There is nothing worse than bad sushi.  You have a bad steak and you may think the restaurant had an off night.  You have bad (raw) fish and you start contemplating if you will ever eat fish again. 
 
Shunka, located at 369 E. 17th Street in Costa Mesa, is hands down the best sushi I have ever eaten.  One of my go-to spots, is unbelievably fresh, delicious, and very reasonably priced.  The chef/owner does an amazing job with his creations.  Order up the Omakase and your taste buds will be dazzled.  Opt to go early or during the week, as no reservations can be made.  Grab a fun friend to have dinner with and prepare to leave Shunka with a full and happy tummy!

There are so many choices on the market for alternative milk these days. Soy, almond, coconut, hemp, rice… I have tried them all, with varying degrees of success. Recently, I started a diet that is heavier in healthy fats and low in carbs, so I was looking for a milk substitute that fit macronutrient profile. I discovered one that I had not seen before at my local Gilson’s, a product called Milkadamia. Milkadamia, as the name suggests is made from the fat –rich macadamia nut. It is made in Australia from raw, sustainably harvested macadamia nuts. It has 50% more calcium than regular cow’s milk, is carrageenan free, at 5 grams fat, 1 gram carbs and 1 gram fiber per 8 oz. serving, is perfect for all my low carbs breakfast smoothies. Surprisingly, as whole macadamia nuts are often very pricy, Milkadamia is fairly un expensive, around the same price or less as some brands of almond milk. So, if you are ready to switch up your milk or nut milk game, give Milkadamia a try! If you want my smoothie recipe please comment below! 

I'm obsessed!
Kampachi Vs. Kanpachi:
(AKA Hamachi) Fresh in season, sustain-ably farmed in Hawaii ocean- NO hormones, Antibiotics - perfect for Sashimi, Poke, Ceviche, or lightly seared served w/ a citrus Vinaigrette, maybe sesame.
little buttery-not as buttery as sea bass, black Cod/Butter fish. Very Mild.
They are basically the same fish...yellowtail. Kampachi has taken fashion as yellowtail from Hawaii. Japanese yellowtail is often referred to as Kanpachi, and local yellowtail can be referred to as Amberjack. Confusing!
Kampachi = Hawaiian yellowtail
Kanpachi = yellowtail (variations for region & age)
Amberjack = variation of yellowtail
Bottom line: It's all pretty tasty at your favorite sushi place!
Now Hamachi is Extremely OVER fished from Japan-Amazing tasting fish but best to do your part to keep what we have in ocean to build it back up.
Fresh Kanpachi at Pavilions and Santa Monica Seafood Counter.
Stand back Ahi, Cuz Kanpachi is Seriously one of the best tasting Pokes' Ive had in a long time.

Sous Vide.  My new favorite cooking obsession.  The sous vide has been in restaurants for years, but the appliance is now being seen in households.  It is safe, easy, and the food tastes amazing!  A quick sear on a piece of protein that has been slowly cooking in a temperature controlled water bath equals perfection.  The sous vide is great for an effortless weeknight dinner, a romantic date night, or even a large party. 
 
The sous vide is very safe, as long as you take the correct precautions. The danger zone for bacteria growth is between 40oF and 140oF, so properly chilling the cooked food is crucial.  Also the bags used do not contain BPA or Phtalate, so there are no risks associated with heating the plastic vacuum-sealed bags.
 
I highly recommend the sous vide and there are many different products on the market, ranging in price.  

I recently met Davide , The Balsamic Guy and he shared his amazing real balsamic.  
There are many balsamic vinegars on the market but only ones made in Modena Italy are the real deal!  Take a moment to listen to this video and view the website. Once you try a real balsamic you will never buy the imitation stuff again! 
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http://www.thebalsamicguy.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdkhO-QEUU&t=1s

​In a city as sprawling as Los Angeles, you truly have to find your neighborhood. I have always lived on the Eastside of the city where there is so much culture and delicious food. The Eastside is full of great little neighborhoods, each with their own personalities and amazing restaurants. From trendy Silver Lake to quaint Lincoln Heights, here are some of my favorite places to eat in the area.

You are busy, yet you want to eat healthy… we get it!  As two moms who are consumed with all the work and activities going on in our lives, trying to get clean foods in our home that didn’t cost a ‘whole paycheck’ or driving to three different stores was a challenge.  
We are Erin and Judy, who are so excited and proud to offer ONLY clean, non-GMO foods at wholesale prices, and deliver them directly to your doorstep from our store, Simply Real Foods Market.

This year at the Natural Products Expo the chefs of WHE discovered this amazing product!   As it turned out Chef Fila was already a user of product and raved about it!  So we asked the company owner Monika to share with the WHE audience a bit about her background and what her product is all about!

Virgin Raw Foods was built on a heritage of locally sourced food at the farm where Monika and her grandmother lived.  She grew up under communism in Wroclaw, Poland. The farm because a life-long school of nutrition.  There were no restaurants and nothing that resembled markets.  Their food came from her grandma’s land.  During summers Monika worked on the farm pulling up carrots, picking potatoes, onions and strawberries, etc.  


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