It may be the most popular ice cream flavor in Peru, but we Northern Americans have most likely never heard of this super delicious, super nutritious superfruit before, at all. Lucuma (LOO-KU-MA) has been enjoyed for thousands of years for its rich, sweet, maple-like flavor that's said to taste a bit of cashews. And now, raw foodists are loving their lucuma... but why?

We all sneak in that second (third… ahem… fourth) cookie this time of year. Hey, it’s the holidays. While we don’t recommend overindulging every day of the year, the holidays do allow for a little wiggle room. Try tweaking your recipes to make baked goods a tad healthier by substituting in flax seeds with these three methods. Watch guilt subside. 

Even though pears (or pear trees at least) are immortalized in that classic holiday tune involving a partridge and a stream of nerve-wracking repetition, the actual pear is an often-overlooked fruit this time of year. We celebrate the bounty of fall with apples and pumpkins in all forms of delicious eats, but too often forget those tasty pears.

The winter season is upon us, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up fresh fruits for these next few months. In fact, several fruits actually come into season this time of year, and they are fresher and tastier now more than ever. Here are our five favorite holiday fruits at the OA kitchens, along with our fave recipes to cook them in.

Beans and legumes—those magical fruits—are tragically underutilized in the Standard American Diet. They aid in disease prevention, weight loss, energy boosting, and overall vitality. Best of all, they’re vegan and very cheap to buy, especially in bulk. Many people avoid buying dried beans in bulk because they require soaking before boiling, a process which can take hours. Fortunately, there are some legumes out there that don’t require any soaking at all; just take them home and boil them at once.

Hey, we're not saying we're not going to miss those summer squashes. Or even that we don't love the whole squash repertoire that comes with winter. But, kabocha - also known as Japanese pumpkin - is the undeniable, and oft overlooked, favorite this season. If you've encountered this unassuming gem, it has most likely been that buttery component of a Thai curry you just couldn't place or a veggie tempura deight. It's time to make kabocha the star that it deserves to be. Here are eight reasons we think you should wrap yourself up in a kabocha blanket this winter. (Well, not really.)

Have you ever wondered what it is exactly about superfoods that makes them so incredibly, well, super? Me too. Luckily, my own brother, Gregory Manitsas, is a raw foods chef extraordinaire! He let me in on some of the kooky industry terms. You are just four key concepts away from discovering why some foods are worthy of the title. You may be as surprised as I was to find that there really is something to these superfoods above and beyond the others (healthy foods that is)...

What a name puzzle! Sweet potato or yam? Are they one in the same? Nope. Despite the standard calls to “Pass the yams!” across the Thanksgiving dinner table, most vegetables labeled "yams" in the United States are actually orange-fleshed sweet potatoes—even though we use the terms interchangeably.

So, what’s the root cause of this sweet potato-yam mix up? Find out!

Pistachios sprinkled over cupcakes or pistachio-flavored ice cream may make this nut the trendy dessert ingredient of the moment, but the little, colorful and uniquely tasty pistachio has a larger place at the table than merely fodder for interesting dessert. Nutrient dense and delicious, here are nine reasons a handful of pistachios make for a wonderful snack-time indulgence.

Mushrooms are good eats year round, but they're an especially healthful choice as the weather cools and we spend less time out in the sun photosynthesizing the necessary nutrient, vitamin D. One of the only vegan sources of vitamin D, mushrooms are also a good source of protein and antioxidants. As a fungus, they're meatier than veggies, making them extremely versatile; and if your mushroom experience is limited to buttons, portobellos and shiitakes, get ready for a sporetastic culinary exploration that will transform your relationship with mycelium.