Arrabiata sauce is most often used with penne pasta but it's also great with other pasta shapes like spaghetti and rigatoni. You might also want to try this sauce on chicken or shrimp.

Ingredients

1 lb penne pasta
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
1 (28 oz) whole plum tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese (optional)

Directions

Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Crush the tomatoes with a fork and set them aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until it is golden brown, being careful not to burn it.

Turn down flame to medium low. Add red pepper flakes, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

Return the heat to medium and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should become saucy.

While the sauce is cooking, bring the water to a boil and add a dash of salt. Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente.

Drain the pasta in a colander. Do not rinse with water (it will hold onto the sauce better that way!)

Add drained pasta to sauce and mix it together. Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

To puree avocado, peel the fruit and remove the pit. Puree the flesh, add half a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice for each avocado, and place the puree into a plastic container or bag leaving about half an inch of air at the top.

Seal the container and place in the freezer. The mixture will stay good for four or five months.

After thawing, use within three days.

I often hear people say that shrimp have a lot of calories and should be avoided if one is trying to lose weight. This is simply not true.

Three ounces of raw shrimp has about 80 calories. So the fat and calories in the shrimp you eat are entirely dependent on how you prepare them. Fried shrimp, of course, are high in fat and calories. The same goes for shrimp dishes that are prepared with a lot of butter such as shrimp scampi.

A great low fat lunch or dinner is a large salad topped with boiled shrimp or shrimp stir fried in water instead of oil. I do this a lot and they taste just as good as shrimp stir fried in oil.

Ingredients

2 medium avocados

2 cups red leaf lettuce

2 cups cooked shrimp

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Wash and dry lettuce, tear into large pieces, and arrange in a bed on the bottom of a plate or bowl.

Cut avocados in half and remove the pits. Slice into wedges. Lay wedges over the bed of lettuce. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and arrange them over the lettuce and avocado. Add cucumber slices.

Place cooked shrimp over the salad fixings. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

Enjoy!

Avocados, sometimes called alligator pears, are a fruit in the Lauraceae family (laurel). Like many other fruits, avocados contain a single large pit (seed).

Because they are not sweet and are often used in salads and other vegetable dishes, many people believe them to be vegetables. However, in some countries they are used in desserts. In Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam avocados are used in milkshakes while in Sri Lanka a dessert is made using mashed avocados, sugar, and milk.

No matter how you eat them, the health benefits of avocados make them one of the healthiest foods in the world.

The word pescetarian is a combination of the Italian word for fish (pesce) and the word vegetarian.

Many people who are pescetarians call themselves vegetarians but a pescetarian is not a vegetarian. Pescetarians who call themselves vegetarians often incur the ire of true vegetarians.

When people ask me if I'm a vegetarian, I say, "No, I eat seafood. I'm a pescetarian."

Often, people will look at me funny because they've never heard the term before. The funniest response I've ever had was, "What, you're a Presbyterian?"

The study followed more than 175,000 men for nine years and concluded that those who ate the most red meat and processed meats had a higher incidence of prostate cancer.

Previous studies on the link between red meat and prostate cancer have been inconclusive. This new study adds more information to the question of whether red and processed meats have a significant impact on the development of prostate cancer.

According to the California Avocado Commission, one medium avocado has 250 calories and 22.5 grams of fat. The fat is mostly mono and polyunsaturated, both of which contribute to a healthy heart and body.

So don't be afraid to add avocado to your diet even if you're trying to lose weight. Substituting half a medium avocado (125 calories) several times per week for another 125 calorie snack will not add any calories to your diet but you'll be gaining all of the powerful nutrition it has to offer and that extra boost of nutrition will keep you satisfied longer and may even help with weight loss.

Some notable festival features will include the world's largest vat of guacamole, Best Guacamole Contest, Largest Avocado Contest, a Kid's Block Party, and much more.

Avocado lovers will be able to try unusual avocado dishes like avocado ice cream and fried avocado.

The festival runs from Friday at 4pm and continues through Sunday evening. Admission is free.

For more information visit the festival website: www.avofest.com

This recipe makes 4 Mexican pizzas.

Ingredients
8 extra large corn tortillas
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 pkg ground soy meat
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
1 c. enchilada sauce
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. Jack cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas on each sheet and spray lightly on top with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time.

While the tortillas are baking, heat the ground soy meat in a skillet (or cook the ground beef).

Remove baking sheets from oven. Spread a layer of beans on four of the tortillas. Spread a layer of soy meat on top of the beans. Place a tortilla on top of each one and top with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle onions and cheese on top.

Place back in the oven and bake for ten minutes or until cheese is melted.

The New Jersey Superior Court lawsuit alleges that Denny's heavy use of salt puts "the restaurant chain's customers at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke." The lawsuit asks the court to order Denny's to list the sodium content of its food on the menu and warn about the hazards of consuming salt in high doses.

