Chef James Nutrition: Whole Plant Food/Evidence-Based Cuisine

04/16/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Carrot Cake Bread Pudding

Bread pudding originated in England and was an inexpensive dessert option made from repurposed stale bread. Over the years, I've made many different kinds, even one that was surprisingly heady made with blueberries and truffle oil (the mushroom truffle, not the chocolate truffle). This one is made of cubes of carrot cake baked in a vanilla custard with pineapple bits and a coconut cream cheese icing. Yummy!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/desserts/carrot-cake-bread-pudding-146.html
**All food items are available for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake. Shipping availability is limited at this time. See Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php or Message me for details.

04/14/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Cardamom-Orange Sherbet

Cardamom is one of those spices that people either love or hate. Personally, I've never met a spice I don't like or at least one that I haven't found a way to use that makes me like it! This absolutely delightful sherbet could be considered a Dreamsicle™ for sophisticated adults! Although the child in you will like it too!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/desserts/cardamom-orange-sherbet-145.html
**All food items are available for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake. Shipping availability is limited at this time. See Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php or Message me for details.

04/11/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Strawberry-Rhubarb Tarts

For me, rhubarb not only signals that Spring has arrived, but it brings back childhood memories of picking a stalk fresh from our family garden! Simpler times. These delicious tarts have a hazelnut crust filled with strawberry-rhubarb preserves and topped with fresh strawberries, a classic combo.

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/desserts/strawberry-rhubarb-tart-144.html
**All food items are available for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake. Shipping availability is limited at this time. See Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php or Message me for details.

04/10/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Peppermint Pattie "Ice Cream"

Now you can have your York™ without all the junk! Sweetened with dates, this chocolaty, minty, plant-based "ice cream" is the perfect cooling agent on a hot summer day or any time of the year!

Get the sensation, Huuuuuun- Neeeeee!
(If you get that reference you're probably my age!)

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/desserts/peppermint-pattie-ice-cream-37.html

**All food items are available for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake. Shipping availability is limited at this time. See Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php or Message me for details.

03/28/2026

Music is what feelings sound like.

03/11/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Feeling a little basic, so made some good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. Well, almost. You won't be able to tell that these are health-promoting, but they are! Shown here with some homemade Chai Almond-Walnut-Hemp milk (not included). Cheers!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/desserts/chocolate-chip-cookies-143.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php

03/06/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Ligurian Easter Pie with Sun-Dried Tomato/Roasted Garlic Purée

This savory pie is my take on the traditional Torta Pasquelina from the Genoa region of Italy. It was often eaten cold at picnics on Easter Monday, and was filled with greens, eggs, and various cheeses. My version eschews all the dairy and eggs, but includes tons of greens...collards, mustards, dinosaur kale... along with asparagus, mushrooms and crumbled tempeh that is seasoned like Italian sausage! The sun-dried tomato/roasted garlic purée makes this dish suitable for company, but go ahead and eat it anytime you like!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/entrees/ligurian-easter-pie-with-sun-dried-tomatoroasted-garlic-pure-142.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php

03/04/2026

Once again for those in the back...
Quiz in comments

If you take young, healthy people and split them into two groups, half on a fat-rich diet and the other half on a carb-rich diet, within just two days, glucose intolerance skyrockets in the fatty diet group. In response to the same sugar water challenge, those who had been taking in a lot of fat ended up with twice the blood sugar. As the amount of fat in the diet goes up, our blood sugar spikes.

Insulin is the key that unlocks the door to our cells to let blood sugar enter and be used or stored as energy. If there was no insulin, blood sugar would be stuck out in the bloodstream, banging on the doors to our cells but unable to get inside. So, with nowhere to go, sugar levels would rise and rise. That’s what happens in type 1 diabetes: The cells in the pancreas that make insulin get destroyed, and, without insulin, sugar in the blood can’t get out of the blood and into our cells, and, therefore, blood sugar rises.

What if there’s enough insulin being produced, but the insulin doesn’t work (as in cases of type 2 diabetes)? When insulin is present, but something is gumming up the lock to open the cell wall, not allowing it to work properly, that’s called insulin resistance. Our cells become resistant to the effect of insulin.

What’s causing this? Fat in the bloodstream can build up inside our muscle cells and create toxic, fatty, breakdown products and free radicals that can block the signaling pathway process. So, no matter how much insulin we have in our blood, it isn’t able to open the glucose gates, and blood sugar levels build up.

This mechanism, by which fat (specifically saturated fat) induces insulin resistance, wasn’t known until fancy MRI techniques were developed to see what was happening inside people’s muscles as fat was infused into their bloodstream.

Insulin doesn’t work as well on a high-fat diet, like a ketogenic one. But, as the amount of fat in our diet gets lower and lower, insulin works better and better. Watch the video "What Causes Insulin Resistance?" on NutritionFacts.org to learn more: http://bit.ly/2t58PeF.

Corpus ID: 79044549, PMIDs: 10027589, 8675698

02/27/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
3-Layer Refried Bean Dip

Lately I've really been groovin' on this bean dip as a dressing for my huge daily salad. I love it warmed up, especially with the exceedingly cold Winter we've had here in Chicago. It makes such a satisfying and filling "Taco" salad without all the junk. The base layer is my secret recipe refried beans, sans lard, then a layer of Treeline Oil-free Scallion Cashew Cheese, and finally tomato sauce on top. Yummy! Puddy is right! IYKYK, if you don't (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a8zK6HY1Dg).

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/dressings/3-layer-refried-bean-dip-141.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php

02/26/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Orange-Sesame Dressing

This creamy dressing is great tossed with shredded kale or other sharp greens, or drizzled on any Asian-inspired salad. Shown here is my Orange-Sesame Kale Slaw with Avocado, Air-Dried Satsuma Tangerines, and Black Sesame Seeds. A great dish to convert those kale skeptics in your life!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/dressings/orange-sesame-dressing-6.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php

02/22/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Minestrone Soup with Pesto

I'm not quite sure where the custom of stirring pesto into a hearty vegetable soup began. Maybe it was in Southern France, with their many versions of Provençal Pistou soups. All I know is that the pesto takes this already delicious, chock-full-of-veggies-and-beans (17 to be exact), soup to an all new level! A meal in a bowl, along with your daily salad, of course!

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/soups/minestrone-with-pesto-3.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php

02/20/2026

What's cooking today, Chef James?
Tortilla Soup w/Greens, Beans, and Poblano Peppers

I love the combination of corn and tomato flavors in Tortilla Soup or in Spanish, Sopa De Tortilla. I'm embarrassed to say it probably comes from my love of tomato soup with Fritos™ when I was a child. There are many versions of this humble Mexican comfort food. Mine is a blend of fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, poblano peppers, beans and greens, a little smoke and a little mild heat, made hearty and thickened with corn tortillas. A meal in a bowl. Comes with Lime-Cashew Crema and crispy tortillas on the side.

You can order here**:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/products.php #!/food/soups/tortilla-soup-with-beans-greens-and-poblano-peppers-1.html
**All food items are available for shipping nationwide, for curbside pick-up, and to a limited delivery area in Chicago, roughly bordered by Foster, Ashland, Fullerton and the lake.
Shipping Policies and Procedures:
https://chefjamesnutrition.com/shipping.php