Spices Of Life Videos

Rose wines are originating from every wine-growing region in the world and are being made with a wide variety of red grapes. Rose wines are not only very drinkable, they’re very affordable. Relax and enjoy a glass or two of rose.

This is one of my basic recipes that I use with all fresh vegetables including broccoli, but you could substitute any vegetable from baby cabbage hearts, green beans, snow peas, zucchini to spinach. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

It's almost Farmer's Market time here in New England. I can't wait! In the meantime, here's another easy roasted chicken dinner idea. Vary the salad by substituting shrimp or other seafood and leftover grilled meats and seafood. Serve the salad with tortillas or vegetable-flavored wraps. Use a good store-bought salsa or go to the recipe section on Spicesoflife.com for my simple, homemade salsa.Enjoy!NinaBTW, want to visit China with a pro? Nina is planning to take small groups for insider culinary/cultural tours. Email ninasimonds@gmail.com for details.

Nina Simonds explains the meaning behind the red envelope while at the Imperial Seafood restaurant in Boston's Chinatown. Happy New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy! Nina Says: I have been very lucky to have met some extraordinary people in my travels. One of them was a woman named Li-lian Chao, who I met in Taiwan in the 70 s. She was famous for teaching English to tens of thousands of students after arriving in Taiwan alone in 1948. She first hosted an English radio program using the persona "Mother Goose." Later, she taught at the National Taiwan Normal University, Even at age 90, Lillian continued to hold English classes for teenagers in her home to make ends meet. She wrote a small, wonderful book called Chinese Customs and Traditions . She also loved to talk about Chinese traditions and fairy tales and was also one of the first people to fill me in on the history of the custom of giving red envelopes. She explained to me and wrote in her book, When married women pay New Year s calls according to the custom, they must leave tips wrapped in red paper for the servants. All young children lso receive red packets of money called ya-sui meaning to push down the years or to be ever young . Children look forward to getting these packets of money and usually squander this income on fireworks and candy . As I explained in my video blog, I prefer to stuff the envelopes with lottery tickets. It creates a little intrigue and allows less opportunity for my son and his friends to squander the money on fireworks and candy.

I strongly believe that Traditional Chinese Medicine is very effective in helping with jet lag and preventing colds. This is the second in a 3-part series. In our last video I visited my Chinese doctor ( Are you Yin or Yang video .) Dr. Zhu gave me an herbal prescription for a soup so my next stop is Boston s Chinatown where I visit my favorite herbal shop. Some of the herbs Dr. Zhu recommended are: Dang gui or Angelica sinensis, an herb commonly used to treat women s reproductive health issues and also recommended to help prevent and treat some forms of cardiovascular disease Huang Qi or Astragalus is recommended for treating the common cold and upper respiratory infections because it helps to strengthen the immune system Go ji or Wolfberries which are believed to nourish the yin , strengthen blood, liver, and the kidneys, and contain anti-oxidents. Go to the SpicesofLife recipe section for the secret to making soup with Chinese herbs. Stay tuned for the next video where you can join me in the kitchen while I make Black Bone Chicken Soup and Steamed Pears with Jujubes. Nina

Play video (4:55) I used to eat salads constantly- through summer, fall, and winter. But I was very susceptible to colds, flu, and not feeling particularly well. Winter was not a happy time. Then I was diagnosed by Dr. Chun Han Zhu, a brilliant Chinese doctor, and he diagnosed me. Like many women, I tend to be yin (See characteristics in video) I did some research to correct my condition and found I need to find balance, I looked into yang foods ( chicken, hot seasonal vegetables, rice, barley) . It was what my body CRAVED. I combined the two and started to eat differently. I ve never looked back. Now my health is so much better during the winter. I am less likely to get colds or the flu and I reinforce this with hearty soups, roasted or bake root vegetables, and lots of chicken soup. (all yang foods.) In the summer, when the outside is yin, I go back to salads. WATCH THE VIDEO more information. Ideally you should be diagnosed by a Chinese physician, but there are some signs that we have in the video and on the website. Try them and please let us know how you feel. Goof health to all, Nina Next week to Boston s finest Chinese Herbal store.