One of the worst offenders is the Meat Lover's Scramble which has a whopping 5,690 mg of sodium while a simple scrambled eggs and cheese on the senior menu has 2,060 mg.

The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of Nick DeBenedetto, a 48-year old New Jersey man who is seeking class-action status for the suit and says, "I never would have selected those items had I known."

Here are eight health benefits of this popular tea:

Better Sleep
Chamomile tea's most well-known benefit is as a sleep aid. It is known for its relaxing and soothing properties and is often taken before bed to promote restful sleep.

Stomach Soother
Peter Rabbit's mother was right to give him chamomile after he ate too much in Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden. Chamomile is helpful for a variety of stomach problems. It soothes stomach aches, eases the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, promotes elimination, and assists in overall digestion. It is often found in teas for digestion in combination with peppermint.

Menstrual Cramps
The ancient Egyptians used it to soothe menstrual cramps and now science is catching up. One study found that drinking chamomile tea raised urine levels of glycine, a compound that calms muscle spasms. Researchers believe this is why chamomile tea helps menstrual cramps.

Hemmorrhoid Help
One study found that chamomile ointment was helpful in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Cold Fighter
Chamomile has immune boosting properties and helps in the fight against colds due to its antibacterial properties.

Wound Healing
The Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks used chamomile flowers in a poultice and applied them to wounds to speed healing. They must've been on to something. In one study, rats given chamomile extract in their water experienced faster wound healing times.

Diabetes Management
Chamomile tea is being studied for its beneficial effects in the management of diabetes. In one study, daily consumption of chamomile tea was found to prevent the progression of diabetic complications and hyperglycemia.

Cancer
In-vitro studies show possible protection against several different types of cancer cells.

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Precautions
Some people have serious allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) to chamomile. If you are allergic to other plants in the same family such as daisy, ragweed, aster, chrysanthemum, or marigold you should use caution when using chamomile.

Chamomile should be avoided during pregnancy because it may act as a uterine stimulant and therefore increase the chance of abortion.

People with bleeding disorders or on blood thinners should avoid chamomile, as it contains coumarin and may increase the chance of bleeding.

Manuka honey (also called Leptospermum honey) is a type of raw honey that is made by bees who collect nectar from the manuka plant in Australia and New Zealand. It is a monofloral honey, meaning that the bees collect their nectar from only one type of plant.

Manuka has been found to have remarkable antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and healing properties when used on wounds. One company, Derma Sciences Inc., has even created a wound care product called Medihoney that uses manuka honey. Medihoney is used in hospitals around the world.

In one study published in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Wound Care, Medihoney was found to significantly reduce the presence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in chronic wounds.

New Zealand manuka honey is rated on the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) scale, a measure of the antibacterial strength of the honey. According to the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) of New Zealand, UMF "is an antibacterial property which is naturally present in some strains of manuka honey, but it is not in all manuka honey." It is not found in all manuka honey because not all manuka flowers contain the UMF factor.

UMF is measured on a numeric scale, with UMF 10 being the minimum UMF factor effective in the treatment of infections and anything rated UMF 16 and higher having very high therapeutic value. In general, the higher the UMF rating, the higher the price of the honey.

People are using UMF active manuka honey on skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, burns, sores, skin ulcers, herpes, cold sores, blisters, rashes, and more. It is used in clinical settings to treat burns, diabetic leg ulcers, wounds that won't heal, and MRSA infections.

It's a good product to keep on hand at home in case of an accidental burn or to aid in the healing of any of the skin issues listed above.

Manuka also fights internal infections such as the flu, cold, and other viruses and is great for sore throats. It has also shown promise in the treatment of H. pylori infections and stomach ulcers.

In short, manuka appears to be a great overall immune system booster and healing agent. Many people take a tablespoon or two every day to prevent illness and maintain good health.

If you've had success in using manuka honey to heal a condition, please post a comment here. We'd love to hear your story!

I love the combination of basil and ginger. Many ginger marinades call for soy sauce, but some of my readers avoid soy, so I made this marinade without it.

Basil Ginger Salmon Marinade

Ingredients
2 6 oz salmon filets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
4 T. chopped fresh basil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
Make three our four shallow cuts on each side of the salmon filets. Set aside.

Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the salmon and coat both sides well. Make sure to get the mixture into the shallow cuts that you made. I like to stuff some of the minced garlic pieces in them.

Marinate for one hour in the refrigerator.

Grill and eat!

Ingredients
2 T. grated ginger root
2 c. water

Directions
Boil the water in a small saucepan and stir in the ginger root.

Drink straight or add lemon and/or your favorite sweetener to taste. Ginger tea with honey is a soothing drink when you have a cold or the flu.