"What’s for dinner tonight?"

"How about Korean?"

The suggestion is usually followed up by a phone call for delivery. Until now.

Marja Vongerichten, a Korean-born host of Kimchi Chronicles on PBS, has gathered her favorite kimchi tools, tips, and (more than 100!) recipes into one mouth-watering cookbook, The Kimchi Chronicles. From simple pantry sauces and refreshing salads to elegant entrees and homey soups, the recipes are as tasty (and healthy!) as they are beautiful.

"Korean food is very healthy on the whole," Marja says. Plus, "a lot of
recipes are versatile enough to substitute ingredients. For instance,
you could use the Bulgogi marinade on chicken or fish instead of beef." Easy, right?

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We’ve all been there. The winter blues set in and we reach for the nearest plate of holiday cookies, packing on the pounds. Then spring arrives and we get back outside, start exercising, and slim down for summer. But what if we could control our appetite, maintain a flat belly, and boost energy year-round? The answer lies in a simple letter: D.

Cutting-edge research has shown that vitamin D is a powerful weight-loss ingredient—but sunlight, which produces D naturally, is harmful to our skin and hard to come by (hello, office hours!). Now, for the first time, this breakthrough eating plan optimizes D-levels, helps you feel full, and actually triggers your fat cells to burn fat—not store it. By fueling your body with D-rich nutrients, you can supercharge your fat-burning state and speed up weight loss by 70 percent!

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Another Event Chat

Increase your bottle knowledge with this primer, courtesy of beer sommelier Christina Perozzi, coauthor of The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer.
American Lager
Flavor: Delicate and crisp with heavy carbonation
Best for: Poaching chicken; brines; breads

Pilsner
Flavor: Light and crisp; slightly more bitter than lager
Best for: Creamy soups; pizza dough; braising veggies such as cabbage

Pale Ale
Flavor: Rich, with a dry, bittersweet finish
Best for: Cheese fondues; fish batter; marinades for meat or poultry; stir-fries

India Pale Ale
Flavor: Lots of oomph, with lingering bitterness
Best for: Mexican food; marinating game meats such as bison

Amber Ale
Flavor: Slightly sweet and woody; between a pale ale and a stout
Best for: Steaming shellfish; gravy; French onion soup

Porter
Flavor: Smoky and crisp, with nutty or licorice undertones
Best for: Barbecue sauces; beef or pork stews; baked beans

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Americans have been cooking with wine ever since Julia Child brought the finer points of French cooking to our shores 50 years ago. But now a humbler libation is making its star turn: beer. “Cooking with beer is a hot culinary trend,” says Rebecca Newell, executive chef at The Beehive, an eclectic comfort-food restaurant in Boston. “The microbrew boom of the 1990s made people aware of the true craftsmanship with which beer can be made, and now they’re experimenting with beer in the kitchen as well as at the bar.”

The right beer can deepen the flavors of both sweet and savory dishes, which is why Newell switched from cooking mussels in white wine to exclusively in lager. (And unlike at the bar, there’s no need to worry about ingesting too much—most of the alcohol burns off during cooking, even as the flavors intensify.)

What’s Brewing?

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In celebration of American Heart Month
this week’s Meatless Monday recipes take it easy on your ticker—and on Mother
Earth (did you know that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into
producing a single pound of beef?) The low-sodium recipes—all have 110 mg or
less—below are examples of full-flavor fare that can help lower blood pressure
and decrease your risk for heart disease and stroke.

And what perfect timing! The number one take-away from the USDA’s
new dietary guidelines released this month? Eat less salt. In fact, about half of the US population—African
Americans, adults over age 50, and others predisposed to high BP—were advised
to cut sodium intake to 1,500 mg daily. Luckily, the robust flavors inside
these heart-healthy dishes will cancel out any desire to swoop up the shaker.

GET THEM NOW!

More from WH:
Are You Stressing Out Your Heart?
Heart Healthy Recipes
5 Steps to A Healthy Heart

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Widely used in Persian, Arabic, and Spanish cuisines, saffron has a unique honey-sweet taste that adds an earthy brightness to food. It’s an easy flavor boost for risotto, potato omelets, paella, and biscuits. Saffron is expensive (each thread must be gathered by hand from a crocus flower), but you don’t need much. Steep just about half a teaspoon in hot water, milk, or vinegar for a few minutes before adding the infused liquid to your dish. If you really want to unleash the flavor, crush the threads against a cutting board with a spoon before adding to the steeping liquid.

My lettuce “gyros”—grilled fish, chicken, pork, steak, or even veggies wrapped in lettuce leaves. Speed-cook the filling yourself, buy it precooked at the supermarket, or use leftovers, and dab with a bit of premade tzatziki (Greek yogurt sauce). Top with freshly sliced tomato, and you have a quick and healthy dinner everyone will love.

When it comes to big get-togethers, it’s the main meat dish that counts the most. That’s what guests will rave about if it’s great—and bitch about if it’s not.