Boston-based Chef and celebrated vegetarian author, Didi Emmons has a passion for vegetables. It was first apparent in her best-selling book, Vegetarian Planet . She then went on to open a restaurant and publish two more books. For the past two years, Didi has a new mission: To convince kids that vegetables can taste good. Six afternoons a week at the non-profit Hailey House Caf in Roxbury, Ma she teaches her students easy and delicious dishes they can recreate with their families at home. As you can see from the video, the kids not only learn to cook, they have fun. Go to the recipe section for Didi s recipe for Macaroni and cheese. Go to EdibleBoston.com website to read Didi s informative and fascinating article. Enjoy! Nina

What does SUNNY London, a Chinese artist/ designer, and the world-famous Chelsea Garden Show have to do with this week s EASY vegetable recipe?? Let me explain As you may remember, I was JUST in China 2 weeks ago (YIKES!!) traveling and researching several articles, BUT I missed meeting Shao Fan, an internationally recognized designer who had gone to London to build the FIRST-EVER Chinese garden for the show. (I am writing about him for an article in the NY Times.) SO I followed him to London for an interview and it was there, in the garden (video to come later) that I was inspired to do a simple Stir-Fried Broccolini for this week s Quick Bite to launch our upcoming video s on my trip to China. Next week, we offer a NEAT video and an introduction to a Shanghai Golden Pancake , a WONDERFUL, new snack that I had never tasted before!!! Just wait until you see it! In the meantime, enjoy this stir-fry, one of my staple recipes that I make for my family and serve with grilled or pan-fried seafood or meat with some steamed rice, couscous, quinoa, etc. I like to use different vegetables (same recipe) depending on the season and then add leftovers to soups, stews, or reheat quickly in my microwave for 1.5 minutes. Enjoy!! Nina

Want to tour a chocolate factory where you are surrounded by fountains overflowing with dark and milk chocolate?? Then you MUST watch the video of my recent visit to my favorite chocolate company: Harbor Sweets!! I remember the first time I read about Harbor Sweets. It was in a BIG article in Gourmet Magazine . Little did I know that it was 5 minutes from my house and EVERY TIME, you go into the store for a visit or to pick up an order, they offer you one of their SCRUMPTIOUS chocolates. My FAVORITES are Sweet Sloops (Stay tuned to see how they are made in an upcoming video.) It was really neat to go on a tour with the President Phyllis LeBlanc, who started working there as a college student 30 years ago and to see my wonderful, old friend Ben Strohecker, who is like Santa Claus to me because as he modestly told me, I started my own chocolate company in 1973, I wanted to create the "best piece of candy in the world", regardless of cost. And they are PRETTY good!! Nina

When was the last time you saw standup comedy in the snack aisle? Meet Tim McIntire, HYSTERICAL comedian, and former junk-foodie. We had a BLAST romping around the supermarket and sharing our favorite snacks. I was trying to eat healthy and Tim, well, you'll just have to watch the video.

Tim McIntire explains how he tricked his kids into thinking that Broccoli is a special treat. Watch Tim McIntire in 'Healthy Food is a Laughing Matter' with Nina Simonds at http://SpicesOfLife.com Tags: broccoli healthy timmcintire ninasimonds

Comedian Tim McIntire provides the voices as Terra Blues and Funyuns explain the differences between them. Watch Tim McIntire in 'Healthy Food is a Laughing Matter' with Nina Simonds at http://SpicesOfLife.com

Thoroughly Modern Millie, one of the oldest online bloggers (and Steve's Mom!), has dinner issues, but they are similar to SO many other people... She wants EASY, DELICIOUS, CONVENIENT and HEALTHY food. Millie admitted that she would love to walk into her house at night and have a magical chef appear and prepare the meal. Dinner Doctor to the rescue!!! ..

