Post in partnership with Muir Glen Organic. See below for more details. Every week, like clockwork, we have pizza on Thursday nights. It's the perfect way to spring us into one last day before the weekend. I love making sauce from fresh tomatoes. But when they're not available, I keep this tomato sauce recipe handy....
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Celeriac Soup with Thyme
When the season changes, it's easy for me to get excited about using sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and greens. But fall produce is so wide and varied and lately, I've been getting excited about the items that often go ignored. If you're not familiar with celeriac (or celery root), it's a gnarly looking vegetable. The...
Cauliflower and Millet Gratin
With cooler weather comes more casserole-type dishes. In this dish, I love the creamy base of the bechamel sauce paired with the solid flavor of roasted cauliflower. Specifically, this gratin is a riff on this roasted garlic/cheddar gratin. With the addition of grains, this dish is a perfect light supper paired with a side salad....
White Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Post in partnership with Muir Glen Organic. See below for more details. When it's snowing outside and you've had a long day, you want dinner to be more than just a hot meal. Sadly, one of the misnomers of vegetarian cooking is that it's hard to do comfort food. For example, critics claim vegetarian cooking...
Tahini Noodle Bowl with Collards
When I changed my diet to focus on plant-based meals and moved away from junk food, I found exploring new ingredients intimidating. Sure, I could easily toss together a salad, bake a sweet potato, or grill asparagus. But I avoided other ingredients for years. Jicama, kohlrabi, and collards didn't find their way into my diet...
Roasted Broccoli Bowls with Freekeh
Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables for grain bowls. It cooks quickly and tastes amazing when roasted. Additionally, it pairs well with many different flavors. As a result, I'll be making these broccoli bowls often this fall. In fact, the hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the broccoli to roast.
Chipotle Black Bean Chili
Post sponsored by Crock-Pot® Brand/Mirum Shopper. See below for more details. If you look back through the archives of the site, you'll notice a theme: I find recipes I like and then make slight changes to them all the time. In fact, I never settle with a recipe! Rather, I'm always exploring new ways to...
Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall...
Kamut and Plum Salad
At our house, fruit is always in high demand. In fact, it's our go-to snack. For instance, on any given day, Mack eats his weight in fruit. Well, maybe not, but it feels that way. As a result, it's rare that I make a recipe with fruit. That's because it just never lasts long enough. Recently, however,...
Spelt Grape Salad with Chickpeas
Every day, my husband asks, "What's for lunch?" as he runs out the door for work. The question is usually because I'm not good at remembering to pack his lunch. But luckily, grain bowls or salads are an easy answer! When I do plan for lunch, I make this grape salad. In fact, I prefer...
Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
There are certain dishes I've really had to persuade my husband to eat because of his childhood experiences. For example, stuffed peppers were one of my greatest hurdles because he was used to traditional peppers, cooked in a giant pot of tomato broth. I've assured him every time I make stuffed peppers that mine are...
Red Lentil Masala with Spinach
I am always amazed at what inspiration come from the food blog community. There are wise words of wisdom, quirky anecdotes, and most of all, tons of amazing food. Every time I check out my favorite blogs, I find myself making notes on things I want to try or ideas I have for recipes. When...
Summer Vegetable Frittata
There is no secret regarding my love of frittatas. That's because this easy egg dish comes together quickly, can serve as a base for endless vegetables, grains, and cheese, and can feed anywhere from two people to a crowd. This vegetable frittata recipe is loaded with summer goodness, highlighting what I feel is the best...
Savory Oatmeal with Garlicky Kale
I always find it fascinating how easy it is to associate certain foods with specific categories (in certain cultures). For example, I grew up having very specific foods for breakfast one of which was always sweet: oatmeal. However, over the years, I've come to appreciate oats for their warm, not-too-overpowering flavor and their ability to...
Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
When we don't know what to do for dinner, breakfast is usually the answer. Eggs are quick to prepare and easily create a meal. I made this burrito after having a bit of the chorizo-spiced crumble leftover from the nachos. As a result, these breakfast burritos were ready in a short time. Additionally, you can...
Chickpea Dumplings in Curried Sweet Corn Soup
Of all the summer produce, sweet corn is my favorite vegetable for soup (which is saying a lot since tomatoes are also in season). Sweet corn has the perfect balance of savory and sweet which makes it a winning partner with curry, as you'll find out if you make this recipe. This recipe ventures into...
Millet Sweet Corn Fritters
While few and far between, I occasionally have happy accidents in the kitchen. Recently, I was cooking a big batch of millet. After the usual amount of cooking time, I tasted the cooked millet only to find it was still on the crunchy side. I added more water and continued cooking. It turned out, the...
Cucumber Peanut Salad
As of late, it feels like our evenings only start after the baby finally goes to bed. It's the time when I pour myself a glass of wine and more frequently, start to think about dinner. Some nights I've thought ahead while other nights are a 'throw something together at 9pm' kind of night. This...
Green Bean Stir-Fry
I'm always a fan of a good noodle bowl with spicy vegetables but during the summer months, I get a real treat: fresh green beans. Green beans are one of my favorite stir-fry vegetable because they hold a bit of their crispness even when cooked but still absorb and work well with a variety of...
Chorizo-Spiced Vegetarian Nachos
This is one of those recipes that after I take one bite, I know it's a must-share. Yes, it's kind of involved but I think it's completely worth it. A good chunk of the ingredient list is spices and once you make the crumble, I hope you fall in love with it as much as...
