All posts filed under: Feel Good Food

Fall Feast Stuffed Pumpkin

I see a lot of anxious posts this time of year from vegan, pescan, vegetarian, and pescatarians all wondering the same question- “What should I make for Thanksgiving?!”.  It’s understandable since this is the one holiday that is almost completely focused on culinary delights and our gratitude for them. Your average healthy party-trick of hummus and crudités simply won’t suffice. Whether I’m hosting or not, I always like to make a plant-based dish that works as a spectacular main dish for those who don’t eat poultry, as well as a delicious side for those who prefer a traditional turkey dinner. While my usual Thanksgiving go-to Maple-Glazed Stuffed Acorn Squash is always a winner, this year I wanted to try something new after finding an inspiring Japanese pumpkin at the market. One of the things that can be daunting about working with such a large pumpkin is cutting and cleaning it since the outer rind can be nearly impenetrable. We circumvent this issue by roasting the pumpkin whole until it’s nice and tender so that your …

Tropical Sunrise Smoothie

I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Lara Lyn Carter at an event hosted by Melissa’s Produce. She does lighter versions of southern classics and is a gluten-free baking genius. She made the most delicious smoothie from her cookbook Skinny Southern and was kind enough to let me share the recipe with you. It’s super creamy thanks to the coconut milk and has a refreshing tropical flavor that will remind you of a beach vacation. It’s a favorite with kids too! Enjoy! 🌞 Sunrise Smoothie Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 frozen bananas 1/2 cup frozen pineapple 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup light coconut milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: Blend the ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Note:  You can also add a handful of spinach for extra iron.  Feel Good Ingredient: Banana Bananas are a good source of fiber and resistant starch. They can promote healthy digestion and  a balanced gut biome which is one of the keys to good physical and mental health .

7-Grain Blueberry-Rosemary Pancakes with Orange Blossom Honey and Coconut Butter

Big juicy blueberries are in season right now and there’s no better way to enjoy them than first thing in the morning with these moist and fluffy Blueberry-Rosemary Pancakes. I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7-grain Pancake mix mix which uses stone ground whole grain flours and whole ground flaxseed meal to create a delicious earthy blend. You can find it at natural food markets or online. Fresh rosemary adds a fragrant herbal element and orange blossom honey adds a sweet floral note. Finish them off with creamy coconut butter and you have next-level blueberry pancakes that you can make in just minutes. They are made perfectly moist and fluffy thanks to aquafaba – the liquid from canned beans that can be used in place of eggs in lots of recipes. If you are unfamiliar with aquafaba you can check out this Facebook page to learn more about it and check out all of the crazy inspiring things people are doing with it. These Blueberry-Rosemary Pancakes are perfect for: when you need a quick, but extra …

Calcium-rich Chocolate Energy Smoothie

I created this chocolate energy smoothie when I was pregnant and attending culinary school in New York.  I was also simultaneously interning at a busy restaurant near Union Square in order to fulfill my program requirements before I was too far along to fly back home to Los Angeles to deliver my baby. This meant I was at school everyday by 9 AM until late afternoon when I would head to the restaurant and work through piles of vegetables—peeling, chopping, pickling, and all other manners of readying them for cooking.  If you’ve ever seen the inside of a Michelin starred New York City kitchen you’ll know that despite the efficient calm of the dining room, the activity behind the swinging doors most closely resembles a beehive. Numerous worker bees attend to their designated tasks in the hopes of keeping the queen bee (in this case the managing chef) happy while the customers outside enjoy the honey.  All in all it meant that I was on my feet from about 8 AM until midnight, without the …

Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shake

Minty Feel Good Shamrock Smoothie

With St. Patty’s Day coming up I was hit with a touch of nostalgia today. I was remembering my days as a kid when March was a particularly exciting month because it meant I got to get a Shamrock Shake at my weekly trip to Mc Donald’s. I haven’t had fast food in years, but the memory left me craving a cold minty-vanilla beverage with a preternatural hue. So, of course, I decided to create a version using all natural feel good ingredients. It turned out to be so  delicious, it was hard to stop myself from drinking it all before I took pictures! Below you’ll find the recipe for this sweet, creamy, Shamrock Smoothie. It’s vibrant color looks all the more beautiful when you know it’s not made with a bunch of artificial food colors. Instead we use a touch of blue-green algae called Spirulina that is quite possibly the most nutritious food on the planet. You can find it in the supplement or superfood section of natural food markets and health food stores. …

