One thing I look forward to during the Winter months is the arrival of the leafy green escarole. It's a variety of endive, making it a bitter green, but it's much less bitter than Belgian endive, radicchio, or frisée. Like most leafy greens, escarole is great for you. It's high in folic acid, vitamins A and K, and fiber. It also contains a good amount of vitamin C and potassium. When shopping Read more

You've probably been told since you were a kid to eat your veggies, and perhaps none are as important as those leafy greens. And for good reason. Here are three important reasons to get more leafy greens in your diet. They're packed with nutrition: Leafy greens pack a lot of nutrients in just one serving. For example, a cup of raw spinach gives you more than your daily recommended daily intake Read more

Spring's arrival this week means that the farmers market is getting a brand-new makeover in the form of produce. While fresh veggies are the cornerstone to any clean diet, there are a few Spring foods with the added benefit of having natural detoxing properties. Besides being an antioxidant powerhouse, asparagus provides digestive support to the body. Like chicory root, asparagus contains Read more

These seasonal ingredients not only taste good, but they also have natural detoxing properties. Learn which Winter ingredients can help cleanse the body and how to incorporate them into your next meal. My doctor always recommends beets for times my body feels heavy or weighed down. Their fiber increases the production of antioxidant enzymes in the liver, helping the body eliminate bile and other Read more

It's known as "white gold" in some parts of the world, and while there may be some debate on how it should be pronounced (en-DIVE or ON-deev), there is no debating the fact that Belgian endive is simply delicious. Endive is an incredibly interesting leafy vegetable, starting with the fact that it is grown in the dark. The story of its discovery goes like this: a farmer in Belgium was storing Read more

An abundance of luscious, leafy greens is one of the many reasons I love produce during the cooler months. While kale, collards, and radicchio are all divine options, try mixing things up with escarole, a delicious and nutritious chicory variety you may not be as familiar with. Although it certainly brings a powerful punch of flavor, it's the least bitter member of its leafy endive family. Keep Read more

Maybe slipping beets into chocolate cake isn't the only way to get kids to eat more greens. Scientists at Ohio-based Givaudan Flavors Corporation have developed GIV3616, a "bitterness blocker." This chemical, which can be added to food, prevents certain taste buds from recognizing bitter flavors. Could this turn our fast food-loving nation onto the likes of escarole, chicories, and broccoli Read more

I used to think cold weather meant the world was relegated to eating apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. But as I grew older I was introduced to a cornucopia of Winter produce, from blood oranges and kumquats to kale and leafy chicories. One of my top picks is übernutritious escarole, a greenish-white chicory that's not quite as bitter as radicchio and frisée. Escarole is Read more