Introducing the new "power food", a raw broccoli salad made sweet with fruit and nuts and tossed in a simple vinaigrette. It's a favorite with kids and grownups alike, light and fresh and fruity. COMPLIMENTS! "We took this salad to a potluck - it was a real hit!" ~ Doris "...it was delicious!" ~ Tziiki Parents know that kids really do say the darndest things. One night, friends from the next town over nvited me to join them for supper, Mom, Dad and sons Andrew and Nate. We sat down to chicken, rice and a big platter of steamy-green broccoli. I asked if the boys’ play toys included Power Rangers. “Sure!” exclaimed detail-happy Andrew and listed off Power Ranger guys. I conjured a dramatic voice. “Do you know,” I began, pausing for effect, “that broccoli is a power food?” Gregarious Nate looked impressed, as if glad to learn something so important. “No, I didn’t know that!” And hence our table conversation turned to power ...

Welcome to a special edition of Kitchen Parade, an introduction to Iowa 'pioneers' who are raising pork for Niman Ranch with new-but-old practices. If you like, skip straight to this week's featured recipe for Thick Chops with Mustard Crust , a 2003 column published online today for the first time. Otherwise, prepare to meet some happy pigs ... If there is a single place from which this country emits a steady heartbeat, it’s the swells and dales of Iowa, the state that means ‘beautiful land’ in the language of one its native tribes, the Ioway. Lub-dub, lub-dub. The more urban our country, the further the separation from our agrarian roots. And thus we must travel farther — or stretch deeper like trees reaching for water during drought — to seek out and understand the sources of our nourishment. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub. In early September, Elise Bauer and I joined a group of chefs and other passionate food people in Iowa as the guests of Niman Ranch , the m...

Oatmeal cookies with a twist, a banana twist, that is. Move over, banana bread! They're slightly chewy and sweet with real, ripe banana flavor. Real Food, Fast & Fresh. Great for After School Treat. Budget Friendly. Low Fat, Just Two Tablespoons Butter for 30 Cookies. Rave Reviews. What're you waiting for?!

So here's a thrifty meal, a throwback to another time when nothing-but-nothing went to waste. It's a simple budget supper, on the table in minutes, just meaty pork chops browned in a hot skillet, the pan deglazed with leftover coffee, forming a sweet, syrupy glaze. For anyone who needs to make a meal almost out of air? This is it. Whole Food, Simply Prepared. "Plain" But Resourceful. Mere Minutes to the Table. Another Quick Supper , a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Hearty & Filling. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy. Low Carb. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.