Savory Spice Shops' Denver store.

The concept, dreamt up by young entrepreneurs Mike and Janet Johnston, blows away the dull McCormick offerings on the grocery shelf. Not only do they offer more than 160 spice blends, but their spices are ground fresh in weekly batches and hand-crafted in Denver. Even better, their recipe-finder allows you to enter a region of the world (say, Africa) and a type of food (chicken, fish, veggies) in order to find recipes using the blends. The only caveat is the recipes are not always great for the waistline; they suggest serving Chicken Tagine topped with French fries--a completely unecessary indulgence.

Dr. Oz's concept is to take high school students to visit the shops to learn about spices and their particular medicinal properties. Not only can spices add nutritional value to a dish, but they can reduce the need for salt and increase satiety. The shops are currently in ten states, including California, Texas and New Jersey.

We're hopping in the car and dialing up the GPS as we write!

Broccoli and garlic are a powerful combination. The former provides plenty of anti-inflammatory omega-3 and -6 fatty acids; lutein, a powerful form of immune boosting carotenes; and vitamins A and C, which boost immune function. Among the many beneficial nutrients in garlic is allicin--a sulphur-containing compound with antibacterial properties shown to be effective against colds and stomach viruses. Coriander has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity.

Quick and Easy Immune Boost Soup

From Power Up: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Revitalize Your Health, and Feel 10 Years Younger by Woodson Merrell, M.D. with Kathleen Merrell (Free Press, 2008)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 small onion

1 small carrot, cut into rounds

1/2 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked, Spanish; but regular will do)

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 small head broccoli, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 5-6 cups)

8 cups water

pinch of salt

fresh ground pepper, to taste 

1. In a medium pot, heat oil on medium. Saute garlic, onion, carrot and spices for 3-5 minutes, until soft.
2. Trim and coarsely chop broccoli. Add broccoli and water to pot and simmer, covered on low for 15 minutes (until broccoli is soft.)
3. Uncover and cool for 5-10 minutes. Place in blender and puree until creamy.*
4. Season with salt and pepper.

*Be cautious when pureeing warm/hot items in blender. Hold top down firmly with hand.

Woke up with a hangover? It isn't just heavy alcohol consumption that can bring on a massive headache the next day; some researchers say a range of unexpected foods, from cheese to pickles to citrus fruit, can do the same.A Johns Hopkins neurologist has put a career's worth of advice into his new book. He says food can trigger pain.

The idea that eating, say, a banana or onion can trigger a headache is controversial. What little scientific research has been done on the subject has often been inconclusive. And most studies depend on patients reporting what they ate before headaches set in, data that aren't always reliable.

What's more, the possible biological links between food and headache aren't clearly understood. Some experts believe there may be a chemical reaction that leads to some headaches, while others think foods could trigger a vascular response involving nerves and blood vessels around the head. A newer theory suggests that certain foods may prompt an immune-system response that triggers headache. A possible culprit is tyramine, a naturally occurring chemical in food.

An estimated 10% to 15% of the population suffers from repeated migraines, mostly women, while as many as 40% of people regularly get common headaches. Headaches can be triggered by a range of things, from stress to lack of sleep to a change in the weather, and every person is susceptible to different triggers, or combination of triggers. Experts say food can be another factor that sets off a headache. But a big difference is that people might be able to avoid the foods that prompt the ailment, says David Buchholz, an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University and author of the book "Heal Your Headache."

Read the rest of the story at WSJ.com

"Contrary to the Company’s claims,  100%  of the tea samples contained pesticides, many of which are classified by the EPA as Possible Human Carcinogens. One of Teavana’s most popular and expensive teas--Monkey Picked Oolong [$25.00 for 2 ounces]--was the most contaminated with 23 pesticides."

Some of the best pumpkins for cooking are actually squash.

For anyone trying to cook a pumpkin--whether for our favorite Vegetarian Carbonada Criolla or just simply to ditch the dreary canned stuff--we present this primer on selecting delectable pumpkins from Jonathan Schultheis, Extension Horticulture Specialist at North Carolina State University:

"Generally 'pie' pumpkins are 3 to 6 pounds. Some of the best belong to the species Cucurbita moschata. A cultivar of choice is Dickinson, which can weigh up to 40 pounds! Another pumpkin-like squash is Long Island Cheese, again a C. moschata type. 'Cinderella' is a cultivar similar to Long Island Cheese, but with a deeper orange color.

Some of the typical jack o'lantern pumpkin cultivars sold as "pie" pumpkins that supposedly have better texture, flavor, and/or are smaller in size are Baby Pam, Small Sugar, Spookie, Spooktacular, New England Pie, and Pik-a-Pie."

Bottom line: Do not use the pumpkins sold for decoration at the local garden shop, which can be stringy, dry and bitter. Some of the best pumpkins used for cooking are actually squash types: for example, tasty alternatives are buttercup squash (looks like a dark green pumpkin) or calabaza squash (sometimes called a West Indian pumpkin because it's grown in the tropics.)

For more on cooking pumpkins, see this story at Mother Earth News.

