Following in the footsteps of his boss Mike Isabella, Kapnos chef George Pagonis will appear on the next season of Top Chef. Set to premiere Oct. 15, the Bravo show will take place in Boston this year. Prior to Kapnos, Pagonis spent time at Graffiato and Zaytinya (where he first worked under Isabella) as well as Aureole  in […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A unit of Hain Celestial Group Inc. is recalling some peanut and almond butter because of possible salmonella contamination.

The company said Tuesday that there have been reports of four illnesses that may be related to the nut butters. They were sold under the brand names Arrowhead Mills peanut butters and MaraNatha almond butters and peanut butters. Also being recalled were some lots of private label almond butter from grocers Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Kroger and Safeway. A total of 45 production lots are affected. They were sold in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates as well as the U.S.

The Lake Success, New York, company said it learned of the contamination risk after routine FDA testing.

The Food and Drug Administration said it did not know how many jars of nut butters were recalled. The company would not comment.

Typical symptoms of salmonella infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. These symptoms generally develop within one to three days of exposure to the bacterium and may last for up to a week. While anyone can become ill from exposure to salmonella, health officials say the risk of infection is particularly high for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

There have been several major salmonella outbreaks in recent years, including infected peanuts that sickened more than 700 people in 2008 and 2009 and Foster Farms chicken that is linked to a strain of salmonella that has made more than 500 people sick over the last year and a half.

Donuts. Beer. Sandwiches that fell behind the radiator weeks ago. Homer Simpson would do almost anything for his family, but his love of food knows no bounds.

To celebrate the fact that we’re about to watch every “Simpsons” episode ever, we decided to…

There’s always that moment in late summer (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!) when you look in the fridge and discover you have way more vegetables than it’s possible to eat unless you do something drastic…like make soup.

This vegetarian soup is so easy and delicious that you’ll feel quite proud of yourself for making it–and healthy, too. The most work is in chopping up the vegetables, but don’t fuss over it. You’re not making soup for a five-star restaurant! You’re making soup that you will eat and enjoy, soup that will make you a healthier, happier person.

Great news, too: You don’t have to add any vegetables you don’t like! The choice is YOURS! For example, in this soup, I was not feeling like having onions or garlic (although I do love them) and so, this soup has NO onions or garlic. But if you can’t imagine a soup without them, go right ahead and add all you want. Isn’t freedom fantastic?

Maria’s Gluten-Free Summer Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• All sorts of chopped organic vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, cabbage (napa or savoy are especially nice for soups), celery, greens, tomatoes, corn, potatoes… whatever!
• Water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot.
2. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté lightly (general rule is add the harder vegetables that need to cook longer first, and the softer, smaller vegetables last).
3. Add water until the vegetables are covered.
4. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. EAT! (I like Romano cheese for a savory topping, but you can add whatever the heck you want. The important thing to remember is this is an easy way to get heaps of vegetables into your diet. My teenager, who says she HATES tomatoes in soup, ate a bowl for breakfast and a bowl for lunch. Oops!)

For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com

I’m so excited to share this three-ingredient dressing! Your search is over…This is the most amazing, easy to make, skinny ranch dressing!!! Each 2 tablespoons serving has just 30 calories, 1.8 grams of fat and 1 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. So delicious as a dressing, dip, topping for potatoes and more. The possibilities are endless. I always have some on hand in my refrigerator. It’s a must try!!!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1¾ cups buttermilk

½ cup Best Foods (Hellmans) light mayonnaise, see shopping tip

1 oz package Hidden Valley Ranch Original Ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients. Using a whisk, mix together until completely blended.

2. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to thicken, before using. To thicken quicker, place in freezer and set timer for 15 minutes. Store dressing in refrigerator for at least 2-3 weeks. The shelf life depends on the expiration date of your buttermilk.

Makes 2¼ cups total, each serving 2 tablespoons

Shopping Tip
Best Foods Light Mayonnaise (Hellmans) is the brand I like for this recipe. If you can’t find it, use your favorite light mayo.

Weight Watchers (old points) 1
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 1

SKINNY FACTS: for 2 tablespoons of skinny ranch dressing
30 calories, 1.8g fat, 3mg chol, 1g protein, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 208mg sod 1g sugar

Note:
1. The nutrition facts were calculated on Spark People.com: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
2. The Weight Watchers POINTS were calculated on CalculatorCat.com: http://www.calculatorcat.com/free_calculators/weight_watchers_calculator.phtml