Frank Picchione

Katherine Heigl Hates Balls

Katherine's 'I Hate Balls' campaign aims to reduce the number of pets killed in shelters by promoting spaying and neutering. Click here to learn more about this important cause.

Several years ago Katherine and her mother Nancy founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation. Chief among the organizations many endeavors has been the diligent fight to change policies, bring awareness and stop the unnecessary euthanization of healthy adoptable animals in the city and county of Los Angeles.

In her blog she questions whether society as a whole is also culpable to some degree for abandoned, forgotten and abused animals - not just the abusers, the reckless or the thoughtless - as millions of healthy adoptable companion pets are killed every year in shelters due to overcrowding.

Wild Mushroom & Fontina Pizza

I topped this pizza with a combination of oyster, shiitake and portobello mushrooms, slices of fontina cheese and lots of chopped chives.

The Rescue Story of Lemek

Not all rescue stories end happily at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, but this is a beautiful video showing the sensitive nature of the keepers' work.

Pickled Cucumbers

After discovering how simple and quick it was to make pickled red onions I decided to try the same recipe with an English cucumber. These pickles turned out perfectly sweet and sour. I plunged dill into the steaming liquid which added a subtle note of flavor.

Grapefruit, Avocado & Pickled Red Onion Salad

This salad is so bright and refreshing it would be terrific for lunch on a hot summer afternoon, but I made it last week for dinner because I enjoy citrus in winter. After cutting supremes of grapefruit I used the fruit's juice to make the dressing for a bed of chopped endive on which I placed slices of avocado, pickled red onion, mint leaves and the grapefruit supremes. It was an interesting combination of sweet and sour and bitter.

Poached Rock Shrimp & Monkfish

If you have never tried rock shrimp you really must. They are like tiny nuggets of lobster. Also similar to lobster in texture, but not taste, is monkfish, which is sold in long meaty medallions. I like to cook all kinds of fish in simmering liquids as soups or stews. Here I poached the seafood in a combination of fish and vegetable stocks with white wine, chopped fennel and onion, saffron and cilantro.

Friday Flowers

Black Bean & Brown Rice Burgers

I have been trying out different combinations of grains and legumes to make complete protein vegan burgers. I think I prefer these to these, but both were delicious and nutritious. I served them alongside crispy kale chips, and topped them with vegan pesto and pickled red onions. The onions were so tasty and simple to make. The pickling liquid is just equal parts water, rice wine vinegar and sugar.

Give Fur the Cold Shoulder

Penelope Cruz for Peta

Herb Roasted Shrimp

After cleaning the shrimp I tossed them in a cheeseless pesto I'd made with mint and cilantro, and roasted them for only five minutes in a 500 degree oven. Cooking shrimp quickly this way keeps them tender, moist and flavorful, while eliminating the extra calories from sauteeing. I finished them off with a big squeeze of lime juice.