It would seem, as of recent, that there are things happening in my life that make me stop and say, "Ah, this is what it feels like to be an adult." It's usually silly things like not being able to eat those two bowls of ice cream (I try, so hard) or the realization that...
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Arugula Salad with Roasted Potato and Endives
This may sound strange, but fall is all about salads for me, especially arugula salads. I love coming up with salads that look they belong on a harvest table, surrounded by friends and family. As the summer produce is on it's way out, greens are on their way in. This endive + arugula salad combination...
Fall Favorites
M and I are currently spending a couple of days running around Austin after a great wedding this weekend and so I thought it was a good time to share a few links to my favorite fall recipes on the site (because it actually has felt a bit like fall in Austin, compared to Sac!)...
Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
As you might have noticed on social media, October is fair trade month. For the past few years, I've donated a post to the promote this cause because I think it's important. So many ingredients we can source locally (which is great) but what about those that we can't? I love my coffee, chocolate, and...
Quick Red Lentil Curry with Spinach
This red lentil curry is on standby for nights when I need to cook something with minimal effort. It's a rich dish, thanks to the whole-fat coconut milk. But it's balanced with healthy red lentils and spinach. The store-bought curry is a lifesaver and I almost always have leftover rice hanging around. Also, if you...
Fried Halloumi Toast with Dry-Farmed Tomato Bruschetta
I know that the second September hits, it's like a switch flips on the internet and automatically fall foods replace summer and that's that. My feed is full of sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and even I posted a butternut squash recipe last week (but fully admitted it was only because I was sick and happened to...
Groovy Bagel Melt
It's Friday and I'm on vacation, which means a super short post for a super quick 'recipe'. This sandwich comes straight from one of my favorite coffee shops in Galesburg, Illinois. I'd often meet my close friend for lunch here for our spontaneous lunch dates (one of the things I miss most after moving) and without...
Ginger Butternut Squash Soup
Don't be fooled, it is so far from soup weather in Sacramento. In the past couple of weeks, we've had temperatures around 100˚ for a few days and all I want right now is to have the windows open, with a nice cool breeze flowing through (which isn't looking like it's going to happen for...
Sprouted Rye Berries and Roasted Cauliflower Bowl
I love being self-employed but one of the major drawbacks is when I get sick, I go into a slight panic mode. I've mentioned I'm the type of girl that wings it most days (which also means, I don't schedule out blog post very far in advance.) 90% of the time, this isn't a problem...
Broccoli-Almond Pesto Pasta
I am a notorious 'buy vegetables and forget about them in the refrigerator drawer' kind of person. If I don't go into the grocery store/farmers' market with a shopping list, it ends poorly with me overspending, especially with produce. I end up with a short attention span: "Look at those colors!" "Oh, the flavor must...
Blackened Okra | Afro-Vegan
Some mornings get the best of me, like this morning. I realized too late that I schedule this post and it went out, without any text or recipe (a shame, to say the least.) I'd like to start showing you more books that I love and it felt right to start with this. I wanted...
Broccoli Barley Bowl
As of recent, I've not felt a whole lot like cooking. There's been take-out pizza and random pulled together meals instead of thought-out dinners. Life has been a bit crazy. M and I have had some ups and downs with life choices but I'm hoping with a few key decisions made, we can move on...
Endives with Roasted Beet and Avocado
One of the things I still miss about Illinois is the CSA I was apart of. I know, it seems crazy for me to say that as I'm now smack dab in the middle of land that can grow pretty much anything but the CSA was something pretty special. It was the ability to connect...
Spinach Curried Red Potato Salad
I have a weakness for potato salad. Not the kind one might traditionally think of when I say this (you know, with mayo) but rather a salad that has greens but is also accompanied by a potato is some form or another. This started with the Garlic Roasted Potato, Spinach and hard boiled egg salad but...
Quinoa and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers
As promised, a recipe. But before I dive into this post, I just wanted to say thank you for the outpouring of amazing emails/comments after yesterday's post. While the internet can be a place of chaos and angry people, it's also an amazing tool to bring people together. So thank you, so much. Now, this...
Grilled Eggplant Rolls with Cream Cheese and Herbed Millet
Another week, another post in the ingredient challenge series. For those of you unfamiliar, every other Monday I ask for readers to send me three ingredients currently in their kitchen. I take those ingredients and prepare a meal that is hopefully simple and inspiring! The first challenge was all about summer with zucchini, tomato, and...
Savory Rye Crepes with Peaches and Blue Cheese
It's one of those times that I'll just let the recipe speak for itself. I'm all about fruit and cheese combinations and the peach/blue cheese one is a winner (and a personal favorite). If you aren't feeling like whipping up crepes, serve the peach mixture over some grains or a bed of greens. Also, don't be...
Market Pick Five | Early August
As promised, another new series I'm starting on the blog! I'm really excited about this one because it harkens back to one of the main reasons I stuck with Naturally Ella about four years ago. I wasn't really sure what this space was going to be and then I joined an amazing CSA. Each week...
Einkorn Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Tomato Sauce
I mentioned in my last post that I'm a fairly simple girl when it comes to summer meals but on occasion, usually when there are guest in the house, I like to step my cooking game up a bit. A few months ago I made these ricotta gnocchi for The Kitchn (using Emma's ricotta recipe)...
Stone Fruit Salsa
95% of the meals/items I make during the summer seem too simple to end up on the blog (mainly because I'm often haphazardly throwing things together, not taking the time to document anything.) I love the freshness and the color- it's hard to beat a combination like that. This salsa is one of those 'recipe...
Buckwheat and Tomato Stuffed Zucchini
As promised, here is the first installment of the ingredient challenge. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, last Monday I asked readers to submit 2-3 ingredients they have in their kitchen and I would pick one set and whip up a recipe. There were SO many great ideas and I started brainstorming on all...
