GrubGirl.

Who: Fava, a San Francisco-based food maker

What: Their Fava Hummus and Fava Hearty Dip

Where:  At the Alemany Farmer’s Market, Whole Foods, and other Bay Area natural foods stores. Look on the Fava website for a complete list of stores where their products are sold.

Why:

• Fava beans (that are actually peas) are the garbanzo bean of Egypt, and no one else has introduced this ethnic food item to the American eater
• Fava beans are a nutrient-rich legume, that are high in protein and dietary fiber, and low in fat

Who: Monica Reinagel is the Nutrition Diva, which is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips series of podcasts and newsletters.

What: Her podcasts. I discovered them on iTunes, and you can also access them from her website.

When: At least weekly. She’s got a newsletter and the podcasts.

Where: iTunes or her website, nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com.

Why:

• She debunks nutrition and healthy eating myths. Since she’s a licensed nutritionist AND a professionally-trained chef, I figured she’s more qualified than me and my healthnut friends. Living in San Francisco, it’s easy to jump on the hearsay bandwagon on latest food trends or admonitions without really understanding the real deal.

Who: Rachael Ray, host of 30-Minute Meals on The Food Network

What: Her Everything Jambalaya recipe

Why:

1. For solo cooks that don’t have time to cook from scratch every evening, but still want more control over what goes into their meals.
2. The flavors get better over time, so they make for delicious lunch leftovers.
3. This is an easy jambalaya recipe and you don’t have to be a New Orleans native to make it taste great
4. It’ll make you feel as if you’ve accomplished more in the kitchen than if you just used a seasoning packet

WHAT: A reader told me about her blog, Sushi Tastes on a Ramen Budget, which is right up the Grubgirl alley.