Allison Cafe

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we decided to make a new favorite; an easy, healthy, weeknight meal: shrimp tacos and homemade guacamole. It also gave me an excuse to make another batch of Sangria Roja. Ok, so this Sangria is not exactly a Mexican recipe, but it seems to go well with tonight’s cuisine!

Homemade Guacamole

Living in Southern California has definitely given us a taste for Mexican food, especially with fresh ingredients like local, ripe avocados. And living near a great fish market, El Pescador, leaves us no excuse for not enjoying fresh, local seafood. Eating local, seasonal and healthy food is not hard, it just takes a willingness to try new things and go with what is fresh. It doesn’t have to be Cinco de Mayo to enjoy this menu, assemble these simple ingredients any week night and turn your Pandora radio to the Mana station, pour a glass of Sangria and sit back and enjoy. Salud!

Simple, Healthy and Delicious

Click “more” to see the recipes and more photos: (more…)

Tobacco and Cancer, Source: The American Cancer Society

Each month we will highlight important information that each one of us can implement in our own lives to help in the fight against cancer. This month I feel compelled to talk about the dangers of tobacco, both for those that smoke and for those who know someone who smokes. Below is just a small excerpt of the information available from the American Cancer Society:

Smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body, is linked to at least 15 different cancers, and accounts for some 30% of all cancer deaths. And it costs billions of dollars each year. Yet one in five Americans still light up. If you or someone you love uses tobacco, here’s what you need to know about how tobacco kills, and how to get the help you need to quit. The American Cancer Society has a wealth information on the topic on their website here.

The 1982 United States Surgeon General’s report stated that”Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality (death) in the United States.” This statement is as true today as it was in 1982 (statistics). Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Here are some more eye-opening facts: (more…)