Vegetarian Enchiladas Verdes
Over the summer, I updated my roasted salsa verde recipe and after blending it into a creamier sauce, I realized I had the perfect enchilada sauce on my hands. These enchiladas verdes take a little time to make but are well worth it. Additionally, they can easily be made ahead of time. The black bean...
Mediterranean Kale Salad
You will find that I have minimal kale salads on the site. It's not that I don't like them, it's that I'm lazy. The whole process of massaging and letting kale sit with some lemon juice feels like too much of a process for a simple salad. By the time all of that happens, I...
Grilled Chipotle Peach Salad
When I transitioned to healthier eating, kicking the sugar/sweet flavors was the hardest. Anything that I was used to being heavily sweetened tasted odd and it took me quite some time find comfort in the new flavors. However, using fruit in savory ways came out of my struggle to find the balance of sweet without...
Roasted Tomato Gazpacho
A summer never feels complete without a few key recipes. First and foremost, these pickles are a summer staple followed closely by this grilled cheese. Gazpacho is also on the summer shortlist, usually when the market is swimming in tomatoes. This roasted tomato gazpacho has become a staple and while it usually requires me to...
Halloumi Breakfast Sandwich
During the summer months, weekends are all about about getting out and exploring whether that's a hike or a morning playing disc golf. No matter the activity, I'm always on the hunt for solid breakfast ideas that will keep me full and be something I could easily wrap up for the car ride. This halloumi...
Summer Squash Pasta with Yogurt Sauce
When I think of pasta in the summer, I almost immediately think of the mayo-laden macaroni salad or the pasta salad that almost always has cubes of cheese. Neither of these examples are what this summer squash pasta is all about. While this pasta dish can be served cold, I like to use the heat...
Kitchen Sink Cookies (gluten-free)
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. I occasionally get a craving for a solid chocolate chip cookie. It's definitely not my go-to dessert but every so often, a soft cookie hits the spot. The problem, however, is that I buy a bag of chocolate chips and end up snacking on...
Roasted Sweet Corn Salad
If your summer season is anything like mine, it includes what feels like an endless amount of get-togethers and picnics. Weekends are for getting out and exploring. This roasted corn salad has made it's way to quite a few events this summer in a few different variations. It's easily assembled, tossed in a container, and dressed...
Black Bean Quesadillas with Garlicky Shishito Peppers
On my patio, I have a couple dozen planters full of herbs and summer produce. Of all the summer produce, peppers are my favorite item to grow in pots. They are easy, need very little care, and can produce a bounty throughout the summer. I have a long list of favorites to grow that include...
Sorghum Tabouli
Tabouli is one of those recipes that I've found is easy to do poorly. My first introduction was at a fairly early age from a health food store. The proportions were: 90% bulgur, 9% tomatoes/cucumbers, and 1% herbs. To me, the grain isn't the most exciting part of the recipe, it's the herbs which I...
Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta
When cucumbers are in season, it takes everything in my power to not combine them with tomatoes for every salad (like this sumac chickpea salad). Then I remember that I can make a refreshing, beautiful salad without the pop of red. I originally threw this cucumber quinoa salad together with ingredients I happen to have...
BBQ Chickpea Sandwich with Tahini Slaw
There's a cafe in my hometown that serves an epic pulled pork sandwich smothered in slaw. Every time I see it made, I felt like I was missing out on this big, sloppy sandwich. Enter this bbq chickpea sandwich. You could easily use any bbq sauce but if you have a couple of peaches sitting...
Summer Squash Soup
When summer squash is abundant, soup should be made!
Bruschetta White Bean Wrap
Post sponsored by Flatout Flatbread. See below for more details. During the summer months, the amount I cook drops off. I want easy, quick, and (for the most part), no oven required. Bruschetta is a favorite summer treat of mine that only gets made with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. I make big...
Garlicky Halloumi Tacos
In the grand scheme of vegetarian tacos on Naturally Ella, most, if not all, revolve around using legumes. This is great but I felt it time to share one of my favorite, extremely quick tacos that involved zero beans or lentils. Enter halloumi tacos. I shared these on instagram some time back and since then,...
Coconut Bread Pudding with Raspberries
No get-together would be complete without dessert (which may seem strange given the low amount of desserts on this site). Sometimes these desserts are on the elaborate side (like a cheesecake) and sometimes they are like this coconut bread pudding; easy to throw together and full of summer fruit. This particular base for bread pudding...
Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Roasted Tomato Sauce
A great stuffed pasta dish!
Spiced Chickpea Cucumber Salad
This is one of my favorite backyard gathering recipes. It's the type of event where people come over for a leisurely dinner and yard games in the cool of the evening (one of my favorite gatherings). I like to do a mix of make-ahead and hot dishes for these types of gatherings and while this...
Vegetarian Meal Plan
Over the past couple of years, I had toyed with the idea of creating a custom weekly vegetarian meal plan as a service on the site. It can be a struggle to know what to cook, let alone trying to actually prepare the meal. Of course, planning meals for the week takes time and I...
White Bean Dip with Roasted Garlic and Herbs
In the grand scheme of beans, I think chickpeas are slightly overrated. Don't get me wrong, they are one of my favorite ingredients (just look at all the recipes that use chickpeas on my site) but when it comes to legumes, there are many options for many different uses. More and more, I'm turning to...