Feel Good Chocolate Covered Strawberries

When I was a little girl I used to look forward to going to the shopping mall with my mom on occasion. I loved smelling the perfumes at Macy’s and looking at the latest fashions worn by mannequins with expressionless faces. The highlight of these outings, however, was a trip to the chocolate shop near the food court. There, alongside the truffles and bark, they sold big, juicy strawberries in a thick coating of dark chocolate for what I considered to be a small fortune. Looking forward to that melt in your mouth pairing of bittersweet chocolate and fresh berries would keep me on my best behavior all day. It wasn’t until years later that I found out how easy chocolate covered strawberries are to make, and for a fraction of those shopping mall treats. The best part about making them at home is you can use a variety of superfood toppings that dry into the chocolate. These add flavor, texture, and color resulting in berries that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Now …

Spicy Buffalo Tofu Fingers with Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

Game Day Spicy Buffalo Tofu Fingers with Avocado Ranch Dressing

 I make these Spicy Buffalo Tofu Fingers for Super Bowl every year. They are always a big hit with vegans and meat eaters alike so I wanted to share the recipe before the big game this Sunday. You don’t have to be watching a sporting event to enjoy these, but they do happen to have a spicy kick that stands up nicely to a cold beer and a loud television. I like to use Wildwood Organic Tofu made with sprouted soybeans because it is vacuum sealed rather than packed in water, but any extra-firm tofu will work. I use an organic Jalapeño Hot Sauce, but you can use any hot sauce you like, Just make sure vinegar is listed as an ingredient, to ensure that you get the right flavor. My favorite Sriracha comes from Organicville.  All of these ingredients are available at Whole Foods or other natural foods markets. Try them with my creamy Avocado-Herb Ranch Dressing.  It’s the perfect cooling compliment to these spicy treats. Nutritional Highlights: Tofu is a complete protein, containing all 9 …

Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook by Abbie Cornish & Jacqueline King

What is Pescan? The Easy Way to Eat Well and Feel Even Better!

In the book Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook  Abbie Cornish and I share our favorite healthy and delicious recipes. We also go over basic cooking techniques and batch cooking at home. At the foundation of the book is the way we prefer to cook and eat, choosing foods that are not only tasty, but that also make us feel good. It’s a lifestyle that we both feel changed our lives for the better. We call this lifestyle “Pescan” Personally, eating pescan has given me a newfound sense of freedom around food. I can eat whenever I’m hungry, stop when I’m full, and always feel satisfied and nourished. Gone are the days of counting calories or yo-yo diets. I maintain a healthy weight without ever having to think about it, which is a welcome relief to someone who spent years dieting. I’m able to feed myself and my family in a way that is super nutritious but still feels like a joy rather than a burden. But what is pescan exactly?  Read on to find out more… …

Champagne Risotto with Truffles

A Holiday Dream- Champagne Risotto With Truffles

This is something I make every year around the holidays that is such a luxurious treat! Creamy, comforting risotto is topped with freshly shaved black truffles with their uniquely rich, earthy flavor and intoxicating aroma. I heard someone compare the reaction to smelling fresh truffles to that of smelling the cologne of someone you’re falling in love with. I’d have to agree it’s that powerful. Though people all over the world have tried to cultivate truffles, it seems to be nearly impossible. They really only grow in the wild in Italy and France. Truffle-hunting is time consuming and labor intensive process, requiring specially trained dogs. (Pigs were once used, but they ate to many of their discoveries!) This makes them quite rare and so they command a price that can raise some eyebrows. In order to get the best value I recommend using black winter truffle instead of the white truffle from Alba. They generally cost less than half the price and you’d be hard pressed to taste the difference blindfolded. That is, unless you’re a regular …

Abbie Cornish and Jacqueline King Schiller

The Story Behind Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook (Available Now!)

It was nearly 3 years ago that my best friend Abbie Cornish and I started working on the proposal for what would become Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook. In fact, in the photo below, which we shot for the proposal, I was 3 months pregnant and now my baby is 2 years old! In the proposal we shared a bit of backstory and outlined our vision for the stories and recipes in the book. Now that the book has been written and is available now, I thought it would be nice to share that overview here to give you an idea of how we came to this project and what the book is all about. From Abbie: A few years ago I was standing in the family kitchen of a lakeside cottage in the wilds of Canada. It was one of those beautiful end of summer days. Dappled sunshine filtered through the pine trees and reflected off the well-worn pots and pans simmering on the stove, giving the room an ethereal glow. In one hand I was …