We realize this last note may seem a bit excessive, but somehow all of this talk of Autumnal Feasts gets us thinking about growing our own food (not that we could grow pumpkins on the terrace in Manhattan!) But for those brave souls who do want to cultivate "pie" pumpkins for next year's harvest, here are some topnotch seed suppliers that carry many of the varieties mentioned above:

Dickinson - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds; Long Island Cheese - Johnny's Selected Seeds; 'Cinderella' - Willhite Seeds; Baby Pam, Small Sugar and Spooktacular - New England Seed; Spookie - Redwood City Seed Company; and Pik-a-Pie - Rupp Seeds.

"Carol's Vegetarian Carbonada Criolla"

One 6-pound "pie" pumpkin, calabaza pumpkin or buttercup squash (click here for details on how to select a tasty pumpkin); 2 large ripe tomatoes; 2 medium onions; 1 green bell pepper; 1 sweet red pepper; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine) or dry sherry; 2 bay leaves; 2 cups Vegetable Stock; 3/4 pound white potatoes; 1 large yam; 1 medium zucchini; 6 dried prunes, pitted; 1/4 pound dried apricots; 2 ears fresh corn; 1 cup cooked red kidney beans; Freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 large or 3 medium peaches.

 1. Scrub the outside of the pumpkin clean, using a stiff vegetable brush. With a large, heavy, sharp knife, cut out a lid from the pumpkin top, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter, leaving the stem intact. Using a large metal spoon, scrape out the seeds and fiber from the pumpkin shell and lid.

2. Score the tomatoes with a small cross on the underside made with a sharp knife. Blanch

Peddler's Creamery Banana Chocolate Chip; no electricity required.

The ice cream--with flavors like Gingerbread, Honey Lavender, Thai Ice Tea and Sweet Potato Pie--is already getting rave reviews for taste. And of course high marks for sustainability.

Building glutes and delicious ice cream in L.A.

The mini-business is also contributing in its small way to the job market. A message on the company website to job seekers: "If you’d love to peddle around LA and want to build up some stamina while greeting the crowd and getting paid to help produce some incredible dairy and non-dairy deliciousness then you’ll love it here."

We imagine spinning classes where people can churn out ice cream and butter; and why not a spinning bike that generates electricity? Well, Peddler's Creamery is a start.

Here, the ice cream churning bike in action courtesy of CNBC.

A new study shows that men who had the highest levels of lycopene—an antioxidant found in tomatoes—had fewer strokes than men who had the lowest level of lycopene in their blood. Overall, the risk of strokes was reduced by 55%.

The study, based in Finland, will be published in the Oct. 9 issue of the medical journal Neurology. Lycopene is found in the highest concentrations in cooked tomato products like paste, puree and sauce, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's national nutrient database.

A cup of ready-to-serve marinara sauce has more than 31,000 micrograms of lycopene while the average raw tomato has about 3,165 micrograms, according to USDA. A slice of fast food pizza has 2,074 micrograms of lycopene. A tablespoon of catsup has 2,146 micrograms of lycopene.

Lycopene is also found in watermelon, grapefruit, papaya and mango.

Read the rest of the story at wsj.com.

"Today's Lean:  Chilled Avocado Soup  

I love soup year-round, but sometimes on a hot day, a nice chilled soup is the perfect treat to cool off!  This recipe by Chef Tal Ronnen is rich, creamy and fresh, yet super easy to make.  Have it with a nice hearty salad or with a piece of toasted whole grain bread and you have a perfect summer lunch.  Yum!

Makes 4 servings

2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted

1/3 cup peas, cooked and cooled

4 cups cold vegetable stock

Juice from 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve chilled." 

Quintessential complex carb food: Brown Rice Salad with Crunchy Sprouts and Seeds from bonappetit.com

What the researchers at two of Boston's premier hospital centers--Brigham and Women's and Children's--uncovered is that 

a low-glycemic-index, Mediterranean diet (with 40% of calories coming from complex, low-sugar carbohydrates; 40% from fat; 20% from protein) helps dieters keep off lost pounds

and is far healthier than either a low-fat diet (60% carbs; 20% fat; 20% protein) or an ultra-low-carb, high-protein diet like Atkins (10% carbs; 60% fat; 30% protein.)

What's exciting is the researchers--funded largely by a running shoe foundation, the New Balance Foundation for Obesity Prevention--figured out why the Mediterranean diet was best at keeping off unwanted pounds.

Even this Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza from bonappetit.com qualifies as smart post-diet food when it's made with whole-grain flour.First, participants at the two Boston hospital centers were required to lose 10%-15% of their body weight on a calorie restricted, high protein diet. Then the experimental part of the study kicked in, with all participants placed on one of the three diets. (Participants received $500 for the initial weight loss and $2000 for completion...nice work if you can get it.) The study lasted for four years, and data was collected throughout. The length of this study adds power to the outcome.

What's unique is its focus on Reduced Energy Expenditure (REE), an adaptive mechanism triggered by weight loss. 

After significant weight loss the body reduces its rate of energy expenditure (which equals less calories burned) in order to stop further weight loss. REE is an evolutionary quirk that protected hunter gatherers during lean times. But in the modern era it's a biological mechanism that's counterproductive to weight loss, making it much easier (and more likely) to regain pounds after dieting. 

The clear winner was the low-glycemic index diet. Participants who followed this diet rich in healthy fats and nutrient dense, complex carbohydrates like lentils, beans, whole grains and vegetable fiber burned an extra 150 calories per day (avoiding REE) while inflammation, stress hormones, triglycerides, cholesterol levels and all other measures of good metabolic function remained normal.