Cabbage Salad, Sichuan-Style Whether you prefer Sichuan, the new spelling, or Szechwan, the old one, the cooking from this province of southern China is known for its extreme heat.

Nutritional Gatekeeper: How Big a Role? For many years, research found that one person in each family called the Gatekeeper controls the majority of food purchased and eaten by all family members. Now some question whether cultural changes are removing gatekeepers' power.

Cooking to Soothe Your Way Through Cold 'n Flu Season When we were sick as kids, many of us cherish fond memories of our mothers bringing us a bedside bowl of chicken soup, usually made from condensed commercial soup. Today, we know that many commercial soups contain unhealthful excesses, such as sodium and fat.

Sodium: Questions Remain After many years of study, researchers now say that sodium may influence the blood pressure and heart health of some people more than others. Meanwhile, research has raised questions about how sodium consumption may affect two other serious health concerns: stomach cancer and osteoporosis.

Getting the Most Nutrients out of Cooked Vegetables Boosting vegetable consumption is an important step to promoting overall health, but preparing them in a way that maximizes their nutritional value is important, too. Find out which methods are the best.

The Luck of the Black-Eyed Pea Black-eyed peas are thought to bring good luck if eaten at the beginning of a new year, and are traditionally eaten on the first day of January. Includes recipe for Good Luck Chicken Fricassee.

Pomegranates: The Fruit of the Hour Pomegranates have been part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines for centuries, but they have only recently found a home in the American kitchen. A pomegranate salad would be a refreshing, pretty addition to any holiday table.

Fast Food: Is Portion the Problem? People eating at fast food restaurants often underestimate the calories in their meals by 12 to 41 percent, according to studies. The bad news is the more you eat, the more likely you are to underestimate your meal's calories.

Soup's On Fall is the beginning of soup season. From now through the winter months, a pot of soup is an easy answer to, "What's for dinner?"

Discovering The Secrets of Fennel Europeans have long appreciated fennel, and Americans have now begun to acquire a taste for the celery-like vegetable with the feathery fronds that resemble dill.

Greens Mean More Than Spinach Spinach's cousins are being invited to more dinner tables these days. In the not-too-distant past, greens other than spinach were practically unknown outside the southern U.S.

Pumpkins in the Kitchen This time of year, pumpkins belong on the kitchen stove as well as the front stoop.

Celebrate America's Hispanic Heritage The culinary influences of Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean are evident throughout the country. A plate of turkey fajitas is a good, healthy way to celebrate the country’s Hispanic heritage.

Add Some Spice To Your Life September is both National Chicken Month and National Ethnic Foods Month, and a good way to celebrate both could be a kitchen-chair trip to Jamaica.