Interlude

Between herbs and spices and veggies and fruits, two sections of my personal food pyramid, I'd like to talk about oils and vinegars. If I were to draw out my food pyramid, I'd have water at the bottom, a more narrow level divided between herbs and spices above and right above that, a thin layer consisting of oils and vinegars. Why? Oils and vinegars serve as a base in which we can prepare and flavor our fruits and veggies. Most times, when we roast or saute vegetables, they are often tossed in oil. The oil we choose can be quite important to our health. Oils high in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats, such as oil or avocado oil will be healthier for your heart and nervous system. When and if we choose to pickle our vegetables (or fruit!) we can use all manner or vinegars to preserve and flavor these little gems.

Recently, Williams Sonoma released a section on it blog entitled The Wellness Pantry as part of its "30 Days & Ways to a Healthy New Year." Throughout January, the guide details thirty ways to improve one's diet, with The Wellness Pantry discussing ways in which one can use oils, vinegars and spices to improve the flavor (and health!) of one's dishes. Soon, I'd like to create my own flavor profiles of healthy oils and vinegars but, for now, look up The Wellness Pantry. One of their suggestions is to add harissa to dishes to kick up spice and flavor. While you can buy harissa at a store, I prefer to make my own. This coincides with my increasing reliance on chilies in my pantry. Find the recipe for harissa here.