Most of the recipes I highlight at feelgood eats are born out of inspiration. Sometimes I’ll have an incredible dish while I am out and about, other times I’ll read about a recipe in a cookbook or food blog, or stumble upon a killer ingredient that has me racing to the kitchen. But this recipe was different. This spinach and artichoke dip was born out of sheer envy.

It all started innocently enough at a mid-afternoon holiday gathering with students, professors, and alums of the graduate school I attended. My contribution was this goat cheese and olive spread, a unique and tasty little dish that I was quite happy with. That is, until I saw the spinach and artichoke dip emerge out of the wholesale club jar and get positioned directly next to my contribution. It was head-to-head, spread vs. spread action, and you can guess how things turned out. For the rest of the afternoon I watched as people went for seconds, thirds, fourths of the wholesale club spread - going on and on about how good it was. It really was no contest at all. [click to continue…]

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Ah! July has been busy! I have spent the last 2 weeks mostly disconnected from the internet, bouncing around the Adirondacks, Vermont and Quebec. It’s been one of those vacations where you don’t feel super-relaxed and zip from one event to another, so I am actually looking forward to getting back to Berkeley for some down time.

Well, not too much down time. Next week I kick off a three-week stint at the San Francisco Baking Institute where I will be conquering my fear of baking and learning the art of artisanal breads. [click to continue…]

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During my college years I worked at a local deli, and as a former sandwich artist I can attest that when it comes to mayonnaise there are two distinct camps: the lovers and the haters. I have always been a mayo lover and I can’t think of anything better to spread on a B.L.T. or a chicken salad sandwich. However, in recent years I have somewhat unwillingly found myself drifting into the hater camp.

I really don’t want to become a mayo hater, but every time I am handed a packet of mayonnaise I cringe a little bit. Composed of low-quality vegetable oils, frozen or pasteurized egg yolks (or other non-egg emulsifiers) and chemical preservatives (or “natural flavorings”), industrial mayonnaise doesn’t have much going for it. [click to continue…]

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Yogurt cheese is super easy to make and offers a stronger nutritional profile when compared to mass-produced cream cheese. As a fermented dairy product, yogurt cheese contains live cultures that not only break down milk proteins (making it easier to digest), but also provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract, which further assist in digestion and strengthen your immune system. Yogurt cheese can be substituted anywhere you would traditionally use cream cheese: as a spread on a bagel or sandwich, part of a dip base or simply a dallop in soups or with grains. [click to continue…]

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