What Makes a Happy Meal

West African-Inspired Salad

We initially didn’t eat want the healthy options on fast food menus, because it wasn’t going to be a happy meal. Today, chefs are creating healthy meals into exciting options. Such as Panera Bread announcing plans to eliminate chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients from their meals by 2016. It was an 11 year process of working with chefs and nutritionists to change how fast food corporations offer healthier options with tantalizing ingredients.

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What’s Not to Like About Okra?

Grilled Okra with Blueberry Spice Rub

Gotta love social media. Out of all the positive responses to the picture of grilled okra posted on My Life Runs On Food’s Facebook page, one person’s response was “yuck… not my cup of tea.” The response was annoying to read, but I wasn’t entirely mad. Okra isn’t my cup of tea, either.

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Parade’s Community Table: Moroccan Cuisine Swirls into the American Kitchen

Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Olives

Morocco’s sweet and savory fragrances of olives, tender meat, dried fruit and rich spices is swirling around American cuisine. As a North African country bordering the Mediterranean, it has for thousands of years imported Asian, European and Arabic flavors into its own rich culinary history. As an elegant and colorful cuisine, it’s a welcome addition to the forever expanding American palate. Caroline Hofberg’s cookbook, Morocco on a Plate, showcases various bread, vegetarian, meat and dessert recipes for curious minds who wish to explore Moroccan cuisine.

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Appetizing Thoughts: Warm Up to a Cup of Gullah Girl Tea

Gullah Girl Tea Strawberry Ginger Tea | Photo Credit: Gregory Costanzo
Gullah Girl Tea Strawberry Ginger Tea | Photo Credit: Gregory Costanzo

When South Carolina native, now New Yorker, Charmaine Bee, of Gullah Girl Tea reached out to MyLifeRunsOnFood.com about her Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for equipment and supplies to accommodate her growing business, I instantly became one of her many cheerleaders. Bee’s healing tea blends have whimsical names in tribute to her childhood memories in South Carolina. In the interview below, Bee reminisces about her family and Gullah culture, discusses health concerns in our community and talks about her Kickstarter campaign. Make a pot of tea and read below to learn more about Gullah Girl Tea.
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Mazao Fruit Salad with Cultured Whipped Cream

Mazao Fruit Salad with Cultured Whipped Cream

Happy Kwanzaa! Your table is set up with the a kinara. It’s surrounded by lush mazao, fruit symbolizing the reward of productive and collective labor from the harvest. The bananas, oranges, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, grapes, papaya and other fruit ripens each day during the week of Kwanzaa. As pretty as the fruit looks, a fresh fruit salad needs to be made.  Read more