumpkin soup recipe! Sweet potato is high in vitamins A, C, and E —which is awesome for supporting a healthy immune system. Pumpkin contains a great source of vitamin A for aiding in eye-vision, as well as potassium for helping out the body’s nervous system. This soup is not only good, it’s good for you!

Takes 30-45 minutes

Serves 5-6 bowls

Ingredients:

In plain English, a chapati, roti or fulka is pan-roasted unleavened bread. It has been made the same way for hundreds of years and is easy to make, good to eat, full of health benefits and goes with just about everything. Made out of whole wheat flour, a chapati can be made even more nutritious by adding different kinds of flours to the wheat flour dough like gram, soya, millet, barley, sorghum and rye.

My first encounter with Egyptian street food was in the most unlikely of places: the Minnesota State Fair. Strange as it may sound, among the corndogs and cheese curds, there is a popular Middle Eastern food stand at the fair serving things like falafel, gyro meat, dolmas, and my favorite, koshari. As it happens, koshari (also spelled kushari, koshary, or kosheri) is the national dish of Egypt and a popular street food item. The dish consists of rice, lentils, macaroni, chickpeas, fried onions, and a delicious spicy red sauce.

Alas, here we are with only a few weeks until the official end of summer, it’s time for all of us farmers’ market fanatics to showcase the best of the summer bounty. I want to share with you a few of my personal, quick, go-to recipes that feature my favorite summer farmers’ market finds. The beauty of the summer bounty is that the fruits and vegetables are so flavorful they require little work to truly be celebrated.

As the sun sits high in the sky and beats down profusely, the thought might cross through tired summer minds of reaping cool relief for all ages with ingredients that are simply lying around the garden and in the kitchen fruit bowl. With just a few limes, a handful of mint and some sweetener, the most delicious summer mint-lime cooler can be produced in just a few minutes, and is sure to please the whole crew.

Ingredients (for one pitcher full):

Juice of 6-7 limes

The weather is warm, the sun sets late, and the trees are lush and green. All of this signals rhubarb season, and usually that means lots of pies and sweet sauces over ice cream. This rich, tangy vegetable can also be used in more savory dishes as well though, and can add a pleasant new flavor to your summer meals.

This is a basic but tasty recipe that you can spice up with your own flavors and add to almost any meal. For the butter, I use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks which is available at most grocery stores. I also like to throw in some oregano, rosemary and thyme for a savory taste, but feel free to experiment with whatever you like! They are perfect as the base for your favorite biscuits and gravy recipe, as a side dish, or enjoy them on their own with a cup of tea or coffee.