Caviar has always been a ruse. It was fed to Middle Eastern and European royalty to boost the image of the higher classes (who seemed unfazed by the gross factor of eating fish eggs); 19^th century U.S. saloon patrons were given free gobs of it because the salt content increased their beer consumption; in the late 1800s, U.S. production dominated the world caviar market so much that exports to Europe were sold back to the U.S. as more expensive imported "Russian caviar," when in actuality, as much as 90 percent of it was American until production pushed stateside resources to the brink of extinction making real Russian imports the dominant option; Hollywood's booming golden era of the 1920s and '30s delegated caviar as a decadent must-have food for anyone interested in increasing their glam-appeal and quasi-wealthy appearances. By the counter-culture revolution of the 1960s though, even many self-respecting billionaires let their taste for fish eggs sink. But a resurgence in caviar, now with an ethical twist, is bringing this food back into fashion despite the one question no one seems to be asking: Do we really need caviar?

People have differing opinions about coffee; I'm one of those people who can't live without it. The smell of coffee brewing in the morning makes my day, and a bad or bitter cup can ruin it. Which is why I've taken the time to seek out three different organic coffees that are tasty and pack the punch to get you going in the morning.

Christmastime and food are inextricably linked, not only in our hearts and homes, but in pop culture. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”… “I brought some corn for popping”… “The Wassail Song”... all elicit food memories as they are tied to the holiday season, and they are almost all references of foods from days long ago. In our kitchen’s today, we expect to find a very basic list of modern foods: ham, turkey, greens, potatoes and breads (plus or minus the vegan Field Roast in the mix). But one or two hundred years ago, the Christmas tables of our ancestors looked very different. If you think that the references to chestnuts or figgy bread from your fave Christmas carols are odd, just read on to see exactly what Americans were eating back then. It's a very retro Christmas menu.

You’ve probably heard about the current food trend of “head to tail” eating, but have you sat down to dine on pig head for dinner?

Currently at The Gorbals restaurant you can order a half-cut, roasted pig head for $52. The dish takes 60-90 minutes to cook, so you probably want to save this indulgence for a long, lingering dinner with friends. In the meantime, nosh on confit of cow tongue, roast neck of lamb, fried chicken gizzards or sturgeon battered in squid ink.

I confess: I am a huge KitchenAid fan. When I registered for my wedding, at the top of my list was the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. The woman at Bloomingdale’s who walked me through the store, actually tried talking me out of registering for the stand mixer saying, “you should only register for this if you do a lot of baking... and you really need to do a lot of baking.” And she repeated again, “… you really need to do a lot of baking to get this stand mixer.” I thought to myself, “Honey you don’t know who you’re talking to, I love to cook and bake!” Little did she know I would go on to culinary school and launch a New Media company and write recipes and publish articles about delicious food.

In the 21st century, living in France isn't really all that different from living in America. You can track down most of your favorite foods in the grocery stores here, McDonald's are ubiquitous, and American sitcoms grace the French channels every night. But there are a handful of French traditions that leave me simultaneously giggling and wondering how I can get involved when I hear about them; foraging for mushrooms is one of them.

Whether you’re like an Iron Chef in the kitchen or could use a few more hours in a Home Economics class, there are some kitchen utensils that are invaluable.

The more time you spend in the kitchen, the more you come to rely on certain utensils. Sometimes you can make due (like using a travel mug as a rolling pin), but often, there are items you just can’t cook without. Whether you are a cooking fiend or more of a water-boiling beginner in the kitchen, here are several of OA’s essential kitchen utensils to help you along.

Empathy is a key component to being human—we see someone else experiencing something and our empathy mirror neurons kick in and, as far as the brain is concerned, we're experiencing the same thing, too. And it's even more amplified if the situation is recreated for us, like say, being an orangutan? Singapore chef Andre Chiang wants to make you feel like one of the endangered gentle creatures by eating their dinner so that you'll understand the serious plight they face.

With recent studies suggesting that half of all food produced is wasted on the planet—as in uneaten despite the 1.2 billion hungry people struggling with little or no food—getting creative in how we break that wasteful cycle is a significant consideration. A Swedish farmers cooperative, Lantmännen, may have one clever answer: A dating website that pairs singles based on their leftovers.

Don't fret if you missed Organic Authority's Green-is-the-new-Black-Friday deals! We know you're going to love our latest Conscious Gift Guide recommendations for everyone on your holiday list. Whether shopping for someone else or for yourself, there's something for everyone to stay healthy and happy well into the New Year while decreasing your impact on the planet, too.