The combo of heat and sweet says Indian summer to me. Cantaloupe sweetens this perky salsa flavored with hot green chilies. If you’re not a fan of the heat, just omit or reduce the amount of chili.

Marinades are a great way make your grilling flavorful and unique. But watch out, making so-called “healthy” marinade can increase the fat in your diet faster than you think!

There is a word for you: “chocoholic,” when you “need” chocolate. Nothing else will do. Just thinking about hot fudge drizzling over ice cream raises your spirits. You crave a truffle, a Kit-Kat, a mug of velvety hot cocoa. Few, if any, other foods evoke such passion. So what is unique about chocolate?

Take-out Indian food is one of my favorite treats since traditional Indian sauces can be extremely time-consuming to make – with a long list of spices, herbs, and many chopped vegetables that go into each and every dish. Last week, I cooked cubed-up chicken and veggies, testing out a new jarred Tikki Marsala sauce … and I was truly amazed!

As part of a recent interview for eHow, writer Marie Horrigan asked me about easy ways to cook healthy – the article, 5 Tips for Healthy, Hassle-Free Food, is now live. Horrigan asked several nutrition experts about their best (and easiest) lessons for getting in the habit of cooking healthy and eating right. On making healthy diet changes: “There are easy ways you can do it even before you start cooking.”