Grilled Peach and Halloumi Skewers with Basil-Jalapeno Sauce
I feel like I need to apologize for all the halloumi recipes but guys, salty cheese. SALTY CHEESE (I'm probably a bit overenthusiastic about this but it's become my new favorite.) The recipe for the #SoLetsPigOut potluck (hosted by Gina + Emily) was actually going to be a cherry/halloumi/farro salad but at the last minute...
Sweet Corn Soup with Harissa
I know, it's probably hot where you are and that soup is probably one of the last things you want to whip up. And yet, if you've never made soup with fresh sweet corn, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that you were missing out. Sweet corn soup is hands down, one...
Curry Grilled Vegetables with Chickpeas and Creamy Polenta
Over the past month, I've been brainstorming ways to keep the site engaging, relevant, and unique (because there's something like 20,000 food blogs out there- slightly overwhelming.) When I first started really diving into blogging, I focused on the produce, the CSA, and everything that came with those two things. The blog, while still extremely...
Egg, Roasted Tomato, and Pesto Biscuit Sandwich
The making of the biscuits are two fold: a bit of a delayed celebration for myself and sending biscuit love to the creator of these bad boys in a time of transition. I've met a lot of cool people through the internet (didn't think I'd ever say that one, especially after trying to meet...
Sorghum Salad with Cucumber and Feta
I've had some variation of this sorghum salad tucked away for a bit now. It started out fairly simple: sorghum, cucumbers, and red onions but morphed into this version I'm sharing today. While I was home over the holiday, I went to make the earlier version but after thinking about it, the sorghum salad felt...
Cauliflower Salad with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Dressing
I typically do not share many photos from outside the food on this site but it's summer and sometimes I feel like mixing it up. I traveled back to my hometown last week for a book signing along with spending some wonderful time with my family. There was good food, boating (a pontoon parade even!),...
Three-Grain Grilled Vegetable and Feta Salad
During the warmer months, I could pack a lunch and head out on a picnic everyday. There’s a calm and centering that comes with laying out on the grass, reading a good book, and snacking on a spread of food (and trust me, there is always a spread.) Ever since moving to California, the locales...
Einkorn Ricotta Pancakes
Here we are, the last week of The Homemade Flour Cookbook month. I hope you guys have enjoyed the various flour recipes and don't worry, I know a few bloggers are still planning on sharing more recipes. I can't thank you enough for all the awesome book support from the comments, emails and instagram images....
Chickpea Bowl with Roasted Vegetables and Cilantro Cashew Cream
This week I wrote a quick post about vegan cooking for The Kitchn. I am not a vegan but I do love a meal that is vegetable centric and if it happens to be vegan, awesome. Many of the vegan meals on this site were not developed specifically to be vegan but rather, a pairing...
Chipotle Lentil Tacos with Avocado and Microgreens
Every morning, I head out to the garden to check on/water the plants. It's the time of day when I have a bit of peace and really helps me to prepare for my day. As of late, with summer arriving, the garden is in full swing (I'll be sharing a post soon!) I have baby...
Grilled Halloumi Skewers with Cilantro-Tahini Sauce
(If you are looking for the response to watching Fed Up, I've moved it to it's own page. Having that text with with recipe felt a bit off but I wanted to still keep my reaction on the site.) I think the photos speak for this recipe but I'll tell you a little about it...
Brown Rice, Oat, and Nut Vegetarian Patty Melt
Before we dive into burgers, I wanted to give a few updates on the cookbook! My friends have been sharing recipes from the cookbook this week and I think they are hitting it out of the park with these recipes adaptions and photos. So gorgeous! Be sure to check out the recipes: Socca Pizza with...
Garlic Green Beans with Sorghum and Walnuts
I am always amazed at how skewed our outlook on food can sometimes be. I remember driving through the great plains on our way to family vacations out west, staring at all the crops (because in most of the states, that's all there is to see.) When I got old enough, I started to...
Gluten Free Oat Crepes with Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese
In my kitchen, I treat gluten and gluten-free the same. I have quite a few gluten-free recipes on this site but it's not because I specifically made them to be gluten-free. I made them because I liked the flavor those particular elements brought to the dish. I'm not celiac or gluten-intolerant but I still enjoy...
Roasted Beets and Burrata with Micro Greens
I find it fascinating the life lessons I learn whenever I take a leap to something new. I've never been one to sit still and often take pride that I can tackle nearly anything that comes my way, usually in mass. But the truth is, over the past year of working for myself, I've found out...
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Chocolate Mascarpone Frosting
I felt like there should be celebratory cupcakes as the first recipe of "The Homemade Flour Cookbook" month (especially since Amazon named the book as one of their cookbooks of the month!) These cupcakes are nearly too much- so rich and delicious. I love the moisture the cooked beets add to the cake and I...
Spinach and Pea Fried Rice
For a long time in my life, I hated one bowl meals (I know, it's a strange thing to hate.) I think I loved having choices on my plate from the main part of the meal to the sides. However, when I started eating vegetarian, the sides soon stole the show and became the main...
Cracked Rye Porridge with Roasted Molasses Cherries
I'm afraid I'm a woman of few words as of late. They're being sucked into a manuscript due soon and future post for The Homemade Flour Cookbook (which by the way is available early!) June will be a big month for the book as I've got a good line-up of giveaways that are being paired...
Spicy Lentil Vegan Sloppy Joes
If you've followed this site for some time, you might have noticed that I love comfort food and have turned numerous meat dishes into my favorite vegetarian dishes. These comfort foods are the ones I grew up on and the meals M still occasionally request. It's always fun to try and recreate favorites from childhood....