Confident Cook

Struck by a devastating illness in the prime of his life, chef Seamus Mullen didn’t quit cooking — he started experimenting. Here, he talks about how nutrition saved his life — and shares a spring menu made up of some of his fresh favorites.

High in protein and gluten-free, quinoa is a nutritious seed that puts conventional whole grains to shame.

Gluten-free desserts have gone mainstream — with good reason. The best recipes are sinfully enticing, and healthy, too.

Winter is the perfect time to cook winter squashes — and to treat your body to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory goodness.

Simple, wholesome and healthy, eggs are easy to prepare with panache.

Twelve easy and healthy salad dressings you can make at home.

Raspberries delight the senses and serve up an impressive dose of antioxidants. Here are recipes and preparation techniques for making the most of this summer’s harvest.

A dark leafy green, spinach packs an impressive nutritional punch.

Delicate and flavorful, freshly grown carrots are full of nutritional surprises — and are quite different from their supermarket cousins.

Long regarded as a ho-hum herb, parsley has finally arrived.

Rich and meaty, mushrooms are an easy way to add earthy flavor and nutrition to your meals.

Don’t let this understated vegetable fool you. It’s bursting with culinary potential and nutritional oomph.

Packed with flavor and phytonutrients, sweet potatoes are a holiday treat that deserve to be served more often.

There’s real beauty in choosing a free-range heritage turkey. You’ll get richer flavor, better nutrition — and the satisfaction of supporting a rare breed of poultry farmer, too.

For centuries it’s been worshiped for its protective powers and its culinary potential. To fully appreciate garlic’s appeal, make it a part of your everyday cooking.

Vine-ripened, oddly shaped, and packed with flavor: There’s nothing like an heirloom tomato. We asked farmer Gary Ibsen, who’s been growing and selling these beauties for almost 40 years, for a personal introduction.

Celebrate summer with spicy jalapeño peppers. These versatile chilies wake up your taste buds — and fight inflammation, too.

Healthier than tofu, tempeh is a great source of plant-based protein. Try these tasty soybean cakes as a meat alternative or as a nutritious addition to dishes of all kinds.

There’s a lot more culinary life in celery than the diet crowd lets on. And research shows it can help prevent memory loss, lower blood pressure and may even inhibit cancer.

One of the world’s healthiest foods, these fiber-rich legumes add hearty flavor to everything from salads to veggie burgers.

High in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, meat from pasture-fed cattle is a nourishing delicacy.