Becca's Fab Five Gifts for the Healthy Cook

Your BEST health starts in the kitchen. I wish I could lie and tell you that some bootcamp or marathon training or magical supplement would make all your health and fitness dream goals come true. But I cannot. The MOST important thing you can do for your health, the ABSOLUTE BEST New Year’s Resolution you can make is to tackle the kitchen Monster. When you begin to prepare your own food and love the process, you will develop a true appreciation for what it means to provide your body with Nourishment. Regardless of whether you are wanting to tackle the kitchen yourself, know someone who has vowed to cook more, or love someone who relishes in a nice glass of wine while they create culinary masterpieces, these Fab Five gifts will delight the Healthy cook!

Becca’s Fab Five Gifts for the Healthy Cook

1. Fermenting Fun for Everyone! Fermentation. Fashionable Cuisine and iconic Healthy Food come together in celebration with the rebirth of Fermenting. Fermenting food is actually an ancient practice from thousands of years ago to preserve foods and, unintentionally, increase the health benefits. This practice was nearly lost in many cultures during the food revolution which introduced preservatives, processed snacks, pasteurization and more. BUT IT’S BA-AACK! Fermenting Lids for Mason Jars and The Vinegar Revival make a beautiful and thoughtful combo to get the Healthy cook intrigued and inspired! For the Kombucha lover... a Kit to make it at home!

2. Get Spicy! Nothing flavors a home cooked meal quite like whole spices. Plus, these spices open up a whole world of international flavors for the truly creative or adventurous cook. Whole spices add complex and delicious flavors when toasted and crushed with a Mortar and Pestle. use my Mortal and Pestle constantly for fresh spices and pastes. THIS ONE can be personalized, too. You might pair it with some interesting spices like coriander, allspice, cumin seeds, and more.

3. Simple Seasoning Solutions… whew! Seasoning is the key to delicious food. A great seasoning hack is to use SMOKED or FLAVORED SEA SALT. There are tons of different ones you can buy online and at local spice shops. They are naturally flavored, to be clear, not artificially flavored. I have been enjoying the Alderwood this time around but THIS Sampler is epic and could change your whole world of cooking- Lemon Rosemary, Black Truffle, Sriracha, Herbs de Provence… oh my! They are all amazing and you literally select a flavor and sprinkle it on. It does not get any easier than that!

4. Homemade for the Home Chef! A homemade gift is thoughtful…. but if it’s also USEFUL and DELICIOUS it is a true triple threat. Make Seasoning Blends ahead of time and store them in easy to reach containers! Taking an hour on a day to measure out ingredients for rubs and seasoning mixes will save a cook tons of time when they get in the kitchen. They’ll also make less mess during a busy weeknight cooking session, which is a huge plus for me! Here are two I make ahead and LOVE:

   • 3 tsp whole cardamon

     4½ tsp allspice berries

     3 tsp cumin seed

     1 tsp himalayan salt

     Combine these and store. When you are ready to use them, place the mixture in a mortar and pestal and grind them well. For even more flavor, place the mixture in a heated skillet and toss around to toast before grinding! You can use the ground spices but nothing compares to fresh ground flavor. This combo is amazing for roasting chickpeas and seasoning any cut of chicken. Top whatever you make with fresh lemon juice and chopped fresh cilantro and parsley.

     1. 1/2 C brown sugar

        1/4 C Smoked Salt

        2 T Smoked Paprika (you can get this at the grocery but I linked my most favoritest one!)

        2 T coarse Black Pepper

        1/4 T Cumin

        1/4 T Onion powder

        1/4 T Roasted Garlic Powder

        1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

        Combine everything and store til you’re ready to use. This makes AH-MAZE-ING pulled pork, BBQ grilled chicken and Foil Packet Ribs.

5. For the Fanciful….: If you feel the need to get fancy, and a bit more expensive. Here is an extravagant one. This Brod and Taylor knife sharpener  looks cool while also being the actual best one you can get! High quality, sharpened knives make life so much easier in the kitchen!

I can’t think of a better gift than the gift of health… and that starts in the kitchen.