Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

How to Stop a Grazer in Her Tracks

In a previous lifetime, I was prone to grazing and while I've done a lot of work to overcome this tendency, inevitably, I relapse from time to time. Maybe it was yesterday's gloomy weather or the fact I was recovering from a minor eye procedure or maybe it was the lack of food in my apartment at the time, but I found myself getting my graze on. So, you may ask ... What's so wrong with … [Read more...]

Brazilian Blowout Health-ified

Photo courtesy of sambrocatosalon.com Now that I'm so concerned with what I put in my body, I've also become pretty obsessed with what I put on it. So when I read an article today in Well + Good about Mary Louise Parker's hair falling out from a Brazilian Blow-out, my first reaction was not one of surprise. Instead I related. Against my own better judgment, I had the popular hair-relaxing … [Read more...]

A Spring Fling with Raw Foods

Maybe I've got Spring Fever or maybe Kris Carr's book Crazy, Sex, Diet hit me way too hard but I've been on a raw food kick lately. No, I haven't become a full-force raw foodist, but I do happen to believe in the cleansing, healing and nourishing properties of raw foods especially when the weather is warmer or in warmer climates. Raw foods are heated below a certain temperature (somewhere around … [Read more...]

How to Assemble a Buddha Bowl

A Buddha Bowl is one of my favorite, filling, no-brainer meals, especially now that the weather is getting warmer and I am incorporating more raw and lightly cooked foods back into my diet. Watch this video to learn how to make one in no time! 1. Start with a whole grain base 2. Add a lightly steamed leafy green vegetable 3. Layer on raw veggies: Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, celery, leeks, … [Read more...]

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival

If the line that snaked down 18th Street and wrapped around the block forming a two-hour wait to get into yesterday's First Vegetarian Food Festival in NYC was any indication of the rising popularity of plant-based diets, then I'd say we've come a long way since I went veg back in 1993, almost 20 years ago! At the age of 13, I knew little about the benefits of a plant-based diet, which include: … [Read more...]

Friday Night Dinner

On any given Friday night, the Natural Gourmet Institute may be mistaken by some for a Jean Georges restaurant. Diners line up in droves to claim their seat -- which they have called ahead to reserve, sometimes far in advance --  at the cooking school's Friday Night Dinners. But you won't find trendy decor, or even tenderloin on the menu. The digs are a bit more rustic, the service casual and … [Read more...]

Well-oiled

Like a fine wine, there is also an art and a science that goes into creating a good-tasting olive oil. For a long time, olive oil has been a staple in my kitchen so I've always had that innate sense that not all olive oils are created equal, but I never fully investigated why. Luckily, I stumbled on a class at Eataly, Olive Oil Uncovered with Nicholas Coleman and I am now better versed on the … [Read more...]

Lessons Learned from My Grandmother’s Kitchen

Ida Martha Stanzione Vicario 1926-2011 My family said goodbye to my sweet and loving grandmother (Nana) last week after her long battle with Alzheimer's. An immigrant from Naples, Italy and an angel even before she ever made it to Heaven, my grandmother was passionate about food and cooking. For most of my life, I never set foot in a kitchen, but my interest in cooking finally blossomed … [Read more...]

Getting Back on Track

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of travel for me. And I'll be the first to admit, I'm always talking about planning ahead for travel -- packing healthy snacks, researching the closest juice bars. But seriously, the stars don't always align. Take, for instance, this most recent trip: One week in San Francisco followed by what was to be a few days in Lake Tahoe. While I had the flight … [Read more...]