Besides getting to meet and greet all the wonderful folks who inspire my cooking and writing, when I am on book tour I also get to experience a taste of every city I visit. Here are some culinary highlights of my journey so far:

Starting out in Austin, Texas on Halloween night, it was delightful to wander around downtown checking out all the costumed revelers. I found my way to the Cantina Laredo where I celebrated my kick off with a top notch frozen margarita and a small plate of perfectly seasoned tacos carnitas served on soft corn tortillas with a generous sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro and onion. The next morning, after an early TV appearance, I stopped at a funky dive called Star Seeds for a filling breakfast of Migas, a traditional Mexican dish of eggs scrambled with corn tortillas, tomatoes and jalapenos. Not exactly a light start but I was really hungry and it totally hit the spot. As I was leaving the waiter casually mentioned “You look even prettier in person.” I am definitely going back there!

Next stop, Houston, where I hit two hot spots: at Hugos I devoured an extraordinary salad of shaved fennel, tender greens, beets and chayote with thin ribbons of citrus zest, and then Reef where I met up with some friends and shared the house specialty crab lollipops (crab legs with a plump bite of lump meat still attached at the base) and bacon-smoked tuna slices served with paper thin slices of green apple and radish.

Back up North in Boston I connected with my college housemate and her husband for a fun dinner at Sel de la Terre, where I had to be practically held back from eating the entire plate of rosemary French fries we ordered.

In Vegas, I dined al fresco with dear friends at the wonderful Beard award winning Bartolotta. Unlike most big name restaurants in Vegas, Paul Bartolotta is actually there greeting customers and making magic in the kitchen. The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean fish which they fly in daily. I had the Triglia (red mullet) which was absolutely wonderful- a tender white fillet, cooked to perfection with briney capers and olives and sweet roasted red peppers in an ideal balance.

Nocca is definitely a find in Phoenix, its unintriguing location in a little strip mall is quickly erased from my mind as I enter and the modern, warm, artisanal vibe of the place draws me right in. I am both relaxed and energized watching the chefs in the open kitchen. I started with a roasted beet salad with micro greens blue cheese pistachio and pomagrante and then had Tazmanian Sea Trout (never heard of it before-it is very much like salmon) with Brussels sprouts, polenta and leeks. A perfect- quite intriguing- fall supper.

Then off to Seattle where I lunched with the talented people from Amazon who have been so supportive of the book. They arranged for one of their favorite home-town chefs, Tom Douglas, to cook up a meal using recipes from So Easy. What an honor it was to have Tom and his dream team make my food! It was only natural for me to want to try his. The only problem was choosing between the many of his fabulous restaurants. I landed at Dahlia for its relaxing yet energetic atmosphere where I indulged in Tom’s deservedly famous Dungenous crab cake and topped it off with a piece of his triple coconut cream pie. Luckily, I shared the pie because after just a few bites I was already in heaven.

Rounding off this leg of the tour back in Flemington, NJ, I had a late night meal after my signing at a cute little BYO place in the center of town called 55 Main. I particularly enjoyed my spinach salad there which was topped with warm grilled zucchini in a parmesan dressing.

What a culinary adventure it has been so far! I look forward to more when I am back on the road in January.

One of the perks of my job is that companies send me different foods to sample– everything from exotic spices to dried fruits to chicken stock. It is fun to have a mystery box waiting for me at the office and taste what is inside. I admit I have gotten some real clunkers- including more than half a dozen different horrible energy bars-but there are there are a few gems that really stand out.  These are three of my most recent faves:

Honibe Honey Drops

This one gets filed in the “why didn’t I think of that” category.  Honey drops are exactly what they sound like: a teaspoon of 100% pure honey all wrapped up in one neat and tidy dried honey drop. All natural, pure honey without the sticky mess. No more goopy spoons to wash, perfect for taking on the road and they even make for a great sucking candy. Check out Honibe’s website and see if there is a place to pick up Honey Drops near you, or, order online at www.honibe.com.

V-Fusion Juice

While I prefer (and encourage people) to consume whole fruits and vegetables, including some juice is fine too as long as you choose one that is loaded with nutrition. V8’s 100% juice V-Fusion packs a whole serving of fruit AND vegetables into one single yummy, thirst quenching 8 oz glass. It’s an especially good solution for people who think they don’t like veggies. The flavors, like Peach Mango and Pomegranate Blueberry, are unique and delicious. Just ask my husband Thom. Thanks to him and Bella I can’t seem to keep enough of the stuff in the house!

Green and Black’s Chocolate

As a congrats for winning the James Beard award which they sponsor, Green and Black’s sent me a wonderfully unexpected gift basket filled with their entire line of incredible, top quality organic chocolate bars. I am still conducting extensive “research” to identify my favorite.  So far, the Maya Gold is the frontrunner – a rich, dark chocolate with hints of orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Or, is it the dark chocolate with cherries? I may have to go try another bite……

I took a little field trip last week to Seattle to hear, see and taste what the folks at Starbucks headquarters are up to. I got to visit the Coffee Education room and learn the professional technique for tasting coffees and teas. (It’s called cupping). I tasted the new and improved baked goods, salads, smoothies and sandwiches, toured the facility and met the people behind the development of all these foods and drinks.

I have to say, I was very impressed.  I walked away with a clear notion that the people at Starbucks genuinely care about the quality of what they serve and the impact they have on the health and well being of their customers and the earth at large.

Big changes they have made recently reflect this commitment. Starting last week, all of their baked goods are free of trans-fat, artificial dyes and flavors and high fructose corn syrup. Each piece of their banana bread now has 1/3 cup of actually banana instead of banana flavoring! (I laugh that is really is a brave new world when banana bread that actually has banana in it is newsworthy!). They are moving in this “100% real ingredient” direction with all their drinks as well.

And they are offering a whole lot more healthy options, which make it easier to eat well on the run. One I have to highlight is their Vivanno smoothies. They are made with pure ingredients like whole fruit and milk, they are frothy and absolutely delicious. They are as close to one of my homemade smoothies I have seen. Unlike many store bought smoothies they aren’t just full of sugar- they have protein and fiber and come in at under 300 calories.

I applaud Starbucks for making such healthful changes. They serve 50 million people every week so they can have a huge impact on making America healthier. Case in point: when they switched their standard milk from whole to 2% they saved customers 7 billion calories and nearly 5 million pounds of fat that year! Thanks Starbucks for helping making it a easier to eat better.

Everyone knows New York is a fabulous food city. It’s hard not to find great food here. But great food that also happens to be good for you is tougher to come by. That’s why I am excited to tell you about two places I visited recently that nail the elusive but magical combination of delicious, inspiring and good for your body.

First, in the fine dining category: Rouge Tomate, a spacious, elegant, Zen-like space a block from Central Park on East 60^th Street. I had lunch there with Natalia Rusin registered dietitian, their on-staff Culinary Nutritionist. I think every restaurant should have a culinary nutritionist on staff!

Between sips of my delicious rhubarb bellini and bites of the beautifully presented and abundantly flavorful asparagus and farm egg appetizer (see photo), she explained to me the restaurant’s guiding principal which, according to their website is  “…to provide a harmonious alignment of balanced cuisine, well-being, and social and environmental consciousness. This nutritional approach demonstrates a genuine respect for the integrity of ingredients used in crafting balanced, healthful and flavorful dishes.” All that integrity and balance wound up tasting incredible! The spring pea risotto was rich and alive with flavor and the chocolate banana dessert was heavenly. How refreshing to have an upscale dining experience and leave feeling absolutely content but light and