"Best Dumplings Ever: Long version" represents what "Spices of Life" is all about. In this video, Nina Simonds shows you how to make Chinese Meat Dumplings. Nina also adds some bonus exercises you can do while cooking!When we set out to do these vlogs we wanted to incorporate food, health, and lifestyle. I wasn't satisfied with JUST giving a recipe, I wanted to show how cooking and preparing food can be a joyful experience. Let's face it, cooking can be a drag, particularly on an everyday basis, but if you invite some of your friends over and combine it with a little bit of exercise/relaxation, (See the part about the back and shoulder rubs and back stretches) it can be lots of fun! I also wanted to introduce people to 2 very good friends Julie Shaw Lutts, friend who has tested about 5 or so of my books and an extraordinarily talented artist (Look at her website). Maureen Yasi is not only one of the sweetest people I know, she is also the mother of one of my son, Jesse's, best friends, P.J. (PLUS she has 3 daughters).Here you see how dumplings are traditionally prepared and in the next vlog "Best Dumplings Ever: Short version" (which will come out NEXT Week) you can see how I cheat. Stay tuned CHINESE MEAT DUMPLINGS 5 cups cored and finely minced Chinese (Napa) cabbage 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound lean ground pork 2 cups finely minced fresh Chinese garlic chives (if unavailable, substitute 1 cup minced leeks , mostly the whites , plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic)For the Seasonings, mixed together: 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoons rice wine 1 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or more as neededTo Form, Cook, and Serve the Dumplings: 50 dumpling or gyoza skins Cornstarch as needed 3 quarts water Dipping sauce1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and salt and let sit for 30 minutes. (This will draw water out of the cabbage).2. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the cabbage and combine the cabbage with the ground pork, minced chives, and seasonings in large bowl. Stir vigorously. If the mixture seems loose, add another teaspoon of cornstarch.3. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each dumpling skin and fold the skin over to make a half-moon shape. Spread a little water along the edge of the skin and use the thumb and index finger of one hand to form small pleats along the outside edge of the skin; the inside edge of the dumpling should curve in a semicircular fashion to conform to the shape of the pleated edge. Place the sealed dumplings on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch.4. In a large pot, heat the water until boiling. Add half the dumplings, stirring to prevent them from sticking together, and, once the water boils again, cook for 5 minutes. Remove with a handled strainer and drain, then cook the remaining dumplings. Serve the dumplings with the dipping sauce.Dipping Sauce cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons peeled and finely shredded fresh ginger cup water 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.2. Transfer to a serving dish and use at room temperature. Refrigerated, the sauce will keep in a tightly covered container for up to a week. Copyright Nina Simonds 2004From: Visit Nina Simonds Bookstore.Steve Says: Once again I learned a lot shooting this video with Nina. Those little pre-made dumpling wrappers make it so easy. The dipping sauce was really good too. After the shoot I brought some dumplings and dipping sauce over to my mom. She really, really liked the sauce. I captured the video on a Nokia N93 cellphone, supplied by Nokia, and edited the video on a MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro. One cool thing we did this time was use USTREAM.TV to allow Nina to remotely view the video while I was editing it, so she could make comments and changes. Every time we make one of these videos we learn something new. Read about Spices of Life in the Boston Globe.

In this video we make Steamed Salmon and Bok Choy. It'a a healthy dish that requires minimal preparation, and you don't have so many dirty dishes afterwards.Sonia and Ravi were the "perfect" couple for this Dinner Doctor segment. I know so many people who have the same issues. Actually, I may not be as young as Sonia and Ravi, but like them, I'm looking for delicious and satisfying dishes for dinner that are easy-to-prepare. Another great thing about this dish is that you can use it as a "master recipe" and vary the ingredients, depending on what is on hand and seasonal. For instance, instead of bok choy, you can substitute broccoli or other types of cruciferous vegetables like brussel sprouts, green beans, fennel, cauliflower, etc. And rather than using salmon, cook tuna, char, scrod, or halibut. That way you adjust the dish to suit your situation. Visit Spices of Life for the recipe.Steve Says: This was a fun episode to film and edit.I recorded the video with a Nokia N93 and edited with Final Cut Pro on a Macintosh.The salmon was SO good.The thing I love about working with Nina is that when we're done with a shoot, I always come away with new ideas on what to cook and how. Bok Choy? Yummy!

In this episode of Spices of Life, Nina Simonds interviews Ravi and Sonia in their car, the studio for their show DriveTime, and gives them strategies to make their dinners easier and healthier. Nina's suggestions include making meals in one dish, cooking food on weekends and reheating during the week. Nina then gives them advice on creating a small pantry and maintaining spices. Next week, Nina goes in the kitchen for pantry set up and smoked salmon with garlic dressing. All these tips are in Nina's Book, Spices of Life. You can order herbs online at The Spice House.